We’ll start right there because the itchy ear thing was one of the first unusual things Gretchen noticed and it was real. Like super itchy. So itchy she saw the doctor several times over the course of a few months and was even prescribed a steroid cream that never worked. That was one of her first symptoms. Who knew extremely itchy ears would be a sign of peri/meno? And so the journey began itchy ears and all.
It’s also important to know that Gretchen is extremely diligent when it comes to her health. She prefers to be on the early side of things and avoids reactionary protocol at all costs. For example, she started getting her mammograms much earlier than what is suggested. She goes in for her skin check every six months, not a year. And thank goodness on that one! Just this week she got word a mole that had popped up out of no where was pre-cancerous. She just had a skin check in January. Thank goodness she was able to see it and go right back in to have it checked and removed.
Along with the annoying ear issue was another change. She wasn’t feeling her feelings. She wouldn’t describe it as a depression but more of a neutral feeling. No highs and no lows. Just moving through life but the joy and spark as well as the feelings of occasional sadness was gone. That was not her normal state of mind. It took a pivotal moment with her family on a vacation to really wake her up and see that something was off.
