Why This Blog Exists

I'm finally frustrated enough with the lack of solid, reliable information for menopause that I've decided to start a blog about it. I'll not only be sharing my product recommendations for topics like "dancing while menopausal" etc., but also medical issues like, "when your mammo comes back scary." I've had to learn so much in the past year just to make my life manageable that I have file folders filled with info/guides/resources etc.

I've been out of the dancing game lately due to medical issues, the biggest one being the "when your mammo comes back scary" variety. Though I've missed the Big C this time around, the cells they did find are high risk enough that a lumpectomy has been scheduled. And that, my friends, has been a circus all in itself. More on that later. Meanwhile, close embrace dancing is not going to be in my future for at least a month, more likely two. (Why did it have to be the closed side of the embrace?! Why?!)

Aside from The Big Scary thing(tm) going on, there are so many annoyances that come with menopause that affect dancing - the hot flashes, the sweating, the fatigue, the brain fog. (And the "god forbid I cough/sneeze/blink too hard - you know the thing I mean.) I hardly recognize my own body these days, and I know I'm not they only one. I know this because my friends, more tangueras of a certain age (from peri- to post-menopause), are frustrated by the same things. When I started asking my friends (and my aunties), "hey, did this happen to you?" the outpouring of shared experience was almost overwhelming!

My first feeling was relief that others knew what I was going through. My second feeling was anger at why we don't talk about this nearly enough. Why do doctors give us the brush off when we ask about this - even our ob/gyns who should be our first line of quality guidance for this? My doctors have been a frequent source of disappointment. That said, I have lately found some amazing resources, but I had to fight for those resources. So I decided to share those experiences and resources here. I hope you find them useful.

Warning - I am a typical GenXer so this blog will be salty AF. I'm keeping the swearing to a minimum so the algorithms don't punish me, but no promises on clean language.