Erin T

Jun 16 · Posted

43 and I genuinely thought I was dying last month. Not dramatically, just... the kind of tired where you sit in your car after dropping the kids off and cannot figure out how to open the door. That tired. And the bleeding. I have been tracking my cycle for about six weeks now because something told me I needed receipts before my OBGYN would take me seriously, and what I'm seeing is wild. Anywhere from 22 days to 35 days. Last period I went through an entire box of overnight pads in three days. I've started writing down how fatigued I am on each day of my cycle, like a number out of ten, because I want to be able to show her exactly what the bad days look like. Not just "I'm tired" but "I couldn't finish a sentence in a meeting on day two" tired. That kind of thing. Also been leaning hard on lentil soup and spinach pasta on the heavy days because cooking anything complicated is just not happening. Honestly if I can get iron into myself without thinking about it too hard, that's a win. Anyone else keeping notes like this before an appointment? I feel like I need to walk in with a folder or she's just going to tell me stress.

Jun 15 · Replied

Community post

Thank you Siobhan, and everyone who replied. This is exactly why I posted. Reading these has made me feel much less ridiculous, and I am adding a few notes before my next appointment.

Jun 15 · Posted

43 and my body has apparently decided to just... wing it now. Last month was 24 days, the month before was 35, and the flooding is something I genuinely was not prepared for. I had to leave a meeting last Tuesday because I was terrified to stand up. That is not a thing that should be happening to a grown adult with a job and a commute. I started keeping a calendar in January, nothing fancy, just a notes app where I log when it starts, how heavy, and whether I basically couldn't function that day. I've been adding a fatigue column too because I want to be able to show my OB something concrete. Not just "I'm tired" but like, these are the days I came home and went straight to bed at 7pm and still woke up exhausted. Also trying to eat more iron-rich stuff on the heavy days because I read something about it and figured it couldn't hurt. Lentil soup has become my weird comfort food. I am not a lentil soup person but here we are. Appointment is next month. Hoping the calendar actually helps me sound less like I'm catastrophizing and more like a person with data.

Jun 15 · Replied

Community post

Thank you Rachel, and everyone who replied. This is exactly why I posted. Reading these has made me feel much less ridiculous, and I am adding a few notes before my next appointment.

Jun 14 · Posted

First post! 43, LA, perimenopause I think. Periods went from manageable to absolutely unhinged in about six months. So glad this community exists.

Jun 12 · Posted

Okay so I started writing things down this week because my OBGYN appointment is coming up and I know I'm going to blank completely the second I sit down in that chair. Nothing fancy, just a notes app entry each evening: how heavy, how tired, whether I had to do the emergency-bag-check before leaving the house. Already noticing that day 2 and 3 are a whole different level from what they used to be, like I genuinely thought I was imagining it getting worse but seeing it written down is kind of clarifying? Also tracking the afternoon crash because I cannot tell anymore if that's the bleeding or just... life. Saving all of it for my appointment. ETA: added an iron-rich dinner column too because why not, might as well see if there's anything there.

Jun 9 · Replied

Community post

Thank you A.A., and everyone who replied. This is exactly why I posted. Reading these has made me feel much less ridiculous, and I am adding a few notes before my next appointment.

Jun 8 · Posted

Okay so I have to ask. Is anyone else's period just... unrecognizable? Like I've had a cycle for 30 years and suddenly I don't know what my own body is doing. Last month was 19 days apart. The month before, 38. And the volume. I went through everything I had at work on a Tuesday and had to stuff paper towels in my underwear like a teenager. I'm 43. I have a job title and a mortgage and I should not be doing this. I finally started keeping a calendar. Not an app, just a notes page on my phone where I write the start date, how heavy, and how wrecked I feel. Because I've got an OBGYN appointment coming up and I know if I walk in there with just vibes she's going to tell me it's normal and send me home. I want to walk in with receipts. The fatigue is the part I really want her to take seriously. It's not tired-from-a-bad-night tired. It's like my bones are heavy. The heavy days I can barely get through a meeting without my brain going completely blank. I've started putting that in the notes too. Work calls where I could not track the conversation. Days where I drove home and genuinely couldn't tell you what route I took. Anyone prepped for an appointment this way? What did you actually bring? I want to make sure I'm asking about iron levels because I have a feeling that's part of what's going on, but I don't want to go in there and forget half of what I meant to say.