I am wondering about an experience I had on Thanksgiving. I felt pretty good driving to my parents' house, and eating the meal. Then after the meal I went to the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom I felt anxious. Then I had one of those "where am I?" disconnected from reality moments, which was scary! It was like the outer part of my vision got bright, and I felt like I forgot where the walls were. Strange, I know. Was this an aura that some people have before a flash?

Then I suddenly felt like I had to run back to the bathroom, like I was getting diarrhea. (I didn't run to the bathroom, though.) I served pie and sat down to eat it. Then I felt hot, and found myself pulling on the neck of my sweater to fan myself. I felt anxious and panicky. After I was done eating pie, I stood in front of the open patio door for a minute, and cooled down. But I still felt like I "had to get out of here!" So I told everyone I had a tummy issue (as I felt like I was getting diarrhea), and we left early. I felt better as soon as I got in my car, and felt okay on the way home, just a tiny bit anxious.

When I told some of the ladies on the boards about this, they said it sounded exactly like the panic attacks they used to get or still get with peri. However, I did some googling about hot flashes and found out that for some women, hot flashes are very much like panic attacks!

I have been taking my temperature every morning. A couple of days before this happened, I had an estrogen spike (as indicated by a lower temp). Then over the next day or two estrogen dropped (as indicated by a higher temp, about 0.6 higher). So maybe this estrogen spike and subsequent drop triggered a hot flash? I also had spent over a half hour standing over a hot stove in the kitchen that day helping my mom with the cooking.

What do you ladies think? Does this sound like a hot flash?

Here are some snippets from a google search I did for "hot flash" and "aura" that I posted on another board. I was trying to find info about what the aura is that some women talk about getting before a flash. Notice how some articles say that hot flashes and panic attacks are very similar:

-- "Hot flashes may be somewhat comparable to panic attacks. The rapid heartbeat can certainly induce panic, and it may also cause extreme headaches, nausea and dizziness. A woman’s first hot flash can be frightening, especially since it usually occurs before menopause begins and isn’t expected. You can tell several differences between a hot flash and a panic attack. First, breathing may increase slightly, but there is not the hyperventilation typical with panic attacks. Second, panic attacks rarely cause flushing on the face, or such profuse sweating."

-- "Many women have a premonition of an impending hot flash -- an aura -- often described as a tingling sensation in the hands and scalp, pressure in the head, along with a sense of anxiety. Though the level of severity is often described as mild, nobody seems to have anything good to say about hot flashes. "

-- "An aura--dizziness, a racing heart and a sense of anxiety or unease--may also precede a flash."

-- "Sometimes hot flashes are also accompanied by an increased heart rate, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, weakness or a feeling of suffocation."

-- "You may feel an aura, or warning, before a hot flash begins. This might be a "skin crawling" sensation, a feeling of anxiety, chest pressure, rapid heartbeat, headache, or a sense of pressure in the head. Or you may have no warning at all.

Next, you will feel a sensation of heat spreading from your chest to your head. You may feel a tingling sensation; the skin of your chest, neck and face may flush lightly or redden deeply, and you might feel lightheaded. The warmth and flushing may spread to other areas of your body. A hot flash, when accompanied by palpitations (rapid heartbeat), may feel like a panic attack.

After a few seconds or minutes, the flush will subside, and you may begin to sweat and feel chilled. A small number of women feel dizzy or faint as well. Although hot flashes usually last 3 to 5 minutes, they may be shorter or much longer. After the flushing is over, feelings such as headache, rapid heartbeat or anxiety will subside."


-- "An aura may precede the flash, and usually a flush follows along with post-flash/flush symptoms. The heart speeds up. There can be headache or pressure. Nausea and a sensation in one spot of the body are also felt, by some.

-- "Does anyone else get a wave of nausea immediately preceding a hot flash? At the same time I get this odd tingling feeling that seems to rush down my arms into my fingers. Both the nausea and tingling stop once the flash has come out. "

-- "The 'nausea' you've noticed may be your body's version of an aura. Many women, I've spoken to, know that a hot flash is coming before they actually feel hot. I experienced and still occasionally experience (7+ years post natural menopause) a sense that my level of consciousness was/is changing just before a hot flash hits."

--
• a feeling of pressure in the head that progresses into a flush
• redness, warmth, and sweating on the face, neck, shoulders, and upper chest
• fast or pounding heartbeat
• sweating followed by a slight chill
• sweating at night, which may cause sleep disorders

Less common symptoms include:
• fatigue
• faintness
• a feeling of overwhelming anxiety, panic, or fear
• an abnormal sensation or aura, which may precede the onset of the hot flash


-- "Some women report that they knew they were about to have the experience before it happened. An aura, or premonition, may feel like nausea, or a tingling or pressing sensation in the head. Some women become weak in the knees, dizzy and have to sit down. Others experience heart palpitations before or as the flash begins and while it’s occurring."

-- "Hot flashes, or hot flushes, may start with an aura followed by a feeling of discomfort in the abdominal area, perhaps a chill quickly followed by a felling of heat moving toward the head. "

-- "A warning signal or aura often precedes a hot flash. A hot flash may begin as a pressure in the head, a headache or a wave of nausea. A sensation of heat then starts in the head and neck and spreads to the torso, arms and entire body. "

I HAD THAT SAME FEELING A FEW TIMSE I GET OFF BALANCE AND DIZZYTOO. iT SCARY BUT AFTER I SETTLE DOWN I GET CHILLS REAL BAD. ITS POSSIBLE IT WAS A HOTFLASH. HUGS TERRY

Wow Greenie!! Awesome post! That is very helpful information as I've experienced many of those symptoms with my hot flashes! I printed this off to keep for reference. Thank you for posting! It sounds to me as though you might have had a hot flash. They can present themselves in many different ways I guess. Not a very pleasant feeling, though. Hang in there!

I talked to my counselor about this yesterday, and he says he is leaning towards it being a hot flash, not a panic attack. He said usually with a panic attack there is a chest sensation, which I guess is why some people feel like they are having a heart attack when they have a panic attack. (Although I think I did read something about chest pressure when googling hot flashes.) He also said that panic attacks don't last very long, only a few minutes, and my "episode" lasted 15-20 minutes. Plus, we could not identify a trigger, like an event that induced the anxiety and panic right before it started. Also, I don't have a history of panic attacks, and although I have been struggling with anxiety and fear of going places, he said this thing was so out of the blue that it is more likely to be a hot flash. He said we will see if there is a pattern, if I keep having these episodes, or not.

Do any other ladies here have hot flashes similar to what I described? Thanks Lizard and Ajay for your replies!

I would think that if you didn't have panic attacks before, you're unlikely to suddenly start. Sounds like a hot flash.

I wrote this in another thread ... several years ago I used to get majorly overheated and because I was menstruating regularly I didn't think they were hot flashes. In Jan of this year I had 9 days of frequent hot flashes, very different from the overheating episodes. I now think that they were BOTH hot flashes, just manifesting themselves differently due to where I am in the peri phase, early vs. late.

Have you ever had one of these episodes when you were home or just when you were away from your comfort zone? Hot flashes will hit anytime, anywhere, at home or away. I would say it was a panic attack if you never have a problem when you are home. Since I started missing periods, I have had quite a few episodes just the same as you had. I had a few "warm sensations" off and on in my 40's, never a full blown hot flash until the last year or so. I would think if you are struggling with anxiety and agoraphobia, panic attacks could become a problem too. Connie

Hot flashes are not just "hot". I sure wish that was all there was to it! Drs dont help either. I wish I could go to a dr and explain all these type of feelings and they acknowledge that it is a hot flash. Most of the time they are absolutly clueless about all these details that you have listed.

Peri is so freaking hard. Not having compassion and understanding from drs makes it worse!