The Menopause Lady

This memoir is about life, love, facing breast cancer with its challenges and change. Nancy begins this story with segments from her life that helped form her into the woman she is today. As a nurse practitioner with a specialty in menopause for the past 25 years, she knew she was about to face a tumultuous battle. Blindsided by the diagnosis of breast cancer, she had turned to her journal for guidance and calm. Hormone therapy had been a lifeline to her health and sanity for many years, but now she had to reconcile with the thought of letting go of her estrogen patch. As she gradually reduced the size of the patch while awaiting surgery, symptoms she had experienced years before crept back with a vengeance - hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, brain fog, irritability, mood swings. The incredible shifts overwhelmed her, she felt as if her life was falling apart. She could still help her patients, but unfortunately not help herself. Suddenly finding herself in a patient role, she knew she needed to speak up and to be heard. Thus began her process of research, seeking out and speaking with experts in the menopause field about hormones after breast cancer, daring to question medical professionals, and ultimately finding her voice. Finally, after doing her homework, journaling extensively and assuming personal responsibility for her future health, she returned to her beloved estrogen. It was not an easy path.

This memoir is about life, love, facing breast cancer with its challenges and change. Nancy begins this story with segments from her life that helped form her into the woman she is today. As a nurse practitioner with a specialty in menopause for the past 25 years, she knew she was about to face a tumultuous battle. Blindsided by the diagnosis of breast cancer, she had turned to her journal for guidance and calm. Hormone therapy had been a lifeline to her health and sanity for many years, but now she had to reconcile with the thought of letting go of her estrogen patch. As she gradually reduced the size of the patch while awaiting surgery, symptoms she had experienced years before crept back with a vengeance - hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, brain fog, irritability, mood swings. The incredible shifts overwhelmed her, she felt as if her life was falling apart. She could still help her patients, but unfortunately not help herself. Suddenly finding herself in a patient role, she knew she needed to speak up and to be heard. Thus began her process of research, seeking out and speaking with experts in the menopause field about hormones after breast cancer, daring to question medical professionals, and ultimately finding her voice. Finally, after doing her homework, journaling extensively and assuming personal responsibility for her future health, she returned to her beloved estrogen. It was not an easy path.