About Me
During the last 20 years I worked in an Adult Mental Health Hospital with varying responsibilities including implementing Mental Health legislation and its Code of Practice, working with the Tribunal Mental Health, Policy Writing, Compliance and Quality across the organisation. I designed and delivered bespoke training courses for groups and on a 1:1 basis, providing guidance, support and coaching to all staff.
The most important and rewarding part of my career has been working with people from all walks of life and watching them put their learning into practice. I have listened and supported many people through some difficult times and helped them understand and manage their mental health.
This experience served me well as I entered the menopause where I started to experience symptoms that made me question my own mental health and ability to cope with what life was presenting me with.
Determined not to be beaten, I researched to really understand what was going on and what I could do about it. I embarked on a personal journey of enlightenment and empowerment. What I discovered was that the menopause doesn’t need to mean your life is over, or that you can’t continue to progress in your career, or enjoy personal relationships, it’s just a natural phase of life that we must learn to navigate.
The journey isn’t always easy, but there is a way through.
My Menopause Journey
At 51 I had a hysterectomy which placed me into surgical menopause.
Following surgery, I was given Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) but having heard that HRT caused breast cancer, I refused to take it. Instead, I spent my recovery period researching natural ways of managing my menopause.
Surprisingly, I experienced no menopause symptoms until I returned to work 6 weeks later. I had expected to wake up from surgery sweating and having hot flushes and I thought my luck was in when I didn’t. They soon arrived, along with heart palpitations and stiff joints – I suddenly felt “old”.
Staying positive, I reached for the fan at home and at work I was relieved that I had my own air-conditioned office. Then along came brain fog and anxiety which terrified me. I was responsible for ensuring detention paperwork for patients who had been admitted to hospital was correct to avoid being legally challenged.
A person’s liberty had been taken away because their mental health had deteriorated so severely that treatment was required against their will. The reason for this was because they were either a danger to themselves or others. My job depended on me making no mistakes.
My thinking became slower and concentration poor. I found myself checking my work numerous times over. I devised more checklists to avoid errors and I would often leave tasks till the following morning to have a final check over – my brain was failing me, and I was starting to lose my confidence.
My husband and I were making plans to live with my mother who has dementia and I thought is this the start of dementia for me? I couldn’t remember the names of colleagues, my words and sentences would come out muddled, back to front or just completely wrong, I couldn’t remember where I had put things and when I least expected my mind would just go blank.
One day, my younger sister announced that she was peri-menopausal and had decided to take HRT. I had not heard of peri menopause. After a long discussion with my sister and further research into the risks and benefits of HRT, I contacted my doctor to request HRT.
HRT may not be for everyone, but it is worth discussing this area with your doctor.
Presently, I manage HRT alongside lifestyle adjustments and this approach suits me well.”
Today, I am still grateful that I had that conversation with my sister – it changed my life.
