Forum Discussion

NaturalBel's avatar
12 years ago

Hot flushes and broken sleep

TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER.

I am currently not on any medication, but experiencing hot flushes and constant broken sleep.  I would love to hear from any ladies who have completed all their treatment, and going through menopause, without any medication.

I am currently using meditation, walks and pilates as my relaxation tools.

I feel some of this is due to anxiety of returning to work too.

Thank you for advice and ideas!

  • Hi Bel, I am yet to start on tamoxifen and am not looking forward to it. I have hot flushes and hate them. I get them through the day and night. I have been having them since before chemo finished about Jan.

    After lots of research and trial and error I have them under control through;

    • regular (daily) exercise, i go for walks, and have recently started doing walk/sprints to try to control eight as well, i also swim 3 days a week
    • I do not drink caffiene, apparently it increases hot flushes, it does for me, almost instantly
    • stay away from hot and spicey foods, but because i love that type of thing i sometimes just put up with the effects
    • stay away from most alcohol, especially red wine. I have had some wines that dont bring them on, i havent worked out what it is in the wine that does it, just easier to leave it alone or suffer the consequences
    • my latest thing is to try to avoid preservatives, not sure if is that which sometimes gives me a kind of fuzzy face feeling. I dont know, i am just sick of side effects so try to eat unprocessed foods.

    Even at work, i always get out for a walk at around lunch time. I just put myself first now and it helps to control any anxiety at work and keeps me moving keeping the flushes away.

    So thats pretty much it. I am pretty good at avoiding them now and have just adjusted to all the above. I used to lapse quiet a bit but i will do anything to avoid them now.

    I also take swisse sleep every night which relaxes me and i drift off to sleep. If i dont sleep i cant function.

    I hope something there might help, cheers Louie

  • Hi Bel, I have been taking Evening Primrose Oil for my hot flushes, it has really toned them down, there is no side effects and it's cheap (I buy it at Chemist Warehouse). I finding at the moment I will get a hot flush from stress or nerves at work. I still get broken sleep, but that's due to discomfort from my port on the whole. Other than that all I'm taking at the moment is a multivitamin, red krill oil and vitamin d. Cheers, Cheryle :) P.S. Oops Herceptin too of course.
  • Hi Bel, I have been taking Evening Primrose Oil for my hot flushes, it has really toned them down, there is no side effects and it's cheap (I buy it at Chemist Warehouse). I finding at the moment I will get a hot flush from stress or nerves at work. I still get broken sleep, but that's due to discomfort from my port on the whole. Other than that all I'm taking at the moment is a multivitamin, red krill oil and vitamin d. Cheers, Cheryle :) P.S. Oops Herceptin too of course.