Thursday, October 6, 2011

This man of mine just doesn't get it. 

As we were looking at clothes yesterday, he pointed out a manequin dressed in a beautiful red turtle neck sweater, topped with a white, wooly, sweater vest.  "That would look good on you," he says.   "Are you crazy!?!" says I.


I have been plagued with hot flashes and night sweats for over 20 years.  One Dr. told me that it would only last a short time.  *insert loud buzzer here*  WRONG!  I've long ago given up on the hope that they will eventually go away.  I no longer call it menopause (or is that mentalpause).  It is a way of life.  Along with things like weight gain, facial hair, sleep disorders, and mood swings. 
I blame my breast cancer on the harmones that I took for 6 months - and they didn't even help.  My advice is don't take harmones to ease the nasty ol' effects of hot flashes.  It isn't worth it.

I've also tried to ease things with:

Black Cohosh
Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.  I kid you not.  An alphabet worth of vitamins.
Flax
Some sort of ....wart I believe (remember this has been going on for a year or two, or 10 or 20)
Clonidine

There are a ton of other things I've tried.  N.O.T.H.I.N.G works.

Everyone should be an expert at something.  I'm an expert at layering clothing.  First a tank, then short sleeve tee, followed by a long sleeve shirt or blouse, and then a jacket.  Yes, I said a jacket - even  in summer.  The is mandatory when eating out.  Invariably the restaurant is cool to the temperature of a meat locker.  Initially the jacket feels good.  Then as the walls close in, the flashes start, and clothing starts flying.  This is followed by chills as the cold and clammy skin connects.  Where's my jacket?!?

Night times are always interesting.  These cool nights are perfect for crawling under a nice, warm, quilt.  Then a flash hits.  Jim hangs on to his side of the bed covers as I start wildly kicking.  Then it passes and I am shivering in my damp jammies, with my head on a hot pillow.  Double yuck.

When I worked full time, all of my co-workers knew if I quickly disappeared from a meeting, it had nothing to do with anything other than I was ready to explode from the inside out. 

After I slugged Jim for being insensitive by suggesting clothing I couldn't possibly wear, we purchased a sensibly cool top and blouse and headed out, laughing at visions of me coming out of that sweater and vest at the most inappropriate of times.  He reminded me of the day my mother was standing in her driveway telling us goodby and a bumble bee flew down the front of her top.  She came out of that shirt faster than Whiskey being chased by Bailey.  Like mother like daughter...  On second thought, maybe he does get it

18 comments:

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

OH MY GOD Sister, I can so relate to this!!!!

betty said...

You know, I was blessed with not many hot flashes and not night sweats. I am sorry you have had and continue to have such a struggle with it, Deanna. And you have tried it all too with remedies. But it does seem like you got a handle on it at least in how to dress!!

I guess we can blame Eve for this, but in reality we have to blame Adam because he should have been watching after her a bit more :)

enjoy the day!

betty

Intense Guy said...

Well, who could blame Jim for wanting you to wear an easy to remove - single bit of clothes? I mean, goodness... he has a regular fitness workout with all those layers.

:)

I wish something worked - sounds like your frustration is like mine with the "ringing in the ears" thing - nothing works... Its like you've been to "Fear Factor" and eaten gosh knows what to find something, anything!

*Hugs*

Funny in My Mind said...

Thanks for the laugh!
I needed it today,
I am forever cold. I would have loved that sweater and vest!!

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I'm like Patti, I can relate too!! I thought, like you, that you were supposed to get over the hot flashes eventually! What I really hate is when I'm getting ready and want to look half way presentable, I find that just the getting ready causes me to perspire and my hair ends up limp because my head is so hot and my curled eyelashes become uncurled. If you find a miracle remedy, let me know! Have a good evening!

ChicagoLady said...

I'm not looking forward to that time of my life! I hope it never comes. If you ever do find that miracle cure, you would be rich, because there are millions of other women out there with the same problem. At least you've figured out a way to deal with it.

Tessa said...

20 years huh? That might explain my unexpected hot flashes I have been having since August. I am TOO YOUNG for this! Thanks mom!
Tessa

Queenie Jeannie said...

Gettin' older ain't for sissies!!! I've only had hot flashes when I've been pregnant but that was MORE THAN enough for me, thank you very much!!! And people look at you like you're crazy too, lol!

I'm going to be stamping and die cutting this weekend. Be looking for some oh-so-cute stockings over here soon......!!!!






(Yes, I'm terrible! *wink*)

Rita said...

Still giggling! I am lucky I didn't suffer from the night sweats and bad hot flashes. My general temperature seems to have doubled, tho. I am always warm! The sleep disorders--between menopause and my fibro--my life has been total chaos when it comes to sleep for years! As I was just reading red turtle neck sweater topped with a white wooly sweater vest....I started to sweat! LOL! You are not alone! :):)

Just Stuff From a Boomer said...

One thing I've learned from my blog friends, it's not just me. I've had hot flashes for 10 years. I thought by now it would all be over. Isn't there some reward for just being old! We are still held hostage by our bodies.

At night, the covers are on and then off... and then on... and off... I love taht Betty said we can blame Adam. I'm with her.

AliceKay said...

I started to sweat when I read about the turtle neck and wooly sweater vest. LOL I don't like turtle necks...too confining...but I think they're attractive on a lot of people.

I've never had night sweats, but I've had the hot flashes and still get "warm" flashes. Night time is hard sometimes because of the warm/cold/warm thing going on (feet in/feet out thing too) but they aren't night sweats (so far). Mentalpause...I like that analogy. LOL

Cute story about your mom and that bee. :)

Toriz said...

That must be really annoying!

I just plain don't cope with heat very well, so it's light clothing all the way for me. I do have a couple of things - fluffy socks and a wooly cardigan - that I grab when it gets really cold, but mostly it's lightweight clothing, end of story.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Twenty years girl??? Hubs laughs at me when I put on my biker shorts a tee and a sweatshirt on these cold mornin's but I find it's better to be underdressed and able to 'shuck' outta the clothes. Heeehehhe

I did use a product that changed my life...for a year. When it quit..it quit but that year was pure heaven. No night sweats...no flashes. It was pricy but well worth it.

It's called Menopause Ease available at health food stores.

I'll be sixty next year and you'd think it would end!!! Enough already.

God bless and enjoy this beautiful 'fall' week!!!

Pix at Under the Oaks said...

Deanna thank you so much for coming by my blog :) I am going to try to get back in the swing of things. We shall see! I love this post. I still have trouble with night sweats and I just turned 60 last month. I sleep with an old beach towel over me and just give it a wild kick when I feel the heat from menohhhhhhhhhhpause. Daytime:Hot Flashes or just hot, I can't do the heat and humidity no more no how no way! Take care, I think you have it down with that creative layering!

Jenny Woolf said...

Oh this all sounds so familiar. It hasn't been 20 years for me, but all that stuff about it only lasting a few months is pure fantasy. And you're right. Nothing works.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Just popped in to say howdy...I see your still fannin'....heehehehe!

God bless ya....winter's comin'!

Anonymous said...

Lord bless your heart Punkn, I think I get hot flashes too but so far not as bad as yours but they can be doozies and I surely do not wear heavy clothing and such because I know it is definitely gonna burn me up even more, you would think there would be something out there to help it and after reading all the thiings you have tried and nothing helped well it seems hopeless now LOL Hope yours ends soon for you :o)

jewelzmomof4 said...

ugh all I can say is I hope this passes eventually for you....also I soooooooooooooooo hope it is not genetic!!!!!! LOL Picturing Grandma coming out of her shirt made me LAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL