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Sunday, October 13, 2019

Menopause Raptor

Menopause was lonely. That's the only explanation I can think of. She's kind of kept to herself recently. It's been nice, really; I mean, she's not horrible, yet, but it has been nice to sleep more and be less itchy. She made it pretty clear today, though, that she's feeling neglected. She got me up at 5:00 with both barrels of restlessness and anxiety. I tried ghosting her by playing Candy Crush and Wordscapes in hopes of falling back to sleep, but then she countered with a slow creeping hot flash, that never got out of hand, but sent the message that she was not to be trifled with. The dogs seemed to be on her side as they licked my face with aggressive affection.

Round 1: Menopause

So, I got up in acknowledgement that she wanted to play. But now she was on my turf. I generally tend to kick ass at mornings. Today was no exception. I fed the dogs, ate breakfast, finished knitting a Dr. Who hat, went for a run, made breakfast for offspring #1, sent the emails, gave a pep talk to my husband, and picked up those five things I forgot yesterday at the grocery store(forgetfulness should have tipped me off that she was laying her foundation).

Round 2: Me

She's a patient little raptor, though. I was pretty confident that I had turned the tables, and then the crook of my elbow started itching. She skipped a few levels and went straight for the odd and obscure. I assumed it was because I was wearing a long sleeved sweater for the first time since last year, because that made sense to me. That felt controllable and logical. The elbow pits needed airing after being so used to their freedom for the last five months. But the itching persisted, as did a few small red bumps. Oh, of course, it's a bug bite. That makes even more sense. Maybe I got it on my run. Then it started on the other elbow. That seemed weird to me. Either the the October bugs are impressively synchronized, or something else is wrong. So I armchair MD'd it. I literally googled "itching in crook of elbow," and many things came up which was a relief and yet another reminder that I am, in fact, ordinary. As I read all the explanations for elbow crook eczema (allergies, reaction to fabrics or perfumes, etc), it occurred to me to google one more thing. "Menopause eczema." There were multiple headings. I clicked on one, and the kicky picture they used to set the tone of the article was a women's arm. Just the arm, being scratched by the the other arm right in the crook of the elbow.

Round 3: Menopause Raptor

I get it menopause. You will not be denied. You are a worthy adversary. I enjoy our banter and lively hormonal chess games. I get that you want me to be less Irish about all of this and drink more Kombucha, but I am not yet ready to give up chocolate chip cookies for ones sweetened with the honeyed richness of age and wisdom. For today, I will drink an extra glass of water. I'll surrender that rook to you. But I'm coming for you tomorrow. I'm taking that melatonin with a glass of wine and a giddy defiance.

Your move.

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