There is no trophy for keeping disruptive health experiences on the backburner.
But what if there was a prize 🏆 for prioritizing your health + TREATING the root cause?
Sarah asks: 49, perimenopause. I used to be able to push through anything... but now my fatigue is unbearable! I'm sick-and-tired of feeling sick-and-tired!
My reply: I'm so glad you asked this question because:
❶ it means you're asking for help (too many try to solve fatigue and exhaustion on their own!)
❷ talking about fatigue provides the perfect example for the pyramid on page 25 of Feel Amazing designed to help us STAY CURIOUS until we find (&treat) the root cause with our our care providers!
The work that I do at Menopause Chicks involves unpacking a lot of misconceptions--including some societal misconceptions about “feeling tired.”
Let's start there.
Especially because you used the phrase “PUSH THROUGH.”
Feeling fatigued is not a badge of honour!
ALSO:
You are not tired all the time “because you are a woman.”
You are not tired all the time “because you are getting to that age.”
You are not tired all the time “because of menopause.”
I'm happy you reached out so you can learn the possible reasons behind your fatigue/exhaustion, and then get to work on a plan that will be right for you!
(Too often, women try to “push through” their fatigue and as we are about to find out, that can mean missing or overlooking important health conditions!)
What to get curious about:
1️⃣ Iron Deficiency: Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in women, causing things like fatigue, brain fog, cold intolerance, hair loss, and sometimes, not having enough energy to even climb a flight of stairs!
Important for you to note: anemia is diagnosed when ferritin (measurement of iron stores in our blood) falls below 25-30. But fatigue is experienced when ferritin levels are 50 or below.
My doctor says 90% of her patients are iron deficient. It is particularly common in women who still have a period and those who eat primarily a vegetarian diet. I assume you still have a period, so please check your most recent blood work, or request a ferritin test (simple blood test your doctor requisitions) and choose a quality iron supplement (one that does not cause stomach upset or constipation.)
Note: a physician is required to requisition a ferritin test; a physician is not required to supplement iron. Some new developments are happening in this area where in some regions, a ferritin test can be ordered (and paid for) by the individual through their diagnostic lab.
2️⃣ Thyroid: Conversations about perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause can get so focused on some areas (vasomotor symptoms, for example) that thyroid health is overlooked.
I'm working hard to change that! Look at any list of common experiences associated with thyroid conditions and you will see fatigue and exhaustion on the list.
Along with your fatigue, if you are also experiencing cold hands & feet, inability of lose weight, dry skin, hair and nails, poor concentration, constipation or muscle aches, be sure to investigate thyroid health with your primary care provider.
3️⃣ You're carrying the weight of the world at home, with your children, caring for your aging parents, at work, in your community. I don't know what to say except now is an excellent time to get curious about stress (cortisol) levels, to practice putting your own name at the top of the to-do list (I know this is easier said than done but YOUR HEALTH is WORTH IT!)
I realize you have already started to do this by posting this question today!
I want to remind all of us reading along: there is no “trophy” for pushing through fatigue; sometimes fatigue is a “tap on the shoulder” from our body--alerting us that something even more serious requires our attention. I don't want to be alarmsit but a couple of years ago, my friend's mom received a diagnosis for myeloma. Her only symptom? Fatigue. She is doing well now...which emphasizes the point there is a "trophy" for noticing, investigating and asking for the support you need!
4️⃣ Do you have insomnia (aka chronic insomnia disorder)? Are you experiencing difficulty falling asleep? Staying asleep? Waking too early?…and then having your quality of life (i.e. productivity at work, relationship conflct, mood swings) diminished the following day?
Answering "yes...3 or more times per week" to any of the above four questions qualifies as the definition of insomnia.
There are approved treatments for insomnia (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-for Insomnia or CBT-i and new medications on the market; tested on women and without the traditional "hangover"effects we are often afraid of) and addressing sleep FIRST could be the best, first investment in your current and future health.
Please circle back and let me know what you learn after investigating iron, thyroid health & insomnia.
Craving more?
How would you like to walk into your next health appointment feeling both informed and confident?
Join me on Saturday, March 8th (International Women's Day) for a special edition of "Speak Menopause" I am on a mission to change the health outcomes of our health conversations by ensuring you show up for your next doctor's appointment feeling 1) informed 2) confident 3) in the driver's seat of your own health bus!
Your health journey is important, and your doctor and other allied health professionals are key members of your team. But none of us were ever taught how to show up for your health appointments.
Physicians are scientists, but they are not mind readers. They like data to piece your health story together. And they have taken an oath to work with you to solve health challenges. In order to do their job properly, they need to understand how your issues are impacting your quality of life.
I've created a fill-in-the-blank system for "changing the script" at your next health appointment. Thousands of women in the Menopause Chicks Community have taken it for a test drive, and although we can never guarantee a physician's response, it's working:
it's changing health outcomes for treating heavy bleeding, iron deficiency, vasomotor symptoms ...prioritizing vulva & vaginal health...discussing potential benefits of menopause hormone therapy...addressing insomnia...and MORE!
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