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earthmom
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14 Mar 2008, 12:10 am

I have just recently begun having hot flashes. I had NO idea what they were - they come on suddenly, a flushed feeling from head to toe or head to waist and always with a rush of anxiety. I have been calling them 'mini panic attacks' and since they've been suddenly happening more frequently I have felt more and more upset that I'm just losing my mind.

The past couple of days I've been researching this online and realize now what they are, I'm 47 so I'm at the right age at least for perimenopause. It's been an eye opening experience and I suppose I should feel better in general (at least I'm not crazy?) but I don't. All evening I've just been right on the brink of bursting out in tears (for no reason, of course). I know that emotions going haywire are also part of this but COME ON. I'm sick of it already.

I guess I should add that I've had a very bad flu/bronchitis for the past 4 weeks. Just barely getting over it, still feel too tired during the day and don't have my strength back fully. And I have a bad tooth that needs a crown. I saw my dentist today - didn't sleep last night in anticipation of that visit and it was very stressful and emotional. He's a good guy, thankfully, and he prescribed Valium for me. I am SO anti-medication and so hyper sensitive to even small amounts, but he understood that too and made it a small dose and told me to break those in half or in fourths or any small increment that will work for me.

He wants me to take one (or one half) before bed the night before my appt. to have the crown done, then one before I come in for my appt. He took alot of time to assure me that it will make ALL the difference in the world.

I finally did agree and I'm willing to give it a chance so I can get this tooth fixed. I'm also trying to tell myself that I'm just run down and there's just alot at once and this all will pass, but instead I feel there's some kind of permanence to all of this. Like I'm just nuts now (more so even) and that's all there is to it.

I'm very very concerned about taking any of those drugs too because I'm scared to death of getting hooked and dependent on them. Does anybody know how many you can take before you are becoming dependent or finding it hard to not take them?

Would you take something like that pill to get through the dental work, or for a couple of days? Would you take it other times like during these "mini panic attack' hot flash times?

Another problem they're causing is that I can't sleep. I dearly depend on exactly 8 hours of sleep every night in order to function, and lately it's been 4 hours of sleep, 3 awake, 2 more of sleep, give up and get up. I've been awakened in the night with a hot flash and can't get back to sleep. There is an adrenaline that surges through your body when you have these and that makes you feel anxious and like you have to get up. I didn't realize that, I thought hot flashes were just feeling too warm and that was it.

Any other stressed out hot flash Aspie women out there?



CockneyRebel
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14 Mar 2008, 12:39 am

I know a woman who reached Menopause, at the age of 47.


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hartzofspace
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15 Mar 2008, 10:02 pm

I've begun to have those damned hot flashes, and believe me, they are MADDENING! At first I thought I was coming down with something. And then, I realized that they were waking me out of a perfectly sound sleep. For the last two nights, I have awakened, drenched with sweat, and had to get up and change my nightie. I have noticed that avoiding refined sugar results in less hot flashes, and I am going to start taking Evening Primrose oil capsules, too. I've also started using Progesterone cream, to balance my hormones, since we live in an Estrogen dominant environment. So many things in our environment will contribute to this phenomena of estrogen dominance, like additives in foods, hormones in dairy and meat products, and certain plastics and preservatives. So you are definitely not alone with this! :(


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earthmom
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16 Mar 2008, 1:02 am

Oh I'm so sorry for you but also glad to know that someone else understands what I'm going through! :)

You are absolutely right about the sugar. Look at this video I found on Web MD

http://www.webmd.com/video/avoiding-hot-flashes

I saw that and read some about sugar (and especially chocolate) bringing hot flashes on, so I stopped all sugar over the last 48 hours. Amazingly I've had only a few and they were about a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. BIG difference from the days before that! The anxiety level and weepiness has dropped in the same time also.

In fact I haven't eaten much the last few days - I'm avoiding caffeine (except in one cup of green tea every morning) and sugar and processed food and simple carbs and wheat. Although I feel a bit deprived I also have felt physically MUCH better so I know the diet is a big factor in this!

Keep us posted on how you're doing - I know this thread could be valuable to others, especially if you feel as stupid as I did and were having these hot flashes and didn't even know what they were! :P



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16 Mar 2008, 4:01 pm

Thanks for the link to the video. Although I must say that most of these websites still advocate drugs for most problems. I looked at some of the other videos, and saw that they were advocating birth control pills, and Prozac for depression in response to hormonal challenges. In my experience, I'd rather ride the depression out, with talking to my therapist, journaling, etc. then to get into drug use. The side effects are not worth it.

As for diet, sugar and wheat have been the biggest culprits. Next to that, caffeine. I, too drink green tea. But I use one bag per tea pot, and only steep it for about three minutes. I get a pleasant feeling of alertness, but not the manic buzz that regular tea and coffee bring about.

Yes, by all means, let's support each other! This our second "adolescence." :wink:


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hartzofspace
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30 Mar 2008, 9:22 pm

Aw, heck, did I kill ANOTHER thread?


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earthmom
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30 Mar 2008, 10:55 pm

Ha - usually I'm the thread killer!

I didn't have much new to add to this. I went through a real bad time with the symptoms and then they got quite a bit better. I even went 2 or 3 days feeling like my old self again and nothing weird. Last night hot flashes woke me after only 3 hours of sleep and I had the racing heartbeat and too hot all over and anxiety. It was not good. It took over an hour of walking around the house and trying to settle down before I could get back to sleep.

On the days when there were no symptoms, I felt silly making such a big deal out of all this! But when it hits again you realize it's very weird and you have to do something.

Today I bought some Black Cohosh. I took 6 drops, the suggested dosage is 30 but since I'm always overly sensitive to medications and supplements I thought I'd start much lower. I was overly weepy this evening, which is very uncharacteristic for me, so I take that as another symptom. I'm hoping the emotional, anxiety and hot flash aspects of this all minimize with the black cohosh.



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31 Mar 2008, 12:45 am

I have been hearing a lot about Black Cohosh being good for these things. I have been using Progesterone cream, and plan to have my doctor check my blood levels, because I have read that it can build up in the fat cells, if not monitored properly. I don't want to have too much in my system. The hot flashes stopped for me, as well, but I want to be prepared when they return.


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earthmom
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01 Apr 2008, 2:21 pm

This would be a good time to have some extra Asperger's in a Bottle around. If I could double up on my Aspie side right now I would not be having the weird emotional swings, and would just be focused on my work and this whole thing would not be a problem. :)

I always wondered if I would be bothered by this stuff but I figured I would not. I just figured I'm not as emotional normally as NTs so I probably won't be overly emotional even during something like menopause. HA Well that's just not true. In fact I think this has hit me so hard because it's so strange to feel this off balance and to find myself crying at the stupidest things that normally wouldn't effect me at all.

I just hope this all passes soon. I've heard from women who struggled with it for year and years and that makes me groan thinking about it. Anybody can manage to get through a week or two of the flu or something but to hear you might have this crazy stuff happening to you and it might go on for years??? OMG.

How in the heck does Hillary deal with this? She's the right age. I sure wouldn't want to put someone in charge of the country who might be feeling like I have been!



hartzofspace
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01 Apr 2008, 3:29 pm

earthmom wrote:
This would be a good time to have some extra Asperger's in a Bottle around. If I could double up on my Aspie side right now I would not be having the weird emotional swings, and would just be focused on my work and this whole thing would not be a problem. :)



:lol: That's a good one - Asperger's in a bottle! Yeah, I know what you mean, about crying over silly things. Think of it as your second Adolescence. :twisted: That's what it feels like, anyway.
I wonder about Hillary, too. But everyone doesn't get hit with it the same way. I have known women who sail through without hot flashes or mood swings! 8O I only wish.


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jelibean
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07 Apr 2008, 2:49 pm

:wink: I am 50 this year and have been going through the hot flushes for 2 years now, I will never diss them again EVER! Sleep...............ooooh what is that. Throwing the duvet off, opening the window and stripping off has become a thing of routine! Drives me mad because then I spend ages hunting for the duvet on the floor as I am FREEEEZING! aAAAGHHhh it drives me mad, even more embarrassing when the kids come in early and their mother is splayed out naked!

Phosphatidyl Serine is the pot of magic you need. Amazing stuff, could write forever but I wont bore you. It will work within 20mins and last for 4-5 hrs! Honestly that simple, natural and INSTANT!! Put your fan down for a minute and try it, YOU ONLY NEED ONE TABLET TO BE ABLE TO TELL! Good Luck! :wink:



earthmom
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07 Apr 2008, 3:03 pm

Now I'm going to Google and find out what that stuff is! Thanks for the tip.

I have to say that I have something new that's working for me (I hate to even type that, I feel like these 'good' last 5 days are so fragile that I don't want to jinx them!).... I got some Black Cohosh tincture and take 15 drops twice a day. Right away my mood changed, I haven't had any of the weepiness, the only hot flashes have been very minor and only first thing in the morning, no anxiety, lots of good energy and I've just been feeling happy again, which has been missing lately!

I realize this is only a short period of time - 5 days is a short test. It could be that my hormones are just up and balanced at this point of my cycle and I'll crash and burn again in a few weeks with or without my new black cohosh herb. The only way to tell is I'm taking it everyday and charting the results. I figure 28 days will be a good indicator but about 3 months will be best. I should know by then if the herb has helped tremendously or if it's doing nothing at all.

But still and all, I'm on to Google to find out about your stuff! :)



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07 Apr 2008, 3:12 pm

Hiya I have sent you a pm. I completely understand about not wanting to tempt fate with anything else! We feel just the same about PS!

My flushes are just as bad 2yrs on. I am determined not to take HRT, it will just take its course I GUESS! Good job I am single, no man could put up with this!! Good Luck! :wink: