Help. Please. I have become a bumbling idiot.

[hareinthemoon]

I am 50. Have been peri-menopausal, including sweats, flooding (though that has been an issue my whole adult life) for about the past two or three years. I've not had a period for what would be my last three cycles and I have noticed, not what I'd call gradual - more precipitous - drop in my ability to remember, cope, prioritise, and deal with any of the aspects of my home and working life. I do have two part time jobs which have deadlines due currently, and a reasonable amount going on at home. I feel like screaming, falling in a hole, giving up, I don't know...I feel as if I am failing at everything and I'm not sure what to do.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions of things people have done that I might try to improve my brain's ability to multi-task and - well, just get through my days without dropping several balls, actually. Thanks.

See your GP. It doesn't have to be like this.

Will I just describe the symptoms? I am worried that if I go in saying I feel like I'm going mad they will just a)think I'm going mad or b) tell me it's normal.

Though I guess from your post that would mean I'd ask for another opinion?

I can't remember the name of.....thingies..whatsits and it's driving me and others mad.Also the night sweats..god the night sweats...I do think it is " normal" insofar as hormonal changes are notoriously unpredictable . I think there are only two options and only you can decide which is best for you 1) coping mechanisms including eating well and exercise 2) chemicals be it HRT or homeopathic. This will pass but it's more sodding evidence that God is a man!!

This was me two months ago. I have a job where I must concentrate 100% for up to two hours at a time and at 80 - 100% the rest of the time and it is busy place and I get almost no breaks. I was incapable of thinking straight, the hot flushes at night made me an exhausted purple in the face, sweaty irritable mess and I was getting anxiety attacks. I also thought I was going mad or getting early onset Alzheimers. Went to the doc and she put me on Premique Low Dose. I really really did not want to go on HRT but I had no quality of life and was worried for my job. Felt better almost immediately and now I am me again. DH calls them my 'human pills' because they keep me human

acupuncture has been shown to help with symptoms like flushes might help the rest too

Dinnae you are describing my life...and my dream outcome. I will make an appointment tomorrow. Prima I will try the other way as well - I have to change something. Stuff I can get acupuncture on my medical insurance I think!