amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

Gaga · 09-17-2007, 04:45 AM

I had to have a total hysterectomy a year ago and the hot flashes have not stopped yet. Is this normal? The night sweats are really getting to me and don't know what to do about them.

dreamseeds · 09-17-2007, 10:39 PM

Oh boy Charlene. Have you read any books that address hot flashes?

I had a hys. a littel over a year ago and once in awhile I have strong surges, but as time goes on I do much better on average.

I drink herbal tea daily. Usually red clover, red raspberry, nettles, oatstraw, motherwort, lemon balm, and the like to try and balance me out.

I change herbs on occassion according to what is going on (like if I feel a cold coming on I add immune booster)

Black cohosh and soy products are shown to help via research. There was a study to refute black cohosh recently but the study really gave no validation to the fine details nor how it was given. So I still think the claims about black cohosh helping are good.

Some women need to avoid caffeine, coffee, tea, chocolate, wine and alcohol, salsa and anything hot or it triggers a flash. Also stress is a huge precursor to flashing.
I find when I flash most I have either
Been Drinking
Under Stress

Have you been under stress lately, mama? How is your diet? Are you eating plenty of greens and yogurt? real important for menopausal women.

Lookign at your overall health, is there anything outstanding that may encourage flashes?

TeriMomOf4 · 09-17-2007, 11:30 PM

I had a hysterectomy a year ago also...must have been something in the air.

I haven't had any problems, but he left one ovary to help with hormone regulation.
I HAVE had these really bizarre hot flash type things but ONLY when I lay on my side? As soon as I roll onto my back, I am fine again.

tracey · 09-18-2007, 01:12 AM

just thought i'd commiserate.

my hyst will be this thursday morning. i hope to keep at least one ovary but won't know until thursday afternoon.

Gaga · 09-18-2007, 04:04 AM

I did read a little about things that I could do about the hot flashes but I have rather bad kidneys due to PKD ( polycystic kidney disease ) and have to be very careful of what I put in my body. I can't eat very much dairy or greens because of the potassium and phosphorus issues. I am on the transplant list for a new kidney but the Drs. say that it is a minimum wait of 7 years to get one unless I can find one on my own. So far this problem has cost me my female organs and I had to have a liver transplant almost three years ago. My anniversary is Sept. 26th. I am sorry if this is TMI I just needed to get this out. Some times I just feel like my body has turned traitor on me and I get p****d off

. I would like to try the tea thing you talked about but where do I go to get the ingred. without having to buy a pound of each at a time( I don't want them to go stale on me once i do get them.) I have tried a healing soup that is made with onions mushroom and tons of garlic, my DH hates when I eat it too much as I smell like a "garlic farm". OMG now I'm rambling better go back to bed ans see if I can get back to sleep. Will check in again tomorrow. Thank you for listing to me.

dreamseeds · 09-18-2007, 04:39 PM

Tracey, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Gaga, Ok well this is a whole other ball of wax. I can see your frustration with your body.
If you need tea, more than likely I can make it for you when the time comes. I usually have instock many organic herbs.

Since things seem to be related to your kidney and liver, I would try to get dandelion into your diet.
In the words of Gail Faith Edwards, it is an unfailing ally for releif of all cases of liver distress. Her recommendation is 20-40 drops tincture (I have instock) or 1 TBSP vinegar taken over food such as salad dressings. 2-4 days for as long as neccessary.
Dandelion stimulates the flow of bile from the liver and gallbladder.
Great tonic for kidney. BUT it does contain potassium so if your dr is saying no then that may not work for you.
But dandelion either early greens or roots are awesome for the kidney and liver.

This is not TMI-this forum is for real situations like yours with many people that can speak what they have learned to help.
If things come by me while I am studying that will help, I will sure suggest it here.

I am thinking the whole hormone thing in your body is part of it as well as the liver is usually the body part that clears our system of excess hormone. I bet you just have alot going on. Start with eating healthy.
What does eating healthy mean? Well, if you eat meat, do as clean as possible. Chicken is good-try to do organic, free range, or no hormone so your liver wont have to deal with that.
Beef..well best to eat buffalo if you can get it. Easier on the system. Moderate pork.
As many veggies as you can and in their raw state is the best source of nutrition.

We try to eat a salad a day at my house. My dh did a low carb type of eating with a huge salad each day and he lost 30#. He feels so incredible and his stamina is way better.

Just sharing that so you can see how we eat..I consider it healthy. I am incorporating tofu into my diet once or twice a week. Some consider soy foods unhealthy, so my view on healthy may be different than yours...lol but we can agree that fresh veggies and fruits are super beneficial to the body. Do what you can there and that is a foundation to what everything else rests upon.
Watch the caffiene and definately sugar. I almost wonder if your liver is overworked since it is a transplant (am I right) and causing your flashes to be more intense.

Hang in there mama. Do the best you can. I can imagine the frustration, but I beleive things can get better. Let me see if I am able to dig up any info to help you. In the meantime, jsut eat well , love life and nurture yourself the best way you can.

Thanks Teri for popping in and joining our humble mama area of Amitys.

Gaga · 09-20-2007, 03:15 AM

I would like to try the dandelion tincture if you have it for sale, also the tea mix if you have that as well. Just let me know how much and I will PP you the money. At this point I am ready to try almost anything to get over these night sweats and power surges that a plaguing me. I will also try to eat more veggies that are on my OK list. It is such a short list and I do love to eat my veggies, almost anything is on my "I like it" list. I do so miss being able to eat anything that I want when I want. At least they have not restricted my fluid intake yet. That will be very hard for me to live with. I also did not realize that coffee was a trigger for hot flashes. Will try to cut down on the caffeine, but as you can tell by my sig line coffee is my favorite crutch in life.

.

Thank you for the advice and support that you give. I realy need it at this point in my life.

Charlene

dreamseeds · 09-20-2007, 02:28 PM

Coffee is one of my vices as well, beleive me I know exactly what you are taking about.

a 4 oz bag of tea is $12 and if you would like ginseng added it is $15 and will last awhile.
I would make a few cups at a time and refrigerate some for ice tea if it is warm where you are. If it is cold you can add cinnamon stick, ginger or soemthing to warm your system.
I will make it taste as good as possible but it is herb tea and not the fluff at the store if you know what I mean.
So add honey if you want.

I have a 4 oz bottle of dandelion tincture left for $24
or 1 oz for $6.50
I would use say 10 drops in 1/4 cup of water up to 3 times a day preferably after meals if you are also using tea.

To make the tea, use 4-6 TBSP herb per quart of water, Add herbs to cold water and bring to slow simmer over low heat about 20 minutes. This is called decocting because you are extracting the chemicals from the plants roots. There would be 3 roots in this blend to aid the liver and hopefully minimize flashes.
After 20 minuted turn off heat. Strain and drink. You can refrigerate for up to 3 days. Die hard herbalist use within 2 days.

You can pm me if you want with the personal details.

This dandelion will have potassium so if you have the feeling it is not ok, skip that. But if you can have some, it is awesome!