Dealing with Hot Flashes

Pecos

Pecos

Well-known Member
Location
Washington State
(OK, ladies try not to laugh, …. at least not too hard)
My situation is that I successfully completed the radiation portion of treatment for prostrate cancer in early June, but still have 17 more months of hormone therapy before the Doctors will formally declare that I am out of the woods. These hormone shots (Lupron) take a man's T level down to zero and have a number of side effects beyond making me "a completely harmless male." Fatigue and hot flashes are the ones that trouble me the most. Like many women, my wife had hormone replacement to help her when she dealt with this, but that option is obviously not available to me.
I need some ideas to help me deal with this, the old fashioned way before modern medicine brought some relief to the women of the world!

What I have learned so far:
Hot flashes are unpredictable, but I am often able to detect when they are starting.
The herb Black Cohosh is some help. Are there any others that might help? Evening Primrose Oil did nothing for me.
Dropping the indoor temp by a couple of degrees helps.
Staying inside when it gets above 85F helps. (Fortunately my gym is always chilly.)
Using two ultra light blankets helps me better regulate my temperature when these thing strike at night.
There is an emotional side to this and watching cable news can trigger a hot flash rather quickly, especially if certain personalities show up. I also have to avoid violent movies, especially where women, children or animals are mistreated.

Does anyone have an suggestions? Other than to "roll with it."
… and I am so grateful that I only have 2 years to put up with this. My wife tells me that many women have to put up with this for as much as seven years. You ladies have my deepest sympathy.
 

I'm sorry you are dealing with cancer Pecos. It's no easy thing I know. What about taking cool or lukewarm baths with fragrant aromas? I don't know of any fragrances offhand but ebay and amazon often have some kind of fragrant bath salts or beads or oils. I don't know which one you'd prefer. I usually feel good after a good fragrant bath. I get himalayan salts by epsom. Sounds like you are doing a lot to deal with the hot flashes already. I hope your recovery goes very well and you are cured of the cancer. ❣
 
Ruthanne said:
I'm sorry you are dealing with cancer Pecos. It's no easy thing I know. What about taking cool or lukewarm baths with fragrant aromas? I don't know of any fragrances offhand but ebay and amazon often have some kind of fragrant bath salts or beads or oils. I don't know which one you'd prefer. I usually feel good after a good fragrant bath. I get himalayan salts by epsom. Sounds like you are doing a lot to deal with the hot flashes already. I hope your recovery goes very well and you are cured of the cancer. ❣
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Thanks Ruthanne, I will look for some fragrant bath oil/soap and it might provide some preemptive advantage from the calming effect. (At least, I will smell good.) Fortunately these hot flashes don't last that long, but when they hit, it is really disruptive, especially at night.
 

Pecos said:
(OK, ladies try not to laugh, …. at least not too hard)
My situation is that I successfully completed the radiation portion of treatment for prostrate cancer in early June, but still have 17 more months of hormone therapy before the Doctors will formally declare that I am out of the woods. These hormone shots (Lupron) take a man's T level down to zero and have a number of side effects beyond making me "a completely harmless male." Fatigue and hot flashes are the ones that trouble me the most. Like many women, my wife had hormone replacement to help her when she dealt with this, but that option is obviously not available to me.
I need some ideas to help me deal with this, the old fashioned way before modern medicine brought some relief to the women of the world!

What I have learned so far:
Hot flashes are unpredictable, but I am often able to detect when they are starting.
The herb Black Cohosh is some help. Are there any others that might help? Evening Primrose Oil did nothing for me.
Dropping the indoor temp by a couple of degrees helps.
Staying inside when it gets above 85F helps. (Fortunately my gym is always chilly.)
Using two ultra light blankets helps me better regulate my temperature when these thing strike at night.
There is an emotional side to this and watching cable news can trigger a hot flash rather quickly, especially if certain personalities show up. I also have to avoid violent movies, especially where women, children or animals are mistreated.

Does anyone have an suggestions? Other than to "roll with it."
… and I am so grateful that I only have 2 years to put up with this. My wife tells me that many women have to put up with this for as much as seven years. You ladies have my deepest sympathy.
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I'm truly not laughing. I've had them since I was about 50 I think it was. I do the natural supplements as well for them too. I didn't stick with the cohosh, but maybe I should try that again. I think magnesium has helped me more than anything and has a lot more benefits as well.

Heres a few things I got from my fave health info site I probably best not name here, but here are the supps:
  • Evening Primrose Oil
  • B-Complex
  • Zinc
  • Iodine
  • Selenium
  • Boron
I don't do all these, just some suggestions I read about. I think lots of water is crucial for what you are dealing with, and as much exercise as you can handle. Walking is what I do the most of in the exercise department. I also think some of mine is to do with my thyroid which is sort of both hyper and hypo. According to my blood-work anyway.

I do B-complex, extra B3 (Niacinimide not niacin), Magnesium Citrate, and D3.
 
A hand-held fan Pecos is still comforting me from hot flashes from 10+ years ago....I have one in the kitchen, my bedroom, my purse and the car for random flashes when least expected....you can buy one at any discount store or online for $2-$4 or a six pack for around $12....be very careful taking any herbal remedy if you're taking medications...the side effects can cancel out the quality of your meds....hope you find a solution quick and sending healiing thots now :)

fan.jpeg

They come in all solid colors but mostly floral prints on them....made from silk, wood and plastic....
 
Keesha said:
I’m not laughing either. My hot flashes were horrible.

Red raspberry or wild yams work very well.
Great post Denise. We have a lot in common.
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I have several, other home-remedies (I've picked up from others of our kind :alien:;)) and they have worked wonders. Nutrition mainly, but anywhere I feel, or know, I'm short on something, I will supplement ;)

Thanks for the red rasberry and Wild Yam mention. I'm going to check them out ;)
 
PopsnTuff said:
A hand-held fan Pecos is still comforting me from hot flashes from 10+ years ago....I have one in the kitchen, my bedroom, my purse and the car for random flashes when least expected....you can buy one at any discount store or online for $2-$4 or a six pack for around $12....be very careful taking any herbal remedy if you're taking medications...the side effects can cancel out the quality of your meds....hope you find a solution quick and sending healiing thots now :)

View attachment 76726

They come in all solid colors but mostly floral prints on them....made from silk, wood and plastic....
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I keep small electric fans going, in the window on nice days & nights with cool air coming in, and a fan on my desk as well.
 
I so hope you get some relief Pecos. Here is an archive of information on basically, recovering (natural, or home-remedies) from chemo & or radiation treatments for cancer. It might be a good read for you but I do understand what I think is good for me, may not be good for someone else;)
Help with side-effects of Chemo
 
Pecos said:
One thing I have to pay attention to is the fact that some herbs that help women are bad for men or can work against the medicines that the Doctors have given me. Life isn't simple anymore.
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That’s exactly right. Just because herbs are natural doesn’t mean that they can’t create unwanted chemical reactions to conventional medicines or foods.
 
Nowadays it's wise for us to do our own research on things we hear from doctors nurses and just regular people I've had to learn that myself and I do also know that I can't believe every single thing I read.
 
I too was struck with the dreaded hot flashes but did not want to take any supplements as the Drs. were already tinkering with the dosage for my thyroid medicine and was also taking other meds. I was one that had hyper-hypo thyroid and did finally have a complete ablation of the thyroid and then the hot flashes just finally disappeared.
Pecos:Hope the best for you and hope you find some relief.
 
One thing that I use for my hot flashes is called Estroven. They have several different formulations, depending on what you need help with. I use the one for night sweats. I'm not sure what the ingredients are offhand since I don't have the box with me, but it may have something you wouldn't be able to use as a man. Still, it has helped a lot so it might be worth checking out. You probably could just google it.

Also, when I started getting night sweats, my husband rigged up a fan for me. He put a small fan on my dresser facing the bed and a remote on the bed post. When I start getting hot, I just reach up to the remote and press the button and the fan goes on. When I've had enough, I push the other button. Simple and effective! And I don't have to get out of bed to work it.
 
For anyone else dealing with Prostrate Cancer, Hang In There. There does appear to be light at the end of this long tunnel.

Yesterday I got my third Lupron shot to keep my PSA and T level close to zero. I will get the final one in September and the nasty side effects should start taper off about nine months later. I will be so happy to put these hot flashes and this fatigue behind me. I have lost muscle and added fat, but my weight has stayed the same. The Doctor tells me that my "Mojo" will eventually return and the muscle will return. I will be close to 79 when that starts to happen, but being able to get back to the gym is something that I am looking forward to.

The Radiation part of the cancer treatment was the roughest, but when I look at the poor guys who have to do Chemo, I feel very lucky.

The shot itself is a whopper. It is so big that they rotate where the needle goes in. Yesterday was my left rear cheek to get it. In Sept it will go into my right front thigh muscle. Need-less-to say, I am careful about where I sit today.
 
rgp said:
Ya might want to look into a supplement called 'black cohash'


Black Cohosh | NCCIH
nccih.nih.gov › health › blackcohosh › ataglance

Can black cohosh help with hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms? Is it safe? Find out here.
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I have tried it, and it didn't help me as a man because it tends to mess with the female hormones that us males have floating around in our bodies. It actually increased the number of hot flashes I was having.

Thanks for suggesting it, … but so far I have not found a silver bullet.
 
I went "cold turkey" through menopause. I spent an entire winter with my coat wide open, and it was embarrassing to suddenly start perspiring when it wasn't even warm out. Didn't take anything, natural or otherwise.

Pecos, I hope you find something to take that will ease your symptoms. Is it feasible for you to open your bedroom window a crack? I recall doing that.

All the best to you.
 
Pinky said:
I went "cold turkey" through menopause. I spent an entire winter with my coat wide open, and it was embarrassing to suddenly start perspiring when it wasn't even warm out. Didn't take anything, natural or otherwise.

Pecos, I hope you find something to take that will ease your symptoms. Is it feasible for you to open your bedroom window a crack? I recall doing that.

All the best to you.
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I do keep all of my options open including using several light blankets that can be quickly peeled off and a nearby window that can be quickly opened. Most of my hot flashes don't last that long, but they sure get my attention when they happen.

One thing that is funny, is how a person can be hot and cold at the same time. That really baffles me.

I will get through this and will have an enhanced understanding of what you ladies put up with.
 
@Pecos = I didn't suffer much from menopause, mine was surgically induced when I was 42 with full hysterectomy (fibroid tumors). I did have the flashes for quite a few years, I just fanned myself for a minute or so until it stopped. If you think that is bad, you wouldn't want to have the period every month or childbirth. LOL Hope you feel better soon.

I read something interesting. Asians eat a lot of soy products and the women have no or very mild menopauses and very few men have prostrate problems. On the other hand, it could be genetics or ethnicity.
 
Prostrate Cancer Update.

The radiation treatment and a lot of the really unpleasant stuff is way back in my rear view mirror. Now I am starting to slowly emerge from the impact of those hormone shots that brought my testosterone and PSA down to zero for the last 2 1/2 years. The hot flashes have ended, the afternoon fatigue is not nearly as bad, my sense of balance (and ability to do yoga), seems to be back, and my workouts are stronger.

Now I still have not experiencing a return of my "mojo" so it looks like I will continue as a "completely harmless male" for a few more months. My wife has been extremely supportive through all of this for all these many months and has made my life a whole lot better than it would have ever been without her. She may never really understand how grateful I am, even with me telling her this truth very frequently.

So if anyone you know is traveling down this prostrate cancer path, tell them to hang in there, it will not last forever.

LOL, now all I really need is some Mojo.
 
You have gotten a good deal of good advice here, so i'm just offering my sympathy and well wishes.

For myself my peri menopause was likely triggered by having my tubes tied after birth of my daughter when i was 37, but that is around the age my Mom entered peri menopause, so it might have been a combo effect. i had PMS and discomfort during my menses for the first time in my life and was also highly irregular when previously unless ill it was 28 days like clockwork even before i went on the pill.


They tried to put me on HRT, when i was officially declared post menopausal a full decade later even tho i was not experiencing much of any symptoms up to then. The HRT made my breasts swell and ache like they hadn't since i weaned the twins. So i told the Doc no thanks, had a few doses of Black Cohosh my amateur herbalist 3rd husband brewed for me and once breasts recovered i still had no other symptoms. Because at the time i was in love with #3 my libido was not affected.

Interesting, you mentioning the getting physically hot when metaphorically 'hot' due to news or fiction that's triggering. Closest i've come to hot flashes is that my face will feel hot to me and to someone else touching it under the conditions you describe yours, but only my face. My fingers and toes will still be cold.
 
I can't believe I didn't come across this thread before. Seeing it's title, one would think it was written by a woman. :D I'm SO happy for you that you are coming down the homestretch and hope you get your "mojo" back real soon. Your wife is a wonderful woman and yes, you are blessed to have her but she's blessed to have you too. You have endured much MB and you have triumphed! May you stay blessed and well always.
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