Ines - Kings Cross

Ines Lives in Kings Cross (London) Age 72 Retired housekeeper, Mother and dog minder With Mabel the dog With her son Joseph I am originally from Colombia and have been based in the UK 43 years now. I had my menopause at about 42 or 43 and then I just thought “It’s funny I keep sweating and feeling tired and a bit nauseous”. I thought I had something wrong and went to the doctor a month later and was put on HRT patches. I was given 25 milligrams of Oestrogen. It helped a lot, I felt like a new woman. Really youthful and happy. Not grumpy. Before I was irritable and then very tearful, and everything bothered me. I was either very happy, or very, very angry. I became much more relaxed, and I could do my work. By the time I was 42, I’d already had fibromyalgia for 12 years. It took 5 years to get a diagnosis, so I didn’t understand what was going on. It was a really bleak part of my life. Oh, I remember everything alright! I only took the patches for 6 months, I’d got through it. I’m still on medication even now, Prozac. That keeps me on the level. To keep things calm. I worry because even now I’m sweating. I still get hot flushes. Positives are that I understand everything happens for a reason, it’s no big deal, tough luck, that’s it. You pace yourself and don’t frustrate yourself too much. Just do what you can, when you can, slowly, you know. Because I still have fibromyalgia which kills me all the time, I do whatever and I pay the next day. You know what? I’m happy! I’m not hungry or cold. I get along with my son, live on my level and I don’t want anything else.