Gees! What a ride!

My last head injury was in 2018. I was in my 30s.

Being a woman with a brain injury adds another layer to an already complicated situation. Many of my symptoms can overlap with the changes that come with perimenopause and menopause… but many of them don’t.

Until a few years ago, my symptoms were simply considered part of my TBI. Now that I’ve reached an age where menopause could be present in some way, suddenly that’s the explanation?

Ahhhhh… nah. Not quite.

Do I think hormonal changes could contribute to an already struggling brain? Absolutely. Hormones affect so much of our health, and I have no doubt they can influence symptoms.

But it’s frustrating when someone says, “Oh, I have that too with menopause,” and years of brain injury symptoms seem to be brushed aside.

I can’t see properly. My vision changed immediately after I was hit in the head. The world has spun since then. My symptoms are extensive and have continued for eight years. I’ve learned to manage them a bit better some days, but they never disappeared.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that because I am a woman of a certain age, my symptoms are now frequently attributed to perimenopause, post-menopause, or menopause.

And honestly?

That’s incredibly frustrating and I am sure there are many other illnesses, injuries or ailments disguising themselves as “menopause”.

When people both medically trained or not – quickly judge according to age and or gender, without test results, scientific facts or substantial proof, it’s very difficult to swallow.

Would a man have this same issue (maybe?)….

And I’m still learning how to hold all of that truth at once—what is TBI, what might be hormonal, and what is simply my lived experience of both.

No one knows so far….