My Oh Meno

Next week at My Oh Meno
'Is This A Heart Attack?' - Ask The Ambo!

On Tuesday 13th October we will be joined by guest speaker Ashley a local Ambulance Officer. We'll be discussing how to recognise the symptoms/signs of a heart attack in women, and how to respond if you find yourself supporting someone having a heart attack in your presence.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about anything!

We are thankful to the Ambulance Victoria Community Engagement Team for helping me to arrange this session together and look forward to being educated and guided on this important topic. Our session happens to coincide with Ambulance Vic's October campaign "Shocktober" raising awareness about heart attacks and providing education on how to respond in that medical situation.

Hope you can make it, could even save a life!

Oh, About last night ...
Tell Your Story with Linda
'BREAKING UP WITH RUNNING'
Linda loved to run and had been entering events for a couple of decades 🏃‍♀️
At one particular event she noticed her hip was a bit sore, wrote it off as muscular, and kept running. Continuing to 'push through' this 15km run the pain increased, and she ended up literally hopping over the finishing line, collecting her medal and promptly collapsing.
   Physio looked her over and also thought it was muscular. The pain continued, then intensified and now Linda was vomiting. She went off to the local hospital's emergency dept and got it checked out. Scans revealed she had been running on a fractured femur!!
   A further bone density DEXA scan showed evidence of Osteopenia - lower than normal bone mineral density. That scan result coupled with a confirmed fracture now consolidated a diagnosis of Osteoporosis - a medical condition that causes bones to become thin, weak, and porous, making them fragile and easily broken... at age 54!
Linda's fracture took 3 months to heal, as her compromised bone structure struggled to knit itself back together.
   She was also under the care of an Endocrinologist by this stage and she was screening her for everything including her hormone levels. Linda thought she was likely perimenopausal, however results showed her oestrogen had all but tanked and it was more likely she was post menopausal. She commenced MHT (Menopause Hormone Therapy), and began a carefully designed exercise regime with a physiotherapist ... oh, and she stopped  running!!! Her follow up DEXA scans show she has improved her bone density by 8% which is quite amazing. It's never too late to start movement that will improve your bone strength even beyond your 60's and 70's.
   Osteoporosis is called a silent disease because it causes no pain or outward signs as bones lose their density and strength. You literally won't know there's a problem until you break 🦴
   Linda's main message to us:-
*Ask for a DEXA scan don't wait until you're 65!!!
*Maintain an active lifestyle and do weight bearing exercise now to maintain/improve bone strength.
*Monitor hormone levels once you suspect peri

Next week at My Oh Meno - 'Breaking Up With Running'
(Some puns aren't very funny!)

Come and listen to our very own Linda come and share about how the running part of her life came to an abrupt end, after an injury revealed there was more going on than she realised 🏃‍♀️

Tuesday 6th October, 7.30pm start at Pangerang Comm Hub.

Hope to see you then!

Next week My Oh Meno we're so looking forward to spending the evening with Suzie from Wangaratta Craft Studio to discover our own personal creative flare, relax together and have fun!

Invitations went out and replies have been received, so for those of you who have signed up for our 'Pot Painting Party', start searching within for inspiration to plant on your adorable pot.

Can't wait to get amongst the designs and colours with you 🎨

Tuesday 29th September at Pangerang Comm Hub. Please note we'll be starting slightly earlier at 7pm!

Cost $35 per person.
Payments can be made by cash or card on the night.

No meetup tonight!

Do something you enjoy with the time (or do nothing ... which you might also enjoy!)

Wow! Stayed up late to finish this new release from Aussie author M.V.Browne Perimenopause Bites

Part novel, part resource this book follows three women navigating their professional careers and perimenopause at the same time.

They begin opening up to each other in private conversations about what they are experiencing and bingo ... there's the support, connection and information they needed to begin to understand their bodies and realise they are not alone in this season of life that they are so unprepared for.

All of a sudden, as Maggie glances around the office and other everyday places,
she begins to notice menopausal women everywhere. A rush of heat over here, a lost word mid-sentence over there.

Why have we not been told about all of this? She dives into research and self-education, even confronting her mother about not preparing her for this stage of womanhood. Is dismissed by her doctor and looking for chocolate at every turn.

As the three women continue their journey together, phone numbers exchanged, now friends and peri-sisters who have become lifelines for each other - they start to formulate an idea around the need to provide a space for women to meet and TALK about Perimenopause. Then RISE is born!

The most entertaining and illuminating book I've read on perimenopause to date (and believe me I've read lots!). Each chapter weaves several 'real' symptoms into the characters' lives and is bookended with bite sized educational info.

Highly recommend this read for any woman in any decade. If you're in your 20's get prepared, if you're 30+ you may start to recognise some signs, 40's each page turn will have you saying yep that's me, 50's may sound like your own journal!

I related to pretty much everything between the covers of this novel - even if you're not in a high flying corporate role - most of us are still working right!

Once I was aware of my own hormonal shifts, self-education and research became my part time job with a vengeance.
A new passion in my belly led ME to create a community Peri/Menopause Support Group in my country town and thus My Oh Meno was born - 'Local women supporting each other on their Menopausal journey'.

Oh, About last night ...

'Decide, Deliberate, DECLUTTER'

A big thankyou to Bonny from thoughtful_spaces_decluttering for joining us with some great pointers on how to sort through our clutter and actually enjoy the spaces we live in.

*The temperamental Menopausal Wardrobe! Most of us have experienced the fluctuation of what fitted last month is now a bit of a challenge to zip up.

Start small, resist unloading your entire wardrobe onto the bed and then feeling completely overwhelmed. Sort in sections, by the drawer, or just your shoes to make a start. Try on every piece - Does it fit? Do you still like it? Do you feel good in it? Does it co-ordinate with other things?

*Getting rid of the guilt!
We've all been gifted things that one day come under the quandry of 'Do I still want to keep hanging on to this?' vs 'I can't get rid of it, it was a gift!'.  Give yourself permission to be okay with letting go of the gift and the guilt.  If you're concerned about the gift giver discovering the item at your local op shop, donate it in another town.

*Books - They seem to multiply over night don't they?
Write inscriptions or notes in books that have special family significance or relevance. Set yourself a limit like whatever can fit on one bookshelf. There are several options for offloading - donate to a library/nursing home/op shop or a street library. If you're a local, Quercus Books in Beechworth are a second hand book shop.

*Photos (printed)
Cull by starting with blurry or under developed pictures, doubled up prints, pics that no longer hold value or memories for you. Write details on the back of photos you choose to keep. Give your grown up children pictures of themselves and let them decide.

*Helping Ageing Parents!
The best time to sort and declutter is while your parents are still alive to tell you which things are significant and what can go. Life stages can direct this, such as downsizing or moving into care. Create realistic parameters around how many of particular items will literally fit in their new dwelling.

This is also a reminder for us to have regular cleanouts and conversations in our own homes, so OUR children aren't burdened.

Next week My Oh Meno we're talking some serious spring cleaning with our Guest Speaker Bonny from thoughtful_spaces_decluttering

Hands up if your wardrobe is overflowing with clothes you don't wear (and all the other random things that might be shoved in there too) 🤚

What about that set of drawers you can't find anything in because it's chock full of odd bits and pieces 🤚

The 'spare room' that's become a dumping ground and no longer a usable space 🤚

Let's not forget the shed that may have decades of accumulated 'stuff' that doesn't get used (some may not even be your stuff, maybe you've 'inherited it') 🤚

Join us on Tuesday 15th Sept at Pangerang Comm Hub at 7.30pm to chat about how to gain back some control (and space) when Bonny talks us through how to manage our ever changing Menopausal Wardrobe, and some guidance on assisting aging parents to sort their clutter while they're still here to tell us about significant items.

Looking forward to walking away with some helpful strategies and enthusiasm to take on our spaces without the overwhelm.