30 Years of Hot Flashes

Editor's note: This is a guest post written by Claire Gawinowicz, a published writer who has had articles printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Parents Express, The National Pain Report, Philadelphia Business Journal, advancedbreastcancer.net, and patch.com.

I think I’ll stick my head in the freezer. Then take some anti-anxiety medication. Then run down the street screaming. That’s how I feel when I get a hot flash. As anyone who gets hot flashes knows, a hot flash is not just feeling a little warm. It’s a feeling of dread, mixed with anxiety, all wrapped up in a quart of sweat. 

Hot flashes have continued into my 70s

Mine usually last for about two to three minutes. Wait. That’s not correct. Mine have lasted for over 30 years! They started in my 40s and are continuing on into my 70s making my golden years more like my arsenic years. I mistakenly believed that after menopause things would calm down.

But no! I have to endure this malady even as a grey-haired senior citizen who just wants to drink wine and stare off into the distance after working hard in my career and launching two children out into the world. No doctor or other professional informed me of the lifespan of hot flashes.

Maybe they were afraid to tell me because there they have no good “cure” - they don’t even a half-decent cure (I’m not a doctor but maybe yours knows something I don’t, so please consult them for advice). 

Driving during hot flashes

In the meantime, let’s talk about driving while flashing (no, not that kind of flashing!). Picture this: you’re driving along on a beautiful spring day, the sun is shining, flowers are blooming, it’s a little cool still so you have on long pants and a sweater. Then, fire in the hole! A hot flash hits and you need to get the sweater off pronto.

But you are in the middle of a highway doing 65 with nowhere to pull over. You’re not going to make it to the next exit. So you try to wriggle out of the sweater without crashing into the semi that is flying down the road next to you. It’s not easy but it has to be done. You know the flash will be over in a couple minutes so why can’t you just be patient and wait till it subsides? Because you feel like you’re going out of your mind with heat and anxiety. If you could, you’d take your pants off, too.

In this scenario, it’s impossible to wriggle out of the sweater so there’s not much that can be done but to accept that time will take care of this but it is not going to be pleasant. Finally, after taking many deep breaths, opening all the windows with the AC blasting, the flash subsides and you carry on down the road.

Learning to endure

These are moments you must endure (as well as the weird looks the neighbors give me when I go for a fast walk in the middle of the winter with no coat on). But I guess it could be worse. I could still be getting my period. Ugh. That just gave me the shivers (and it was a good feeling - LOL).

Oh, one more thing I’m grateful for - my generator. Because when the electricity goes out during a bad storm I still have a freezer to stick my head into.