Perimenopause: What's Going On?

Image by Coffeelatte.

I have long known that night sweats,  mood swings and crying jags were signs of menopause. I also knew that 51 was the average age that women experience menopause.

But I still was blindsided at age 49.5 when the first dramatic symptoms showed up.

It was the fall of 2011.  I was 49 years old, closing in on 50. I had experienced some subtle changes to my cycle for years prior, so I was already describing myself as perimenopausal.

Then the subtlety ended.

Travel Made Me Feel My Youth

Citadel of Acre

When I was in college, I was eager to learn as much about the world as possible, so I majored in English. This allowed me to read broadly.

But I didn't want to limit myself to the travel habits of Emily Dickinson, who insists, "There is no frigate like a book." I wanted to get out of the United States and experience other landscapes, other cultures.

I chose to spend part of my sophomore year studying in Jerusalem due to its significance to three of the major world religions.  Also, I was awed by how it had a much older history than London or Vienna--which were other options through my university's travel study programs. 

So in January of 1982, I embarked on a six month travel study in Jerusalem with a group of nearly 100 other BYU students.

We lived primarily at Ramat Rachel--located at the most southern extreme of Jerusalem. But we traveled throughout the region.

Visiting the Bathroom Is Risky Business

Photo by J. Star.

People of all ages risk falling in the bathroom.  It's an oft-used room, filled with hard surfaces from floor to tub to toilet to sink.  Then add water to the mix! And soap. Also loose rugs, flimsy towel racks and sliding shower doors decrease stability.

Injuries range from abrasions to lacerations to concussions to fractures.

According to a summary of a CDC report on non-fatal bathroom injuries for persons 15 and older,

"Almost one-third (30 percent) of adults 65 and above who were injured in bathrooms were diagnosed with fractures. Among adults aged 85 and older, 38 percent were hospitalized as a result of their injuries."

A Midsummer Midlife Midwest Dream

Midwest Boomer Bloggers with our hosts.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

The "L" and buses

311 S. Wacker

I just returned from several days of travel, which included time spent in Chicago near the summer solstice--or "midsummer" as Shakespeare calls it.

I was in the heart of downtown Chicago, aka the "Loop," which includes many shops, restaurants, buildings and artwork.

My trip included two nights in the beautiful Allerton Hotel and two days in the John Hancock Center.

Like Shakespeare's characters, I had a rollicking good time near the longest day of the year.  During my stay in Chicago, I got to meet 15 other midlife bloggers from the Midwest.  It was a dream come true.