i'm so sorry for your loss. what you are experiencing is completely normal in the grieving process. your loss is so fresh and this is about the time you will be coming out of a fog and coming to the realization that she is really gone. if you aren't comfortable with one-on-one bereavement support, there is a wonderful online place (groww.com) where you will find a LOT of support. they have a live chat where there are people visiting pretty much 24/7. i could not have gotten along without them when i lost my husband 3 years ago. all of us grieve at our own pace and in very different ways. believe me, after 3 years, i STILL have nights when i wish i could go to sleep and not wake up. it's a long process but it's doable. your momma would want you to go on, live your life and remember her with the wonderful memories you have. it isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination but you can do it! (((hugs))) to you in your sorrow. nina

I am so glad to find information on this subject! I am 47, and just recently went off the pill. I started at 20 and was only off long enough to have my 2 children. i had no problems with the pill and had short easy periods all those years. i just went off and was expecting to get my period like any other month. its a about a week past when i thought i should get it. i had long days of cramping for about 3 or 4 days so thought here it comes,but no bleeding. now that i've read all the comments from woman around 50, i'm thinking, wow, could i possibly not get periods anymore? i'd be fine with that. but a woman my age still worries about getting pregnant ,so condoms are a must! my kids are 23 and 21, they don't need any baby siblings! i have woken up middle of the night, the last couple weeks experiencing what i think may be the start of light hot flashes. my lower back has been aching quite a bit, but thought it was the darn shoes i bought, maybe not! after reading all the helpful discussions, i'm so glad to know i'm not alone out here.

Yes I had problems sleeping but I've never been a good sleeper. I do sleep better now. Before I started using the soy, I would wake up every night at least once or twice with heart palpatations, hot flashes and an overwhelming feeling of doom and anxiety (I am a very positive and happy person, so these night heebie jeebies were very troublesome). I don't have these any more since taking the soy. I have had a total of two night sweats in 2 1/2 months while taking the soy and that is it. I still have occasional hot flashes during the day - not every day and they are very mild. Before I began taking the soy I had hot flashes several times a day. I feel that the soy has made a tremendous change in my life. I hope it helps you too.

I have a 12 year old Dobe and she has been incontinent since she was spayed at 6 months of age. I found that switching her to a raw diet (no grains) really helped. As she got older, I used a combination of Proin and Black Cohosh. The Black Cohosh allowed her to remain leak-free on a lower dose of Proin. We also tried estrogen, but it did not work for her. At age 7 she developed arrythmias due to Dilated Cardiomyopathy. We verified via holter that Proin increased the arrythmias dramatically (3,000 on it, 300 off it), so we discontinued the Proin. I have been living with a leaky girl for 5 years. She is now in congestive heart failure and on a diuretic, so the leaking can get quite bad. It is manageable though. As with your Rottie, potty pants do not stay on her well. The best thing I found was inexpensive cotton women's panties (high cut) in combination with a sanitary pad. I cut a hole for her tail and tacked a couple gathers in the elastic and they stay on much better than the commercial potty pants. But I also have a doggie door and want her to be able to use the yard when she needs to, so I don't use the "underoos" very often. I've lined all of the dog beds with vinyl and just launder the covers as needed. I put water proof crib pads down where she lays routinely and she's good about staying on them most of the time. Those go in the washer as well. She is now leaking through the pads so I've added shower curtains cut to size under them and that's working very well to protect my floors. I also use Nature's Miracle Advanced on the carpet and Simple Solution for hard floors as needed. It can be a pain, but my old girl is well worth it. :o)