#57….Is Your Wife Crazy?!

      Sometimes a woman’s best therapy comes from getting her hair done.  I believe there are a couple of reasons for this: #1- You just feel a lot better after getting your hair cut, and #2- if you know your hairstylist well (I have known mine for over 10 years now), you gain a lot of insightful information.  For some time now, I have begun to think that I might be odd, unusual, or going crazy. (I don’t need confirmation, or any kind of comments from any of you on that subject!)

I know that most of you men think that all we women do is gossip while getting our hair done.  But on this occasion, our conversation turned towards going through menopause.  Since my hair stylist and I are both going through it at the same time, and experiencing the same symptoms, I realized that maybe I was not as crazy as I thought.  I don’t know about the majority of women out there, but for me, menopause sucks!  There are many symptoms, and yes, you can get some help with them, but it doesn’t stop it from taking over your life anyway.  There are hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue (probably due to the insomnia-just an uneducated guess), head-aches, and joint pain which sucks for me, because I have those with my fibro too, so I get a double whammy.

Now men, these next symptoms I am going to state, really were on the list.  I’m sure that you think I am just throwing these in to give us an excuse for some of our behavior, but if your wife is experiencing these, maybe check her expiration date first.  If she is young, then maybe her behavioral issues are not legit, but if she is closer to say an aged cheese or wine, then they are probably valid excuses.

1 & 2- Irritability, and Mood Swings: No, she is not mad at you, but yes maybe she is (for reasons unknown), and you are probably safer sleeping in the dog house.

3 & 4- Difficulty Concentrating, and Memory Lapses: No, she is not ignoring you, and she is trying to pay attention to you, and what you are saying, and she is feverishly trying to remember what you asked her to do.  I know one could argue old age, but I have it on scientific authority that this is just not the case.

5- Loss of Libido: I know this is the most important one of all, and the hardest one on everyone.  But just know that she still loves you, and no, she is not rejecting you, still finds you attractive, and has not found a younger man.  As one of my friends so delicately put it, after having babies, all that mileage and wear and tear, it is just broke!  I’m not quite sure when things get back to normal.  Maybe someone who is on the other side of this progression of things can help me out with that one.

I’m not quite sure why women need to go through this, it is not a super fun experience.  But a very special shout out to all you guys who put up with us, hang in there with us, stay the course, and love us through it anyway.  I take my hat off to you, and say a heart-felt thank you!

Written by Kim Carlisle