So, I’ve been having hot flashes for about 7-8 years now. I was in denial for the first 5 years or so when even my gynocologist blew me off with a flippant remark when I asked her about having hot flashes so early. I was not even 40 when I first started having them and didn’t even mention them to the doctor until many years later. I haven’t gotten much if any help from the medical profession in aleviating them and frankly, that was really my only symptom so I just ignored the whole situation for a long time.
Now I’m 47 and the hot flashes and night sweats and insomnia and depression are really getting in the way of life. They are also making my running career even more challenging. The last thing you need in the last quarter mile of a 5K is to be heated from the inside. I ran a very competitive race in the beginning of March this year, the Washington Heights 5K which is the first New York Road Runners Club Points Race of the year where the local clubs compete for annual bragging rights. Its a tough race with some substantial hills and a lot of competition but I had a secret weapon. One of my teammates who happens to be much faster than I was coming back from injury and she offered to pace me so I could hit my goal for that race. She pulled me the whole way and I managed a great time, but the last quarter mile was even more brutal because stress brings on hot flashes and I got hit with one right then. It was intense and even though it was just above freezing that morning, I stripped off my windbreaker, hat and gloves before the finish so I wouldn’t pass out. I managed a great time thanks to Laura, but I was dizzy for a good half hour after the race and had to be very careful not to bend over or look up over my head for fear of losing my balance and falling.
While I know this may not sound like a life changing issue, it really is. In fact, it’s referred to as the “change of life.” It’s not a new issue but one that has been kept quite because men don’t want to hear about women getting hot flashes or getting dried up in certain places. But every woman goes through this at some point and for those of us who are active there are different challenges than women who came before us who may not have been putting in 30-40 miles a week along with strength training and cross training.
I’ve decided that talking about it will only help me deal with it better and I may actually help other women in the process. Please feel free to share your thoughts and join the Facebook Group I created so we can all share and get to know each other.
Around 3 years ago I lost a significant amount of weight. (You have known me for a long time, Mandi, I have always been overweight.) Along with the weight loss, I really worked hard to get on a regular work out schedule and eat more reasonably. I felt great, and although certainly not thin, I was healthier than I had been in a long time. Then about a year ago, hot flashes and insomnia and mood swings. And a slower metabolism. Tired, starved (or at least emotionally hungry), and sometimes admittedly a little bonkers–not a great way to maintain healthy balance in life. Doctors? No help whatsoever. Zumba and walking (I don’t run, but I move right along walking) have become my saving grace, elevating my mood and helping me maintain my weight loss. But a hot flash (or power surge, as I choose to think) in the middle of Zumba is really torture and everyone asks if my red face is a sign of a heart attack. No, I want to tell them, I am just getting old. And when my 30-year-old, slim-as-a-twig GYN doctor tells me to “just reduce 150-200 calories per day” I want to explain to her that my diet has already undergone a major change, and no, I don’t want to give up the occasional cookie. Sigh. So, I feel you, Mandi. Count me in as a Facebook (and just plain) friend. Slightly crazy and red in the face, but a friend nonetheless. Any ideas for getting through this with a chuckle are welcome.
Jan! Yes, we have gone through more than one life change together, starting with puberty, no?! Yes, humor is just as important as exercise and diet in getting through anything life throws us, particularly this change!
“power surge” -haha love it
mandi i have been going through the menopause now for the last two years . its very hard to run and keep focused on your race . i hate it with mood swings and not sleeping at night I’m ready to blow my top some days and to top it off i don’t think men husbands understand lol . all we can do is struggle through it
Majella! I feel your pain! and if anything, I know that running keeps me grounded and helps even out the mood swings some. Have you ever had a hot flash while running or racing? It’s been happening to me and man, it’s not fun! See you at track?
Did you ever hear about Bioidentical Hormone Therapy? I’ve been taking all natural estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone for awhile now (I’m now 62) and wish they had doctors here in Hawaii that specialized in Bioidentical HRT when I was 42! I started premenopause at that time and I thought I was losing my mind! None of my doctors could help me. I started a few years ago but am still on it because it’s sort of anti-aging and helps my ongoing challenge with anxiety and depression. I love the progesterone! It seems I had anxiety and depression for way too many years before getting the right treatment so it’s harder to fix now. It’s probably easier for you to find an MD that specializes in the natural HRT in NY. Most MD’s in Hawaii poo hoo on it because they’re trained only in pharmaceuticals and brainwashed to the max! They say it’s all the same but it really isn’t if you look at chemistry of the natural hormones vs the synthetic ones. The synthetic ones I tried made things so much worse and there are risks in taking them like cancer. It’s hard to find good alternative Drs here! I only know of two!
Yes, I had a doctor prescribe those for me and I took them for awhile but they didn’t seem to be helping so I stopped. I might try them again and see if there’s a difference now. Thanks for your comments, every contribution makes a difference for those looking for help!
Great blog Mandi! There are a lot of topics women don’t talk about, but some can serve as ways of connecting, so this is cool. Love your perspective and genuineness!
Thanks, Lisanne. It’s crazy to think that we’re all going through this at some point in our lives but there’s so little conversation about it. When I started thinking about how I never talk about this with anyone, I realized that there’s just no good reason to keep it quiet. It was only making me feel more isolated and now that I’ve started this conversation, I’m re-connecting with so many amazing women! Yay!