Any cure for hot flushes and other newbie queries

[cjohnson]

Hi everyone/anyone

I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic a couple of weeks ago and am now on metformin (no side affects yet, do they have a cumulative effect or would I have noticed by now?).

Anyway one of the other probs I have is that I have hot flushes cos of the menopause (great to be a woman!!) and up to a couple of months ago was taking black cohosh but thought I'd best stop for a while but now the flushes are back worse than ever and are becoming a real pain. Could this be related to the diabetes.

Has anyone got any ideas as to what I could use to calm these down as between the flushes and the trips to the loo during the night I am not gettnig much sleep. :cry: I am on metformin (only one per day), simvastatin (also got high cholesterol) and aspirin.

Also while I am on a roll with asking (probably dumb) questions ..... I have not been told to monitor my bs levels at all and was wondering whether this is usual. Have been given some advice on diet, told to have a good balance with some carbs but not too many but don't have appointment with dietician until mid October.

Sorry to ramble on with a few questions but thought I would save time and posts by putting it all in one - here's hoping someone can help especially with the flushes, thanks. Chris J

 

[iHs]

Hello

I noticed in your message the mention of black cohosh.

My sister-in-law's friend died a few years ago now from liver failure caused by a menopausal remedy containing black cohosh. This medicine was in actual fact bought in a well known health food store.

I would therefore recommend that you don't take this stuff and look on Google for liver failure caused by black cohosh.

If the flushes are a big problem can you talk to your Gp about HRT?

 

[cjohnson]

Hi thanks for reply.

I came off them because I was worried about it and in fact my doc is sending me for a liver scan because of high enzyme levels. Not sure about HRT as my boss got breast cancer through HRT and ending up having a breast removed so I think I will have so suffer.

Chris

 

[sugarless sue]

Well the only good thing about flushes is they keep you cosy in the winter!!I never did find anything useful to take,they don't last forever ,thank goodness.Just a case of chucking the bedding on and off during the night,a fan helps but probably annoying for any significant others in the bed!
Monitoring your BS is necessary to be able to find out which foods affect your BS.Some doctors/nurses will try and tell you it is not necessary but you will not find anyone on this forum that agrees with that attitude.Have a good browse around the forum and ,if you have more questions ...ask away, there's always someone with an answer.

 

[ChocFish]

Hello Chris and welcome to the forum although I'd rather you wasnt here at all (you know what I mean)

Ok its good that you have been advised to cut carbs, but not so good that you have not been offered a tester and a prescription for test strips. The thing is that everything you eat will have some effect on your bg, so testing is the only way to find out if your sugars have risen dramatically or just slightly, everyone reacts different, we are individuals after all. So testing will help you to gain good control eventually, although in the beginning its all trial and error, just like with anything else. I suggest that you read as much as you can in this forum and make up your own mind on how you want to tackle this diabetes issue, dont be afraid to ask questions, come in here for support and to share the good and not so good times and all that in between.
Two essentials you need are a meter, they cost around £10-!5 from a chemist, and insist your doctor prescribes you some strips, explain you need them otherwise you wont have a clue what the food is doing to you.
Second invest in the diabetics bible 'The Diabetes Solution' by Dr Bernstein.
Please cut out all bad for you fats from your diet, and you might want to consider using cinnamon, flaxseed oil and a good vitamin/mineral supplement too, check with your doctor.
There are some posts about cholesterol and simvastatin in this forum, as I said do read up as much as you can. The more you learn the better and you will become your own expert at managing this condition and as a result live a long and healthy life hopefully with no complications.

Re your question about Metformin, I think some lucky people get no or very few symptoms, maybe you are one of them, having said that I was on a really high dose and never got stomach upsets, except I felt like a zeppelin (being obese added to it) I was so bloated and windy, geeeze, but we wont go into that because I am a lady after all So lets hope you are one of the lucky ones.

I suspect that your sugars are still quite high, you mention frequent trips to the loo and sweating, these are signs of high sugar but also the menopause, difficult to say which condition you blame on that, so do your little best to reduce your bg. I still havent started the menopause :-( I seriously wish I would, but from friends and family I hear that this pillow, called a 'chillow' helps a great deal with the hot flushes, at least while you are in bed, if your sugars are reduced you wont need the loo quite so often, but listen, do your pelvic floor exercises, I am doing mine while I am writing this, I hope thats not too much information, but serious, this will help you in future. Wear light clothing during the day, take moist wipes with you to help cool you down, not sure about HRT, I think thats a personal issue and best discussed with your doctor, again some women cope better than others. I used to suffer from hot flushes as a side effect of chemotherapy, before I was diagnosed diabetic, I found the Kneipp water stepping was really helpful and some of my friends do this now to help with hot flushes, its easy to do at home, do a search on google and see if this is something that you want to try. Maybe better for you than taking some dodgy meds even if they are from a 'health' shop?

All the best

Karen

 

[iHs]

Regarding the blood sugar monitoring, you could probably do with getting hold of a monitor and using it for about 2-3 months so that you get an idea of how much carb you can actually eat without it making your bg levels go right up whilst you take the metformin. As a starting point try before breakfast, then before evening meal and before bedtime. Try to aim somewhere between 4 and 7. If you find that your bg is higher, then you've got to cut back a bit more on the carb.

I know a few ppl who use metformin and just cut back a bit on the amount of carb that they eat throughout the day, like leave off the crisps, pies, chocci biscuits, cut back on the spuds, pasta and rice etc. This seems to keep them controlled all ok and they now only do a random blood test now and again. They get their hba1c test done every 4 months I think so the gp can pick up on an elevated reading fairly quickly.

 

[ChocFish]

PS it is not necessary to buy all those expensive supplements and whatever people want to sell you in the name of Kneipp, just plain ordinary water in your bath/shower will do, if you want to use herbs (externally) then its up to you but you can get them for a fraction of the price of those 'Kneipp baths and snake oils'

http://www.dayspaassociation.com/mainpages/water.htm

 

[cjohnson]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. Will get a meter etc. and will keep in touch to let you know how I'm getting on - am sure I will have more questions in the future.

Thanks again, Chris

 

[sugarless sue]

If you are trotting to the loo anyway during the night try running your wrists under the cold tap.That cools you down!!

 

[ally5555]

I get alot of request from women about diet and the flushes.

what is interesting is that in asia where they eat alot of soya they do not appear to suffer the same problems! If you do not want to take HRT which is generally the most effective way of dealing with it - your GP wil check your hormone levels first to check you are going thro it or not.

Many women are nervous about taking it and want an alternative. You could change to soya milk - with added calcium of course and consider an isoflavone supplement - go to boots or similar and there are a number available like menopace and imea. Many women have reported back that these have helped reduce the symptoms or they have gone completely - the only time I do not rec them if you have had breast cancer or if there is a family history speak to your gp first.

 

[hanadr]

If you put herbws into your bath, Check them first. some can cause skin problems and a friend of mine swelled up all over afte using hyacinth oil. Generally, if it's an edible herb, It is safe.

 

[barlaysugar]

This is not a cure, but I believe there is a product on the market called chillow - a chilled pillow. It might help with the hot flushes/night sweats a little.

 

[cjohnson]

Hi everyone

Just a quick update - saw DN today and got free meter and repeat prescription for testing strips and lancets - so a result! At least now I will be able to see whether doing the right thing. Still getting 'hot under the collar' despite the great advice but hey rome wasn't built in a day! :wink:

Chris J