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Hot Flash Forum!

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Comments

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    ShannonR.....that would be the birthplace of Elvis...Tupelo MS

    I was born and raised in Gwinnett Cty GA but been in MS for 26 yrs...

    I still consider myself a Georgia peach LOL

  • Octobergirl
    Octobergirl Member Posts: 18
    edited October 2011

    Thanks hillck and Omaz. I emailed my onc yesterday evening to let him know I'm having symptoms of a recurrent infection at a biopsy site. I also let him know about the hot flashes and asked if that is usual 15 yrs. into surgical menopause and after 2yrs. of Femara. I'll let you know his response. Honestly, I think the aromatase inhibitors and playing around with estrogen levels is so new that the docs don't know answers to our questions. Have a good weekend, all.



    October

  • wenweb
    wenweb Member Posts: 471
    edited October 2011
    hillck I have read that Tamoxifen causes more HF's than the AI's.  I can attest to having more HF's on Tamoxifen than Arimidex myself.  When I was on Arimidex the flashing got better after initially starting it, but never went away.  As someone mentioned-the docs say that the flashing indicates that the drug is doing it's job.  I'm not sure if it was on this thread or another one.  Good-luck!!
  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011
    hillck - after I go a year since the end of chemo without a period I am switching to an AI too.  that should be in Dec-Jan.
  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011
    hillck - I started April 1 - so that's 6 months now I guess.  I was highly ER+ but only at 20% PR+ I think.  I don't like the idea of switching - just because it's yet another drug.  But hey, maybe the hot flashes will be better - wouldn't that be something!!  Mine are so regular, every hour but do vary in intensity.  At night every 2 or 3 hours. 
  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011
    hillck - I hear you!  My onc PA said that the AI gives about a 20% advantage over tam.  I think that's right, I didn't write it down and am just remembering.  They want to be sure I am in menopause before the switch.
  • Rennasus
    Rennasus Member Posts: 642
    edited October 2011

    Been away from the BCO boards for a while and am trying to catch up. My flashes, which had all but disappeared when I started on Coreg-CR several months ago are slowly creeping back. Still no where near what they were. But now I'm perspiring on my face (before I always had the "dry" flashes). I def. think they are worse when it is hotter outside. But I also can't put on a warm robe for more than 5 minutes before I become completely overheated. Then I get the chills and can wear the robe again. OH and I read someone mentioned about hair growth...I've noticed since being on Tamox that I am growing MORE hair. EVERYWHERE. I never had much underarm hair but now I have a lot more. Anyone else experience this? Is this a sign that my estrogen is indeed getting blocked?

    Hope everyone has a good weekend.

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    I have been off the boards for a while....very busy this time of year....

    I am still doing good watching the diet. I can tell when I have eaten something with perservatives....anything boxed or bagged.  Did anyone see the Today Show segment on restaurants foods and the sodium content.  I knew it was bad but it is so much worse than I thought. Some meals contain enough sodium for 3 days.  Think I will eat at home which we do most of the time except on special occasions.  I never ever eat soup at a restaurant...I make my own.

    I have a much better day when I eat natural foods......not always possible to do that.

  • Rennasus
    Rennasus Member Posts: 642
    edited October 2011

    Linda: Did not see that show but it makes sense.

    I am finding I have less flashes if I keep my hair UP. When it's down, it seems to traps the heat and trigger more flashes.

  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 15,894
    edited October 2011

    Rennasaus---------sorry ingognito--------may be I call freedman this week. On the doc roll. Namaste sheila

  • DenimBlue
    DenimBlue Member Posts: 9
    edited October 2011

    Hi, I'm new. Started Tamoxifen August 20.  As I sit under the air vent trying not to burst into flame, I am wondering, if I take an Ambien (I still have some that were prescribed right after the diagnosis when I wasn't sleeping at all), will I be able to sleep through some of the hot flashes? (I know I should look through all these posts, and I will, but it will take me awhile.) I already excercise regularly and I have increased my vitamin E to 1,200 IU a day per my doctor's instructions; next he said to try estrogen-free black cohosh, and then either try Effexor (I don't want to; I'm already on Pristiq and I don't want to mess with the neurotransmitters when they're working) or some blood-pressure-lowering medication which is also not good because my BP is already like 110/70. Or, he says, just give up on the Tamoxifen because one is not going to increase their chance of living longer by not sleeping through the night ever! (I like my oncologist, by the way. He has common sense.) My surgeon's nurse practitioner recommended an actupuncturist.  I may be getting desparate enough to try that.  I am mostly just venting at this point; thank you for giving me a place to do this. Smile

  • lulubee
    lulubee Member Posts: 903
    edited October 2011

    DenimBlue, welcome.  You've come to the right place for help.  These ladies here are amazing, and I am very curious to hear everyone's answers to your question.  

    A year ago I was diagnosed with bone mets, had an oophorectomy a week later, and then started taking Femara.  All major life adjustments, to put it mildly. So for a while there, I wasn't sleeping much, either.  My onc suggested Ambien to help me sleep through the flashes, but I was afraid I would sleepwalk and go to Target in the middle of the night or something -- that would be SO like me. (I have weird reactions to a lot of meds.)  My naturopath recommended I take 20 mg of melatonin a half hour before bed, which helps me a lot, BUT you cannot take that with anti-depressants because they both impact your serotonin levels.

    Calcium, magnesium and vitamin D3 seem to help me.  I think folate does, as well. 

    For me, at least, it got better after a few months.  After a while I did start sleeping through some of the hot flashes -- even without the melatonin.  I do try to sleep in tank tops or very lightweight cotton, and I keep a Vornado Zippi fan on low on my nightstand.  Love my little Zippi fans -- I have them all over the house!

    ~lulubee 

  • cinnamonsmiles
    cinnamonsmiles Member Posts: 67
    edited October 2011

    hi all, im 43 and already having hot flashes naturally. i am having a hysterectomy by a new ob-gyn dr. if my hot flashes get worse, do i go to him for help? i had hormone positive breast cancer so no HT for me. I am already taking vit e and evening prim rose oil. ive only met him once so i dont know how much he knows about that stuff, although he seems very competent, i liked him,and my breast surgeon recommended him.

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    hello mycinnamon

    Men, doctors or not, don't know a dang thing about hotflashes...except a doctor throws HRT at you if you can take it....but alas my dear, you are not one of those and neither am I.  I tried effexfor and it constipated me so now I am on the BP med clondine.  I think it helps to keep my heart from beating out of my chest when I have a power surge.  The best thing you can do for the HF is to hang here with us and read what others have tried and had success with.  Dress in layers and always keep a fan close by.  I keep a greeting card in my Bible so that at church I have a great fan to use...also I have 2 index cards (the large ones) glued together and it stays in my purse....makes a great fan when you are in a store and cannot find something to fan with..LOL

    and pray that they will soon go away.....

  • Rennasus
    Rennasus Member Posts: 642
    edited October 2011

    Denimblue: Just my humble opinion here but I say stay on the Tamox and try to deal with the flashes. Many, many of us take a an aid in which to sleep. And yes, it CAN keep you asleep during a hot flash. I take Vitamin X (Xanax) for insomnia and although i do still wake up a couple of times a night with the flash, I sleep WAY better than if I didn't take X. Again, JMHO here, but if Pristiq is working for you, I wouldn't upset the apple cart by switching to Effexor. I tried it as a replacement for Wellbutrin (which interacts with Tamox) and it was not for me. My Seratonin is fine; Wellbutrin does not affect Seratonin. But Effexor does. hence it not working for me. I have found a small miracle in Coreg-CR, which I take for atrial fib and BP. It works to also calm the surges on the hot flashes. Mine have been reduced by at least 50%. (When I first was on the Coreg it pretty much erased ALL my flashes, but I've been on it now for 4 or 5 months and my body is adapting I guess.) The flashes like to be heard! Good luck, hope some of that was helpful.

    mycinnamon, are you exercising regularly? B/c that really does help keep the flashes down too.

    Linda: You are a smart cookie with those hidden "flash" cards!

    I sleep with two fans: one on my side, one on DH's side. That really helps the middle of the night flashes; cools me off quickly.

  • rgiuff
    rgiuff Member Posts: 339
    edited October 2011

    My cinammon, just be aware that hot flashes will probably get much worse if you are having your ovaries removed along with your hysterectomy.  Unless your ovaries are at high risk for cancer, it might be better to keep them because most mainstream doctors will not give any type of hormonal replacement for women with hormone positive cancers.  I've gone through menopause naturally and have tried all the herbal and alternative remedies out there.  Most of them really aren't strong enough to replace what my real hormones used to do.  I would so love to get my periods back and become premenopausal again!  The only thing they will prescribe for me is the vaginal estrogen to help with the dryness (which works pretty well)  and testosterone gel to help with the lost libido (which only works some of the time), but I wish I could take a systemic estrogen that works on the whole body, not just certain areas.  Due to estrogen loss, I'm dealing with insomnia and joint pains as well.

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    I have been post-menopausal for 5 years and had a my innards removed this past summer and so far so good the hot flashes did not change.....

    I am an avid exerciser and I cannot tell a difference in my hot flashes when I have had to cease exercise when I  had surgery......I go to a spin class 2 mornings a week and I make sure I get a cycle next to the wall so I can plug up my FAN!!!...I have it blowing on me. I am called "the fan girl"....If my hot flashes ever go away I will feel lost without all my fans!!!!.....I even pack my little electric fan along with an extension cord when I went to Vegas last year....yeah, I went to the TaTa Sisterhood Reunion....met lots of the sisters posting on the reconstruction site....It was a wonderful experience....plan on heading that way in 2012

  • DenimBlue
    DenimBlue Member Posts: 9
    edited October 2011

    Thanks for all the advice! I will keep trying.  Today I found that if you cut up an empty cereal box and fold it up, it makes a pretty decent paper fan.  I am taking it to choir practice this evening and I do not care how many people laugh at my lovely Cheerio-box fan.

  • elimar
    elimar Member Posts: 5,886
    edited October 2011
    lulubee,  I believe it is safe to use Effexor and melatonin together.  Were you maybe thinking of L-Tryptophan?  That is another sleep aid (sometimes found in formulations combined with melatonin) that should not be used with anti-depressants.
  • kaitsmom
    kaitsmom Member Posts: 251
    edited October 2011

    I don't usually post here, but often read as I am plauged by hot flashes as well.  I have found really nice fans at Pier One and at World Market.  Folding hand fans, made of either cloth or paper. They tuck nicely in my purse.  I have a small collection!  They run about 4$.  I always feel like I look either very exotic, or a bit silly.  I prefer to go with exotic.  

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011
    Thanks kaitsmom - didn't think of looking there!
  • ShannonR
    ShannonR Member Posts: 89
    edited October 2011

    Kaitsmom, I am sure you look intriguing with your fans !  Good idea.  

    Linda, I did not even think about how bad my flashes will be when I cant exercise after exchange.  I have detoxed and things are much better.  The bad news I am headed on another trip and I will have to be careful about eating and drinking and get all toxic again. 

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    ShannonR...you must have read my post wrong....I do NOT see a difference in my flashes when I have not been able to exercise....flashes stay the same.  Funny though that when I had my hyster back in June I did not flash for several days...maybe just a flush every now or then and I actually thought that my prayers had been answered that with the removal of my ovaries my flashes would just disappear....but no...I still have them  :'(

    My diet really does make a difference.  It is hard to eat right when you are not at home. Just try to be a good girl during the day and then eat what you want at night while on your trip.....I like the word TOXIC.....that is so right.  All this packaged food which had a 3 inch ingredient list is toxic to our bodies.  Have a great trip!!

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011
    Linda54 - My husband and I were chuckling this morning as we both prepared our lunches for work - fruit and yogurt, salad, soup.  He said it's like preparing for a camping trip everyday.  To me it feels like I am taking care of myself.  Better for me than eating in the cafeteria!
  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    that is great Omaz ....lots better than the cafeteria. I make homemade soups because I can control the sodium. Take a look at the ingredient list of ALL the yogurts.  Unless it is the plain no fat yogurt most of the flavored yogurts have either lots of sugar or contain aspartame which is the meanest of the bad artificial sweetners. I have just about quit buying yogurt. I have some of the plain (which can be used as a sour cream sub) which I will add a little of my Truvia sweetner and fresh fruit so I can eat it.  You can also add a teaspoon of honey to the yogurt.

    I read that Coke and Pepsi will begin using Truvia in their drinks early next year.

    FYI....Aspartame, when mixed with a common food color ingrediant, it actually became toxic to brain cells....also in diet drinks, it may increase your risk of developing diabeties and metabolic syndrome.  This is why I stay away from this sweetner. 

    Saccharine/SweetNLow....bladder cancer....UPDATE..I had read this several times during my research but since I posted this I have been corrected.....so if you want your saccharine...go for it....

    It takes me so much longer to get groceries because of having to read all the labels...LOL....but so worth it. 

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011

    Linda - I actually eat plain yogurt (low or non-fat) with a little honey - and, I just started making it!  The homemade yogurt (I bought a yogurt maker that has glass jars) has a very delicate flavor and at least so far can be eaten without sweetner!  I am still working on the soup thing.  Mostly I do salad and my husband and daughter take soup.  I need to start making a big batch on the weekend.  I can make chicken soup.  I need to learn a couple others though! 

    This morning I think I have had about 10 hot flashes!  Have no idea why!

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited October 2011

    Omaz - 10!! bless your heart....I hope they were not BAD ones.

    2:15p...so far having a good day....just felt one coming on so took a walk to the mail box (cool day) but it was light. I can handle the light ones.

    I like the idea of making homemade yogurt. I will have to check that out.

  • omaz
    omaz Member Posts: 4,218
    edited October 2011

    Linda - Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker

    This is a link to the one I bought - seems to work good.

  • dutchgirl6
    dutchgirl6 Member Posts: 322
    edited October 2011
    Homemade yogurt is the best.  My mother used to make it all the time when I was growing up (in our house yogurt was almost a food group, lol).  I also make my own, using the Donvier Yogurt Maker.  It has plastic jars that are BPA free.  I have converted my DH, who used to hate it.  We eat ours plain, delicious!
  • Rennasus
    Rennasus Member Posts: 642
    edited October 2011

    I've been thinking about making my own yogurt, I didn't know these little machines existed! And they're not expensive! Thanks, I may get myself one for Xmas!

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