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Can you please describe a hot flash?

House Cat

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I’m waking up several nights per week in soaked sheets with my body on fire!! My nerves are crawling. It feels like there are a million fire ants biting my skin. I have to splash myself with cold water to make this awful feeling go away. This only happens while I am sleeping.

When I described this to my doctor, two things were said. 1) You’re too young to be having symptoms of menopause. (I’m 43.) 2) Yep! That sounds like a hot flash! o_O

No hormone test. No blood test. Nothing.

Are your hot flashes like this?
 

missy

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HC, I am sorry you are having these awful symptoms...Sounds like it could definitely be a hot flash. Have you consulted your GYN? There is no way your doctor (what is his specialty?) can state unequivocally it isn't a hot flash. While it is on the younger side it is not too young for perimenopause.

I think you need more testing and should consult with your GYN.

Disclaimer: I have personally never experienced hot flashes as I somehow got through perimenopause without these symptoms but I have enough family and friends to state what you are experiencing could be hot flashes.

ETA OK I just reread what you wrote...your doctor said it could be a hot flash. Sorry. Need reading comprehension early in the AM and more coffee. So will be back after I get my second cup.
 

House Cat

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HC, I am sorry you are having these awful symptoms...Sounds like it could definitely be a hot flash. Have you consulted your GYN? There is no way your doctor (what is his specialty?) can state unequivocally it isn't a hot flash. While it is on the younger side it is not too young for perimenopause.

I think you need more testing and should consult with your GYN.

Disclaimer: I have personally never experienced hot flashes as I somehow got through perimenopause without these symptoms but I have enough family and friends to state what you are experiencing could be hot flashes.

ETA OK I just reread what you wrote...your doctor said it could be a hot flash. Sorry. Need reading comprehension early in the AM and more coffee. So will be back after I get my second cup.

No worries Missy!
I am complaining about my doctor because of the conflicting information she gave to me.

Whenever I have asked for hormone testing, I have been told it would be useless. I can’t stand my insurance, Kaiser Permanente. I’m leaving them at the first of the year because of these kinds of issues.
 

missy

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No worries Missy!
I am complaining about my doctor because of the conflicting information she gave to me.

Whenever I have asked for hormone testing, I have been told it would be useless. I can’t stand my insurance, Kaiser Permanente. I’m leaving them at the first of the year because of these kinds of issues.

I wonder why they are refusing to allow you to undergo a simple blood test to see what your hormone levels are? IIRC it has to be done during a certain time of your cycle to be accurate but it is a relatively simple blood test. If for nothing else to make sure something else more insidious isn't going on...such as ovarian failure or a thyroid condition. I don't see any reason a blood test to check your levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen would not be ordered just to make sure you are healthy.

Yes, I feel your pain regarding health care and insurance...most health insurance is less than good these days more than ever before IMO.

Sorry HC and hope you find relief!
 

jaaron

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I think your doctor is being ridiculous. I don't think 43 is too young to be having symptoms of perimenopause- I know a lot of people who started having some in the 5-10 years leading up to it, so that could well be it. However--I'm not trying to be alarmist--but I have a good friend who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma very early (and has been cancer-free for many years) because her doctor was smart enough to investigate her night sweats.

I had hot flashes when I was breastfeeding (apparently, when you're breastfeeding enough to suppress your period, you're not producing much oestrogen and it can simulate menopause) and I can't say I had the prickling ant sensation- just suddenly flushed and boiling to the point of wanting to rip my clothes off.

I think you should give her a nudge- this is not a worry you should have to live with.
 
Q

Queenie60

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I suggest you insist that they take the blood hormone test. Sounds like hot flashes to me as this is what I experienced during peri menopause. I slept with a very small fan at my bedside and turned it on when I felt the heat coming on. 43 is not too young to experience this. Take care HC and I hope you get this resolved.
 

junebug17

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I’ve heard these referred to as night sweats - I have gotten them occasionally starting in my early 40’s (I’m 57 now) but mine aren’t as severe as yours. I just feel really hot and get a little sweaty. I actually haven’t had one in quite a while. I also get very itchy sometimes at night. I am in perimenopause. Your symptoms sound awful and I’m sorry your doctor isn’t following through with tests - maybe have another conversation about it?
 

redwood66

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I am sorry HC that you are going through this. Mine were not terrible like what you describe so I can just imagine how uncomfortable you are. The nerve thing seems very extreme though and maybe you should push your doc a little harder. I just had my gyn appt and he asked if I thought my symptoms were bothering enough for hormones and I opted to forego them. I hate taking any medication.
 

luv2sparkle

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I think that most of the hormone tests are a bit like testing your thyroid- they come back in the 'normal' range which doesn't tell you much. You would have to see a specialist. I have awoken in the night hot and sweaty but I usually have to kick off the blankets for a few minutes and it goes away. The fire ant feeling doesn't seem like a hot flash. I hate going to doctors and all the testing so I would probably change your diet first and see if that helps. I have been surprised by how many things changing my diet completely reversed. But that is just me, and I know that many people would prefer to have a doctor run tests first.

edit* Diet won't get rid of hot flashes but it did make mine a little less. I would wonder if the fire ant feeling is a allergic reaction to a food additive. Usually though, that happens right away after eating. I have found that when I was not eating as cleanly that I was so inflamed that I didn't always notice a reaction right away, and symptoms were delayed. Getting rid of all food additives greatly decreased the inflammation for me and a whole bunch of weird symptoms.
 
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azstonie

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Itchiness, very common in peri- and post menopause. Atarax very hekpful, 10 or 25mg, you can tinker with dosage using a pill splitter. One good thing about Atarax, it is sedating at higher dosages. When I'm having trouble sleeping, I take the full 25-mg pill.
 

Austina

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I was perio-menopausal at 38! My mother was done with the menopause by 43.

My first hot flush started at my knees and whooshed it's way up my body, it felt like my blood was boiling inside all the arteries. I literally jumped up and started ripping my clothes off. DH thought his luck was in :lol:

Night sweats and hot flushes are typical menopausal symptoms so I'm not sure why your Dr is so reluctant to do a simple blood test.

I've been taking Maca, an organic Peruvian root for many years now, I didn't want to go the hormone route, and it really helps.
 

Allisonfaye

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Try magnesium for hot flashes. Just be careful because it can give you diarrhea. I take 800 mg a night but I also get constipated if I don't take it. Also, exercise helps. Don't let yourself get cold at night if you can help it. Hot flashes often follow getting cold. (Sometimes it's out of your control). Sounds like perimenopause to me, btw.
 

AGBF

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Not only did I have terrible night sweats in my 30's, but I still have them now sometimes. In my thirties, the night sweats alarmed me and I feared I had a heart problem. I had a 24 hour EKG with a Halter (Holter?) monitor; an echocardiogram; etc. I did find out I had mitral valve prolapse, but that wasn't causing the night sweats. Since nothing appeared to be wrong with me, my doctor attributed it to anxiety. On a bad night, now, I can soak through my pajamas, my sheet, and my pillow. Then I can go for weeks without a night sweat. Apparently no thyroid problems.

In my opinion, the night sweats in my 30's were perimenopausal. I went through menopause at 50 without a single hot flash and with no mood changes. I think my body knocked itself out in my 30's and had nothing more to do in my 40's or at 50!
 

AGBF

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I thought that since many of us appeared to be suggesting perimenopause as a possibility, that this might be useful.

From this website...https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/perimenopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20354666

"Overview
Perimenopause means "around menopause" and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. Perimenopause is also called the menopausal transition.

Women start perimenopause at different ages. You may notice signs of progression toward menopause, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s.

The level of estrogen — the main female hormone — in your body rises and falls unevenly during perimenopause. Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you may begin having menstrual cycles in which your ovaries don't release an egg (ovulate). You may also experience menopause-like symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep problems and vaginal dryness. Treatments are available to help ease these symptoms.

Once you've gone through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, you've officially reached menopause, and the perimenopause period is over.


Symptoms
Throughout the menopausal transition, some subtle — and some not-so-subtle — changes in your body may take place. You might experience:

  • Irregular periods. As ovulation becomes more unpredictable, the length of time between periods may be longer or shorter, your flow may be light to heavy, and you may skip some periods. If you have a persistent change of seven days or more in the length of your menstrual cycle, you may be in early perimenopause. If you have a space of 60 days or more between periods, you're likely in late perimenopause.
  • Hot flashes and sleep problems. Hot flashes are common during perimenopause. The intensity, length and frequency vary. Sleep problems are often due to hot flashes or night sweats, but sometimes sleep becomes unpredictable even without them."
 

tyty333

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Sounds like a hot flash to me too...I had everything you describe minus the ants biting feeling. Early on my hot flashes pretty much only
happened at night or near bed time. As time went by they could happen whenever. I still have one every now and then.

Black Cohosh helped to make them feel not as severe...still had them though.

Boy are they aggravating!
 

Gussie

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Sounds EXACTLY like my hot flashes. They began at 38, perimenopausal one year after my last child was born. Completely menopausal at 41! It kinda freaked me out at first but since I was done having kids, I decided to just be happy to be done with it. I don't have any hormonal symptoms anymore, thank goodness!
 

Calliecake

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I loved @Austina description! I've been dealing with them for 9 years but never had the itching or felt like I had fire ants. Mine always feel like I'm that children's toy Glow Worm that lights up. All of a sudden I feel like my insides are on fire and that my body feels like it could explode from the heat.
I too get the whoosh feeling when they start up. I often sleep with ice packs in the summer. My freezer has 5 gel ice packs in it at all times. They work wonderfully but remember to put a very thin tee shirt between the ice pack and your skin or you will end with a bad freezer burns on your skin.

I really don't mind winter because I actually love that I can stand outside in 0 degree weather in the middle of the night to cool down.

@Austina , You should have seen my husband's face the first I jumped up and started taking my clothes off.
 

VRBeauty

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FWIW, my periods started getting irregular before I turned 30. The first specialist I was sent to basically said "don't worry, when you're ready to get pregnant we'll give you some hormones to stabilize your period." I also started getting hot flashes at about that time, though I was totally ignorant on the subject and didn't associate them with the missed periods at all. A year or two later I was sent to another specialist who tested my blood hormone levels and told me I was post-menopausal. POST! It was a total shock to me... but that's a story for another day. I was also angry, because the two year lag in getting an accurate diagnosis could have been a time for me to try for a pregnancy.

So... you're not too young for menopause. Early menopause apparently is not that common, but it does happen. And if I were in your shoes I'd definitely press for a hormone level test. If nothing else, you'd want to rule out menopause to see whether there's another condition that should be considered.

I don't know whether magnesium helps with hot flashes, but if it does, consider trying a warm bath with epsom salts, which contain magnesium. Epsom salt baths (with a few drops of lavender oil for good measure) are my secret weapon for dealing with sleepless nights.

When I was having hot flashes, 100% cotton sheets and bed clothes helped. At one point I even resorted to sleeping on towels that could be switched out easily in the middle of the night. And should the hot flashes hit during the day? Don't wear silk. ;-)
 

kenny

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I’m waking up several nights per week in soaked sheets with my body on fire!! My nerves are crawling. It feels like there are a million fire ants biting my skin. I have to splash myself with cold water to make this awful feeling go away. This only happens while I am sleeping.

Are you sure you're not just having sex in your sleep? :mrgreen2:
 

House Cat

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I’m glad I posted this question to all of you. There are so many good ideas to help that I’m going to start today!

I emailed my GYN this morning with my hot flash symptoms and she said, “Unfortunately there are no hormone tests that can help you.” Then asked if any of my medications are new, which they are not. I have been taking the same meds for years.
 

missy

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I’m glad I posted this question to all of you. There are so many good ideas to help that I’m going to start today!

I emailed my GYN this morning with my hot flash symptoms and she said, “Unfortunately there are no hormone tests that can help you.” Then asked if any of my medications are new, which they are not. I have been taking the same meds for years.

It's not about helping per se (though that is debatable) but just making sure that is indeed what you are experiencing and ruling out any other possible causes of your symptoms. I am not sure why the doctors are so resistant to do the simple blood tests just to make sure it is what they and you think it is.

If for nothing else to make sure something else more insidious isn't going on...such as ovarian failure or a thyroid condition

Having said that there are definite things you can do to alleviate symptoms as PSers have shared. I wonder if your gyn can make suggestions as well.
 

VRBeauty

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You might consider touching bases with your GP – you could put it in terms of wanting to find out what's going on if it isn't mental pause. I would imagine that the GP has the option of ordering a test that shows hormone levels too. Or consider changing OB/GYNs. If you're near the South Sacto office, I'm sure mine would be more helpful....
 

doberman

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Somehow I'm getting through menopause having experienced only 2 hot flashes. After they occurred, I took Estroven (natural supplement) and I really think that helped because I never had any more.

Both my mother and stepmother took hormones. With a familial hx of cancer and stroke I won't go there.

I would have thyroid testing done immediately to rule out abnormal thyroid hormone levels before concluding this is menopause.
 

lilmosun

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I had the fire ants feeling at night...luckily for me, it wasn't all the time and didn't come with night sweats. My hot flashes were mild, I'd feel like a light bulb warming up as the warmth spread. The worse part was when it would happen during meetings as I tried to act like nothing was happening as it felt like everyone must see it happening (but they couldn't). But I was lucky that my symptoms were all bearable and occasional.

(Agree with doberman..I would avoid taking estrogen/progesterone...it seems like the common link with many I know who got breast cancer without any family history. Some of my friends did well going with homeopathic remedies.)
 

Begonia

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Hell no, 43 isn't too young.

I was in the depths of perimenopause at 41 and menopause by 44. Get your FSH tested girl.

Sounds like a hot flash to me but get 'er checked out just to be sure. They are miserable are hot flashes. I'm still getting them 10 years later but they go through phases. Stress, caffeine, spicy foods are triggers. Also interesting to note is that along with hot flashes, one can also get cold flashes which I suffered from for quite a few years before the hots.
 

pearlsngems

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Likely perimenopause, but be aware there can be other causes for night sweats, including tuberculosis. Do you work in a nursing home, or could you have been exposed to anyone with TB?
 

asscherisme

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Right now my sheets are in the washing machine because I woke up with the same exact symptoms you described. I am 48, so I am assuming it is hot flashes as well. It is kind of awful. I wash my sheets several times a week. My kids have put on their heavy blankets because I keep the temp so low when we sleep but I still have these night sweats.
I think your doctor was condescending for sure. 43 is not too young. I started around 45.
 

missy

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Just received this publication and thought it might be of interest to some here.

from medscape

COMMENTARY

Peter Kovacs, MD, PhD

November 14, 2017

A Dozen Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause

At the time of natural or surgical menopause, the ovaries cease their cyclic activity, resulting in important hormonal

changes. Estradiol and androgen levels decline, and progesterone is no longer produced in cyclic fashion. These changes

lead to significant clinical effects. Some of these effects remain silent (skeletal, cardiovascular); while others, such as

vasomotor effects, are associated with well-characterized symptoms. Vasomotor symptoms affect up to 75% of women

entering menopause.

Various hormonal and nonhormonal treatments are available for the relief of vasomotor symptoms. In a new review and

meta-analysis, Sarri and colleagues[1] evaluated the efficacy and adverse effects, as well as treatment discontinuation

rates, of various treatments.

A total of 47 randomized controlled trials were considered for this meta-analysis, which assessed the efficacy of 12

different treatments when compared with placebo:

Acupuncture;

Sham acupuncture;

Transdermal estrogen (E) + progestogen (P);

Oral E+P;

Tibolone;

Raloxifene;

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs);

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs);

Isoflavones;

Chinese herbal medicine;

Black cohosh; and

Multibotanicals.

What Worked Best?

For reduction of vasomotor symptoms, transdermal E+P was more effective than placebo (mean ratio [MR], 0.23; 95%

confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.57). Oral E+P was also shown to have good efficacy (MR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.25-1.06).

Isoflavones (MR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44-0.87) and black cohosh (MR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.16-0.90) were also superior to placebo.

The other treatments were not found to significantly differ from placebo.

Transdermal E+P was less likely than placebo to be discontinued (odds ratio [OR], 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37-0.99), as was the

combination of oral E+ bazedoxefine. Owing to side effects, SSRIs and SNRIs were more likely than placebo to be

discontinued.

A Dozen Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause:

Which Works Best?

Vaginal bleeding during treatment was assessed as an adverse event. Data, however, were insufficient to allow valid

conclusions to be drawn. The investigators concluded that transdermal E+P reduces hot flush frequency most effectively,

but data support oral E+P use as well. They also concluded that although isoflavones and black cohosh reduce vasomotor

symptoms, there are concerns about their safety. Finally, they do not recommend SSRIs or SNRIs as first-line treatments

for vasomotor symptoms associated with natural menopause.

Viewpoint

Hormonal changes of menopause affect the function of several organ systems. As estradiol levels decline, the setpoint of

the thermoregulatory system is altered, resulting in vasomotor symptoms. Hot flushes typically involve sudden-onset heat

sensations of the chest and face. They usually occur several times a day and last for a few minutes. Hot flushes may be

accompanied by cardiac symptoms (eg, palpitations) and sweating, and the whole symptom complex may induce

significant anxiety. In severe cases, vasomotor symptoms interfere with everyday activity, resulting in significant decline in

quality of life.[2]

Lifestyle alterations (regular exercise, nutrition, and clothing changes) may offer some relief, but more severe cases will

require medical intervention. Because reduced estradiol levels contribute to the symptoms, a logical step is to replace

these hormones. However, some women are afraid of hormone use, and for others, hormone therapy is contraindicated.

Therefore, treatments other than estradiol replacement have been tested. Hormonal preparations require a much stricter

process of evaluation before they can be introduced on the market, so their side effects and interactions with other drugs

are better known. Products that require a less strict approach before becoming available, such as herbals and

supplements, may put patients at risk for untested drug interactions or unknown adverse effects.

This review found that transdermal E+P is most effective for vasomotor symptoms and, compared with placebo, is less

likely to be discontinued by the patient. Adverse effects with long-term use of hormones is a potential cause for concern.[3]

Short-term use, however, does not seem to be associated with a strong adverse-effect profile. Therefore, E+P, preferably

by the transdermal route, should be the first choice for vasomotor symptom relief for recently menopausal women who

lack contraindications to hormone use.
 
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