Hot flushes

Gmahelen

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi I'm 59, for just over a year my body has over heated. Last winter I was wearing strappy tops and sandals. I just don't feel the cold. This overheating is getting me down no one can give me a reason why. All blood tests are fine. I have under active thyroid ( meds keep this in check. ) Fibromyalgia I take amitriptyline for this. I have fatty liver as I'm overweight at 99 kg. I'm also type 2 I've had my meds reduced to 2 metformin a day. Is there anybody out there that knows how I feel. Also I am completely through the menopause
Thanks Helenx
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi I'm 59, for just over a year my body has over heated. Last winter I was wearing strappy tops and sandals. I just don't feel the cold. This overheating is getting me down no one can give me a reason why. All blood tests are fine. I have under active thyroid ( meds keep this in check. ) Fibromyalgia I take amitriptyline for this. I have fatty liver as I'm overweight at 99 kg. I'm also type 2 I've had my meds reduced to 2 metformin a day. Is there anybody out there that knows how I feel. Also I am completely through the menopause
Thanks Helenx

Hello Gmnhelen - Are you hot all the time, or just at certain times? Where did starting to feel hot come in relation to your diabetes diagnosis?

And finally, do you test your bloods at home, on a day to day basis? Some people fins if their numbers are running a bit high they can get hot.
 

lynnedeloo

Well-Known Member
Messages
74
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello Gmnhelen - Are you hot all the time, or just at certain times? Where did starting to feel hot come in relation to your diabetes diagnosis?

And finally, do you test your bloods at home, on a day to day basis? Some people fins if their numbers are running a bit high they can get hot.
 

lynnedeloo

Well-Known Member
Messages
74
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello, Yes get very very hot and have sweat dripping off my face (it's not attractive). I am on 1500mg SR Metformin and type 2 diabetic. I do not test my bloods. I get so hot in shops or going out for a meal and at work, it is so embarrassing I do not know what to do. Have been through the menopause but still keep taking Clonidine (dixarit) 3 in the morning and 3 at night. I have had various blood tests but they do not show anything.

Don't know if my bloods are too high or not!

If you find an answer, please let me know!
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello, Yes get very very hot and have sweat dripping off my face (it's not attractive). I am on 1500mg SR Metformin and type 2 diabetic. I do not test my bloods. I get so hot in shops or going out for a meal and at work, it is so embarrassing I do not know what to do. Have been through the menopause but still keep taking Clonidine (dixarit) 3 in the morning and 3 at night. I have had various blood tests but they do not show anything.

Don't know if my bloods are too high or not!

If you find an answer, please let me know!

Is it any time of the day, and what happens during the night?

If your Doctor won't prescribe you it, It would be a good thing to buy yourself a meter and some strips and test your numbers, including when the hot flush comes on. If nothing else, it would eliminate a potential reason.
 

ickihun

Master
Messages
13,698
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies
Totally agree. You both need a meter to see if due to high bgs.
In the past I've had the sweats when still not menopausal. It was the fluctuations of bgs. From high to lower and vice versa. Blurry vision too?
I'll tag @AM1874 who has some great meter buying advice.

Get testing and better control stops those sweats.
 

AM1874

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,383
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Not much
Hi @Gmahelen .. and welcome
I havn't "had the sweats" myself but, that aside, you have certainly made a good move coming here and the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes or prediabetes through diet, exercise and testing your blood glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 4-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the valuable information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

I agree with the advice that you have been given above about getting yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help: and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

The cost of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available
Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips. For the bulk discount on strips for the SD Codefree, you need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and the number of packs that you want). Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Coupon. Enter the relevant discount code in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price .. and finally, you then proceed to checkout

It's important that you test in conjunction with what you are eating. You may have heard the phrase "eating to your meter" which, for me, means that I'm testing 4-5 times a day .. I take my fasting BG first thing in the morning to check that it hasn't shot up overnight, then I test immediately before meals and two hours afterwards. This enables me to monitor trends in my blood glucose levels over time and to check which (if any) foods give me "spikes". More importantly, I now know what my levels are .. and I can manage them

Hope this helps
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
The advice above is excellent. :)

But I want to mention another possibility - food reaction.

I have a friend who flushes with wine. A full face and chest beetroot flush. It comes on about 15 mins after her first sip, lasts 20 mins then passes.

I’m whey intolerant (in milk). Every time I have milk in tea I start to yawn. Big cracking teary yawns. Lasts 10 mins or so.

Different foods seem to have different effects on different people.

Sometimes, after a meal out, I will wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. No idea what the cause is, but I speculate there was something in that meal that affected my thermostat 6 hours later.

Having said that, checking blood glucose levels seems like a higher priority than checking for food intolerances :)
 

Gmahelen

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello Gmnhelen - Are you hot all the time, or just at certain times? Where did starting to feel hot come in relation to your diabetes diagnosis?

And finally, do you test your bloods at home, on a day to day basis? Some people fins if their numbers are running a bit high they can get hot.
The longest I've sweated was 3 hrs. It's very uncomfortable and I get the overwhelming urge to strip off because I need to get cool. It comes on unpredictably so I can't even second guess it. Doc thinks it could be down to fluoxetine I've tried to reduce it but that made no difference. I've also changed my diet. Cooking from scratch and eating some raw foods as I understand that can benefit the liver. X
 

Gmahelen

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello Gmnhelen - Are you hot all the time, or just at certain times? Where did starting to feel hot come in relation to your diabetes diagnosis?

And finally, do you test your bloods at home, on a day to day basis? Some people fins if their numbers are running a bit high they can get hot.
Sugars range from 4.6 which is a hypo to me and 10.1
 

ickihun

Master
Messages
13,698
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies
The longest I've sweated was 3 hrs. It's very uncomfortable and I get the overwhelming urge to strip off because I need to get cool. It comes on unpredictably so I can't even second guess it. Doc thinks it could be down to fluoxetine I've tried to reduce it but that made no difference. I've also changed my diet. Cooking from scratch and eating some raw foods as I understand that can benefit the liver. X
Is the raw foods helping or making it worse? I was advised to avoid raw veg as it makes the thyroid work harder. I have an underactive thyroid.
I see your bgs are in that common range and as I've noticed with me, if I'm reducing my bgs naturally as I'm pottering around or normally when I've skipped a meal I get heavy sweats until my bg settles into good range. High bgs changing to lower via movement gives me huge sweats for an hour if so.
You must rehydrate yourself, preferably with water.
Sweats are very common is bad controlled type2s.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Gmahelen

Hello Helen and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 250,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

wiflib

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,966
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It could be menopause related. Peri-menopause is the process we go through before we end up in menopause and sadly for a lot of women, the hot sweats (I hear how much you are suffering, I am too) carry on for years in menopause.
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Sugars range from 4.6 which is a hypo to me and 10.1

Have you tested when you feel hot? Is there any trend between your blood sugars and temperature?

Thinking about your menopause; you seem pretty certain you have passed your menopause. Have you been tested for that? It's a simple blood test, looking at a handful of the critical hormones.
 

ickihun

Master
Messages
13,698
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies
Hello, Yes get very very hot and have sweat dripping off my face (it's not attractive). I am on 1500mg SR Metformin and type 2 diabetic. I do not test my bloods. I get so hot in shops or going out for a meal and at work, it is so embarrassing I do not know what to do. Have been through the menopause but still keep taking Clonidine (dixarit) 3 in the morning and 3 at night. I have had various blood tests but they do not show anything.

Don't know if my bloods are too high or not!

If you find an answer, please let me know!
It would help you to use a meter. Do you agree?
I hope AM1874 info was some help.
 

clarea

Member
Messages
20
Hi pleased to hear I'm not the only one with this story. I used to think it was because I worked on a market stall and do St john so was always outside. I have an underactive thyroid as well as diabetes 2 on insulin, on top of this I have epilepsy (had amygdalohippocampectomy) also B12 and macroprolactinoma (pituitary tumour) have read lately that insulin can have an effect on Thyroxine.
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi pleased to hear I'm not the only one with this story. I used to think it was because I worked on a market stall and do St john so was always outside. I have an underactive thyroid as well as diabetes 2 on insulin, on top of this I have epilepsy (had amygdalohippocampectomy) also B12 and macroprolactinoma (pituitary tumour) have read lately that insulin can have an effect on Thyroxine.

Hi Clarea - I don't suffer with any of the conditions you find yourself with (well, except for an historic T2 diagnosis), but I do know @ickihun uses insulin and has an under-active thyroid, so I hope she might be able to drop by.
 

letstalk1

Well-Known Member
Messages
308
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
I go thru spurts of hot flushes that go for 5-7 days off and on during the day- my bc is ok during the flushes , then I can go 3-4 weeks with none then they show up again- hate it.