The Rug-Pull: When Your menopause Plan Changes overnight

Menopause has a funny way of keeping you humble.

Just when you think you've finally untangled the hormonal spaghetti, learnt a few shortcuts, and can see daylight ahead... someone quietly pulls the rug from underneath you.

Menopause isn't a straight line. It's more like North Devon's roads, full of unexpected bends, the occasional pothole, and the odd moment when you wonder if you've taken a wrong turning.

For the first time in years, I genuinely felt as though things were beginning to settle.

My HRT was helping. I'd learnt more about nutrition after signing up to The Verve's Reset Programme. Alcohol had become an occasional guest rather than a permanent housemate. I'd even started doing short strength workouts at home four times a week. (If you've read my previous blog about faceplanting the bath, you'll know why.)

Granted, sleep still treats me like an optional extra, and an unwelcome meno-belly seems to have appeared from nowhere, but overall I felt as though I was moving forwards rather than constantly firefighting.

Then came Friday.

At around six o'clock that evening, I received news from my GP that meant stopping my HRT immediately because of a possible side effect we'd discussed when I first started treatment.

Cue that sinking feeling.

My first irrational thought? I'd only just got my life back. I'd mentally packed my hot flushes into a suitcase and sent them on a one-way holiday. Apparently, they hadn't boarded the flight.

It's amazing how quickly our minds can write tomorrow's story before tomorrow has even arrived.

After allowing myself a little wobble, I realised there wasn't much point in catastrophising. I couldn't change the situation, but I could change how I responded to it.

So I've started keeping a diary.

Each day I'm jotting down how I'm feeling, any symptoms that crop up, and a few things I'm grateful for. Not because I'm trying to pretend everything is wonderful, but because I've learnt that writing things down helps me spot patterns and reminds me that one difficult day doesn't define the whole journey.

It also gives me something useful to take back to my GP if I need to. Keeping a symptom diary is often recommended when starting, stopping or changing HRT because it can help identify patterns and support conversations with your healthcare professional.

One thing I have learnt through all of this is how important it is not to ignore side effects.

Whether you're taking HRT or any other medication, if something doesn't feel right, don't assume it's ‘just menopause’. Speak to your GP or healthcare professional. Side effects don't happen to everyone, and many are manageable, but they're always worth discussing.

Perhaps that's one of the biggest lessons menopause teaches us.

To stop ignoring ourselves.

To pay attention.

To ask questions.

To become our own advocate.

Because sometimes moving forwards isn't about finding the perfect treatment.

Sometimes it's about listening to your body when it's trying to tell you something.

And although having the rug pulled from under your feet is unsettling, it doesn't mean the journey is over.

It simply means you've reached another bend in the road.

I can't help but wonder... how many of us think we've reached the finish line with menopause, only to discover it's just another bend in the road?

RockMyMenopause has a symptom tracker that you can download for free.

Starting a gratitude journal sounds like another thing you’d want to chuck across the room when you feel ‘the rages’, but it can really help make sense of the mental load; it’s an opportunity to focus on the positives, however small. This article by Health Hero explains it in more detail.