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Post by bonster on Oct 13, 2015 23:02:08 GMT
First of all is 41 too young to be having hot flashes? If that's what this is. I have noticed a few times in the last couple of weeks that I suddenly get so hot. Not related to any physical exertion or outside influences. The last time this happened I was just sitting on the couch watching TV. I haven't noticed any other physical reactions at the time like increased heart rate. It's like my whole body is hot but it's coming from inside. Lasts a minute or two then disappears as quickly as it came.
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Deleted
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May 20, 2024 1:19:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2015 23:08:00 GMT
41 is the perfect age to start having them. Google peri-menopause. They are exactly as you discribe... you are sitting quietly being sedate and boom! A fire inside radiates out. For me, my skin even gets flushed looking like I'm vigorously excersizing so my co-workers are often aware I'm having one.
You may start to sweat profusely and then feel suddenly chilled when it ends.
Fun times! (sarcasm alert!)
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back to *pea*ality
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by back to *pea*ality on Oct 13, 2015 23:13:34 GMT
When you get so hot that your clothes - for me it was mostly at night, so my nightgown was soaked in sweat that I had to change - you are there. Anything short of that I would call an ember - when you ask "is it hot in here or is it just me?"
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scorpeao
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Post by scorpeao on Oct 13, 2015 23:18:37 GMT
It only happens to me after consuming coffee. I might have to stop drinking it because it's miserable. For me, however, it doesn't come from within...about 10 mins after consuming coffee I'll suddenly start sweating as if I've been exercising. Getting old sucks ass!
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Mary Kay Lady
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Oct 13, 2015 23:20:29 GMT
No, 41 is not too young. I think I was around that age when I started. For some women hot flashes are miserable and for others they're not too bad.
I was blessed in that they weren't too bad. I did find that I couldn't tolerate heat as well as I could before. One of my favorite things became my little portable fan. I even made sure to take it with me when I traveled.
My doctor said that they are most common around the time that you'd normally be experiencing a period.
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Post by paperaddictedpea on Oct 13, 2015 23:21:12 GMT
To add on to the OP's question, does a feeling of weakness/shakiness ever accompany hot flashes? I had what I think was my second hot flash ever last week - I'm in my early 50's so I feel pretty fortunate not to have experienced them until now. I got really hot, my face in particular, and my forehead and the nape of my neck got really sweaty. I felt kind of shaky, and then eventually felt cold and clammy. It was not an enjoyable experience so I'm hoping it doesn't become a frequent one!
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Post by elaine on Oct 13, 2015 23:29:15 GMT
To add on to the OP's question, does a feeling of weakness/shakiness ever accompany hot flashes? I had what I think was my second hot flash ever last week - I'm in my early 50's so I feel pretty fortunate not to have experienced them until now. I got really hot, my face in particular, and my forehead and the nape of my neck got really sweaty. I felt kind of shaky, and then eventually felt cold and clammy. It was not an enjoyable experience so I'm hoping it doesn't become a frequent one! If you are also feeling shaky, that sounds more like a hypo-glycemic episode. Hot flashes connected with menopause usually are just "hot," but a severe drop in blood sugar can result in a host flash, shakiness, confusion, etc.
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Post by paperaddictedpea on Oct 13, 2015 23:32:56 GMT
To add on to the OP's question, does a feeling of weakness/shakiness ever accompany hot flashes? I had what I think was my second hot flash ever last week - I'm in my early 50's so I feel pretty fortunate not to have experienced them until now. I got really hot, my face in particular, and my forehead and the nape of my neck got really sweaty. I felt kind of shaky, and then eventually felt cold and clammy. It was not an enjoyable experience so I'm hoping it doesn't become a frequent one! If you are also feeling shaky, that sounds more like a hypo-glycemic episode. Hot flashes connected with menopause usually are just "hot," but a severe drop in blood sugar can result in a host flash, shakiness, confusion, etc. Thanks Elaine...I'd eaten very little for lunch that day and had the "hot flash" around 6:00 PM so it's possible that the shakiness was low blood sugar. I'd felt some shakiness one other time when I thought I might be having a hot flash, so I wondered if there might be a correlation. Growing older is SO much fun!
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jayfab
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Post by jayfab on Oct 13, 2015 23:33:23 GMT
Sounds like a hot flash to me too. My family and friends could see mine. I would get flushed and my face would start sweating like crazy. Especially above my upper lip. I would get light headed a bit too.
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Post by ~KellyAnn~ on Oct 13, 2015 23:35:34 GMT
Paperaddictedpea, that's exactly how I felt the one time I experienced what I think was a hot flash.
I'm 49, had an ablation more then ten years ago, and haven't had a period since. (Except for break-through bleeding the day of my divorce and my mom's funeral-stress??)
Several months ago, I was grocery shopping and suddenly was overcome by a wave of heat. I was full on sweaty from my hair to my socks. I felt weak and a bit shakey, until I stepped outside and cooled off.
I really don't want to experience that again!
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psiluvu
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Post by psiluvu on Oct 14, 2015 0:49:09 GMT
A fire inside radiates out. For me, my skin even gets flushed looking like I'm vigorously excersizing so my co-workers are often aware I'm having one. You may start to sweat profusely and then feel suddenly chilled when it ends.
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Oct 14, 2015 1:00:27 GMT
For me a hot flash starts with my face feeling really flushed and sweat breaks out on my forehead. Then I can feel the hair on my arms start to prickle and then my arms break out into a sweat. Sometimes my feet want to get in on the fun, too.
I bought a few sandalwood fans (12 for $9.50 at Amazon). I keep one with me at all times. I have them stashed around the house, in my car, at work, in my purse, in my workout bag.
Oh, I have first hand knowledge that 41 is not too young.
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Post by Pahina722 on Oct 14, 2015 1:12:47 GMT
Mine started in my chest--like a switch flipped on, from feeling normal to lower levels of hell in 2 seconds flat. They would last a couple of minutes and then switch back off just as quickly. About the same time that the hot flashes started (started mid 40s but really kicked into gear around 50), it seemed that my body's ability to regulate my temperature disappeared, leaving me with a comfort zone of about 5 degrees. Above 75, I was sweating, and below 70, I was shivering. Hot showers and drinking hot tea began to trigger hot flashes, too. I am soooo glad those days are done.
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Post by Lexica on Oct 14, 2015 1:23:59 GMT
I turned red and sweat poured off my head, down my face and into my eyes like I had a sprinkler system in my hair. My chest also poured out water profusely. It would go on for about 4 or 5 minutes and there was no hope of being graceful during them. Everybody around me knew. My mom found it highly entertaining. She said she got a little warm, but no sweating heat like I got.
I was lucky in that I only experienced them for about 3 months and it stopped. Welcome to the fun zone.
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Post by traceys on Oct 14, 2015 1:29:57 GMT
I had my last period at 42. I started having periods of being warmer, that I attributed to hot flashes, and as a rule I seemed to be somewhat warmer most of the time than I had been before. About five years or so later, I started having what I thought then were *real* hot flashes.....the difference being that they seemed to be coming from the inside out. I would go outside in the dead of winter and still feel like I couldn't cool off.
So, for me, the beginning "hot flashes" we're just previews of coming attractions! LOL! I also started having night sweats so severe that I had to get up in the night, change clothes, and put blankets down on my bed to keep from sleeping in a puddle. The only thing that cured both was hormone therapy.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Oct 14, 2015 1:39:39 GMT
Mine are not flashes. Hot from inside usually mostly my back but they last for 20-30 mins. I also get night sweats where I wake up drenched. So not fun. I wish mine only lasted s few minutes.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2015 1:45:25 GMT
I used to have hot flashes bad enough to drop me...seriously....it didn't happen very often when they were that strong, but a few times, they were so bad that the physical symptoms pushed me right into an anxiety attack which in turn presented itself with heart attack symptoms and scared the crap out of me.
Thankfully, I'm over all that now except for the occasional night sweat.....but the best part of being post menopausal? NO PERIODS....YAY!
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Post by malibou on Oct 14, 2015 2:52:52 GMT
Spontaneous combustion comes to mind.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2015 4:07:47 GMT
I started with the hot flashes around that age. However, like Scrapper100 said, they weren't 'flashes' but would last 10-30 minutes. Sometimes they'd be back-to-back and it felt like the whole day was nothing but one big, continuous hot flash. I felt like a furnace had been lit inside me and it was always concentrated in my back. My MIL felt hers in her head. Apparently, they don't always affect your whole body, but a specific part of it. Weird. The heat would be intense and I'd sweat like crazy. I'd also become really grouchy until it passed. Don't talk to me and for gosh sake's, don't even think about TOUCHING me unless you didn't mind losing a limb, lol. iCool was a lifesaver for me. I took it for years because even after going full menopause, I would still get hot flashes. The iCool greatly reduced the heat level and length of time for me. L
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Post by DinCA on Oct 14, 2015 4:15:48 GMT
Mine started around age 40. I don't really sweat but I feel this intense burning heat from the inside out. It is horrible.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2015 4:17:00 GMT
At your age I thought I was experiencing some hot flashes. Little did I know that was NOTHING compared to the legit hot flashes you get during menopause. Mine started almost immediately after my hysterectomy (although my ovaries were left in, so I'd go through it naturally and hopefully slowly). I felt burning hot, from my core, from the top of my head to my feet. It's an intense, HOT heat. I got so beat red with each hot flash. I sweated and there was a certain odor. I'd have to shower, change and cool down. I did everything to avoid them.
When they began to come on 24/7, then I had to go on estrogen. I couldn't live with constant, intense sweat. People would ask me why I'm so red. It was bad. The estrogen helped a lot, but I still get short hot flashes--with the beat-read face/body. I don't get that odor. I carry deodorant and spare clothes just in case! I'm on the 2nd level strength of estrogen so my doctor wouldn't increase it. I'll have to live with these hot flashes for a while.
The quick way to describe it is to say that it's a heat from the inside out. Is that what you're feeling? Do you have any other signs of perimenopause? I've heard that if you have a rough perimenopause then the actual menopause won't be that bad (not the truth for me!). Good luck. Start reading up on it so you could make informed decisions.
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Post by elaine on Oct 14, 2015 4:30:53 GMT
link to the best fan ever!I may look odd, but I don't go anywhere I'm going to be outside in the summer for any length of time without bringing my necklace fan. Since perimenopause, I can't stand high neck tops, and need a fan on my neck when it is hot or I feel as though I'm going to combust.
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Post by pepper59 on Oct 14, 2015 4:36:15 GMT
I started menopause at 39 while breast feeding my 4th child! I was completely done by 42. Never did any hormones. I figured our bodies are meant to stop at some point so let it happen. It wasn't fun. I spent a lot of time with my head in the freezer! Seriously. I could always feel it coming on because the inside of my elbows and nape of my neck would start to sweat then I'd be hot all over. I grew very intolerant of the heat and used to say I could heat the whole house ... Just move me room to room! It gets better, less frequent and yes, no more periods!!!
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Post by pelirroja on Oct 14, 2015 12:07:47 GMT
It's kind of like this: when you're pregnant with your first child and you get contractions that you swear are labor but it turns out they're only Braxton-Hicks. Then you go into "real" labor and realize those B-H were nothing at all. Well, that's kind of what it's like when you have a hot flash. A "real" hot flash is uncomfortably, instantaneously hot, hair goes up on the back of your neck, and you could rip off every last shred of your clothing and still not feel any cooler (BTW, you'll be so hot you don't care that you would be naked in front of strangers or in public). I get a triangle shape just below my neck that is bright, bright red. People can look at me and see a physical difference in my appearance. Night sweats feel like you've been jogging in your sleep, you awake suddenly (sometimes with a racing heart) and the bed is literally saturated and damp with sweat. Fun times. When you get hit with a full-on hot flash, you will know exactly what it is. You won't need to ask when it's the real deal: you will just know. And you won't ask "is it hot in here?" because you won't be able to measure or care if it's happening to anybody else. Just.make.it.stop.
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Post by melanell on Oct 14, 2015 12:27:35 GMT
41 is not too young. For me, they hit me from the chest and up. It's like that portion of my body suddenly becomes 20 degrees warmer than the rest of me. I get flushed and perspire like mad, and thankfully, after only 10-15 minutes, things start to return to normal. I only get them very in frequently right now, for which I am grateful.
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Dalai Mama
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Post by Dalai Mama on Oct 14, 2015 13:03:23 GMT
Like someone opened the door to hell.
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Post by ilikepink on Oct 14, 2015 15:07:08 GMT
When I got them, it was never a hot flash. It was a f*(&ng hot flash. The heat, from the inside; the sweat, all over; and it was usually accompanied by Huge Frustration/Anger - usually because whoever I was with would start laughing at me. Then I would laugh, and it passed. I did notice that if I was in a stressful moment, it would bring it on - but it was hard to tell whether the flash was the cause of the stress or the result. I also spent many moments with my head in the freezer. Black Cohash helped a lot.
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Post by malibou on Oct 14, 2015 15:08:45 GMT
And personally, I don't think there is any rhyme or reason to when you start or when it ends, why some people sail on thru and others contemplate some dark ideas.
I had chemo at 38. About nine months later they said my numbers were indicating perimenopause, 4 months later they told me my blood work indicated I was post menopausal. I never got my period back after having my son, so I met the requirement for post menopausal. I had been told that hot flashes were for peri. That is a lie. I am now 51 and I still try spontaneous combustion several times a day and night sweat all night. 12 years of this mess.
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Post by katieanna on Oct 14, 2015 15:23:54 GMT
For me, it felt like a sudden onslaught of heat waves that radiated from the inside to the outside. It is as if everything is fine one minute and the next you are uncomfortably hot and sweating. Believe me, unless you've experienced one it's hard to understand what they're actually like. I've known some women who've gotten them so bad that they've awaken literally drenched in sweat. I know one woman who lives in the mid-west where it gets really cold who gets heat flashes so bad that she has stood in front of her open door, totally nude, and she can barely feel that first blast of frigid air on her skin.
I thank God that I've never been quite that bad and that the heat flashes happen less and are less severe....but if I never have another heat flash as long as I live I'll be even more thankful.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2015 15:37:29 GMT
To add on to the OP's question, does a feeling of weakness/shakiness ever accompany hot flashes? I had what I think was my second hot flash ever last week - I'm in my early 50's so I feel pretty fortunate not to have experienced them until now. I got really hot, my face in particular, and my forehead and the nape of my neck got really sweaty. I felt kind of shaky, and then eventually felt cold and clammy. It was not an enjoyable experience so I'm hoping it doesn't become a frequent one! If you are also feeling shaky, that sounds more like a hypo-glycemic episode. Hot flashes connected with menopause usually are just "hot," but a severe drop in blood sugar can result in a host flash, shakiness, confusion, etc. As a type 1 diabetic I've had both and I agree. I had a couple of hot flashes when I was 33 a few weeks after having my last child then they started up again last year at 46. It's been fun for DH because my overheating and sweating have often been a sign of low blood sugar for me at night and it wakes him up.
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