Is this what hot flushes are really like or is it something else?

[Trustylion]

Ive just turned 51 and perimenopausal. Periods have been irregular and getting more spaced out for a couple of years. Last period was beginning of September. Before that oscillation between 20/30/40/50 days. So I was well into it, I assumed. But no other real symptoms apart from a bit more grumpy/anxious and slight 'running hot' sonless seeing jumpers etc. No hot flushes or night sweats though I am definitely warmer at night that I used to be.

About 5 days ago I started to feel horrendous. Constant state of anxiety/impending doom. Chest pains coming and going and feeling constantly chilled and clammy. I am having near constant what feels like the start of a hot flush but doesn't fully develop. I'm permanently sweaty, sticky and clammy. I am in permanent night sweats literally all night. Am having to sleep with a towel, windows open and feel constantly chilled and hot at the same time if thats possible. Tight chest and short of breath but feel like that might be anxiety/panic. My temperature is normal.

I feel so bad that I was considering booking a GP appointment. But I don't want to be that woman that goes to the doctor's because menopause has started. I'm just really surprised that is could be like this? Inperhaps naively thought it would start gradually with perhaps 1 or 2 hot flushes a week/day. Does it really just go from nothing to being in a constant state of night sweat all night and constantly flushed during the day? Wouldn't there be more of a build up?

I did have my Covid booster at the end of September and flu vaccine a week ago so I initially thought it might be related to that but it doesn't show any signs of going away. Does this sound normal for menopause symptoms? Of so pass the HRT as it's horrendous and I can't put up with this for the next 5-7 years!

Sounds like menopause symptoms to me. Mine also came on quite quickly.

The anxiety and brain fog was far worse than the sweating and aches but all were horrible. Sleeplessness, weird dreams when finally asleep too.

All my symptoms improved with HRT within days

Sounds very like it. Doesn't seem to have come on suddenly though. Sounds like you've been revving up to it for a while.

Definitely sounds like menopause.

But why don’t you want to be ‘that woman’? The women who go to the gp when they start menopause are the ones taking charge of their lives and finding solutions. Go and start the conversation.

I've felt very odd since my flu jab on Friday, freezing cold and then hot and achey too in my chest, just like when you have the flu.

Ok thanks all I'll make an appointment and get some HRT as this is hideous, can't believe we're meant to just put up with it, or were.

Do you really get cold sweats and hot flushes that go on continuously most of the day though - really had no idea and assumed would be discrete incidents. Will it just stay like this until I get some estrogen in me? No wonder people want HRT.

Nothing discrete about a full blown hot flush, mine used to last days sometimes!

5-7 years ? That's if you are lucky! It's hell on earth, just hell.

Hello. Don't want to add to your anxiety but chest pain, cold sweats, feeling of doom, shortness of breath... go to A&E.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-attack/symptoms/
Better to be checked out - your body is clearly telling you something.

It varies hugely but yes, it can be like this. It can be utterly debilitating and causes 1000s of women to have to give up their jobs. I haven't gone down the hrt route but had huge success with sage supplements. Took about 3 months to kick in but worked a treat eventually. Its nowhere near the same as hrt but it can certainly help women who can't have or don't want hrt.

Actually that's a good point, tight chest and shortness of breath should be checked out asap, I missed that.

Yeah GP receptionist thought the same so now getting checked out after 111, thanks. Think is probably 'just' the menopause though but best to get checked out. So now I am that woman that takes up a doctor's appt 'just' for menopause symptoms!! They wanted me to call an ambulance but I refused after seeing the posts on here about people lying on the floor with a broken hip waiting for one for 8 hours. As usual it brings home that there needs to be something in between ambulance/AandE and GP appointment in 3 weeks.

My hot flushes started fairly suddenly and came on about 20 -30 times a day and night. Lasted about a year at full intensity then calmed down gradually.
A feeling of intense heat all over. Soaking night sweats.

A friend of mine was having them every 20 mins all day. Started HRT and they've all stopped. Good luck op.

It all happened suddenly for me as well. I went from horrendously heavy periods to no periods but horrendous hot flushes within a few months. They aren't too bad during the day but during the night I am constantly chucking the duvet on and off. It feels like I'm back to the baby days when I never got a full night's sleep. At least I'm not too sweaty but I've had enough of it, goodness knows what it's doing to my general health so I think I'm going to try HRT.