I am interested in hearing detailed descriptions of your hot flashes...i know there are different kinds and they're different for everybody.I think it would help me,sometimes i get kinda anxious when i have them, and knowing others experience the same things would ease my tension.....thanks. Sometimes i'm not sure if i'm having a flash or if it's anxiety....an example,today from the chest up,i felt all hot and kinda tingly in the face/cheeks.It was like i could feel/smell the heat coming from me(sorta felt like steam almost).I wasn't nervous,but was when that happened.Or sometimes i get a "rush" feeling in my face and feel dizzy and the back of my head gets real hot.....so see,if you guys describe yours i will feel much better about it all....

Greetings Jadebear: I have just begun having hot flashes/night sweats this summer. On the whole I experience more night sweats than I do hot flashes, as I have the sweats every night. Even through I sleep with a small fan positioned by the side of my bed, I wake up around 1:00-3:00am taking off my t-shirt and blanket. The heat starts from my neck to my chest and feels sweaty but not enough to soak my sheets. Later on (depending if I can get back to sleep), I deal with cold spell, hence my soft cuddy blanket! Rarely during the day do I experience hot flashes, but when I do they also begin in the same place. Lately, as of this week, the flashes are accompanied with a feeling that I want to faint/pass out. I only seem to have flashes once a day, if that often. Hope my experience helps;)

For me, I just somehow get this feeling of warmth. My skin is very hot to the touch. They makes me stop what I'm doing and then they really get going. They start at my neck and work both up to my forehead and my scalp and down my chest. I sweat all over -- neck, forehead, scalp, underarms, between my breasts, down my spine. Lately I think my heart beats a bit more rapidly. I used to just get the night sweats, but in the past several weeks I get them all day -- probably about once every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. At night I do get a bit chilly when it's over and pull the covers back over me.:mad: PS We get nice cool nights (usually) in Colorado. Last night I had windows open and fan blowing. When I woke up the temp in the house was 64. I thought it felt great. The family complained about it. Too bad.

My flashes don't usually "flash". They start off like a crock pot - sort of a slow cooking feeling - and then I just gradually get warmer and warmer. I don't have rivulets of sweat running down my body, but I do end up with this sticky, filmy feeling on my skin after I cool off. YUK. Can't get in the shower fast enough. I used to have tons of anxiety attacks, and sometimes my hot flashes remind me of that. So I can understand why you're not always sure which is which. But I think the biggest difference with me is the sustained heat - frequently up to an hour. Try putting something cold on the back of your neck or on the inside of your wrists.... Keep the faith! Susan

Thanks for sharing...it 's a big help to me just reading what you experience.Do any of you feel anxiety or anything during a flash? indigobuddha1,you said you have been feeling like you wanna faint or pass out with yours this past week...how do you deal with that feeling?Do you just roll with it and then it passes?I have felt that way during a flash,but it made me freak out cause i really thought i would faint.

Greetings Jadebear: I just stand still and wait for the feeling to pass. I have not passed out, but have felt close to it. I just "freak out"-anxiety related- at other times;)

No anxiety here. I do the same as indigobuddha1. Just stand still and wait for it to pass. And ditto on the feeling warm all over, but I do eventually break into that sweat. This is just awful and I hate it. I hate going out because I never know when it will happen. Here's another question. Do you find they are worse at any particular time of day? For me, it's usually worse in the late afternoon and evening. And of course, they continue on thru the night. I usually have 3 a night.

My flashes are usually worse in the afternoon and early evening. This is my second or third bout with the flashes. They last a couple of months and then go away. Each bout is less obnoxious than the previous, so hopefully they will go the way of the dodo bird soon. I just ordered some Revival Soy and I'll let you know if that helps me. When I was having anxiety/panic attacks, I used to have those "near fainting" feelings. Really spooky when you're driving!! I finally figured that that feeling was just the way they started up for me... feeling faint and flush and feeling like every pore in my body was about the size of a quarter! I used to fight those feelings, get mad and cry about it, stomp the floor. Eventually, the best way for me to handle it was to just nod, accept the feelings, and go on about my business. They went away faster that way. I know that is easier said than done. But anxiety won't hurt you, it's just a temporary imbalance of brain chemicals or hormones that will soon even out. Treat yourself well.... this, too, shall pass. Hugs, Susan

matoaka,I am trying to just accept the feelings i experience,and it's HARD,but it does make them pass sooner.....it's a mind over matter thing.

OK, I had two episodes of sweating this weekend and I can't stand it anymore. It begins with either physical exertion or extreme warm temperatures. I begin to sweat and I'm talking a wet back, running down my chest etc. I feel like a pig. I used to brag and say I didn't actually flash since I've always been hot blooded (dead of winter and only using one blanket or a sheet). but this may be a hot flash and not realizing it. Does physical exertion bring on the flashes? Thanks, Pat:(

I think so. I also will sometimes flash when I feel something "different" touching my skin. But exertion will do it for me too. Today was awful for me. My husband and son who is home from college went to a college alumni club picnic. It was probably about 95 outside. I never stopped sweating and flashing the whole time. At least in Colorado the humidity is low so I didn't have that to contend with, but once my body gets wet from sweating I can never dry off. And those flashes keep coming. I think I'll go take another shower! But this is really starting to have an impact on my activities.

yes i too believe that physical exertion does bring on hot flashes , hell vaccuming brings them on here and whoe i have to take a break before i finish:o

Do any of you sweat between your breasts so bad that it literally pours off of you and your bra is soaking wet?What is the best thing to do for that?I was putting paper towels in the bottom of my bra to soak some of it up,but that caused a bad rash....any ideas??

Lots of excellent information about hot flashes and night sweats in the following articles ... What Can I Do About Hot Flashes and Night Sweats? and What Is A Hot Flash? Dearest

Thank you, Dearest, for reminding us to read the information on the website. In reading it again, I noticed that most of the things we've talked about in this post were mentioned. I guess we all just need a place to whine and share "war stories". And yes, jadebear, I sweat profusely between the breasts and my bra does get drenched. It never dries out and I feel uncomfortable with it all day. Perhaps not wearing a bra would help you with the rash. I hate the stupid thing anyway. Probably invented by a MAN!

My hot flashes usually occur at night. I get a nauseous feeling that wakes me up then WHAMMO! The heat moves from the chest to the top of my head. Of course my heart races at top speed. I find that putting my head in freezer helps (lol) or splashing very cold water on my face and chest.

Yes the wet bra (and knix for that matter). How do we manage to look normal when we have drips running down our bodies? Having tried the paper, which just turns into mush, I have no suggestions in that department but for the rash it leaves I use graphite cream (a homeopathic cream by Nelson here but you must have your own brand). To help with night sweats I sleep on a soft comfy towel (if it's rough you'll be like the Princess and the Pea). I find it's more absorbent than a cotton sheet and you can chuck it in the night if you get too sweaty. My husband recently had a fever and I suggested the same thing for his feverish head and he felt much better for it.

COwoman,how i wish i could go without a bra.....that's definitely NOT an option for me,my size 34 D's would be sagging and bouncing all over the place.

I wear sports bras only. I hate the underwires in the larger sizes. Maybe those would help you a bit with the rash??? Good luck.

Have you tried cotton bras? A co-worker swears by them but I still do sweat. There is a website called ** I ordered two types one doesn't have any support but the other that has flowers embroidered on the cups are great. Now if someone invents a sweatband for bras they would be rich! Pat:D ** Board Administrator: Links to commercial sites are prohibited on these message boards. Please read the guidelines you agreed to when you registered. Thank you.

a sweatband for bras is a good idea.LOL I have tried all different types of bras,but not cotton ones,thanks for the link,i will check it out.

Ditto for me. Which style did you get, Pat01? There seem to be a lot to choose from. Prices look reasonable. What do the shipping costs run?

I had good luck with style BB6895. Don't order style 6815 as it has no shape, might be good as a leisure type bra. Honestly I can't remember how much shipping was but it didn't shock me. I still sweat but like to think I am doing all I can to air condition myself. Pat:D

"I Likey" the link,the bras are priced so cheap compared to what i normally pay.But are they of good quality?I really need something with good support,I am tall and very thin so my large breasts are very noticable.....don't want them sagging.

I like the one style I mentioned but it is not an underwire. Let's put it this way, my daughter laughs at me and says my boobs are hanging. Cotton does stretch but for right now I like the comfort. Pat:)

I have been paying close attention to the "feelings" i experience.Today,off and on,i start feeling a bit dizzy/off balance,i kinda feel "beside" myself,if you understand what i mean by that,my heart starts beating fast and i just feel warm,not hot.I used to panic when i felt like that and freak out,thinking for sure it was a panic attack.But today i have been timing them instead.....they last anywhere between 3-5 minutes and then it all goes away and i feel fine.Are these just a type of hot flash,or is something wrong with me?

For those of you who described your hot flashes,THANKS,for it has helped me. I realize now that alot of times when i have panicked or had an anxiety attack,it was just a hot flash.I also realize that not all flashes are the same,they can be different from hour to hour or day to day.

jadebear, I've noticed that stress will bring them on for me. Sometimes the stress is only a thought in my head about which I feel anxious, and whammo! Hot flashes. Or I'll get a telephone call and someone tells me there is a problem, and--hot flashes! I seldom get them during the day at work, but in the morning before work, and at night before bed, they are pretty bad. I don't sweat, but I know my body gets hot because when I'm sitting in the car driving or in the easy chair watching TV, I'll have flash and the chair feels hot where my back was touching it. I didn't even have night sweats for a couple of years, just daytime hot flashes. Now I get the night sweats at least once per night, but I don't have wet perspiration with it, just a feeling of heat.

CSugarGrove,I have figured out stress brings on hot flashes too.I also realized all the panic i had been enduring while i was out shopping was due to the flashes too.At least i know/understand what they are now and don't freak out and panic like i used to.I wish i had known about all of this stuff BEFORE starting peri.....but,better late than never i guess. I am SO thankful for this site and ALL of you people!!:D

jadebear, I discovered that my own reaction to having a flash was important. When I had my first big, sickening flash, complete with dizziness and a wave of nausea (about four years ago), I had to sit down and I was just overcome with depression. I don't know why. Maybe I was having to face the idea that I was entering meno, like it or not. Since then, I've discovered that if I just take the flashes in stride and try to have a loving sense of humor about them, they don't affect me emotionally. I just tell myself, "you're flashing," and try to just keep doing what I was doing. I never had one of those aura things warning me that I would be having a flash. I've read that some women get some kind of premonition, a feeling that they will have a hot flash. This never happened to me, although I waited to have an aura for a while. Finally, I gave up and thought, "you won't have one; you just get the flash." The good news is that it's been two years since my last period, and the flashes are not as often now, nor as intense as they used to be a year ago. I don't even perspire now. Just feel warm. So you can look forward to some improvement....

I'm really lucky, because mine aren't too bad. I call them "warm flashes." I'll just start feeling a tad warmer than usual, and I'll get a slight "sheen" of sweat, mostly on my face and arms. My reaction to this is "Isn't that interesting? Is this a hotflash?" It better be, because I haven't had a period since June and 3 First Response EArly Result tests have been negative. I am 49, FYI.

I'm not sure if i have an " aura" before a flash,but i DO know when i am gonna have one.....i feel this bizarre,sickining feeling,almost like i can feel the blood pulsing through my veins throughout my entire body and i also feel like i'm kinda being squeezed ...like i'm running out of air.

I've been having hot flashes for over two years and they're escalating (I had a full hysterectomy almost 3 years ago). I get the dizziness and a kind of "outside my body" feeling. I also have a kind of buzz, almost like a low voltage shot going through my entire upper body and it makes me kind of nauseated. All day long I run hot and cold, but the late afternoon is really the worst. I haven't been sleeping very well for the last year because it's the same hot/cold feeling. Has anyone else felt the electrical shock kind of thing?

It seems each hot flash can have its own personality. I have had them at different times and to different degrees. The other day my husband and I were in an arguement and this hot flash hit me hard. I was asking, it is hot in here? My whole body was in a hot overload! I just wanted to get my clothes off. Oh brother, you just never know. lol Yvonne

Hi My hot flashes start with a warm feeling, then esculate to rivelets of water running down my back, between my breasts, down my stomach. Even my legs sweat. I get so cold afterwards, cause my clothes are damp. Yesterday I was in town and couldn't change into anything dry, by the time I got home even my jeans were damp. At night they are just as bad. I am constanting throwing off the covers, only to frantically pull them back on again cause I am freezing. I have tried a lot of the suggestions posted, some help, but not all the time. My Mom had hot flashes for over 10 years, she 76 and still has the occasional one. I'm not going to be like her am I???

My hot flashes have been so INTENSE lately.....sweat actually pours off my legs now too,not just my boobs.When i have alot of flashes,i crave water.....is that normal? Also,this is embarrassing,but my butt and crotch area sweat so much now that i'm always irritated and chafed down there.I change panties a few times a day,wash quite a few times a day,i even let myself "air dry" and i'm still having problems.any suggestions??

I am SO glad i have all of you people to share my problems with.At least all of you understand and don't tell me i'm wrong or it's NOT a hot flash...... I was in the grocery store over the weekend and all of a sudden,everyone in the store looked like they were darting around real fast,i started feeling off balance and having the electrical shock thing going on(like what you were describing MoonShadow)and i just felt like i HAD to get out of the store....but then i got SO hot that i felt like i was gonna pass out.I started sweating profusely in my breast area and down my legs so i took off my jacket and started fanning myself to cool down......I did cool down and started freezing and shivering.....end of hot flash. I was talking to a woman about hot flashes later that day and told her what i had experienced....she asked if i was ill or if i hadn't had any sleep....looked at me like i was crazy.....i just said "That's just how MY hot flashes are". I think i will keep my experiences to myself from now on(other than on here)......it really made me mad for her to act like i must have something mentally wrong with me,just because her hot flashes were never like that doesn't mean mine can't be.

Do any of you have ringing in the ears during a hotflash?I always have ringing( tinnitus)...but during a hotflash it gets very strong and loud.

Reading these posts I wonder why someone doesn't invent a band for round the bra or a small pack between the breasts (and even at the top of your btm :oops: ) it could be filled with silica gel crystals (which would probably cool you) and you could dry them off at night. If men suffered from sweaty baubles there'd soon be something on the market! :wink:

That is SO true alice.....but if men suffered through menopause,it wouldn't even exist anymore,scientists would have cured it completely or found a way to prevent it altogether....

SWEATY BAUBLES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your soooooo funny alice - I love reading your posts. Julie x

Do any of you experience internal shaking before/during/after a hotflash?

]I have been going to a rec centre more often because exercise really helps my symptoms.I do cardio, some weights, and I also was going for a swim afterwards. The swimming especially I find very relaxing and beneficial but its all good. Then I sat in the hot tub, thinking it would relax me even more. But over a few weeks, I had noticed that I was getting MORE hot flashes. Mostly at night, but sometimes during the day...you know how awful the feeling is..the sudden WOOSH of heat...lol Then I read HERE at this site that avoidance of hot tubs and saunas may help dimish the flashes. I shall stop using the hot tub and sauna and see if it helps... Sure makes sense, in any case

Yes,violette,hot tubs and such definitely make you have hot flashes.The last time i got in a whirlpool,i had such a bad hotflash i thought i was gonna pass out.

I have had night sweats for about 10 years before my period would start. Now I am 52 and have not had my period for 5 months. I have horrible hot flashes that happen some days 10 times a day and other days just a few. Some nights are really bad with the hot flashes. Keeps me up at night. I tear my clothes off durning the night and then put them back on. Would love to get a good nights sleep. I feel I am an oven from the waist up.

Thanks for this forum

Had a real wierd one the other day, felt slightly nauseous then warm in my mid chest and the heat spread two ways... to my head and to my waist AT THE SAME TIME

That's how mine are in the mornings, Alice. I feel a wave of nausea and then the heat starts mid-section and moves up and down. I sometimes have to lie back down until it passes. Strange, eh? I once thought it was my B/P but took a reading and all was fine there, so put it off as JUST another annoying hot flash.
HUGS!

Have you ever taken your temperature at the same time as a flash. We bought a new thermometer and I was curious to see if my temperature zoomed up but it doesn't even though I may be having a real sweat. My body temp is a little lower than average (av =37 degrees) anyway.

My flashes always start with what feels like a surge of adrenaline , then I get warm and my heart races. Sometimes I feel shaky and like I have to go to the bathroom. I usually just sweat a little.

I seem to always have them while I am sleeping. I will wake up suddenly and be laying there wide awake and then within a few minutes I know it is going to start.
Definitely difficult trying to get a good nights sleep with all that going on!

Mine starts with a prickly feeling in my hands and arms
then the heat rush hits washing over me. First chest then goes up to head making my neck and forhead sweat.
Funny thing I find is that I suffer from blocked sinuses and when I have a rush my sinuses open up for a few mins.
Weird!
GoldenFrost