Horrible Hot Flash After Activity

[lieze]

Is there anything that works to help cope with these?

I haven't had many of these and everything still scares me so I called my mom over.

I had been doing dishes and my heart got to racing-came and sat down and boom.

Hot flash/adrenaline surge that lasted a good hour or so.

Vitals were fine the entire time.

Bp just a little up for me, horrible headache.

Hot hot skin especially my back.

My mom kept thinking hormones?

Noise and light make it worse.

Got calmed down then more excitement, hubby came home but had to leave again to get us groceries and I had to fight to not go back into another.

I turned the lights out tv off and kids went in the back and that seemed to help.

I was so sleepy groggy after all this it was like I was asleep with my eyes open.

Kind of a freaky feeling.

This time I tried to sip water and I did get a moist cloth and wet myself down.

The cloth felt so cold at first I was afraid it would throw me into some kind of shock.

I think the cold cloth helped.

Oh I also felt like I was stinking of ammonia and my mom also said she did this at menopause.

I kind of thought it was more of a POTS thing but who knows.

Do you have these-how do you handle them?

I feel great today but was flat on my back with this all evening.

[lieze]

I also seem to get frantic with this.

At the tale end when it was like I was sleeping with my eyes open my heart felt so still.

I took another bp reading and saw 59 and totally freaked out.

It was my diastolic bp reading which was great but I just saw the number and was like

I kept noticing during this I had to control my thoughts.

They kept automatically going to scary scenarios and it would feel like the surge was starting to escalate and I had to turn those thoughts off.

Has anybody gotten in a tepid bath during these to see if it would help?

Taken a Tylenol or Motrin for the excruciating headache, taken a nerve pill?

It almost seemed like the horrible headache made it hard to relax.

My entire body was tensed up.

In the end I felt myself relaxing my body several times I was so so clenched up.

[MamaTrain]

Lieze,

Hey there hot mama! LOL! Ok so not that funny but seriously I know what you're going through. My cardio (who studied with Grubb) said that when you have a autonomic dysfunction already it makes hormone changes very difficult to deal with. Even the regular monthly changes every woman goes through but if you are starting the change it can be a very difficult time for us. Most women have symptoms during menopause but ours are like magnified by 1000! When I get one of these hot flashes (it feels more like my skin is burning to me) I either down a very cold glass of water or go outside where it's cool and it goes away fairly quickly. I hope this helps if only just for the comfort of knowing you are not alone!

KC

[lieze]

Wow so you think hormones are related.

I've been so scared with this.

I didn't really feel as if I'd pass out it was just very hard to focus.was not short of breath.

Heart rate never got above 100 that I saw.

Yeah heart was pounding at the sink where I was standing to do dishes.

I am just finishing a period that was horrible.

This also concerned me because day before yesterday when I would stand up huge clots would come out of me with blood just pouring out and right down my legs.

It was overwhelming but what seemed to happen was the rest of the period was scantish.

That day it just all rolled out at once.

It was like my entire uterus was filling with blood and starting to clot and as I stood it would just pour out.

So this happened three times.

I stayed off my feet as much as possible.

Okay so it would have been the next day then I had the horrible adrenaline surge and bleeding had considerably decreased.

There very could have been a much needed shift in hormones but boy did I ever pay for it.

[comfortzone]

It's weird cuz I am at 'hot flash' age chronologically - but my mom died when I was in my 20's so I haven't anyone close to talk with about these. My symptoms first were a ton of sweating - but that was in corellation with just beginning Mestinon. I read later it can cause sweats. But when I finally got fed up with sweating - I stopped the Mestinon - and you guessed it the sweating continued! Then BAM the hot flashes. The first day of them was pretty much non-stop - all day long! Huge waves of massive heat - followed by sweats - lasting about ten minutes only to get about 5 minutes of freezing due to the sweating - and then again hot hot hot. Pretty miserable.....after that they were only about one per hour. I got back on the Mestinon and have stayed on it because it no longer really seems linked to these hot flashes and sweating. Hard to tell what comes from what with my b/p and orthostatic issues. They certainly haven't lessened any ~ annoy the heck out of me and I usually take things pretty much in stride. But maybe that's the irritability I've read about with menopause. When I seem to get the hot flashes if I had to try and pin them to an event - would be with any emotional responses to life things, or overduing it physically like when I try to work or do simple housework. A year and a half ago I had mild hot flashes during the winter - and I remember thinking - oh so this is a hot flash - wow they are no big deal at all - mild, once in a blue moon kind of thing. Now? Good grief - combined with sweating (where I've never 'sweated' as a rule before in life noticeably) it's pretty gnarly. You go from spontaneous combustion hot - to freezing and soaking wet all bleeping day long LOL... At night too - covers on, covers off, covers on, covers off........Maybe it's a good thing I'm single after all! Blessings to you!

[Guest tearose]

Sorry you are dealing with this lieze.

I can't offer more wisdom on what is happening but I too deal with these. I don't have the hormone shifts anymore (due to surgery) and so I can't blame hormones!

I think our ANS is so extremely sensitive. I agree with "nowwhat" says..we can go from hot to cold and then sweat and then shiver all in a short period of time.

Sometimes I wonder if it is kidney related but that is just a wonder.

Our bodies are trying so hard to keep us in balance.

I drink a lot of water only to pee it out so fast. My kindeys are working overtime.

hang in there!

tearose

[sue1234]

I'm pretty much just like Nowwhat! described, except I don't sweat. It is all day long and night. I am all OCD in trying to figure it out! This cannot be menopausal hot flashes! It is too severe--and the vasodilation, lightheadedness...no, not menopause.

[lieze]

I do feel it is an adrenaline surge.

I felt a bit of nausea with it and bp went up slightly.

I wonder though if we are not only producing too much but are oversensitive to what is in our system.

[icesktr189]

I get the same thing and I'm definetely not near menopause (I'm 21)

[toddm1960]

Guess I'll toss in a male side of this story....... I get these same waves of heat, sweating if i stand to long or do alittle too much walking. I keep a tank top and shorts down stairs with me so when I get these I change fast. It looks strange in the middle winter running around in shorts.......but.......it's the wonderful world of dysautonomia.

[lieze]

For everyone else that gets this do they lay you out?

Am I letting it scare me too much maybe even experiencing panic along with it?

It feels like it's going to fry my brain and my organs or make me have a heart attack.

I feel paralyzed by fear when this happens.

Am I doing something wrong?

Also I've heard some members take klonopin to help control the adrenaline surges.

Is this what they are talking about?

[targs66]

I'm glad to hear it's not just me (how many times do I say that, with enormous gratitude, upon reading posts here? )...

I had a total hysterectomy almost 3 years ago and it was the beginning of my dysautonomia (had CFS for years previously, but was reasonably functional). I found the menopausal symptoms intolerable and have been on HRT ever since. The "hot" part of the hot flashes don't bother me that much (I'm freezing cold all the time here in damp England) - it's the awful gasping, heart pounding near-panic that Lieze describes that did me in. They are much worse at night. My heart starts thudding and my lungs seem to constrict as I get hot - like a mild asthma attack (I used to have asthma so I'm familiar with the feeling), and I feel panicky and miserable. It takes at least 45 for everything to subside - and then it all starts again within the hour.

Unfortunately, HRT has not entirely helped, and I don't think my body likes it. Too little estrogen, and the hot flashes and anxiety start. Too much and I just feel ill - dopey and weak and tearful. I tried "balancing" the estrogen with progesterone, adding testosterone, taking bio-identicals -- still haven't got to a balance. I am quite sure this constant imbalance contributes to - and quite possibly caused - my problems now.

BTW - thanks to ToddM for adding a male perspective - I always wonder how much of this is menopause and how much is whatever other conditions I've got!

[toddm1960]

I keep telling my wife I know excatly what you're going through........

[nmorgen]

I have the same hot cold flashes. I'm not really the typical age for menopause, but according to Mayo that's what my hormones are telling them. I tend to have most of mine at night. I also get the hot flashes after activity, and I think they are POTs related, and I'm sure the low estrogen doesnt help. Go to your gyn and ask them to test your hormone levels. At least you'll know if it's hormone related or just dys. Also, try to relax when you have them. Sit down get a cool drink and read a book or do something to take your mind off of it. They go away a lot quicker when they are POTs related if you just calm down.

BTW, I haven't been on the forum in several months, and Im glad to see that you and your husband worked things out.

[lissy]

I mostly have the hot flashes and worsening of symptoms a week or two before my cycle. Hormones have to be the issue possibly a sensitivity to the level changes, I always considered a hyster but I'm hearing some of you still have these issues ...so I don't know what will help??? I always put a ice cold wash-cloth around my neck and get in a cold area and sit down because I get so dizzy.

[icesktr189]

Mine are accompanied with panic symptoms (flight or fight response) this is the reason I am getting on celexa and konopin next week. It evens all these symptoms out for me and makes me more tolerable to meds