Hot Flash Question??

[Bookwood]

Outside of killing myself or waiting until they go away by themselves is there anything I can do for relief from these monsters???

[zakerdog]

go to your docotr - there are hormone replacements that will help.

I know what your going through and it's not fun

:tink:

[Figgy]

Lou-Ann and I are going through the "night sweats" and have been for several months. I wake up at least three times a night, drenching wet. I tried everything. I had one brainy idea to wear my cotton underpants around my neck :shock: that actually works and saves the night gown. This is pure nuts for me as I moved to Fl. to warm up, not create my own personal rain forest!! I remember when we went to DW, Lou-Ann and Richie were next door to us and we had a good laugh about any fire alarms that would go off and there I'd be--caught not with my pants down--but around my neck :oops: . I've never had hot flashes. I think I'd rather deal with them than trying to get a good night's sleep with them. I spoke to my Dr. and she told me Paxil works on hormones much the same as hormone replacement therapy (which even my Dr. won't do) but tried Paxil and it didn't help. The worse thing about this is I thought I was over all of that stuff and here I am still going through it :? . Some nights aren't as bad as others, and I can't figure out why. My sister went through the same thing at the same age as I am, but she can't remember how long these sweats last, she was nursing her husband who was in last stages of cancer right about then.
So what do we do?? Sweat and "bare" it, I guess!! Good-Luck!!! 8) Figgy

[pixie]

I have kept an ice bag under my pillow and applied it to my inner wrist. Also my DH put a stand fan beside the bed with a remote that I keep under my pillow, that works for me too.

OMG Figgy! Pants around your neck is a new one! Whatever works is a good thing.

:tink: Barbara

[Sheryl]

For goodness sakes, how many years will Hot flashes go on?? I'm only 39 and have had them on occassion. Doctor said it was because I was peri menopause, and I don't think that is something I'll get a reward for is it? :rofl:

:mickeyWalk: Sheryl :minnie:

[MissBianca]

Night sweats, hot flashes, gahhhhhh. Hot flashes are especially miserable, they sure aren't over in a flash. I don't know anything more unfair than peri-menopause, somehow I never knew there would be this time while I get both hot flashes and menstrual periods :hppmad:

Something that was recommended to me for hot flashes is two vitamin E gelcaps a day. I've used this method for a couple of years and it does seem to cut down on them considerably! Let me know if you try it and what your results are.

[Bookwood]

THanks for the Vitamin E idea Miss B I'll look into them when I get back from this GS trip! One positive thing is I shouldn't take long to dry off this trip from the water rides!!!

These things just really started during the day about 3 weeks ago and Have gotten worse since I got home from WDW (I also started taking my 10 days of hormones the day after we got back)- so maybe when the hormones are over they will go back to a few a day instead of every 15 minutes or so!!

[FLSharon]

I'd recommend getting Suzanne Sommers' "Sexy Years" book.. It explains in laymans terms about "bioidentical" hormone replacement and believe it or not it's a good book for the topic.

Also, her'es what kills me: white sugar & white flour and then theres' alcohol.

Here's what helps me.... omega's, 5-htp and st john's wort.

We women are the guinea pigs now and I really feel we're all different...not sure if there's one right answer.

I went thru hell in my 40's over this.. wish I new then what I know now.

Much luck.... :wink:

[Tinkerbell]

:tink: Oh boy...what a HOT topic! No pun intended...well, ok, a pun is intended, as I couldn't resist it. :rofl: Actually, I worked in OB-GYN for more than 6 years. I also had a complete hysterectomy at age 30 on September 15, 1983, not that the day stuck w/me FOREVER! :rofl: The hysterectomy included having both of my ovaries taken out, so I wouldn't be producing estrogen on my own. It was a surgical menopause. I was put on estrogen replacement therapy the day after surgery & have been on it ever since. I think I would commit Hari Cari if I didn't get my estrogen or the doctor that decided I didn't need them would possibly end up in the obituary section of the paper. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Women have a high rate in general of getting breast cancer at sometime in their lives. Some women more than others because of family history or possibly because of increased fat cells in the body. It has been said that women overweight tend to get breast cancer more than normal weight women. My personal experience as a nurse having worked 6 years in OB-GYN and 6 years with surgeons, who have patients referred to them after some test has come back abnormal, such as a mammogram or a doctor from elsewhere found a lump. The majority of cases came from abnormalities found on mammograms. Not visible or palpable(felt), to the patient or doctor yet. Many patients themselves found the lumps on their monthly (I think 99.9% of women do not do this), breast check. The best time to check your breast are one week after your period is over & if you no longer have periods, the first of every month. I had a young girl, aged 21, that came in after her OB-GYN found a lump w/a positive fine needle aspiration(fluid taken from a lump), for cancer. The doctor did another & scheduled further testing to see if they could do further/deeper diagnosis. She underwent a lumpectomy first w/the frozen section. Came out of the operating room w/a complete radical mastectomy, at age 21! :shock: This happened when they were rarely doing radicals at all any longer. She had a very aggressive form of breast CA, and there are different forms you can get. The doctor had her go for at least two extra consults, so he was assured that they were all in agreement before he would do that surgery. She knew going into the surgery, that it would probably be a complete radical mastectomy. No risk factors in her family at all, BUT her mother was an only female & was only in her early to mid-forties at that time. I think it actually comes down to genetics & they should have a test now that will give people an indication if they are at a higher risk for getting breast CA.

Just this week I cut taking my estrogen one of the days. I'll do that for awhile & see what happens, then cut back one other day if I'm able.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy does many good things. It reduces the personal tropical heat waves :rofl: It helps you sleep better :sleep: It also promotes healthy female organ stuff, such as urinary frequency, especially at night, keeps skin healthier (Helen Gurley Brown did very high doses of ERT because in her strong belief in this-she was editor of Cosmo for years, might still be), decreases anxiety which can result w/o treatment. The list can go on & on.

Everyone is different. The study that came out around the summer of 2002 put patients and doctors into a dither & doctors took a good majority of patients off of ERT at their requests or the doctors request. There were two female OB-GYN docs on Oprah about a year after this that said that that particular study signified about 1% or even less of the entire population of women that are on ERT. I felt I would continue on ERT, since I do get alot of symptoms when I'm off of it. Eons ago they used to think that women just kind of went crazy at some point (and probably put in "mental" hospitals as they were called), when all they needed was ERT. I don't know :shrug: if there is something out there naturally that would actually take care of all of the symptoms of depleted estrogen w/o the same side effects. :shrug:

Suzanne Somers is a smart woman. She has had breast CA and also treated that in a natural way w/good results. I don't know if she's completely cancer free yet & if so, held onto that cancer free zone for 5 years which is a benchmark used to say someone is cancer free.

Someone mentioned the omega's and someone esle mentioned Vitamin E, which is the same as far as I understand it. They're good antioxidants & I wonder if that's why they're suggested.

I agree w/Zakerdog (cool 8) name BTW), that it should all be discussed w/your doctor so you both can know what your plan is & what you're doing. :tink:

[Moley]

I've been on Estrogen because of surgical menopause since 1991. My hot flashes were horrendous. I still get a few even though I'm on ERT, but I'm on a low dose of it. If you still have your uterus, ERT is a greater risk. It is something you can discuss with your doctor.

There are herbal equivalents for estrogen which can help with night sweats. Look them up before you take them. Even herbal treatments can be risky. Good luck! These symptoms of our getting older and wiser are not the fun ones.

[Lou-Ann]

ROFL. Tinlerbell. I can relate 100 percent having had the total done in 1979. (Of course we had just moved to PHOENIX at 115 degrees before the hot flashes hit.) I can well remember thinking I was going to die until the Estrogen hit. I remember when the thinking was that progesterone was the answer and it was $1.00 per dose. Rich was working two jobs as he had just adopted my kids. I said, "how can we afford this". His reply was he would just go get a home improvement loan. he said not one man in the world would not consider it a home improvement if his wife was happy and cool and all could sleep through the night. Of course he was kidding. I am still on HRT and will remain so as I know how i feel without it. I know I am a candidate for ca as my mom, her sister and her mother all had it. I have mammos every year and am VERY careful but I need to have quality of life as well........ I have been looking for some Disney underpants for Figgy's neck so she can be stylish for the next fire drill..........LOL..........

[Bookwood]

Actually since the 10 days of hormones started to take effect the hot flashes have been much better (yeah!!) so I'm in aholding pattern to see what happens after! I thnk I'm due for a Ob-gyn appointment sometime right after school starts- gotta keep 12 months between for insurance :shrug: . If I have more problems I'll get some natural/ vitamin store stuff to try!

Thanks everyone!