I’ve recently been to a writing group I sometimes go to, because, well, I suppose I am a writer. I’ve never written that before, but I do get paid to write, so I suppose I’m a “professional”, and I do write and get published quite a lot.
Now I’m meant to do some stuff with character, context, story and all that jazz to hook you in… but the subject matter is a bit grisly, so you might not want to be hooked, and I’m fine with that.
I’m going to talk “women’s things”… you know, flower pressing, lace doilies – and the pain and horror of periods. Yes, you read that right – periods!
As we’re a mainly female workforce here in #teamvet I think it’s time to talk about them and what happens when they stop – is the lack of older nurses a menopausal issue?
If it’s not one, it’s the other
One article in the press reported the pain from periods is similar to that of a heart attack. A man said that, so it must be true… females have said it for years, but what do we know…
But what’s worse than period pain? When they stop – yep, the menopause.
I’ve read with interest the possible “sell-by” date on veterinary nurses, and part of me wonders if the menopause has an affect on this.
I’m hitting that menopausal wall good and hard, and a few years too early. Not that the age when it happens makes much difference, but its hard work – much harder than actual periods.
I had always looked forward to the menopause, as I never wanted periods anyway (I would have preferred a Meccano set, but that’s life for you) and those halcyon days when it would all be over seemed to glisten like a shimmery oasis of calm in a desert of rollerblading tampon adverts.
Highs and lows
To cut a long story short, I’ve been suicidal recently – not depressed, anxious or anything else, just an overriding emotional low my brain decided it wasn’t going to cope with. Brain said if this was life, we weren’t playing.
I knew this was my hormones and I was able to have a tiny rational part of my brain talk sense, but it was a hard and very scary until things calmed.
But it’s not even just these awful moments – it’s the ongoing font of tears and overwhelming emotions at Persil adverts.
Roll back to Christmas 2016 and I couldn’t look at social media for three days as a cartoon (Figure 1) made me so sorrowful I couldn’t cope.
I mean, the gall bladder is cute and the liver has no right to speak to it this way, but IT’S A CARTOON. Nonetheless, that didn’t matter to my hormones – I was over the edge emotionally.
Emotional overload
During the two years of symptoms to get to my suicidal point I’ve done some random, occasional locums in practice – but emotionally, let alone physically, no way could I cope with the emotional roller coaster that is full-time clinical practice.
I’ve wept openly at the passing of a puppy – one I knew would die, but still, the awfulness of its life and death tore me apart.
This situation would always have upset me, but now I’m not able to process those feelings as I have done – it’s all raw and new and, at the same time, also an accumulation of all the times I’ve held the dying and given them some warmth, love and comfort for their last minutes of being, in the vain hope that’s going to put right the wrongs that have happened to them.
We all complain about the physical impact of vet nursing on us, but is the emotional impact then just compounded by life’s awful and inevitable hormonal roller coaster that is the menopause?
The Royal College of Nursing seems to think so, and has a handy guide for employers that’s useful for us employees, too.
Final straw
Is that the true limit of vet nursing? Yes, with the hours, pay and high standards expected by ourselves, as much as by others – twice and thrice yes to this – but is the final dagger in the vet nurse heart? The spinning levels of oestrogen and progesterone that hits all women?
I don’t know the answer for everyone, but I know for me it has affected how I work in practice.
It might help me because I think some people I’ve worked with think I’m an over-efficient “super nurse”, so maybe some tears would make me seem human.
But however it affects me, it has changed how I react to emotional situations, and that requires some time, reflection and awareness – things we don’t often get in a busy life in front of patients, clients and colleagues.
All is not lost
So, shall we start the menopause conversation now and look at how we can improve things for us all?
These hormones shouldn’t deprive us of our career, pets and years of skill and expertise in our older RVNs… in fact, I’ve found a great article on helping us with the #ManyPaws.
But first, let’s find out what happened to the gall bladder (Figure 2).
If the gall bladder can achieve this in the right environment, just think what an emotionally aware, experienced RVN could do in the right environment.
For me, well the HRT patches might just save me yet…
Until next time, good mental health to you all.
- For the continued exploits of gall bladder, liver and their organ friends heart and brain, visit theawkwardyeti.com
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