Ok, so you might or might not remember that back at the beginning of the year I had bloods done, after seeing my doc about my irregular mthlies and hot flushes and they showed that my hormone levels were out of synch... that I am peri menopausal (hadn't turned 40 then)... I was put on HRT Patches but taken off them after 7 weeks due to severe migraines. My menopause doc said that there was nothing further she could do for me; advised me to lose more weight and gave me an 'open appointment' for a year if I needed to go back to see her.

Anyway,my mthlies have gone awol again and over the last two weeks the symtoms are back with avengance... and it is getting me down! The hot flushes are not only uncomfortable, but embarrasing. Imagine standing infront of 30 teenagers ( I am a high school teacher) when all of a sudden you feel like someone has plugged you into the power mains; my face goes beetroot in colour and I have sweat all over my face. I have had the kids in my class ask me if I am ok?! NIGHTMARE... what do I say...?

I also had an interview today in school - an external body came in - and I had a severe flush whilst talking with the man... really embarrasing!

Also over the last couple of weeks, I am starting to get really moody and tearful again too... I hate this feeling. yesterday in work, I could of quiet easily of ripped someone's face off... not like me at all! I am normally upbeat and lighthearted in work. ( I do get stressed at home mind...lol)

I know, from the last time, that this will cause me a problem with my weight loss... I was getting to a stage where I was happy with 2-5lb a mth... starting to feel like a success and feeling better about myself and my health. I know that this week I will see a small gain ... and the feelings of frustrations are starting to come back too!

I sooooooo want to get to my surgeon's goal by christmas... but that is getting really close now and I fear that it won't happen for me.

What am I to do?

Any words of wisdom, advise or encouragment will be received, as always, with pleasure...

Sorry for the vent!

Some of my friends have experienced good results with a product called Estroven--it's a soy-based supplement that contains phytoestrogens. Evidently it helps even out estrogen and that regulates the hot flashes.

Other than that, cotton/linen clothing, avoiding caffeine, hot beverages/soup, no hot pepper, and waterproof makeup (so that it doesn't sweat off)--so sorry you're dealing with this!! It's extremely frustrating.

My hot flashes went away after surgery, but in the last couple of weeks, they're back again--I awaken at 4 or 4:15 a.m. (not on purpose!) and then experience a hot flash. It goes away pretty quickly. Before being sleeved, I had them at any time, and you're right, having them at work as a teacher is really challenging in lots of respects.

You might look into the supplements to see if you can find an herbal formula that helps. Hang in there!

Thank you for that... I am willing to try anything Meg, to be honest. I am starting to hate them... the severe ones really leave me feeling drained too... did that happen to you?

Oh yeah. I hate them, hate them, hate them. Nothing like being not able to concentrate because you feel like you're going to blow up from the heat inside! YUCK! And then when it passes (finally!), you feel like a limp dishcloth. NOT pleasant.

Something that sort of helps me is to put an ice cube in my mouth. I don't know if it's just mental or if there is some physical benefit, but if I can put some ice in my mouth, it really seems to make the flash pass faster. I don't know if you can keep an icy drink on your desk while you're at school, but if so, it might be worth experimenting.

Oh yeah. I hate them, hate them, hate them. Nothing like being not able to concentrate because you feel like you're going to blow up from the heat inside! YUCK! And then when it passes (finally!), you feel like a limp dishcloth. NOT pleasant.

Something that sort of helps me is to put an ice cube in my mouth. I don't know if it's just mental or if there is some physical benefit, but if I can put some ice in my mouth, it really seems to make the flash pass faster. I don't know if you can keep an icy drink on your desk while you're at school, but if so, it might be worth experimenting.

Hiya Meg,

The ice cube thing is a good idea... not sure if I could do it in class, but defo at home.

Did you find that when the flushes were with you it effected your weight loss? I did well last week but got a bounce up this week =[ It is soooo frustrating when I know that I am not eating more than 1200 cals a day.

I'm thinking of really dropping the carbs again for a week or two... but in the past, it hasn't really showed a significant weight loss for me.... I'm in a bit of a pickle as of what to do!

I am also wondering if I should just take some time out and just maintain for a while, but then I really want to get to goal...

Oh I don't know...lol!

Hi Coops! I'm sorry you are dealing with this! For the exercise, do you know about using intervals to up your burn? I'm going to try it and see if it helps, since my weight loss has slowed down a lot, as well. Basically, you go at a normal pace and then you up the intensity for about 1-3 minutes. It should be less intense than a sprint, but it should be challenging. Regarding the ice, I think if you bring an insulated stainless steel thermos, it will keep the ice pretty well for much of the day. I am on a board called "Fly Lady" which is all about organization, but she sells these stainless steel water bottles that people rave about. Might be worth checking out something like this: http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_swb16.asp. I read a "testimonial" about this thermos last night, and it made me think of your dilemma. Hope that helps!