HOT FLUSHES
HOT FLUSHES Hi
I have no doubt this subject gets raised many times. I have been suffering in silence for some time now. However, I now feel it is time to take something to alleviate the symptoms. I have been feeling quite uncomfortable recently. I had thought of sage. Someone told me if your BC was estrogen sensitive sage was not suitable as it contains phytoestrogens. I would like to know what others are doing for hot flushes. I would perfer not to take too many chemicals if that is at all possible.
Many thanks.
Jeannie
ME TOO!! I will be watching your post keenly… I too am starting to be affected with these hot flushes - ever so uncomfortable. I can ride them out during the day (specially when the weather is cold) - but they wake me up in the early hours and probs getting back to sleep - walk round like a zombie alot of days.
What medication are you on? I have been on Arimidex since November last year, and side effect seems getting steadily worse.
thanks for any advice
x
Fed up of all the symptoms… Hi
I went through the menopause when I was about 35 (now 42) as I had a Hysterectomy when I was 30. I found that a bearable experience and had no real life affecting problems , a few flushes during the day & night sweats, pins and needles, etc, etc…
I then had the chemo induced meno symptoms last year that passed quite quickly once chemo finished at the end of November, I reckon by end of December I was back to a normal human being again!
I’m now on Arimidex and OMG do I know it, I am having the most horrendous side effects in the form of meno symptoms again.I get hotflushes every hour to half hourly during the day, bad enough that they sometimes make me light headed and feel as though I may pass out! I’m also getting night sweats nearly every hour at night and then I can’t get back to sleep, I struggle to get off to sleep, I’m very tired and fatigued, get horrendous pins & needles in my hands and arms at night and am getting such bad bone pain/aches that i can hardly walk by the end of the day, I am like an 80 year old rather than 40! I get joint aches all the time and this is now spreading to my shoulder and elbows. I’m just about fed up with it as it is totally life affecting.
I spoke to my BCN Monday and she is chatting to my Onc to see if I can change tablets, they may well stop them though as I’m only just boarderline ER+.
What I wanted to say, is that there is a wonderful site called Menopause Matters, run by Dr Heather Currie a Menopause expert, there is great advice about hot flush symptoms, etc. You can find the site here: menopausematters.co.uk
they have a great forum where you can find many answers to queries and can chat etc like we do on here. I reaslie our menopause symptoms are not always ‘true’ ones (ie. drug induced sometimes) as the ladies on the site, but I still find it great to talk to others going through the same symptoms.
Hope that helps.
Lynn x
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Lynn,
Thanks for the advice and for putting into words exactly what I am going through each time a flush hits:
“bad enough that they sometimes make me light headed and feel as though I may pass out!”
I thought that I was the only person who felt like they were going to faint. It usually happens to me just before the heat wave arrives… It’s so good to know I’m not alone!
Mel
i am having acupuncture every 6 weeks and they haven’t gone completely and who know s if that is what has helped?
i also take evening primrose and strangely enough when i went on a living with breast cancer course, they mentioned chondroitin which i have mixed with glucousamin for my frozen shoulder.
i have heard of red clover but not taken it.
also i had an infection and had to have anti biotics, at the same time the flushes seemed to nearly stop!!!
And what about the brand of tamoxifen, there are several different ones, at the moment i am on one from Sandoz, did have APS before, next lot will be generics so i wounder if the flushes will get worse again?
sharon. x
flushes Hi.
I have suffered terrible flushes day and night since chemo in 05, these would be every 15 to 20 minutes. It would go from one extreme to another being hot then freezing cold.
Then was put on Tamox and flushes got worse, absolutely unbearable sometimes. Changed to Arimidex Jan 07 and things in the last few weeks started to settle down with the flushes. I thought thats it I am coming to and end with them, thank god… Then last week started a heavy period which is not suppose to happen, so now waiting to see what Onc has to say.
Best wishes, Sue
Hi Jeannie
Like you I have been able to tolerate my hot flushes by day but not by night.
A friend just sent me a ‘Chillow’, a pillow you fill with water which turns cold and stays cold. I used it last night and had a really good sleep.
They cost £24.99 (free P&P) and you can get them online.
Not sure the address but if you Google ‘Chillow’ you should find it. You can get them on ebay but, unfortunately, they aren’t any cheaper.
As well as this I open the window and put a fan on for half an hour before I go to bed.
Lola