Not So New

Whoever said, "40 is the new 30!" is either mentally retarded or a man.

As I grow out of my thirties, I'm quickly realizing that my health duties have to change.  I need to pay more attention to my mind & body...and it's limitations.
In my twenties, I could live on three hours of sleep, a cup of coffee and air.  If I were to try this now, I would probably be imprisoned for murder.

I've been feeling like crap (for lack of a better word) for months now.
At first I thought if was just stress due to my Grandmother's passing and some other 'drama' going on in my personal life last summer.  But as it turns out, it's hormonal.  At least, that's what I think it is based on endless Google searches like, feeling like crap, feeling dizzy and irritated, women who want to hurt people for no good reason etc, etc.

After a couple months of suffering with the dizzy spells and lack of energy, I went to see a doctor (my family doc is on mat leave so I met with her replacement) who quickly surmised that I'm having Estrogen problems.  Basically, I'm unbalanced. 
Her solution?  Monitor my symptoms, take notes and if I don't start feeling better in a couple of months, come back to see her and she'll put me on the birth control pill.  That's her solution. 
No mention of managing my stress levels, no mention of diet & excercise.  'Just go on the birth control pill and leave me alone' is what she's thinking.
'Quack!' is what I'm thinking.

Of course, I look for natural ways to balance myself out and I find it with the help of an Aunt who is a holistic nutritionist. 
I'm downing ten different vitamins and supplements a day but it seems to be working.  I still feel unbalanced sometimes but not nearly as much as I did a few months ago.  I feel more in control.

I never wanted to be one of those women who blabber on endlessly about their hormone problems.  And I certainly never thought I would have hormone problems in my thirties - I thought I would only have to deal with that when Menopause comes knocking.
However, as we all know, life is unpredictable so here I am, writing about hormone issues.

A lot of women struggle with symtoms like dizziness, irritability, nauseousness and just a general feeling of being 'off' your game'.  If you're feeling this, start researching hormone levels and just how important they are to your overall health.  You will be amazed.

So, during times of strife, I like to drown my sorrows in situation comedies.
One of my favourite TV shows is The New Adventures of Old Christine. 
At the end of season 3, Christine starts to feel unbalanced and tired.  So she goes to her doctor who tells her she's starting to go through early Menopause.  She refuses to come to terms with it because it makes her feel old.  But her symptoms become unbearable so her friend Barb, gives her some 'lady cream'.  It's really just testosterone cream.

Here's what happens when we get too much testoterone, ladies - take notes! 

Aging & Shoe Laces

Aging can be a wonderful thing.
As an adult, you get to stay up as late as you want. You get to eat popcorn and chocolate chip cookies for dinner. You get to keep your bedroom as messy as possible without lectures or guilt trips from your Mother. Best of all, you get to pick and choose who you want in your life.
And if you’re really lucky, age allows you to slowly (I stress slowly here) figure out who you are, who you were and who you don’t want to be.

Every other weekend, I spend a day with my 90 year old Grandmother, affectionately known as ‘Nanny’.
Nanny now lives with my parents because she can no longer take care of herself, well. Physically, she’s fine—strong as an ox. Mentally, well, that’s another story.
I’ve written about her many, many times but have not shared much on this blog as my feelings about her current situation are convoluted. I sometimes feel like I’m in denial while other times I seem to come to terms with the fact that the woman I knew, the woman who helped raise me is not the same person.

When I was a child, she doted on me endlessly and I loved it because doting was something my Mother knew nothing about.
One of my fondest memories of her was all the time she took to show me how to tie my shoe laces. She was always so patient and would allow me to try and try again until I got it right, even when she was in a hurry. I can still picture her standing in the doorway, looking at her watch as I struggled with my Everest.
I hadn’t thought about that in ages. My recent memories of her are starting to overshadow the old, more joyful ones.
Time can be cruel.
However, the other day, as I helped her with her socks and shoes, I was transported back to that doorway in my childhood.
There she was, sitting in her favourite chair, sticking out her foot the same way I used to do it by holding on to the back of my knee. It was a bizarre moment. And to be honest, I cried on my way home that day because of it.
Having to see my Grandmother this way is not all bad, though. For good can come out of bad, time and time again.

My original Grandmother allowed me to see that with a little patience and perseverance, anything is possible.

My current Grandmother is forcing me to see that I don’t ever want to lose my memories. I don’t ever want to lose my essence and I certainly don’t ever want to lose the ability to put my shoes on—by myself.

Birthdays After Thirty

My birthday was on January 9th--I turned thirty-something.
Isn't it funny how you want to avoid the bday at all costs when you get into your thirties? As children, we long for the birthday. It's that one day of the year that belongs to you and you alone--unless you are a twin, of course.
My favourite birthday was my twenty-fifth. I was living in New York at the time, debating whether or not I should move back to Toronto to go to school and 'make something of myself'. I was a mess. My friends took me out dancing, got me drunk and we ended up sitting in our favourite diner at 5 am. The reason I remember this particular bday so much is because I was at a crossroads. The crossroads in your life you will always remember. I liked the feeling of the unknown facing me. It was scary and exciting at the same time--that's a difficult wave to ride but when it comes your way, ride it.

So, I have no New Year's resolutions and I don't plan on making any. I think resolutions are pointless as you always end up failing at them which makes you feel bad about yourself. If you do want to make resolutions, how about ones you can keep like 'I want to watch more TV in 2007' or 'I want to drink more wine in 2007'. Now those are attainable goals.

I finally saw The Departed last night. It was incredible. What a great movie and an amazing cast. Leo needs the Oscar this year so I hope he get's it for this movie--it would be a treat for him to win one for a Scorsese film.


Here is yet another reason one should learn a second language:

Being bilingual can delay onset of dementia
Study: Keeping parts of brain active can stave off Alzheimer's up to 4 years

Updated: 2:52 a.m. ET Jan 14, 2007
OTTAWA, Canada - People who are fully bilingual and speak both languages every day for most of their lives can delay the onset of dementia by up to four years compared with those who only know one language, Canadian scientists said Friday.
Researchers said the extra effort involved in using more than one language appeared to boost blood supply to the brain and ensure nerve connections remained healthy — two factors thought to help fight off dementia.
“We are pretty dazzled by the results,” Professor Ellen Bialystok of Toronto’s York University said in a statement.
“In the process of using ... two languages, you are engaging parts of your brain, parts of your mind that are active and need that kind of constant exercise and activity, and with that experience (it) stays more robust,” she later told CTV television.
The leading cause of dementia among the elderly is Alzheimer’s disease, which gradually destroys a person’s memory. There is no known cure.
Bialystok’s team focused on 184 elderly patients with signs of dementia who attended a Toronto memory clinic between 2002 and 2005. Of the group, 91 spoke only one language while 93 were bilingual.
“The researchers determined that the mean age of onset of dementia symptoms in the monolingual group was 71.4 years, while the bilingual group was 75.5 years,” the statement said.
“This difference remained even after considering the possible effect of cultural differences, immigration, formal education, employment and even gender as (influences) in the results,” it added.