Ok...I've been posting on here for the last year, but have REALLY noticed a change in my symptoms lately. Last year I started having irregular periods...but still had them. Including the "marathon" of over 2 months last summer. Since the beginning of this year, things have been pretty normal....though I skipped February. March and April were normal..but nothing in May, so here I am on Day 53..no period in sight and FLASHING LIKE CRAZY! A year ago...while still regular....I would get the occasional "warm flush" at night and toss the covers off. NOW I am getting the night sweats..not soaking the sheets or anything, but waking up VERY agitated...tossing,turning, THROWING the covers off, flipping to my stomach, then flipping back..can't get comfortable..then suddenly the flash goes away, I get CHILLED and have to pull my down comforter up around me. And then it happens again...a few times during the night. Window must be wide open or I freak out..and overhead ceiling fan MUST be on. Husband just doesn't "get it"..poor guy!
Today in a lamp store, I really got a hot flash/day sweat....its this feeling of being dressed from head to toe in winter clothes, and suddenly someone puts you in a sauna and you can't get out. I get almost panicky! I was lifting my hair up off the back of my neck...wanting to run outside the store! And then its gone as quickly as it started.
I take no meds...I have fibroids that are finally shrinking and hesitate to take any estrogen that would cause them to grow. Other than the hot flashes, I feel pretty good except for sore hip/leg and stiffness!
I drink coffee in the morning..try not to drink more than a cup or so...I've heard cutting out the caffeine helps with the flashing??
Does anyone else feel like me? I just turned 54.

This all sounds very familiar to me! I have noticed that when I skip periods, that is when my hot flashes and night sweats tend to kick in. All you describe, I have been through......the night time tossing and turning, hot/cold, need for fans and air! Today I got too hot blow drying my hair and absolutely had to turn off the dryer, put on cooler clothes, and go outside for air before I freaked out!

I take no hormones either. Don't know about the caffeine issue. It doesn't seem to make any difference what I eat or drink...this hot flashing for me is all related to the hormonal swings and feels as though it has a mind of its own.

Best of luck to you. I have no advice, just sympathy and understanding! gardenbear

Hello, loracear06 -

I skipped a couple of periods last year, but then my periods resumed at a fairly normal occurence - until this past month. I'm now almost . . . oh, 45-50 days late for my period . . . but no hot flashes. I've had acheyness in the arms and legs - and occasionally, I'll have brief moments when my arms will burn a little (is that a hot flash? - I just don't know).

Honestly, I don't know what to think about all of this. It's worrisome, but I tend to be a worrier. BTW, I turned 51 in January.

Gardenbear, have you ever taken hormones? I'm asking, because I haven't taken ANY, yet, and don't want to if I don't have to. I'd like to get through this WITHOUT having an estrogen-dominance episode (which my gyn mentioned as a possibility, if I become estrogen dominant) and needing progesterone to balance things out. I've made up my mind NOT to take HRT, although I suppose I'm somewhat open to natural products.

I'd like to think a person could get through all of this, without hormones. I mean, what did women do 100 years ago? (Rhetorical question, LOL).

Exactly the same pattern as me. Hot flashes appeared mildly just before I started to miss the odd period. Didn't really know what they were at first. I had 2 normal periods and they disappeared.
As the periods finally stopped the hot flashes returned with an absolute vengeance. I have been rather shocked at their severity. Some days I had a flash about every 20 minutes and they were so severe I had to sit down and rest during and after each one. The fatigue that I felt at this time was dreadful. I really felt as if I were just existing, dragging my tired body around and hardly interfacing with the world. I missed a couple of very important appointments and felt that time kept 'catching me out' every day. I do feel that hot flashes bring on a sort of claustrophobic, trapped feeling.
During the period of horrendous hot flashes, I arranged to meet hubby at work. I trundled along in my little Mini and parked on the staff car park. I got out of the car and wandered over to wave at him in his office. He waved back but I could see that he was embroiled in a phone conversation. I decided to lock my car and go in but it just wouldn't lock. We have known for a long time that there is a strange radio signal, in the viscinity, that prevents car fobs from functioning. It is a dodgy area in terms of petty crime so I made the decision to wait in the car.
I was quite comfortable at first, half dozing in the warm sun. Quite suddenly all the locks in the car clicked loudly and I realised that the car car had locked itself down. The mid morning sun had become very hot through the glass of the car and I suddenly felt totally airless and full of panic. All I could think of was that I needed air and wanted to get out. This brought on a terrible hot flash and I started to become rather irrational. I tried every thing I could think of to escape from the car but nothing was working, the radio signal wouldn't let me escape. OMG it was like some horror movie and I started to feel very poorly. I just needed air because the temperature was rising rapidly but the electric windows were locked down too. I just kept thinking about that advert that warns how dogs die in hot cars. I then became sort of angry because hubby was taking so long and started to claw pathetically at the door handles in the hope that they might release me.
At that moment hubby appeared and only had to look at my face to realise what was going on. He calmly got me to start the engine and move the car so that I could escape the radio signal.
I felt rather silly at not having thought of this solution but was so utterly relieved to get out of the car.
I firmly believe that had I not been menopausal, I would not have panicked and I would have sorted the situation. I have to admit that I was in shock for several hours after this incident!

Ahhhh The joy of menopause................



XIII

I believe I have relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis, long in remission, and never diagnosed, but I know I have it.
The burning arms are part of it. About 10 years ago my tongue would burn too. It might be worth a search on Google.

Oh yes add me to the list of people who feel claustrophobic when having a hot flash.

I've learned that if I'm rushing about in town and I go into a bank for example and stand in line, if I'm wearing too much clothing, the combination of rushing and lots of clothing and then a warm bank sets off a hot flash. Before I realised that it was a hot flash that I was having I just used to stand there thinking it's warm in here and get hotter and hotter and then feel panicky as the flush developed and want to run outside. Nowadays, I try not to rush everywhere at warp factor 10, wear layers and stay as cool as possible.

I should add that I'm still having pretty regular periods and I haven't skipped any periods......yet

XIII, poor you in that car. That's terrible.

You're lucky you got through your forties before you started this nonsense!...I was early forties when I began noticing period changes, then along came hot spells, anxiety...etc., etc.,.....finally last August at age 47 I had my (hopefully) last period....after that though I continued with hot spells, night after night of the duvet flapping as you described.....I have NOT taken anything other than vitamins and minerals - all natural stuff, and now I am finding the hot spells are diminishing, my anxiety has lessened and my sleep is returning... YAHOOOOOOO!

My only other concern is that my bowels movements are abnormal, I either have hemmies or something else going on.....but the other thing that has dogged me for several years now is my IBS like symptoms, stomach gurgling and upset....but since 3 months ago I cut out gluten and dairy (I've added a little dairy back) my stomach is behaving itself and I don't get upset anymore! (that calls for another YAHOOOOOO!)....

I'm now 48 though and feel like I've missed about 5 years of my life, as all this 'nonsense' has been H**L!

All I can say is to you...it's all quite normal, you just have to find what works for you and ride it out!

Good luck!

Caz

I'm nearly 49 and haven't had a period for nine months now. I'll have the flashes occasionally during the day but they aren't too bad. I wonder if my exercising has helped to curb the intensity. No meds here either.

Now, that's encouraging - that maybe exercising has helped you AND that you haven't had to take meds, yet. I've recently started exercising - slowly - but I hope to work up to a point where I'm in much better shape. I've found that if I can get out there and walk/jog with my dog, it helps to air things out emotionally for me, and it also makes me feel as if I can pound this misery out of my body.

No meds here, yet, either - but I have no idea how my body will behave over the next several years. I might need to add some natural products to help out, but maybe I won't even have to do that. I can hope, I guess.

your description of your hot flash is me down to the holding the hair off the back of my neck.. like someone else said, dress in easy to take off layers, don't rush anywhere cos it makes it worse.. even tho i have had some relief with Blackmores Phytolife, and EPO, i still have some flushes from ehell at times.. i have learned to take things slowly, dress for the height of summer, even in the depths of winter, with maybe a front opening top on... and ignore the symptom while promising myself a nice shower when i get home..

Sweet Bugaboo......No, I have never taken any hormones of any kind. I am 47 and feel like I have been dealing with this peri business in some from or another for several years. gardenbear

That's good to know. I guess I'll just have to take it day by day, and see how I do as this thing plays out . . .

I've been dealing with this peri business longer than I originally thought, too.

Hi Guys -

Yet again, you're making me feel better (i.e., normal). This last month has been absolutely awful with the hot flushes/flashes. Only felt them mildly before this. Now it's 5-6 times during the day, but 10-20 times at night - no exaggeration. The whole throwing off covers sweating, then 3 minutes later freezing, then going to sleep for 20 minutes, then it all happening again.

Because of your posts, I just looked at my calendar. May was the first month this year that I "think" I didn't have a period. Until 7 Jun, I've been bleeding continuously since Jan - spotting all the time that I'm not having a period. The periods are light to medium. But May was all spotting, no noticeable period. Maybe that's why the flashes have gotten suddenly so much worse and thanks to you guys, I just realized it!

XIII - Sorry to admit that I laughed at your car story. I was only laughing because it sounded all so familiar - those irrational responses that in retrospect (and ONLY in retrospect) seem so bizarre and out-of-character. Forgive me, but thanks. I really needed a chuckle today.

I have lupus, so have been told by my specialist that any form of hormone therapy is out for me. I'm relying on all of you, my meno-sisters, to get me through this (but no pressure - LOL!). Thanks for all your posts - educational and entertaining at the same time!


Pam

Add me here! I just turned 49 and have for the last few months no period...prior to this my periods were regular but very, very, very scant....once I skipped I started the horrible tossing and turning and I guess hot flash...only my THIGHS get hot...is this weird or WHAT! The rest is cold or something and I am not sure what else...I feel really "weird" at times during the night...this is different from feeling hot...like yucky, or funky or flu like...I don't know HOW to describe it...but NOT GOOD.

AND, I toss and turn and toss and turn and up and down....all night...it is a relief to get up as I am so tried from sleeping!

I am glad I am not the ONLY one with this....I don't seem to have this during the day (knock on wood)....who knows!.........see the doc next thrusday and I am going to ask for a little something to let me sleep once in a while! Joan

I meant to say "I am so tired from sleeping"...shows you what lack of sleep will do! Joan
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