Hot Flash Tips

I went through premature menopause at the age of 31.  It was non-surgical menopause, caused by other health issues I had at the time and the treatment I received for them.  I experienced very bad hot flashes, headaches to the migraine level, fatigue and a few other fun things.

My doctor put me on hormone replacement therapy.  I gladly accepted the prescription because I was very uncomfortable most of the time.  It took about a year to finally find a formula that worked for me.  I still had occasional hot flashes and migraines and eventually, the doctor figured out I might actually have a mild form of chronic fatigue syndrome.

I didn't think a thing about all the side effects of the HRT.  I felt better.  Not the same as before, but improved. 

After five years on the HRT, before my annual exam, one of my friends and I were discussing her elderly grandmother, who had just suffered a debilitating stroke.  Her grandmother had taken HRT for over 20 years.  My friend's mother was a pharmacist and was convinced that considering some of the new studies that were emerging about HRT and the risk of stroke, the two were related for her mother.

At my exam, I discussed the long range effects of HRT.  The doctor was a bit surprised, as I don't really question much, I'm more the type of patient that says, "Can you make this go away? Eye of newt, sure, that'll be fine." 

As a result, I stopped talking HRT.  The only symptoms I still have are the awful hot flashes.  An occasional headache and I still think I suffer a mild case of chronic fatigue syndrome but that's what tanning beds and caffeine were invented for.

When I left the doctors office, she gave me a pamphlet that outlined a holistic approach to combating hot flashes.  And trust me, if you've never had a hot flash, they suck.  It feels like you are on fire from the inside out.  Generally, mine come at night and I wake up in a sweat.  Which then leads to chills, since my body doesn't naturally cool down eventually, I go from scorching hot to chilly.  When I first started getting hot flashes, I got them all the time, day and night.  My coworkers would get alarmed because I would turn bright red and flushed from my face all the way down my neck, hands and arms. 

Anyway.  This happy little pamphlet listed things to avoid to help cut down on hot flashes.

*Caffeine

*Wine, particularly red

* Diet soda

*Cheese

*Nicotine

Damn.  All my favorite hobbies.  Apparently, all of those allegedly contribute to hot flashes, although it wasn't really clear how, since it's not understood how hot flashes begin, over than being hormonal.

If I ever wrote a handy dandy pamphlet concerning hot flashes, I would include the following:

Always sleep in cotton nightwear.  It breathes.  Satin may be sexy and feel good, but it gets downright clammy. 

Wear only one sock to bed at night.  That way, when you have a hot flash, you can stick the sockless foot out and feel instant relief.  Sleeping with the window open in January in Michigan is not always a good idea if you want a happy marriage.

The PMS tea seems to help.  The expensive RemIFem over the counter herbal stuff did nothing for me, even after taking it for 3 months.  I've tried some other herbal remedies and didn't find they helped.

Efflexor is your friend.  Repeat after me. Efflexor is your friend.  Amazing what swirling your hormones can do to you mentally.

Drink lots of water or Gatorade.  This seems to help flush it out.  Plus, I always seem to feel thirsty now and I'm not diabetic.  I do limit myself to one Diet Coke a day if I am drinking pop.  I often drink iced tea instead of pop.

I'm not much help here, am I?

Comments

[vero]

Everybody hates me. I had such an easy time with menopause. I had hot flashes, but not really bad ones, and i just one day woke up and realized I hadn't had a period for 11 months. That was about 6 years ago, and I still get an occasional mild hot flash (warm flash? heh!), but that's about it!

[Lisa]

I'd hate you too, Vero! Mine was worse from the radiation. It basically fried my insides so it was very abrupt and not a natural progression.

[kez]

I had hot flushes [that's what we call them here, so everytime I see that written down I think of streakers and wonder what you are all up to LOL] from a drug I was on for 12mths, my Doc called it my Warmup Phase. I was not a happy lil vegemite then, so definitely not looking forward to it as a long term thing.

[Mgt]

Lisa, I get flashes day and night.

I was on HRT for 5 years before my Chemo/Radoptherapy - I stopped taking it while I was having my treatment. When I was over the worst, I thought I would go back on the HRT to get rid of the flashes, which, BTW are driving me nuts.

Alas! The HRT, no longer works and I am not prepared to keep taking it, just to keep my bones healthy.

This is a good subject - maybe someone will have a helful suggestion. Forget Vero, I hate her too. LOL

[Mgt]

Sorry Lisa. I wanted to say that I think the Radiation made mine worse too.

I suffer the same symptoms as you do. Thirst, night sweats and can only wear summer pyjamas.

That makes it hellish getting out of bed at 6:30am on Winter mornings.

[dragonlady474]

ROFLMAO @ the one sock idea!
:) Actually, that just might work.

[Stephanie F]

I had radiation but not chemo for stage 0 breast cancer three years ago. I had been on HRT for hot flashes and felt great. Because of the cancer, I hat to stop my HRT. Now I am thirsty all the time and have bad hot flashes, up to about 15 a day, some lasting nearly an hour. I seem to be one of those women who do not get over having hot flashes as it's been eight years since menopause.

I also drink close to a gallon of liquid a day – coffee, tea and water. Mostly water.

I had not considered that the radiation would have contributed to my hot flashes, but it make sense.

I read about a new treatment using a stellate ganglion block to interrupt the sympathetic nervous system. The only folks I know who are doing this are doctors at the Advance Pain Centers in Chicago. This is a treatment that's been well-established for pain management but is fairly new (and not FDA sanctioned) for hot flashes. Still, if it would work, I'd try it. It's supposed to stop hot flashes for up to three years. I'll have to save up since I'm not sure that my insurance will cover the $1,000 treatment or the trip to Chicago.

Whatever happens, I am not giving up wine, hot food, caffeine or cheese. I need a little fun in my life.