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From: lendube
Date: 09-02-2006, 10:08 PM (1 of 32)
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Anyone know how to deal with menopause related insomnia??? I haven't had a good night in two weeks and I feel like a zombie. I do the reading. I know what to avoid (caffeine, alcohol, etc.) I've tried herbs, Estroven, soy, etc. I've got mild sleeping pills but hate to rely on them. I'm at the point of asking for hormone therapy. Any words of wisdom??? I started having problems when I was 37 and had times that were better and worse. I'm 50 now and it's getting worse and worse. I guess that's normal but I'm going nuts! Help? Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: lizzybugsmommy
Date: 09-03-2006, 12:50 AM (2 of 32)
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I myself have insomnia. I will suggest to put the book down. It causes a stimulant like caffine. lye in bed and relax every mussle in your head starting at your toes then feet kind of tell them to yourself not out loud LOL. I know this sounds crazy but it will start working if you go through every body part one by one keeping your eyes closed. I have had an awaful time for years and I found this in a magazine ot somthing I tried it and it worked. I use it when I want to go to sleep. There is so much I would rather be doing other than sleeping I can not relax my mind and body without this. My adverage nite sleep is only 2 hours so I try and do it about twice a week. I just think id rather be playing than sleepin. Good luck let me know if this works for you.
Catherine
http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=A0E42A2C202&cp=ems_shr_a lb_pml&cb=PW Husbands gone fishing..... I've gone fabric shopping |
User: lizzybugsmommy
Member since: 05-20-2006 Total posts: 207 |
From: Chrysantha
Date: 09-03-2006, 01:16 AM (3 of 32)
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http://www.petloss.com/mbphotos2/piper30.jpg I like a BIG glass of milk.(to go with my ambien)....I also read in bed, but not books that will keep me awake. (horror always makes me sleepy  )Also don't eat before bed. Try and turn your mind off...I like to do rhymes in my head (yeah I have a head and can remember rhymes...before you say anything Jan...  ) Don't watch 'exciting' t.v. shows and movies before bed. (and DON'T sleep with a t.v. in the room) I also keep a fan AND an air cleaner in the room...to keep me cool and make 'white' noise. ( sometimes I also add my water box, it's one of those table top fountains that rains in a box and you can turn noises on or just listen to the water.)I'm a night person and I have to live in a daytime world (for my ferrets). So I have a hard time sleeping at night. (I'd rather be up doing things all night and sleeping till noon or 1). But....we got the ferrets on a morning/evening schedule for playtime and they make a mess or bang on the cage if you don't let them out...(4 small ferrets can make a B I G mess and L O T S of noise, surprisingly) This is my girl Piper (of the pretty eyes).(she's one of my rescues.) I LOVE her to death...it's like shes always been mine... Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414 
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From: MaryW
Date: 09-03-2006, 07:30 AM (4 of 32)
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Piper is so pretty. You are not alone with your insomnia. I am menopause insomnia and it can be a royal pain. I have found the more I fight it and really try to sleep the worse it is. If I accept the fact and do something for an hour or so I can usually doze off. Reading sometimes does it, other times I turn on the TV, that usually does the trick and I'm asleep in a few minutes. I think everybody has their own way of dealing with it. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
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From: allie-oops
Date: 09-03-2006, 01:05 PM (5 of 32)
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Ugh - I'm dealing with this too. Yesterday I didn't get to sleep til after 7am. Knowing I had to work later that day stressed me out worse. I keep my room really cold, that seems to help, makes me want to snuggle under the covers more - and I'm at the point where I may start buying stock in Tylenol PM. Listening to Mozart also seems to help a bit, but now my computer is making a high-pitched whine and that is distracting. My computer is what I play my Mozart on, lol. My boss mentioned something she'd used for hot flashes and insomnia, and is going to try to remember to bring it in for me. If she does, I'll share the name of it. Allie "onward through the fog"
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User: allie-oops
Member since: 10-25-2002 Total posts: 282 
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From: Sancin
Date: 09-03-2006, 05:34 PM (6 of 32)
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I don't have menopause induced insomnia but I do have insomnia and have had for many years. I also have fibromyalgia so when I don't sleep I am in a lot of pain the next day. I honestly wonder what came first. I do absolutely everything mentioned here. I function similarly to Chrys being a night time person. I don't have ferrets but do have a dog to go out each morning - he is however, remarkably flexible. I have, in many ways resolved to live with it and that seems to be the best solution - I sleep better  As I have had insomnia for so long I tend to forget to try each thing. The one thing that seems to work is getting up when I am not sleeping and either walking around for awhile or reading sitting up in a chair (I usually read lying down). I get sleepy after awhile and when really sleepy I go back to bed and sleep. I also have some tapes and CD's with meditation nature sounds that I turn on. I do use the progressive relaxation method mentioned and I find if I do them when the tape is on eventually just hearing the tape will put me to sleep. The noise, tho slight, interfers with my internal dialogues. I also always have a white noise machine (and usually ceiling fan on). Initially they helped but now the effect is that if they are off I am WIDE awake listening to every night sound. Good luck - it is a struggle, and struggle is a problem in itself - tell yourself - this too will pass. FYI - Over the years I have noticed that my sleep cycles are three days. When I am totally not sleeping I will take a sleeping pill for three nights in a row and the cycle seems to be broken till the next one starts - often a long time.  Do try the progressive relaxation exercise (you will find one on the web somewhere) and do it every night and after awhile you won't have to focus quite so much. I made a tape for my daughter once using a instruction dialogue. I do know this works. When I first started nursing, back in the dark ages, and, we weren't so frantic all night, I used to sit with patient's not sleeping and do it with them - worked like a damn! 
*~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
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User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005 Total posts: 895 
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From: SummersEchos
Date: 09-03-2006, 08:29 PM (7 of 32)
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I have suffered from insomnia as long as I can remember. I was taught besides relaxing each part of my body, to relax my mind, I had to find a place that was peaceful and I knew I could lay back and relax. I would have to see it in my mind and let myself drift off into this place and just relax. I also use my bed for nothing but sleeping. No reading or watching tv in bed! When I laid down to sleep in the bed my mind and body had to know that is what it is suppose to do. I has worked for me that now if I lay down to go to sleep at 11 pm, I will be asleep by 1 am. I tried the glass of wine before bed, sitting in a chair in a room other than my bedroom, reading and sipping wine. it worked okay but after a while one glass became two, and so on and so on. So I stopped that. I think you need o try different things to find out what works for you. The more you worry about it the harder it makes for you to go to sleep.
Summer
FREE FALLIN |
User: SummersEchos
Member since: 09-29-2004 Total posts: 884 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 09-04-2006, 12:35 AM (8 of 32)
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I went through a period (2-3 years) that I had trouble going to sleep. Would be exhausted and practically falling asleep until my head hit the pillow. Then it was as if my mind started working in overdrive and I would be wide awake thinking about work until any where between 1:30, 3:30 or even later. And then I'd have to get up by 6:00 a.m. to go to work. I agree that everyone has to find what works for them. I tried the no eating after 8:00, only drinking green tea...no black tea, trying to relax, etc. But what worked for me was to stop fighting it and to get up and do something...even if it was to get up and go to the bathroom or to get a drink. Then go back to bed. This helped. Since I was not able to get myself to relax...I tried focusing on something routine...guess it would be similar to counting sheep. I started focusing (really slowly) on the route I would drive to go from my home to a particular store. If I realized I was thinking about work again...I would mentally force myself to think about the route I would drive. One other thing that I did which I don't really know if it had any effect was to start taking magnesium tablets. I went to a health food store and explained that I was having problems sleeping and the guy suggested the magnesium. He said it helps with stress. Don't know if this is true but thought it wouldn't hurt. Took it for approx. 8 mths to a year. Things are OK now and I rarely have difficulty sleeping. TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366 
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From: stitchmaniac
Date: 09-06-2006, 02:33 AM (9 of 32)
| I have the same problem. One day I bought a self-hypnosis tape for weight loss and would put it on with headphones at night, well, I didn't lose weight, but I fall a sleep before I get through it! Very relaxing. When I travel...which is often, I use ear plugs and a sleep mask. This helps me too. My sister swears by TylenolPM. I do not use it because it tears up my stomach, but her doctor told her it was ok to use it. He doesn't believe in "real drugs". LOL |
User: stitchmaniac
Member since: 11-05-2002 Total posts: 43 |
From: MaryW
Date: 09-06-2006, 04:20 PM (10 of 32)
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I would never take anything to sleep, if I don't sleep, too bad for me. There has to be a remedy. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542
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From: plrlegal
Date: 09-06-2006, 04:49 PM (11 of 32)
I'm beginning to think I have something seriously wrong with me these days -- I've been going to bed at 10:30 p.m. instead of my usual 1:30 - 2:00 a.m. bedtime. I think I'm getting way, way too much sleep these days. Of course, my dh is loving it. He nags me all the time about staying up late and not getting enough sleep.  Patsy Patsy
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User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: Magot
Date: 09-06-2006, 05:54 PM (12 of 32)
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I quite often wake up about 3.00am for a pee and then am completely unable to get back to sleep - rather than laying in bed watching the clock and thinking "I should be asleep" I get up and have a cup of tea, read a while and then go back to bed and not sleep - but at least I have had a cup of tea! It is terrible the way I wake up hungry! ( cup 'o tea solves that and is a lot better than snacking in the hinght)
love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us Cells a Speciality DNA to order. |
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002 Total posts: 3626 
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From: stitchmaniac
Date: 09-06-2006, 09:04 PM (13 of 32)
| I forgot to mention, if you are taking thyroid medication I read that it will build up and cause insomnia in some people. |
User: stitchmaniac
Member since: 11-05-2002 Total posts: 43 |
From: lendube
Date: 09-07-2006, 02:25 PM (14 of 32)
Thanks for the input. You ladies are great.  I envy you, Mary, that you can just "deal" with no sleep. I can only assume that you handle it better than I do. My dh can do fine on only 3 or 4 hours but I get physically ill feeling if I don't sleep at least 6 hours. I don't get mentally tired and sleepy the next day. It's just the opposite. It's like I'm wired and anxious and the worst feeling I've had. Tired and sleepy I could deal with. I'm visiting the dr. soon and will bring it up once again. Sure seems to be a common problem though. Good luck and good sleep to everyone.
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User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 09-07-2006, 06:32 PM (15 of 32)
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OK Folks, Here goes .............. I will share my fool proof "Sleeping Pill" with all of you... No side effects, No drug hangover, Just good sleep.. Every night I drink a glass of milk, then I brush, then get in bed and seldom is it more than 5 or maybe 10 minutes some nights before I am asleep.. Since I have to watch my cholesterol, I am finally weaned down to skim milk.. Took me long enough to get there, but I'm there now... My Dr. laughs every time I tell her my remedy for insomnia.. She hates milk, so she is glad she does not have trouble sleeping.. I started this when I was having trouble getting to sleep because of a problem at work, and I remembered that My FIL before his death always drank a cup of warm milk with a spoon of sugar in it.. Yuck! ! ! So, I tried just plain old cold milk, and it helped..
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: lendube
Date: 09-07-2006, 07:54 PM (16 of 32)
Oh Libby, how wonderful if it was that simple for everyone! I, like your dr., can not stand plain milk. I've tried warm milk in the past out of desperation and gagged my way through a glass literally holding my nose. No luck but that was years ago. I don't suppose I could add something to it?? Hmm. Wouldn't want too much sugar though. In a series of books I'm reading the character likes to drink warm almond or vanilla milk. That may be okay. Add a little extract. Maybe I'll try it tonight.  thx, Lennie
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User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: Chrysantha
Date: 09-07-2006, 09:34 PM (17 of 32)
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I LOVE milk and will drink and drink it..... But for those of you (who like my neighbor and my mother who can't/couldn't stand milk, here goes..) Add some vanilla or rum FLAVORING, some sugar and some nutmeg....if you like Eggnog...it'll smell like it and you won't taste the 'plain milk'. Or do like my sister does, she's not allowed milk anymore. Chocolate Silk (soy milk) and 1% mixed (or skim) Chocolate Silk tastes just like chocolate milk, without the fat and the milk....
Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414
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From: lendube
Date: 09-08-2006, 06:47 PM (18 of 32)
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Chrys, Hmmmm, maybe some real rum???? heehee I love eggnog and that sounds really good either way. (Less fattening than the real stuff too.) I used to drink the Silk choc. soy and really liked it but I realized after a little bit that it was giving me nagging stomach pains. At the time I was trying different herbal pills and minerals and it took me a while to narrow it down to the soy. It's also good if you need a mild laxitive. thx, Lennie 
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User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: Chrysantha
Date: 09-08-2006, 08:40 PM (19 of 32)
Yeah...Silk gives me stomach problems too....so I keep it down to a small glass, with ice cubes in it...makes it go farther and no stomach problems.
Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414
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From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 09-09-2006, 01:47 PM (20 of 32)
I'm glad I like milk.. I couldn't drink the Silk because my Thyroid meds don't like soy... So, I'm better off liking the skim milk ..
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022
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From: nativetexan
Date: 09-14-2006, 05:33 PM (21 of 32)
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if milk will help me go to sleep, i'm game. i like milk anyway and am taking Boniva once a month for bone loss. yawn. not really. it takes me anywhere from 30 minutes up to 3 hours to go to sleep. milk, here i come.
CC
http://photos.yahoo.com/ccase5 |
User: nativetexan
Member since: 11-15-2005 Total posts: 57 
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From: MaryW
Date: 09-14-2006, 05:40 PM (22 of 32)
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I have had insomnia for so long, I can't remember not having it. It is just as right as rain to me. I watch TV or read.
MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542
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From: Bama
Date: 09-14-2006, 05:51 PM (23 of 32)
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I've had trouble sleeping the past few years. Must be hormones. It helps me fall asleep if I listen to music. I put our TV on a music channel (the screen is blank) and set the timer on the TV to turn it off. I'm usually asleep by the time it turns off. I've used Tylenol PM on nights when I've felt a migrane coming on, but I have a hard time getting up the next day if I take it. I take half of one tablet or I couldn't get up for work the next day. Hubby has no trouble falling alseep. He just has problems staying asleep past 4:00 am. It drives me crazy on the weekends. I'll be sound asleep and he starts talking to me. He says he gets his best sleep before midnight. Mine is just before daylight.
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User: Bama
Member since: 03-21-2000 Total posts: 2116 
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From: mamadus
Date: 10-01-2006, 02:09 AM (24 of 32)
BAma..your house sounds like my house.... MO life is too short, not to explore
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User: mamadus
Member since: 12-31-2004 Total posts: 492 
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From: lendube
Date: 10-01-2006, 01:51 PM (25 of 32)
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An update........ disappointing to say the least. I went to the OBGYN and told her about my sleep problems and she said it very likely is connected to menopause. I left blood for the hormone test but she said it could take a week or more for the results. I asked her if we could do something in the meantime since I was going nuts not sleeping. She started me on some low dose birth control pills. Long story short, the pills did no good what-so-ever. My period came right on time despite the pills too. She finally got back to me almost 2 weeks later saying, "Good news! Your hormones are so normal you could actually conceive!" AAAARRRGGGHHH! Yeah right! I want a 20 year old when I'm 70!  She said immediately go off the pills - you don't need them. She suggested I try melatonin, yoga with emphasis on relaxation and breathing techniques, and exercizing in the evening instead of the morning. I've been taking the melatonin and am on a good streak now so we'll just have to play it by ear. The really nasty thing was that I got my period AGAIN  two weeks after my last one and two days after stopping the bc pills and it's been a doozy. Oh, the pleasures of being a woman!!!! Looks like I'll hit menopause sometime in my eighties if I'm lucky.  Big Sigh, Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: Mom of Six
Date: 10-01-2006, 02:13 PM (26 of 32)
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I feel for you Lennie! I just turned 50 & have been having trouble sleeping for a while. I can fall asleep anywhere except bed & I wake up about 4AM & can't get back to sleep until 5:30 & then the alarm goes off at 6. I would go to the Dr. but we have no ins. & are paying off husbands hospital bill from last Jan. kidney stone. My periods have been more regular in the last few yrs. than ever before. but I have 1 day each month that is murder. It usually falls on the worst day @ work. I told my boss they had better have some one in place soon trained so I can take a day off. with our new food service system I don't have time to get to the bathroom every hr. I was told that the later you start your period (I was 14) the earlier it will end. Then someone else told me that the more months you are pregnant the longer it takes ( I had 6 kids & 1 miscarry). My job might go full time in Dec. If it does I can get this taken care of. Until then I just keep a fan close by, stay close to bathrooms, & sleep in the recliner when I have to. Barb
Happiness is having time to sew!! |
User: Mom of Six
Member since: 11-03-2001 Total posts: 1115 
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From: lendube
Date: 10-01-2006, 06:06 PM (27 of 32)
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Poor Barb! Now I feel for you too! Do you have clinics in Mi.? Here in Ca. you can go to these state subsidized clinics and see dr.'s and dentists for low, low fees. My dd (25) has been clinically depressed for years and has no insurance now. She gets her meds for free and they even mail them to her. Before I got married this time (very, very happily luckily) My kids and I went to the same clinic for our dental needs. I was very impressed never having not been insured before I didn't know what to expect. What I have always heard is that the earlier you start your period the longer it'll last. Same as you. Well, I started at 10 1/2 (isn't that horrible??) and like I said, I'm still going strong. Who knows? Might be some truth to the old wive's tales. Thanks for your compassion and may we both have a wonderful night tonight! Lennie
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User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: Mom of Six
Date: 10-01-2006, 06:27 PM (28 of 32)
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We have State & County run clinics but they are based on income & since my DH is self employed they go by last yrs. taxes which showed a big profit. But this yr. he has taken in about 1/2 of last yr. & the gas prices have been at least 25% more so we will be able to get some help if we need it next yr. New houses are not selling in our area right now. He has in name in for a temporary factory job to supliment our income this winter. I signed up for dental ins. through work. Anyone can pay & get that but health ins. you have to work at least 30 hrs. a week. We are working that now on a temp. basis. Tomorrow they are interviewing assistants for us so they can cut our hrs. I don't think it will go below 6 hrs. a day but they seem to think it will. I will have to be done with all of my clean up & paperwork 15 min after I finish serving kids. I am thinking about taking a Tylenol PM about 7PM & see if that will help me sleep tonight. Barb
Happiness is having time to sew!! |
User: Mom of Six
Member since: 11-03-2001 Total posts: 1115
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From: Hogmami
Date: 10-02-2006, 01:33 AM (29 of 32)
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I feel for you Barb. Michigan is having a problem with jobs. After I lost my job of 23 years that I had insurance and other benefits. It was real hard. I worked at Burger King for awhile. Now, I work at the hospital. Pay isn't great but it is one of the highest paying jobs in this area and I have insurance. So we have adjusted our way of living. Houses aren't selling here either.
Carolyn
Michigan |
User: Hogmami
Member since: 09-30-2004 Total posts: 800 
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From: lendube
Date: 10-02-2006, 12:45 PM (30 of 32)
I'm sorry to hear that for both of you. I imagine with the cold winter coming up there are just more and more expenses.  Yet another reason to look forward to 2008! Changes are so overdue!  You know what they say~ Diapers and Politicians need changing ~~~ for the same reason!!! (Don't worry! I'll leave my soapbox alone now.) Take Care and sleep well, Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: lacicat
Date: 11-07-2006, 03:41 PM (31 of 32)
| Hey Barb, I just noticed you are from Lansing, I am from Eaton Rapids! My solution that works a lot of the time uses the alphabet, I also have a ceramic shop so I go thru the alphabet naming a mold that begins with each letter such as A for angel, B for bears, C for cats and so on. You could use lots of different things, friends names or whatever. I never connected this with menopause but now that you've mentioned it that's about when it started. Good Luck. lacicat |
User: lacicat
Member since: 10-29-2006 Total posts: 7 |
From: Magot
Date: 11-07-2006, 05:27 PM (32 of 32)
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Barb, I have similar patterns to you - except now I am getting the wild internal central heating at night! Why is it the one day when the floodgates open is the day you have todrive across the country?? My understanding was that we are programmed with the amount of eggs we will release when we ourselves are inthe womb.(That is when the ovarys and egg cells are determined) You have a finite number and when they're gone - they're gone. This would imply that if you start earlier you should runout earlier - except we probably don't all have the same number of eggs anyway so Phut for logic. I can't remember when I started my periods so that won't help anyway. I'll stick to going to bed when I am tired and trting not to get up in the night otherwise I get intothe habit of staying up. love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us Cells a Speciality DNA to order. |
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002 Total posts: 3626
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