Reply With QuoteNope. But I have done a lot of reading about it on my LTTTC journey.
Perhaps if you post what you want to know someone might know...
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Menopause
Okay, anyone here gone through menopause? I need some insider info...
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Nope. But I have done a lot of reading about it on my LTTTC journey.
Perhaps if you post what you want to know someone might know...
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My Mum is and it does not look pretty, lol.
:banghead:
I am not looking forward to that stage of my life!
Sorry. That was not helpful at all. Lol. Maybe some insider info will help me too.
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Okay, does menopause affect tastebuds? We live with my parents, and Mum hates cooking, so I do it 90% of the time. And probably 70% of the time, she doesn't like it. Only the most basic meat & 3 veg meal will get through, as long as one of the veg is mashed potato and there isn't any other veg. Everything else gets at best a complaint, at worst thrown in the bin. It's driving me NUTS. I used to love cooking and creating things, but this is wearing me down. What's the point in trying to make something nice if it's not gonna be eaten, much less appreciated?
So, I guess I wanna be told that it's menopause, and not my cooking.
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And I also want to understand it - obviously it has an emotional as well as a physical effect. What does it feel like to go through menopause?
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My FIL is like that with food and always has been. It's to do with a few things, including his mum being an atrocious cook, being English, growing up with rationing, and possible SPD issues with food (my theory). He eats omelettes and chips and not much else.
So, maybe she has other issues. Has she always been fussy with food?
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Not that I've noticed, but she was the main cook when I was growing up, so obviously she'd only cook stuff she wanted to eat. I always thought she just wasn't a very adventurous cook, I thought she'd try stuff if it was presented to her, but obviously not! I guess I've gotta just get used to it, because I've got 2 other people to cook for, plus myself, who actually like what I cook.
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I'd make her cook her own stuff
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Hey Keike, saw this thread earlier today so thought I would come back and comment since I've had some menopausish experiences myself lately (ie I have very low oestrogen levels, might or might not be permanent). This means I'm doing the whole hot-flushes, mood-swing thing so I might have a bit of insight.
As to what it feels like to go through menopause? I'm not fully there yet, but what I have had is this - physically uncomfortable - hot flushes, insomnia, itching, acne, dry skin, dry mouth, irregular periods that are torrid when they do turn up, and the newest thing - headaches/migraines, a lot. Mood wise, it can be anything from even even even, through to PMS-grade ultra-crabbiness, crashing depression and everything in between, with no rhyme or reason and not even the benefit of a menstrual cycle to map it against.
I haven't noticed a change in the way things taste but come to think of it I am more fussy now about whether I like food or not so maybe there is a change. Apparently it's an actual menopause thing - change in how things taste or smell. So there could be an actual difference in how the food seems to her.
What I do know for sure about menopause is that makes you never put up with crap ("crap" being a very arbitrary thing when you're menopausal LOL) - so even if her sense of taste hasn't changed, maybe she's acting out on her food preferences in a way that she may never have done in her mild-mannered oestrogenically-charged past.
Also, I saw you mentioned in another thread that she had dentures - maybe this is what it's really about? I had some pretty dreadful dental issues for a while there and that *really* affected what I could comfortably eat. It needed to be soft (because I was pretty much gumming my food instead of chewing it) and blandish (because the nice flavours - tangy, salty, sweet - hurt when you have sores in your mouth). That pretty much ruled out 90% of veggies, plus anything with any crunchiness, plus any really interesting food. So maybe it's about the texture/comfort level of the food rather than the actual flavour, it would explain the mashed potato thing.
If I were you, I would pick a time when she seems happy and calm (not a meal time) and bring it up. Ask her what it is that she's not enjoying, and try to work out a middle ground that will keep her happy and still allow you to cook with a little more variety. Like, maybe you could do a vat of mashed potato or macaroni cheese or soup or whatever on the first night, and then reheat some of that for her on the next couple of nights along with a portion of whatever else you're cooking that she does like. Surely that would be a good compromise and take the pressure off you. If it turns out to be a denture issue, then maybe you could also encourage her to get them refitted, it can make a world of difference.
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Almost there but don't have any awful symptoms yet but oestrogen is the nurturing hormone. It is what helps us get up to our kids in th middle of the night and put everyone else before ourselves. When it diminishes those tendencies also decrease. We become "grumpy old women". OK that is a stereotype but I think MD gave you great advice on how to handle it.
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Totally going there with the grumpy woman thaing! LOL I figure that's the payoff for having all this crap 10 years earlier than I should've
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Yes MD, great to have an excuse to be grumpy for the rest of your life! Did you see the master chef episode where Deb had a very bad day and burst into tears and told everyone on national television it was because she was menopausal!? It was so funny but so true.
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
Been there and came out the other side pretty good. Had no problems and the main thing were the flushes but mine were mainly during the day.
Never had a problem with food or cooking.
Get her to get her Vit D levels etc checked. If she doesn't want to go to the Dr go see your health food store as there are some great women tablets to take.
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Why Vit D, Rivlas? What's the connection?
BellyBelly Life Member - Love all your MCN friends
LOL, my nearly 6yo rejects 99% of what i cook EVERY NIGHT, so this post made me laugh (in recognition). It IS very demoralising i agree.
*cough* i'm also interested to hear about menopause, expecting it soon as my mum got it, at five years younger than i am now.
BellyBelly Life Member - Love all your MCN friends
i have been wondering about the "grumpy old woman" thing myself, had been putting it down to the pain ratio. E.g fit, healthy women i would not expect to be grumpy. But everyone is grumpy, when sore and in pain. So was assuming, the grumpy old ladies are in lots of pain and illhealth.
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Thanks so much everyone
I had a chat with her, and apparently the portions I've been giving her are too big. She has a lapband, but there's no fluid in it, so I assumed she could eat normally. Tonight I made dinner as normal, and gave her half what I would normally give her, and she ate it all - YAY!
She also said she gets annoyed at getting annoyed ITMS. She says that every day she sees herself doing to me what her mum did to her, with the fussiness and the general lack of gratitude for help, and it irritates her that she's doing it, which makes her even more short tempered, lol. So we've agreed that she's not to worry about turning into her mum, and I'll ignore anything narky she says.
One thing is for certain, I'm NOT looking forward to menopause
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The Dr told me that we don't get enough vit D and this makes you feel tired and all things that come from feeling tired.
One tablet a day is enough and it does make a difference. She also said to try and get out every day but she knows we need the yellow thing in the sky to be out.
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