This past weekend I was in the local Athleta store trying on a few items, getting ready for an upcoming trip to a hot and humid climate.
I was shown back to the fitting rooms by a young store employee who asked me my name.
She then wrote “Susan” on the mini chalkboard on the wall next to my room, drawing the curtain closed as I plunked my clothing selections down on the bench.
While admiring a pair of linen pants, I overheard a customer being shown into the room next to me.
A different employee asked for her name and how to spell it.
Almost immediately she then said, “I know you just told me how to spell your name … my brain heard your reply but I don’t think I spelled it correctly on the board.”
Brain fog!
IN MY HEAD I thought, “tell me you’re in menopause without telling me you’re in menopause!”
Of course, I had to open my curtain …
The employee gazed at my pants and said how cute they were and that the fit was perfect.
OUT LOUD I said, “tell me you’re in menopause without telling me you’re in menopause!”
To which, with a surprised but commiserating look on her face, she replied, “I’m four years in!”
I mentioned that I was a physician and had written a book about managing menopause symptoms.
She was eager to chat and started in on the challenges she and her sister had experienced while navigating menopause, and that doctors had not been very supportive.
I almost gave her a hug as I fished into my purse and offered a bookmark card with The Menopause Menu information on it.
To say she was delighted is an understatement.
We chatted a bit more and I ultimately made it to the store’s checkout counter to purchase my items.
This experience truly reinforces the fact that women everywhere need access to helpful information while navigating menopause.
And that we all need to support each other and acknowledge our shared journeys.
Oh, and that I might need to go clothes shopping more often!
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Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD is an internal medicine physician who provides telemedicine medical consultation and advocacy for patients in WA state, and professional career pivot navigation support for physicians in the US. Find her at myMDadvocate.
Her book, The Menopause Menu, is an all-in-one giftbook, medical guide and recipe book for navigating menopause.