Oh, Those Hot Flashes!

As we women advance in age, the change of our metabolism and body functions is inevitable. It varies with each of us, but those drastic changes come whether we are ready or not. I have always been an advocate of the preventative way of life, trying to stave off the life-threatening diseases by a healthy life style that includes healthy eating habits, drinking plenty of water, and daily exercising. Of course, I have been taking supplemental vitamins---since I was ten. My mom decided I did not eat enough to get the nutrients I need every day so she started me on a regimen of vitamins. I still adhere to that regimen to this day.

Because I never smoked, drank much alcohol, or even caffeine (I am allergic to it), I really thought I would be the first woman in history to never go through the drastic changes in my advanced years. Silly me! It came anyway even with all I did to try to stay the thin ( size 7) energetic adult that loves the outdoors, it happened even before I realized it.

A lot was going on in my life at the time my body began its first attempts to make me into that senior citizen I vowed never to become, so I really did not realize I was gaining weight slowly but steadily. Well no matter; I could loose ten pounds in a week by a slight change in my intake and a greater amount of output through exercise. Or so I thought. Somehow my metabolism just decided to slow down without my permission and I found myself almost 30 pounds overweight. This is also the time I was going through the sever pain in my right leg, ankle and knee that prevented me from the amount of intensive exercise I really needed to loose the weight.

So what happened! At first I felt a little less energetic, and did not want to do all the 12 hours of hyperactivity I normally did on a daily basis. I really did not have those hot flashes I was told about, so I thought this was going to be a breeze. The medical people told me it may take up to 10 years to go through the total change, so I just decided to eat less and try to exercise somewhat more. Well the hot flashes came on with a vengeance about the time I was almost through the total change, according to my hormone levels.

For those males and younger women out there that have no idea what I am talking about, the hot flashes are horrible. All of a sudden my body feels like I am going to spontaneously combust! Heat and sweat pour out through my chest and upper body. I just wish I could bottle that heat for later on when I really need it. So off come the covers, jackets, clothes to try to cool the body down. Standing out in 10 degree weather with no coat with my arms out wide is heaven; or at least until it passes.

Most of the time these flashes (or flushes as they are called in the medical field) are something I can do without. I have spoken with women in their 80s who still have them! There was this one time, however, when I was extremely happy to have one. As the pain in my leg increased. I asked to have a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of my right knee to see what was going on. It was in mid July and the temperature outside was a humid 95 degrees. I was working in the greenhouse all morning, so I was sweating profusely. The MRI room was air conditioned and felt great, at least at first. They put me on the table and gave me a button on a long cord to push if I needed anything while the machine did its thing. The procedure would take 25 minutes. For the first ten I felt fine, then as my body cooled, I began to get chilled. Well, I am not one to cry out for any reason so I decided to wait it out. As time moved on I began to get goose bumps and shivers (I was dressed in shorts and a tank top) and was just about to push the button to ask for a cover. Then it happened; that hot flash that chased away all the chills and left me feeling very comfortable for the rest of the procedure! Oh, if we could only time those hot episodes and use them when we need them. I sometimes think all us menopausal women contribute more to global warming then the CO₂!