Middle age, perimenopause, and clothes

unaluna · Dec 29, 2023 at 07:36 PM

Sorry i was unclear! But nammu understood me, so she wins?

In my mother's defense, these outfits were often hand-me-downs from her lady friends. She would spend money on a nice suit or dress to wear to weddings or showers, but casual / chore clothes, not so much. They were always one step away from the rag bin.

Nammu · Dec 29, 2023 at 08:39 PM

My mum was much the same. Spending money on dress clothes but nobody dressed up any more. Her casual clothes were garage sale bargains. The last few years I bought her stuff from on line. She was just tickled pink at the quality of the undershirts I bought her. As there was no place in town that sold woman’s undershirts any more. Mum was always tall and skinny until her 70’s then she started shrinking and getting a bit think around the middle. But not until then. Me I was always short and started thickening in my 50’s.

Tart Cherry Jam · Dec 29, 2023 at 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unaluna

Sorry i was unclear! But nammu understood me, so she wins?

Yes, she does, and so does Google with its Generative AI: they actually did not make mistakes when they understood my queries to mean T-shirts with kittens printed on them.

nonightowl · Dec 30, 2023 at 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam

Yes, she does, and so does Google with its Generative AI: they actually did not make mistakes when they understood my queries to mean T-shirts with kittens printed on them.

Nammu often knows words and things I don't know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam

true. And generative AI is not helpful, either.

I asked google [a type of t-shirt is called kitten] hoping that its Generative AI would be smart enough to understand. No, it was not. This is what it said:

"A kitten is a baby cat. T-shirts are a style of fabric shirt that are named after the T shape of their body and sleeves. They traditionally have short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a crew neck, which lacks a collar."

So it did not say anything at all that we did not already know. It was completely useless.

I didn't know those T-shirts are named after the shape of kittens and their bodies.

They were just T-shirts to me and those are the only kind I ever wore anyway. On the subject of AI, this scares the daylights out of me. It is moving too fast and it is not going to get enough oversight. Not only does it not always know the answer, but it can create things or imitate people such as actors.

unaluna · Dec 30, 2023 at 02:52 PM

T shirts are not named after kittens body shapes. You are reading too much into the AI's mere sequence of statements. Those should have been separate paragraphs. T shirts are named after the letter T.

nonightowl · Dec 30, 2023 at 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unaluna

T shirts are not named after kittens body shapes. You are reading too much into the AI's mere sequence of statements. Those should have been separate paragraphs. T shirts are named after the letter T.

That's what I thought, except for that round neckline or collarless neck.

Well, I guess I don't know how to "read" AI "right" then.

It DOES say T-shape of THEIR bodies so I thought kittens, as the letter isn't the kind of body I think of. If they didn't separate paragraphs, more proof of how they cannot be helpful. Normal results are hard enough as it is to decipher sometimes.

Blueowl · Jan 28, 2024 at 04:39 AM

Changing the topic back to perimenopause... I had a physical done at the end of the summer. My iron was low, so I started taking some iron supplements. Felt much better too! To include feeling warmer rather than always having cold hands, fingers, and feet.

But now... sometimes, some nights, I have night sweats. These wake me up. I do not drink alcohol, I don't do caffeine (took out coffee, only tea), and don't eat spicy foods.

Could it be hot flashes? Does not happen to me during the day.

Discombobulated · Jan 28, 2024 at 09:12 AM

It could definitely be a peri menopause symptom, I’ve heard about night sweats. Apparently hormones affect temperature regulation.

Tart Cherry Jam · Jan 28, 2024 at 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueowl

Changing the topic back to perimenopause... I had a physical done at the end of the summer. My iron was low, so I started taking some iron supplements. Felt much better too! To include feeling warmer rather than always having cold hands, fingers, and feet.

But now... sometimes, some nights, I have night sweats. These wake me up. I do not drink alcohol, I don't do caffeine (took out coffee, only tea), and don't eat spicy foods.

Could it be hot flashes? Does not happen to me during the day.

I am glad you are feeling so much better with iron supplementation.

I once had severe issues with iron because I had been donating blood while eating vegetarian and not supplementing. I was sent to a hematologist and after a year on pause was able to return to donating blood every 8 weeks. Separately, I resumed eating meat. The particular kind of iron supplement the hematologist recommended is

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/wa...253475-product

It helps me a lot. I take it faithfully and I am able to maintain high hemoglobin despite blood donations. Before my last blood donation, my hemoglobin was above 15.

Blueowl · Jan 31, 2024 at 06:53 AM

So... now I sleep with just fine without night sweats.

If anyone reading this has gone through menopause and experienced the night sweats and hot flashes... do they happen every day?

You would think I would know more about this because women have been experiencing this for thousands of years, yet here I am... completely ignorant about the topic...

TishaBuv · Jan 31, 2024 at 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueowl

So... now I sleep with just fine without night sweats.

If anyone reading this has gone through menopause and experienced the night sweats and hot flashes... do they happen every day?

You would think I would know more about this because women have been experiencing this for thousands of years, yet here I am... completely ignorant about the topic...

I’ve known women who complained they had horrible menopause symptoms. I went through it and never even knew it until the doctor told me I was post menopausal.

Nammu · Jan 31, 2024 at 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueowl

So... now I sleep with just fine without night sweats.

If anyone reading this has gone through menopause and experienced the night sweats and hot flashes... do they happen every day?

You would think I would know more about this because women have been experiencing this for thousands of years, yet here I am... completely ignorant about the topic...

The only symptoms I had was hot flashes and my hair under my arms and on my legs stopped growing. But I don’t remember too much. I think the hot flashes were sporadic.

Discombobulated · Feb 02, 2024 at 11:35 AM

I’m fairly sure I’m going through it now (51), no temperature issues yet but weight gain, anxiety - I am going through significant stuff in my family though so hard to tell what’s what.

nonightowl · Feb 03, 2024 at 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nammu

The only symptoms I had was hot flashes and my hair under my arms and on my legs stopped growing. But I don’t remember too much. I think the hot flashes were sporadic.

I had hot flashes and think I’m still getting them!

Just occasionally though thankfully. Also weight gain, mood changes, sleep deprivation, joint pain, everything.

The hair problem was the opposite. For me the hair problem got worse, harder to keep at bay. Darker hair growing in faster and more coarse. It’s the lack of estrogen I heard. And if I was stranded on a desert island and rescued just weeks later, I’d have a moustache. They’d say they rescued a man, not a woman.

———
Posted directly on site using iPhone

Blueowl · May 06, 2024 at 07:23 AM

Interestingly, the night sweats stopped. All I did (maybe correlation more than causation?) was I watch what I eat - trying to avoid processed foods and eat more vegetables and fruits.

On to the clothes... I have had so much fun going to thrift stores. Seriously! Some times it is hit or miss, but I have found some very nice clothes. I got rid of most clothes that didn't fit, even if I had a sentimental attachment. It was sort of liberating. In a way, by getting rid of clothes that don't fit I removed stress from my life.

And because thrift store clothes are cheaper than brand new ones, when it comes time to give them away, I will feel even less guilt!

I won't lie... some times I hit the jackpot and other times I don't find anything. But, to me, it's fun just to try on clothes.

For the record, I used to be one of those people who would never buy anything used. But, after moves where my belongings were damaged and visiting second hand boutiques, I no longer have any judgement. Plus, it saves the environment.

nonightowl · May 06, 2024 at 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueowl

snip: For the record, I used to be one of those people who would never buy anything used. But, after moves where my belongings were damaged and visiting second hand boutiques, I no longer have any judgement. Plus, it saves the environment.

Yeah, when I was a teenager I used to go shopping with my mom and aunt at thrift stores. They told me it's a treasure hunt, that you can find things with the tags still on them. And since they grew up during the Depression, second hand stuff was second nature to them and they said not to snub them, because someone else owned them.

I'd come back with several shopping bags full of clothes.

A good washing was all it took to make it like new. I haven't been to a thrift store in years but the next time I want clothes, I will go there. I have also found purses or shoes in good shape as well. I even found a pair of sneakers by the dumpster next to my building. They were in good shape, and all it took was some sanitizing and it's like having new shoes.

I have some books to pack up for the thrift stores, plus maybe some clothes and stuff like dishes.

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unaluna Elder Harridan x-hankster Member Since Jun 2011 Location: Milan/Michigan Posts: 40,916 (SuperPoster!) 13 68.8k hugs given	Dec 29, 2023 at 07:36 PM #21 Sorry i was unclear! But nammu understood me, so she wins? In my mother's defense, these outfits were often hand-me-downs from her lady friends. She would spend money on a nice suit or dress to wear to weddings or showers, but casual / chore clothes, not so much. They were always one step away from the rag bin.
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unaluna Elder Harridan x-hankster Member Since Jun 2011 Location: Milan/Michigan Posts: 40,916 (SuperPoster!) 13 68.8k hugs given	Dec 30, 2023 at 02:52 PM #25 T shirts are not named after kittens body shapes. You are reading too much into the AI's mere sequence of statements. Those should have been separate paragraphs. T shirts are named after the letter T.
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Discombobulated Elder Member Since Oct 2019 Location: UK Posts: 5,219 (SuperPoster!) 5 12.4k hugs given	Jan 28, 2024 at 09:12 AM #28 It could definitely be a peri menopause symptom, I’ve heard about night sweats. Apparently hormones affect temperature regulation.
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Blueowl Member Member Since Jul 2022 Location: West Posts: 442 2 149 hugs given	Jan 31, 2024 at 06:53 AM #30 So... now I sleep with just fine without night sweats. If anyone reading this has gone through menopause and experienced the night sweats and hot flashes... do they happen every day? You would think I would know more about this because women have been experiencing this for thousands of years, yet here I am... completely ignorant about the topic...
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Discombobulated Elder Member Since Oct 2019 Location: UK Posts: 5,219 (SuperPoster!) 5 12.4k hugs given	Feb 02, 2024 at 11:35 AM #33 I’m fairly sure I’m going through it now (51), no temperature issues yet but weight gain, anxiety - I am going through significant stuff in my family though so hard to tell what’s what.
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