Hot flashes!

I'm having such a hard time regulating my temperature comfort the last couple of days. Nasty hot flashes! First I'm boiling hot and have to turn on the fan, then I'm freezing cold and shivering like it's -40 degrees!

I've yet to have the joy of experiencing those, but my friends had hers for a while now

I am in the midst of this myself!
It REALLY sucks!!

People look at me like, why don't you take something?!

The people who say it outloud get my answer to that.

MY mother died in Jan. from breast cancer and my sister also had it recently.
I will not take hormones for this reason and I am just stuck with it for now.

If you find anything natural that helps, please let me know too.

Patty

I wonder if the season's change encourages hot flashes as I've had a couple in the past week!

Women who eat a lot of soy products such as tofu, soy milk, tvp "Mock meats", etc., do not have as much problem with this, it is claimed. (Doesn't hurt your health or the health of the world, either, to eat low on the food chain!)

I sympathize with you. I've been going through those and the night sweats for about 2-3 years (lost count). I tried going off HRT and it was so bad I started taking them again. I had cancer in 1972 and had an expert specialist (people came from all over North America to see him) who told me the risk of breast cancer on HRT was 1% higher than those that didn't take HRT. For me 1% risk was nothing compared to the relief I now have.

Sleeping a full night with the sweats was totally out of the question before. My hubby would be covered to the ears with 3 homemade quilts and I would be laying on top of all the covers covered in sweat.

My friend tried some holistic remedies and finally gave in to HRT. She says it's much better now.

I'm not advocating HRT for you, but just relaying my own experience and advice from my cancer specialist. Everyone has to do what they feel is right for them.

As to the soy issue - I am no friend of anything soy so that's out of the question for me.

I'm not a candidate for hormone replacement therapy. I was hospitalized a few years ago with pneumonia and I also had all of the symptoms of a pulmonary embolus (blood clot in the lung) even though they couldn't see it with the CT Scan. I was on a blood thinner for 6 months, so no hormone replacement type stuff for me.

I've actually been having menopause symptoms such as hot flashes since I was in my mid 20's. It's just gotten much worse and more frequent as I've gotten older and at 45 I guess I'm officially in "peri menopause."

Today's Parade magazine has an excellent article, about hormones. Check parade.com.

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

Women who eat a lot of soy products such as tofu, soy milk, tvp "Mock meats", etc., do not have as much problem with this, it is claimed. (Doesn't hurt your health or the health of the world, either, to eat low on the food chain!)

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My sister went through menopause last year and started taking some kind of soy supplement tablet. She says it helped her hot flashes, although from time to time she still gets a mild case of them, but not as bad and not nearly as often. Good Lord, I'm not too far away from experiencing the joys of menopause. I'm hoping I don't grow a beard and moustache...
My husband says when the time comes, he's hiding all the sharp utensils in the house...

It actually does get better, even without hormones (which I will NOT take). For awhile I was waking up at night just soaked, bed soaked, etc. Now, I sweat a little more easily than I used to and occasionally have to turn the fan on for a few minutes, but it's not too bad.

I did take soy pills when it was bad, and I think they helped some.

Yeah, it's the pits. It seems my night sweats are down a bit. I actually went on the pill so I would not get my period every 2 weeks - heavier than what I was used to at that.
I have been known to have had experienced ecstasy standing naked in front of my freezer.

HRT for me!! Those of you that are frightened of them, and don't have a medical reason for not taking them can read a study called the womens Heath intitiative. It explains the hype about all the increased risks of things, and also explains the benefits in some areas. The most dangerous risk associated is blood clots, and that is easily addressed by taking a baby aspirin, or in my case, I take gingko biloba.

there is nothing to fear, and the return to feeling like yourself is definitely worth it. I struggled for a few months before I resorted to the HRT, and the relief was instantaneous. I attempted to cut the dose in half, and was miserable. I intend to take them forever.

About the soy

Women who eat a lot of soy products such as tofu, soy milk, tvp "Mock meats",

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there is a study that associates a lot of soy in the diet with hypothyroidism, or other thyroid conditions. You might want to check that out before eating it several times a week.