My Menopause Story

It actually started from about 40yrs.  Never heard or known of it, so ignorance almost took me away.  I sought for somebody to talk to me and may be explain to me what was happening.  I visited all hospitals in my location was admitted in almost all of them.  Visited all the laboratories around, they really fed fat on me.  I was always visiting general hospitals.  On one occasion, I met 4 other menopausal women at the OPD.  We got talking and they were afraid expressing they did not know what was happening to them. We all lamented that we would be attended to by one inexperienced young youth corpse member who hardly understands what we were going through.  Fortunately, we all had similar complaints.  Inability to sleep (perimenopause symptoms). How we wished somebody could  tell us the truth of what was happening.  Even for any amount. We would pay for it.  The doctors could not do much, Infact, some of them seem to need help themselves.  No wonder, the bible says, buy the truth and sell it not.

The Experience

The main experience in my case was.
Insomnia
Bloating and gas
Chronic constipation
Stomach ulcer due to too much medications and stress
Frequent  treatment for typhoid and Malaria at least 5 to 6 times in a year
Depression and several other symptoms that were explainable like panic attacks, shortness of breath etc.  These unknown too me were all part of the perimenopause.  The actual menopause actually hit me at age 51.  Few months before that I had period that frightened me.  Like never before, first of its kind.  It just refused to  stop with so much flow.  I never had it like that before.  I then went for scan for the first time after my last baby 13 yrs ago then.  The result said, I was very close to menopause.  After that experience.  My period ceased till today. About 5 yrs ago.

My diet till date

Before the menopause, I like bread and butter a lot, magarines, low fat, all sorts of delicacies, I was always trying latest brand of magarines, supermarket stuffs.  But during the menopause I read so many books, visited many sites. At one point, just about a year before this assignment, I decided that If I perish, I perish, I will never go to hospital, again.! They ate my money so much and the last visit almost claimed my life. .  The immediate change I made to my diet was take out the following from my meal for about six months:

Red palm oil
Maggi with all sweeteners and taste enhancers
Canned tomatoes and all canned foods except sardine without oil.  After I got information on the role of Coconut oil for good health
I searched everywhere for coconut oil and it was no where to be found, even if it not cold pressed. For a whole year, I could not get it to buy, then I commenced awareness on it, preaching in buses, hospitals, churches, Catholics, Pentecostal churches,.  I wrote a handbook on coconut initially distributing for free until, I found out that when people do not pay for it, they did not read it.  I then formally launched the book in 2014, and started selling for #200.  and those who desired and thirsted for knowledge bought it. Here is a photo of the book on coconut

With the increased awareness on coconut, production of Coconut oil increased and so was the sales of Coconut fruits and its derivatives.

The Only oil in my kitchen from that time till date remains coconut oil, olive oil, red palm oil was returned to my diet after six months and has remained but I take with caution.  Another oil is avoid fruit,  organic peanut oil was also among, due to its profile which is the closes to olive oil.  But is been removed.
In summary, beware of oils during Perimenopause and thereafter.
My everyday spices which I have continued to update are:

1.Cayenne peppers for good circulation and heart health
2.  Garlic
3.  Ginger
4.  Onions
5.  Black pepper
6.  Sea salt
7.  Thyme
8.  Tumeric introduced in
      2016
      Cinnamon
       Sea salt

My tea
Green tea but reduced now
Bitter cocoa
Guava tea
Mistleo tea
Sorghum tea
Rosemary tea
Black tea occasional like ones in 3 months
Tumeric and ginger tea
Coffee - occasional
I take all with honey and milk, but reducing milk

My Protein
Black eyed cowpea now reduced because of red oil and
Millet
Soyabeans till date great for heart health
Sardines
Peanuts
Occasional meat, chichen
Boiled eggs at least 5 times a week
All seasonal foods in moderation, walnuts etc. Coconut is the most frequently eaten
Including all green vegetables daily especially fresh bitter Leaf
Plenty of water.

Including all nuts, walnuts, peanuts, coconuts, tigernuts, peanuts, almonds etc

Above all, daily exercise, take outdoor  assignment, it helps, though, have nottv schientic proof what it does, but it makes you sleep well and feel good.
Also the need for essential oils for inhalation, massage, and similar therapies are very helpful especially at post menopause:

Common essential oils, I have found useful are:

Mint essential oil
Rosemary oil
Rose oil
Sandalwood oil
Argan oil
Néem oil
Aleo oil
Parsley oil
Olive oil
Mustard oil
Camomile oil
Lavenda oil
Coconut oil and olive oil are my commonest carrier oils which combines with most oils.

The testimony

The testimony to date is that, I do not frequent hospitals, laboratories, and use and rely much on drugs\to the Glory of God.  The menopause is no longer a threat, every woman must go through it, except a few women.  If you are among the few.  Kindly share with us.