Wellness

[AngelPuppy1]

@sidsmom

I thought I was over them - that's what really upsets me!!  I don't do caffeine - haven't in years.  I recently had my thyroid checked and its supposedly o.k.  And I had a bunch of blood work done and that supposedly didn't show anything noteworthy.  The only things I can think of which may be different is my diet hasn't been that great lately and I feel I have been under more sress than usual.  Though with the latter it's hard to tell as stress is always a constant factor for me.  I hope with the changes you are trying that you see some success!!!  

[AngelPuppy1]

@PinkyPetunia

I am 63.  I am just the opposite - seems like when I am busier, I get more of them.  I haven't changed any meds or gained substantial weight -- maybe a couple of pounds.  But my diet hasn't been really great lately, eating more sweets -- which I need to address.  With the holidays --- that's really hard!!!!  I have a lot of illnesses but they are on-going and don't seem to have changed any.  Who knows?  But I just wish they'd stop!

Good luck to you on yours.  Wish we'd all get over these darn things!  

[AngelPuppy1]

@hoosieroriginal

Glad you only had to suffer 6 months -- that was long enough!!! 

I am thinking maybe it's my diet and stress.  I don't know what else and I'm hoping if these 2 things get addressed somewhat that they will calm down a bit.  They are truly miserable and make me feel sick.  Hot and then I get chilled.  It's hard to know how to dress.  You can't get comfortable.  70???  Oh, my word.  That poor woman!!!  

[AngelPuppy1]

@151949

Oh, how well I know what you went through!  I would be sitting at work and all of a sudden my face, neck and chest would get as red as a chili pepper!  I would have perspiration on my face and under my bangs and I would have to get a kleenix and wipe my face and neck and then go to the restroom and get cold paper towels and apply as I would feel like I was going to faint!  Thankfully, after a full year, they began getting less and less.  Then, I would only get them occasionally.  Now, I am getting them a lot again!!

I agree --- I am back to saying -- oh, please, please, just take them away -- even a day!!

I hope you eventually get rid of them --- and soon!!!   

[AngelPuppy1]

@Toppers

I go to bed at night and I will be chilly and have 3 blankets on.  Ten minutes later I am burning up and kick them all off!  Then I wake up later and am freezing again. And I will do this several times in the night.  It is hard to wake up refreshed when you are like a yo-yo!!!  

I do the same thing with the coat situation.  I have all of these beautiful warm coats.  But I keep wearing this same light old jacket which is starting to get ratty!!!  

My Christmas wish for all of us is that our flashes will stop --- forever!!! 

[AngelPuppy1]

@Mz iMac

Well, I would say lucky you!  But I guess it is no fun being cold all the time!  But trust me -- you would not want these things.  The heat radiates from inside you -- until you feel like you are roasting alive.  You feel sick to your stomach, dizzy, your head hurts, you perspire, and after that you get chilled -- and just when you feel half normal -- it starts all over again!!!  

[AngelPuppy1]

Thanks, everyone for commiserating!  I don't feel like I am the only one at least!  

As for the HRT, I understand.  When I first began getting these, due to other health issues, this was not an option for me.  And I was glad that my doctor talked to me and said --- no -- no -- this is not for you.  

Let's all hope that with the new year coming -- we will all get relief from these dumb things!!!  

[ID2]

---

@sidsmom wrote:

Bless your heart...I definitely feel your pain.

If you get 50 responses here, there will probably be 50 different answers!  It's pretty individualized, but we'll each give our work-around.

The things I'm looking into are:

-) sodium

-) caffeine

-) thyroid medication

Mine come & go...but especially at night.  If you Google 'hot flashes 3:00am', there will be so many hits!  Common problem.  Many experts will say it's caused by a drop in blood sugar...which causes a surge of adrenaline which causes the hot flash.   

I'm going to remove coffee/tea & salt from my diet to see if that helps...and get my thyroid tested in January since I just weaned myself from HRT, which plays into thyroid levels.  HTH

---

I'm a type 1 diabetic so I am very well aware of my blood sugar at all times. My hot flashes have nothing to do with low blood sugar, at least for me they don't. I entered menopause in 2008 and still have periodic hot flashes. I've just resigned myself that I'm going to have them forever.

[Moonchilde]

Many (most?) women will continue to have hot flashes until the day they die. My mother had them in her 90s.  Doctor rold there is no such thing for most women as "no more, ever." Not as bad as when perimenopausal, but they will crop up. Mine seem to come in cycles - nothing for six months or a year or two and then wham, every night for a year. 95% of mine have always been at night.

So - yes it's ordinary, and yes, it sux.

[onlyshopsonline]

@AngelPuppy1, I didn't get really bad hot flashes until I became post-meno.  I felt like I was on fire when they would hit.  I didn't want to do hormones, so my endocrinologist prescribed a low dose (20 mg) of Prozac.  Within a few days, my hot flashes were almost gone.

After about 6 months, we reduced my dose down to 10 mg, and they came back for a while.  Now I get them only occasionally.  But, my doc said that menopause can run with ebbs and flows.  So, you can go without symptoms, or have reduced symptoms, and then they ramp up again.

I'm crossing my fingers.  I think I've gotten through the tough part.  But, keep an eye on your thyroid levels.  High levels of thyroid hormone can cause hot flashes.  I have autoimmune thyroid disease, and It took almost 10 years to get a thyroid diagnosis, because my numbers always looked "normal."

Good luck!