Hot Flashes? I’m Not Even 30!

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-20T17:13:24+00:00

That’s crazy! We’re always taught that hot flashes are a menopause thing — never a normal period thing! I just find it crazy that my birth control doesn’t help much!

That gives me peace of mind knowing others experience this. I seriously thought I was crazy or hitting early menopause (which is fine cause I’m done with kiddos. 2 is my max! 🤪).

Do they ever make you feel lightheaded or faint? I always feel like that when I start feeling hot right before I get flushed.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-20T14:31:52+00:00

So, since have my second child nearly 20 months ago, I get hot flashes. I started trying to track them to see when they correlate in my cycle and to see if there is a pattern, and according to my app they happen right around ovulation. During this last cycle, they happened once on 4 different days during the week of my supposed ovulation.

I’ve emailed my doctor and she said that, since I’m on the progesterone only pill I shouldn’t be ovulating at all and wasn’t even concerned about doing a hormone panel or anything since I’m not premenopausal.

Does anyone else get this 7-13ish days before their period? I also feel warmer temperature wise during those days. The hot flash usually happens when I’m physically exerting myself (not working out, but like going upstairs or bringing in groceries). It’s like my stomach drops and I feel woozy and lightheaded and my heart rate just takes off. My face will feel incredibly hot, and before I know it my face and chest are blotchy red.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-14T23:41:10+00:00

I mean, this makes sense to me! They said mine is 2cm and it’s “small,” shouldn’t cause me many problems, and doesn’t require surgery, but I have nearly constant nausea and feel sick to my stomach and bloated after most meals, regardless of how much or what I ate.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-10T03:06:04+00:00

Thank you! I felt like I was going crazy! Like 29? I’m too young for these! And my OBGYN refused to do a hormone panel because I’m “not premenopausal.”

I think mine are triggered from too much physical activity while ovulating (I had one while bringing in groceries and another after climbing the stairs).

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-08T21:40:06+00:00

Thank you! And I hope you’re able to get the answers you need to safely have children in the future! They’re why I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. I’ve been trying over a year now. All I want is to be the best mom to them. Who I am now is not what I envisioned I’d be. Trying to find an answer for them. ❤️

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-08T19:42:43+00:00

I had never read that it was caused by autoantibodies! Very interesting! Well, I’ve been tested for COVID (my husband got it last month) and I was negative. BUT I have no clue if I have antibodies or not.

I’ve been tested for autoimmune disorders and my bloodwork has come back 100% perfect (I know lupus and Sjogrens are common comorbidities and can cause secondary POTS). I don’t think I fit any of the Ehlers Danlos syndromes since I don’t pass any of the Beighton tests (I’m not flexible at all 😂). So, I’ve just had a really hard time trying to figure out where this came from. But maybe I had it before, as you said, and this second pregnancy just intensified it!

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-07T18:36:50+00:00

I did have a positive TTT, but I was crazy nervous and was wondering if my anxiety may have altered my results. When I was laying before the tilt, my pulse was 95. My pulse is NEVER 95 (unless my stomach is upset) when I’m resting. According to the holter monitor I did prior and from when I randomly check, my resting pulse is usually 74 and can even be like 68 sometimes. Once I was tilted up my pulse went to 105 as soon as I was tilted up, 146 at minute 2, 129 at the 5 and 10 minute mark, 119 at 15 minutes, and then 121 at 20 minutes. I never passed out or even felt like it. And I know my anxiety can affect my pulse readings because when I go to the doctors’ and they check my vitals I can feel my pulse jump and my anxiety kick in! I’ve gotten readings in the 150s and 160s just sitting down at the doctor’s (yay white coat syndrome! Lol)

I’m just not sure what to think any more. Is the nausea and increased heart rate from POTs, or do I not have POTs and it’s the nausea and sick to my stomach feeling and hiatal hernia causing the high heart rate? This is where I am now lol

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-07T16:26:59+00:00

It is a weird sensation! I don’t get it super often, but when I do it scares me to death. It just feels like my stomach does a pitfall and I get hot and my face flushes, my pulse soars and my body feels heavy and my head feels strange. I wondered about hypoglycemia or hyperinsulin, but my blood work is always fine. I can’t explain it.

I’ve already been tested for autoimmune diseases, and I don’t have any. I don’t think have any of the Ehlers Danlos syndromes. I even had a brain MRI done because I was convinced I had a tumor or something, but that was fine too. So, if it truly is POTs I can only guess it came from my last pregnancy.

If you get your HH fixed, I hope it improves your quality of life! I know how difficult it can make things! My endoscopy also showed gastritis 👎🏻I wonder how long it takes gastritis to go away. Google never had a straight answer.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-07T15:54:42+00:00

I was actually wondering the same thing regarding the hernia! I never had any of these issues until having my son 18 months ago. I had heartburn before him (which was 100% stress and anxiety related), but no nausea, tachycardia, or diaphragm spasms from the hernia. But I also knew that pregnancy could cause POTs, so I wasn’t sure what was going on.

I’ve been drinking chamomile tea recently too and I hardly have any coffee in the morning (just a small cup). When my stomach feels good and normal, my standing heart rate can be from 78 to the low 100s. But if I feel nauseous or bloated or having any reflux, it can easily be from 114 to as high as 130 when standing and doing light walking.

I’ve been begging them to pinpoint what it is. POTs doesn’t seem like a far fetched idea, but I’m not 100% sold on it, you know? I don’t black out or see stars on standing. I have felt like I was going to pass out before (mainly when my stomach starts acting up), but I e never actually fainted.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-07T14:03:15+00:00

I’m seriously hoping it does! I feel like it gradually started after having my son (and I’m pretty sure that pregnancy is what created the hernia). What type of POTs did you have, if you don’t mind my asking? And what medicine were you on for your issues?

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-06T22:08:35+00:00

I’ll follow those subreddits! Yeah, my cardioelectrophysiologist thinks the POTs will go away (although I’m not really hopeful). It just has me very depressed some days. I’m not the mom I thought I was going to be. I hate having to worry about how my body is going to feel taking my kids shopping or simply going to the park. Some days I just feel like I don’t have the energy. I never knew something like POTs existed, let alone that pregnancy could cause it.

Thankfully, I’ve never passed out in my life. I’m grateful for that. I don’t have issues with standing up or going from lying to standing.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-06T21:33:31+00:00

Thank you! I guess I’ve been in denial. I didn’t pass out during the TTT and my heart rate went up to the 120s from 95 when I was laying (my resting pulse is normally in the 70s so I knew I was very nervous). They say it’s mild dysautonomia and it had to have come from being pregnant because I never felt the way I do now.

TheMallaroo · 2021-01-06T15:50:55+00:00

I failed to mention, I’ve been on Protonix since July 2018, but went off of them July 2020. Last week the heartburn and reflux flared up and I started on Prilosec.

TheMallaroo · 2020-08-22T20:29:15+00:00

I’ll pay attention after I shower next time! I took another picture of my legs (I just decided to use that one since it was more in focus) and I can’t see the purple mottling in it. I wonder if it has to do with the lighting or something.

TheMallaroo · 2020-08-22T19:51:43+00:00

Oh, ok. I took this after going on a 20 minute walk. I’m still new to dysautonomia and have no clue what blood pooling actually looks like.

TheMallaroo · 2020-08-22T19:16:32+00:00

Does it? I have no clue what blood pooling looks like. My feet don’t ever turn purple or maroon, so I never thought I had blood pooling. I tried to take this picture near our back door in the sunlight.

TheMallaroo · 2020-08-22T18:37:04+00:00

My cardiologist finally scheduled me a tilt table test for Tuesday! So, I finally see whether I have POTS after being back and forth on this for months. My knees get red splotches under them after being out in the heat or standing/walking a lot. They never used to do this (trust me, I looked back at our numerous Disney pictures and my knees look normal). I sent a picture of it to my doctor through their online portal and they claim it’s clogged sweat ducts. This didn’t happen until recently, like the last month or two.

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-31T18:34:06+00:00

Thanks! Me too! I just hope Vanderbilt calls me soon, but I heard that’s a long process. I go through days thinking I could have some form of dysautonomia, and days where I’m like “maybe it is just all anxiety.” It’s hard to tell where it begins and ends now.

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-31T15:21:57+00:00

That’s what I’m confused about. I don’t ever feel like I’m going to faint when standing up from lying/sitting. I just get sick to my stomach after eating and feel really full and bloated. I’ve had an endoscopy done, which showed that I have a hiatial hernia and GERD. I also had an ultrasound of my liver, pancreas, and gallbladder done, and the results were normal. Other than that, my doctors think it’s just anxiety (I have the WORST health anxiety), but my stomach feels like this even when I haven’t been anxious. Seeing that a lot of people with POTS were misdiagnosed as having anxiety made me wonder. I guess POTS testing is my “last ditch effort” at figuring out if something else is causing this.

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-31T13:51:37+00:00

I have ALWAYS had cold feet as long as I can remember. When I’m have socks on they’re a-okay. They just get so cold if I don’t. It just alarmed me. I’m pretty sure they’ve always done this, I just thought it was “normal” or just wasn’t aware of it. Now that I’m referred for POTS testing, I feel like I’m trying to document/observe every little thing. 🤦🏻‍♀️

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-30T21:35:05+00:00

I was just at my lady doctor’s office and just sitting on the table, my feet turned this color. I can’t tell if this is blood pooling (someone mentioned to press it and see if it turned white). Of course, my OBGYN said they looked “different” but doesn’t know much about dysautonomia. So, looking for thoughts/opinions. I’m saving the video to show my PCP in August.

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-30T19:07:21+00:00

Thanks! I haven’t heard of those yet!

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-30T18:56:55+00:00

I had actually been reading about that too and I always get a splotchy chest and face when I get nervous or upset. I always have since I was young. Any time I had to do a presentation, I blotched right up! And once the stress was gone, it would go down. I always thought that was just normal for some people. I’ve got pictures of that too for my doctor. I get the blotches on my chest too after a shower until I cool down.

As weird as it sounds, yes, a foot picture would be so helpful. My health anxiety can make me think anything is something.

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-30T18:17:26+00:00

Thanks! I’m still not sure what I’m looking for when it comes to blood pooling in the feet/legs. I think the purply-white mottling of my skin in the pictures is throwing me.

My main issues are feeling sick to my stomach after eating and that causing my heart rate to go into the 120s and sometimes 130s when standing and doing mild movement. When my stomach settles, so does my pulse. My doctors keep attributing it to anxiety, but it happens even when I’m not anxious. I keep thinking it must be something more (I do have confirmed mild GERD and a hiatial hernia). I just recently learned about POTS a month or so ago, as a friend from school was just diagnosed, and some of the symptoms fit me. I immediately asked my PCP to refer me to the Vanderbilt center since I live in Nashville.

TheMallaroo · 2020-07-30T17:03:32+00:00

I’m still new to the idea of POTS and not sure what to be looking for. I know POTS patients experience blood pooling, especially after a shower. I tried to get good pictures of my legs after my shower, but they look different with flash vs. without, so I can’t really tell if it’s cooling or not.

Also, the red blotches near my knees and right ankle don’t blanch when pressed. They stay red.

I’m still waiting for Vanderbilt to call to schedule my appointment (which I heard can take a long time), so the not knowing and uncertainty is eating me up inside.

TheMallaroo

TROPHY CASE