Is it hot in here or is it me?
It has been quite a summer between severe storms and intense heat waves. The heat has been on at times all across the country with much of the midwest baking in 100-plus-degree temperatures.
I can’t say I’m used to the intense tropical summer heat of Florida yet, but I’m getting there. I experienced it before living here for a few years in the early 1990s. Back then, getting showered and dressed for work was futile as I’d already be dripping in sweat again by the time I got into my car and got the air conditioning blasting cool air. It was a constant state of sweat.
Fast forward several decades and here I am sweating it out again — but not just because I’m back in the tropical heat. Ladies, can you guess the real reason why? Yep — hot flashes!
Menopause emerged in full force years ago and my doctor told me I was probably in perimenopause for several years before the real thing kicked into gear. If you haven’t experienced this, it’s tough to describe. I remember my mom having hot flashes when she entered menopause and she would say, “I feel like my ears are turning purple!” That always made me laugh, but now I know exactly what she meant.
When the hot flashes first began, I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. Trying to tough it out while functioning at work was too much to bear. It really wasn’t any fun trying to get through them while working in television without my hair, makeup and clothes showing up drenched in sweat while delivering the weather forecast.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, I consulted my doctor and did some research. Like many other health conditions, there’s research out there supporting all different conclusions on treatment. What’s real and what’s not true? Is hormone replacement therapy safe or does it cause cancer and heart risk? The thinking has flip-flopped several times during the past few decades, and it’s interesting to see increased interest and research into menopause by a new generation of doctors and scientists.
When I hit 60 recently, my new doctor here told me to stop taking estrogen. Since I don’t have to “keep my cool” at a job anymore, I did. The dumbest decision was the timing and doing that at the height of summer. I felt like a blast furnace lived at the base of my skull.
I eventually changed doctors to a menopause expert who told me new research shows some HRT can be beneficial to a woman’s health (depending on medical history), so we’re trying out a course of treatment. So far, so good, with the number of hot flashes dropping but not yet eliminated.
For now, I still rely on ceiling fans, my portable fan and cooling neck rings I keep stashed in the freezer for immediate relief.
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.