When Daisy, a business owner and single mom from Florida, was diagnosed with uterine cancer a second time, she was given a hard choice.
She had already beaten cancer once, and to the surprise of her doctors and herself, was able to have a child after her recovery. With this recurrence, Daisy was given the option of getting a hysterectomy and forgoing a longer treatment process. “I didn’t want my son to have to see me go through radiation and chemotherapy,” said Daisy. “I didn’t want to worry him.” She made the choice to get the hysterectomy.
What Daisy didn’t realize was the major transformation her body was to go through once the surgery was over. She went almost immediately into early-onset menopause, suddenly finding herself dealing with huge mood swings, hair loss, and weight management issues.
“There are a lot of challenges,” Daisy explained. “All of a sudden you feel like you can’t be even-keeled. It’s like one little thing and you know you’re not yourself and you can’t control it.”
Perhaps the most difficult change to her daily life was the onset of severe hot flashes.
“I would wake up having night sweats with my pajamas and hair totally soaked. Before going back to bed, I would need to take a shower and change my clothes.”
The hot flashes and temperature issues became a huge obstacle to living her life in the way that she wanted to. “You have that volcanic eruption from inside out and you still have to make it through the day,” explained Daisy. “You still have to be mom, you still have to make dinner, you still need to go to work.”
Part of the reason why the physical and emotional symptoms were so difficult to manage was that she felt she hadn’t been properly prepared for what would happen after going through early-onset menopause. In addition, she found that some of the men in her life, and the culture at large, didn’t believe that her symptoms were as bad as she was describing them to be. “Men don’t get it, they think you’re being a baby or over-exaggerating, and this is really challenging.”
One man, however, Daisy’s boyfriend, felt determined to help when he saw how difficult hot flashes were making her life. Though she had already tried a host of other treatments, including hormonal interventions and patches, as a nursing student Daisy’s boyfriend was sure that there had to be some way to manage the hot flashes. So he went on a search to find some way to give a little relief to her.
Daisy’s boyfriend learned about Embr Wave online and figured it was worth a shot. He purchased the Wave, and gifted it to Daisy for their anniversary. “It was a total surprise,” said Daisy about getting her Wave. “And a total home run.”
The Wave worked immediately for her. “Oh my word, it was insane,” she said. The “volcanic eruption” feeling that she described at the onset of a hot flash dissipated as soon as she was able to feel the direct cooling sensation of the Wave.
On top of the help that the Wave gave her, she loved the rose-gold coloring and the way the device was able to blend in as an accessory. “I’m a real girly girl,” she explained. “I love the color, and I love the design.”
Since getting the Wave, the hot flashes that were once debilitating for Daisy no longer get in the way of her doing the things that she wants to do. “It makes life manageable. I can blow-dry my hair without getting dripping wet with sweat.”
Beyond just her ability to feel more comfortable, Daisy described feeling more confident knowing that her hot flashes could be contained when she was in public. “Before [I had the Wave] at work, I used to get so embarrassed, and I would worry that a hot flash might come on unexpectedly.” Now she knows that if a hot flash does come on, she’s in control and equipped to handle it.
For other women experiencing menopause, both early-onset and later in life, Daisy urges them to be prepared for the changes that might come. “Sometimes you may not feel like yourself, and there will be changes to your body.” She also wants menopause to be something that’s more openly discussed, and not mocked or belittled. “I think women need to share their stories and feel comfortable sharing them. It helps people know that they’re not alone, and helps prepare them for what is to come.”
Difficult symptoms aside, Daisy knows that menopause is something that you can live and thrive through. “As women, we know how to fight,” she emphasized. “No matter what’s going on, we get everything done.”
