Hi Ladies,
been having hot flashes on & off for some time now & my periods are very irregular-only 5 last year & 4 so far this year.
Just wanted to ask if others ever feel really unwell with their hot flashes. I hadn't had any since April & then about a month ago they returned with a vengeance & are very intense although I don't sweat, just slightly damp behind knees & neck!
Anyway, this morning I got up & was standing in the kitchen & my heart was racing & I felt abit light-headed & just really unwell, I just had to sit down for abit.
Also, does anyone find that when you're having a lot of hot flashes you feel unwell inbetween flashes?
Yesterday they were a bit better & I felt I had almost normal energy & then today they're bad again & I feel really rough.
Can anyone relate? I've been reading through past posts but there's too many to read!!
Thanks,
Sarah xx

Hi Sarah,
Sometimes I get a nausea in- between the hot flashes. I always feel uncomfortable at best during and in-between the flash until it passes.

For the past week my flashes have changed and intensified.They come up through my stomach and chest I feel hot inside,and that makes me feel sick and almost flu like.When I have them a lot I feel tired,drained.So yes I understand what you mean-I hate feeling like this.Hope you get so me relief-GOD-bless

when I was hot flashing this summer (for the first time) I felt panic and nausea all day--I would be dry heaving in the bathroom. Kind of like first trimester pregnancy, but with no reward at the end.

Hi Sarah,

I think that you have just hit upon the big secret. Hot flashes are not just moments of heat that we are told to expect when we first hear about the symptoms of menopause. They can make you feel very poorly and when they are at their most frequent they can make you feel fatigued and generally yuk all day!
So lets bust the myth that hot flashes are inocuous little happenings that occur mainly in the mind of a menopausal woman.
The hot flash package can include:

Feelings of gathering anxiety that rise to a crescendo with the HF.
Tingling in the extremities especially the hands.
Nausea
Uncharacteristic sweatiness.
Bone chilling cold flashes.
Fatigue
Feelings of panic when enclosed in small spaces
Fear of fainting at the height of the hot flash.
Odd feelings in the throat.
Strange tightness in the pharynx that could mimic asthma.
Insomnia due to the waves of heat that occur in the night.

I am sure that there are more but I will start with that!


XIII

Hi everyone,
thanks so much for responding to my post, I have also had a couple of pm's! As the day has gone on I have felt slightly better but still feel rough when I get a hot flash.
I feel very tearful & down today but not sure if it's hormones or just despair at feeling so crap again. I am taking an isoflavone supplement that seemed to help in the past but doesn't seem to be touching them this time. My next thing to try is acupuncture as I'm not very good at taking medicines or herbs as I'm abit pill-phobic!!
I also suffer from chronic fatigue mainly from anxiety stuff but really feel that it's these intense flashes that are making me feel yuk today.
XIII-thanks for that list, it is very reassuring! Today I have also been getting mild stomach discomfort, it's not nausea but occassionally my stomach feels heavy or as though it's in a knot, maybe that's anxiety.
Thanks again girls, I really appreciate your support!
Love Sarah xx