BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Post

[Matata]

for ladies of a certain age to discuss the trials & tribulations of perimenopause, menopause, & postmenopause

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

I know there are hot flushes and I get those. But does anyone just overheat regularly.. all over their body? I am sure its hormonal (isn't everything!) but its really driving me nuts. I can be fine one minute, the next I am near enough stripping off because I am so hot.

 

[Upgradable]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Maisie, I've been a virtual furnace ever since my first pregnancy (almost 20 years ago). I still run really HOT. What this translates to when I take my temperature is that it is normally 97.6F. I have to dress in layers so that I can peel. I wear sweater sets in the winter so that I can take off the cardigan. It's not unusualy for me to be sleeveless even in December! Interestingly, this tendency kept me from being diagnosed as hypothyroid for I don't know how many years? Being cold is one of the symptoms, but I had ALL the others.

 

[soocool]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

It's weird my sister had the hot flushes and not me. But I have always been very active,always running around, playing tennis that I guess even if I were having one I'd probably never notice. The other thing I always do is drink ice water. I keep my Brita in the fridge and have about 6 glasses a day. I wonder why some women have them and others don't. Maybe we should do a poll?

My problem was dryness down there. Funny thing is after I got my pacemaker, the dryness went away and that goes for my skin as well. I am wondering if the slow heart rate wasn't delivering oxygenated blood efficiently throughout my body or that I primarily gave up eating table sugar and started eating nuts (almonds, walnuts) on a daily basis?

 

[Lula]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

I've been doing better with hot flashes since I lost some weight and started on B12 and D3 supplements. But I still get hot flashes. I still get my period, too, but it is extremely erratic -- every three weeks for a while. Then nothing for six months. I think I'm due for some hormone testing to see what my FSH, etc., levels are. And, yes, Maisie, sometimes the hot flashes feel like you're sitting in very hot sauna!

 

[Aoife]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Hot flashes, who gets them, how bad they are, and how long they last seem to be one of those mysteries of life.

Maisie, how long have you been getting overheated? I'm asking because one of my daughters, who is in her 20's notices this as kind of a cyclical thing. She's always been one of those people who wore sleeveless tops even in the middle of winter, and her ob-gyn said that the overheating thing was probably related to her hormonal ups and downs. She's also been an athlete all her life, and has to be careful not to put herself into amenorhea (sp?) where her periods stop, because that totally throws her body out of whack. Could that have something to do with what you're experiencing? Weight fluctuations and diet can do very, very weird things.

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Hot flashes, who gets them, how bad they are, and how long they last seem to be one of those mysteries of life.

Maisie, how long have you been getting overheated? I'm asking because one of my daughters, who is in her 20's notices this as kind of a cyclical thing. She's always been one of those people who wore sleeveless tops even in the middle of winter, and her ob-gyn said that the overheating thing was probably related to her hormonal ups and downs. She's also been an athlete all her life, and has to be careful not to put herself into amenorhea (sp?) where her periods stop, because that totally throws her body out of whack. Could that have something to do with what you're experiencing? Weight fluctuations and diet can do very, very weird things.

I am really overweight, around 280lbs This heat thing has been going on for approx 6 months. I am currently sitting in a very cold room, in a vest with the fan on and its frosty outside.

I am on a very mild anti depressant but have been taking them for ages so I don't think they are causing it. My periods are coming every 3 weeks and are really heavy. I didn't think this was a sign of perimenopause. I thought your periods got further apart. My doctor says it can differ from person to person.

 

[Lula]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Maisie -- antidepressants can cause "flushing" in some people. So can other medications. Yes, erratic menstrual cycles (closer together; father apart; a mix of the two!) are common.

 

[Aoife]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Lula: With the hot flashes I remember at one point actually going outside and standing in the snow (this was when we lived in the upper Midwest) and I swear I could hear the snowflakes sizzle when they touched my skin. What really got me was flashing at night: covers up, covers down, covers up, lather-rinse-repeat until I woke up in the morning feeling more tired than when I went to bed. Good times. And the every 3 week thing with the periods? Yeah, that was me until for one memorable time span right before they tapered off and stopped, it was every two weeks, and so heavy I couldn't leave the house for the first couple of days.

Maisie: It's good you're going to see the doctor to get a baseline on what's going on. I will say that for some people diet seems to make a huge difference in the amount of flashing/flushing they experience. The supplements help in a lot of cases, and one of my sisters cut out almost all unrefined carbs (white rice, flour, sugar) and said that cut her hot flashes down by about half. It never made any difference to me, but she was also doing bioidentical HRT, so that might have had something to do with it.

 

[colorluvr]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Jumping on here (because we don't have our own forum - ahem!!!) to suggest to ALL women to get a baseline hormone test BEFORE you become perimenopausal, so you have something to compare to when you need it. Hormone levels vary from woman to woman, so what may seem low to one, can be normal for another. It's the CHANGE in your hormone level that can be an indicator.

As far as hot flashes, I only had one or two... I'm always cold by nature (always have been), but BOY did I have night sweats.... throwing off the covers when it was quite cold in the bedroom, waking up at 2am and not being able to go back to sleep, etc. etc.

Finally got that all under control when I started HRT estrogen, but it took almost 6 months with me fiddling with the dosage before I got it right. I didn't have periods (uterus removed at 32) so I didn't have that kind of warning... when it hit, it really hit!!!

Looking back, I probably did have some warning signs, but those were at the end of a less than pleasant marriage, and when I told the doc about the night sweats, not sleeping thing, she asked if I had hot flashes and I said no, so she said it was probably just stress..... NOW I know better cause I was just one of those lucky ones that didn't get the hot flashes, but the mood swings and the no sleep and the night sweats made up for it...


CAN WE HAVE OUR OWN FORUM NOW???

 

[PinkTower]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Jumping on here (because we don't have our own forum - ahem!!!) to suggest to ALL women to get a baseline hormone test BEFORE you become perimenopausal, so you have something to compare to when you need it. Hormone levels vary from woman to woman, so what may seem low to one, can be normal for another. It's the CHANGE in your hormone level that can be an indicator.

As far as hot flashes, I only had one or two... I'm always cold by nature (always have been), but BOY did I have night sweats.... throwing off the covers when it was quite cold in the bedroom, waking up at 2am and not being able to go back to sleep, etc. etc.

Finally got that all under control when I started HRT estrogen, but it took almost 6 months with me fiddling with the dosage before I got it right. I didn't have periods (uterus removed at 32) so I didn't have that kind of warning... when it hit, it really hit!!!

Looking back, I probably did have some warning signs, but those were at the end of a less than pleasant marriage, and when I told the doc about the night sweats, not sleeping thing, she asked if I had hot flashes and I said no, so she said it was probably just stress..... NOW I know better cause I was just one of those lucky ones that didn't get the hot flashes, but the mood swings and the no sleep and the night sweats made up for it...


CAN WE HAVE OUR OWN FORUM NOW???

You know, in the meantime, we could take over Newlyweds or Diamonds in India. They need some posts and might be glad to see us. It might be months before anyone even noticed we moved in.

 

[colorluvr]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

CAN WE HAVE OUR OWN FORUM NOW???

You know, in the meantime, we could take over Newlyweds or Diamonds in India. They need some posts and might be glad to see us. It might be months before anyone even noticed we moved in.

 

[Aoife]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

CAN WE HAVE OUR OWN FORUM NOW???

You know, in the meantime, we could take over Newlyweds or Diamonds in India. They need some posts and might be glad to see us. It might be months before anyone even noticed we moved in.[/quote]

I don't have a problem with that.

 

[Upgradable]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

squatters in India?

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

I hate being on medication but I really need it. If I don't take it I get loads of panic attacks. I have had them since I was 17 so I don't think they are going away anytime soon. I am on a really mild dose (5mg) and it seems to keep me on an even keel without stopping me feel emotions. When I was on a higher dose I couldn't laugh or cry. Very strange.

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Jumping on here (because we don't have our own forum - ahem!!!) to suggest to ALL women to get a baseline hormone test BEFORE you become perimenopausal, so you have something to compare to when you need it. Hormone levels vary from woman to woman, so what may seem low to one, can be normal for another. It's the CHANGE in your hormone level that can be an indicator.

As far as hot flashes, I only had one or two... I'm always cold by nature (always have been), but BOY did I have night sweats.... throwing off the covers when it was quite cold in the bedroom, waking up at 2am and not being able to go back to sleep, etc. etc.

Finally got that all under control when I started HRT estrogen, but it took almost 6 months with me fiddling with the dosage before I got it right. I didn't have periods (uterus removed at 32) so I didn't have that kind of warning... when it hit, it really hit!!!

Looking back, I probably did have some warning signs, but those were at the end of a less than pleasant marriage, and when I told the doc about the night sweats, not sleeping thing, she asked if I had hot flashes and I said no, so she said it was probably just stress..... NOW I know better cause I was just one of those lucky ones that didn't get the hot flashes, but the mood swings and the no sleep and the night sweats made up for it...


CAN WE HAVE OUR OWN FORUM NOW???

You know, in the meantime, we could take over Newlyweds or Diamonds in India. They need some posts and might be glad to see us. It might be months before anyone even noticed we moved in.

I dunno... India will be too hot for me

 

[Upgradable]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Do we have a Siberian diamond forum we could invade?

 

[colorluvr]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

In all seriousness, (well, as serious as I like to get these days) I noticed that a "non-BTDT" poster posted on one of these BTDT threads. It just makes me think that if we had our own forum MORE people might participate if they saw a specific subject that might apply to them, but wouldn't necessarily "hang out" with us more mature 'ole broads (and those of you who aren't mature OR old OR broad [yet] but still take a peek at our ramblings occasionally).

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Do we have a Siberian diamond forum we could invade?

Now thats what I need!

 

[PinkTower]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Jumping on here (because we don't have our own forum - ahem!!!) to suggest to ALL women to get a baseline hormone test BEFORE you become perimenopausal, so you have something to compare to when you need it. Hormone levels vary from woman to woman, so what may seem low to one, can be normal for another. It's the CHANGE in your hormone level that can be an indicator.

As far as hot flashes, I only had one or two... I'm always cold by nature (always have been), but BOY did I have night sweats.... throwing off the covers when it was quite cold in the bedroom, waking up at 2am and not being able to go back to sleep, etc. etc.

Finally got that all under control when I started HRT estrogen, but it took almost 6 months with me fiddling with the dosage before I got it right. I didn't have periods (uterus removed at 32) so I didn't have that kind of warning... when it hit, it really hit!!!

Looking back, I probably did have some warning signs, but those were at the end of a less than pleasant marriage, and when I told the doc about the night sweats, not sleeping thing, she asked if I had hot flashes and I said no, so she said it was probably just stress..... NOW I know better cause I was just one of those lucky ones that didn't get the hot flashes, but the mood swings and the no sleep and the night sweats made up for it...


CAN WE HAVE OUR OWN FORUM NOW???

You know, in the meantime, we could take over Newlyweds or Diamonds in India. They need some posts and might be glad to see us. It might be months before anyone even noticed we moved in.

I dunno... India will be too hot for me

Dont' you feel sort of strange when you are all alone in the house and read something this funny and laugh really loudly?

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Yes! And I have chuckled a lot over the past few days reading PS. Its good to laugh though. Even if you are on your own

 

[Scorpioanne]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

I do have the odd "personal tropical moment" but does anyone get hot, beet-red hands and feet? I am thinking it is hormonal. It is strange, I hate to wear closed shoes and socks as I like to be able to cool my feet off when I need to.

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

No I don't. I am always freezing to touch but boiling on the inside.

I wonder what would make your hands and feet so hot. I'm off to google it.

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

Hmmm.... too much sodium is coming up a lot.

Also being low in calcium can bring it on.

I have to say I'm not a doctor and I just looked it up!

 

[JillyC]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

I feel very lucky that so far (at age 53) the only symptom I'm having is erratic periods, sometimes on time, sometimes skipping a cycle. No hot flashes, really, no real mood swings. I have been using a bio-identical hormone cream for the last year, so perhaps it's helping. My oldest sister said she went through menopause at age 56 (!) with very little trouble, so maybe it's genetic????

 

[rainwood]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

They are not hot flashes, they are power surges. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Maisie]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

I wonder if some people are predisposed to more symptoms than others. My mother didn't really suffer very much but because my sister and I are carriers of a genetic condition (passed down by my dad) I don't know if I can rely on her experiences. She is a very laid back woman anyway so I doubt anything would bother her.

My local pharmacy is staffed by women and they have that power surge saying on the wall. Makes me chuckle everytime I see it

 

[Aoife]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

They are not hot flashes, they are power surges. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My personal favorite is the one that goes: Don't think of it as a hot flash, think of it as your own personal summer vacation"

I'm mostly over those, thank goodness!

 

[lyra]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

A week or so ago my daughter and I went to see "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". Well, I got a sudden and lengthy power surge. Luckily we were sitting in the very back row by ourselves. I used my water bottle to try cool myself down until the water started getting warm in it! So then I used a purse size wet wipe and kept wiping my face and arms and neck. Then I sat there with the water bottle behind my neck. It was horrible!!! Thankfully no one else noticed. I'm really leery of going to the theater again. I would have to bring an icepack from home just in case. Also, awoke with the night sweats last night so I had to change at about 3am. Yuck!! Then of course I froze later on and couldn't stay asleep.

 

[Aoife]

Re: BTDT -- Dedicated to the Pause Twins -- Peri & Meno & Po

A week or so ago my daughter and I went to see "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". Well, I got a sudden and lengthy power surge. Luckily we were sitting in the very back row by ourselves. I used my water bottle to try cool myself down until the water started getting warm in it! So then I used a purse size wet wipe and kept wiping my face and arms and neck. Then I sat there with the water bottle behind my neck. It was horrible!!! Thankfully no one else noticed. I'm really leery of going to the theater again. I would have to bring an icepack from home just in case. Also, awoke with the night sweats last night so I had to change at about 3am. Yuck!! Then of course I froze later on and couldn't stay asleep.

Have you tried the nightgowns/shirts that are designed to keep you dry? They wick the sweat away from you so you don't stew in your own juices all night. If only they came with their own little personal A/C units, too.....