Get Me Off This Hormone Rollercoaster!
As I’ve gotten closer to that (cough, cough) “middle age,” I’ve noticed that there are days and weeks when I am all out of whack. I wake up more irritable than I normally do, find myself crying at the smallest thing, then can be blissfully happy, acting like a school girl again. There are nights when I wake up with my pajamas soaking wet and my body shivering cold, then I force my husband to wear his thermals in the middle of summer. The air conditioner must be on 65 degrees! Hubby tip-toes around me lightly, not knowing what kind of mood I might be in.
So, at my next regular check-up, I decide to face my reality – I might be entering menopause. I discuss this with my doctor, Ms. Happy-and-Bright-Cheerleader-Who-Is-Not-Even-CloseTo-“That-Time”, and tell her I want her to check my hormones to see if what I suspect is correct. A week later, I get the call I am expecting, with an unexpected answer, “You are just fine, and everything’s normal.”
No! Everything is not normal! At this point, I am beginning to feel like a hypochondriac, but there is no way wringing out my bed clothes is normal. I tolerate the never-ending rollercoaster a few more months and decide to try again. Surely the reality is showing up in my blood now. But nope – still “normal.”
Then, I find out about saliva hormone testing. The beauty of this test is:
- I no longer have to bug my doctor, who already thinks I’m crazy
- I can do it myself in the privacy of my own home
- It measures my hormone levels throughout the day, even when I am craziest, instead of at the time of the blood draw
- I am ready to take it when I feel it is most appropriate, because it is a kit I collect at home
Watch out world – I’m in control of my health now. How about you?
Saliva hormone tests are now available at certain ANY LAB TEST NOW locations. $10.00 off this month in celebration of Women’s Health Month. Woo-hoo!
