Night Sweats after mastectomy

Cats134

Geesh, I thought I was done with the night sweats when I went thru menopause, but for the past 2 nights, I have woken up absolutely drenched in sweat.  Last night I woke up and changed t-shirts 3 times.  I think the back of my head is still wet.  I had a preventative bilat mastectomy almost 3 weeks ago, no further treatment.  I've stopped the pain med and the antibiotics, am not eating spicy foods or drinking. My heat is turned down to 54 at night and my window is cracked open a bit (I like sleeping cold lol).  I wear just a man's t-shirt, and have a sheet and a light weight down comforter so I'm not overheated. 

Anyone else experiencing this and have any tips?

"this too shall pass".....

Cats

cycle-path

I didn't have an MX and didn't experience this per se, but when I was diagnosed I had to go off HRT. And this gave me hot flashes and 24-hour sweats. (None of that wimpy night-only sweating for me! )

This week I started taking black cohosh for the hot flashes and while I don't think it's a miracle cure and the jury is somewhat still out, I do think it helps.  

carol57

Cats, I am 57 and until my bilateral mx and recon (also prophy) last July, I never had a single hot flash, nary a mood swing (even DH says so), and if I had not had endometrial ablation a few years ago to end overzealous bleeding, I would truly not have known I'd gone through menopause. No HRT, ever. 

After the bmx, well, different story on the sweats!  Not only did I have about three months of unexpected and serious night sweats, just in general I find that I sweat more while exercising.  Night sweats are much better now, but still I awaken hot when I never did before. 

My theory is that in my bmx and recon (diep) I lost a lot of body fat; have been told before that even post meno, body fat releases small amounts of estrogen for a long time.  Goodbye and good riddance to both fat and estrogen, but maybe the sudden loss of my estrogen-producing fat turned on the sweat-switch, i.e. gave me meno symptoms I'd not had to deal with before.  DH agrees that for whatever lucky reason, my disposition has been unaffected (thank goodness!).

Now, I was sorta hopin' that this sweating business, especially during my workouts, also signaled a speedier metabolism or some other miraculous lose-weight benefits. Hasn't worked out that way.  Oh well, we can dream anyway, right?

Carol

cycle-path

Wow, Carol, good thought about the loss of body fat! I think that's a real possibility.

Fwelton

I am 45 and had double mastectomy, sentinal lymph node removal on Jan 23 2012 and although period slowing down I have had little trouble with night swears and hot flashes prior to surgery. Since surgery I wake up sweating several times a night and don't keep well. Also, been having hot flashes during day. Just got over the counter Remifemin, which is herbal black cohosh. Recommended by ob/gyn and found article on breast cancer.org site that said being studied as believe Remifemin may actually reduce risk of cancer. Mfg in Germany and they control herbals like our FDA does with RX here. Just started taking, but think it is helping. Not sure WHY mastectomy would jump start menopause symptoms, but sure seems to be the case. I understand why chemo or Tamoxifen would as inhibits estrogen. Any others suffering from the sudden insomnia and night sweats since surgery?

Dixiemine30

Whew!!  So glad I'm not crazy!!

My BMX was 2.2.12....I'm 42 and had a complete hysterectomy 5 years ago.  I took Effexor for hot flashes for 2 years...and have been off of that for about 2 years now.  The last couple of week I've been waking up every night soaking wet....I might have had 2 instances of night sweats after my hysterectomy.  I don't understand.

I've always had trouble sleeping...so that's nothing new here.  For some reason I never been able to  shut my brain off at night. Now it's so hard to find a comfortable spot I have to take Ambien every night or I would never get to sleep.

Nel138281

MX on 2-16,soaking wet every night and often during the day.  I too had thought night sweats had past age 57.  Really again

Fwelton

I left a message at surgeons office to see if this is common complaint that they conveniently don't mention to us. I was up every hour to 2 all night last night and had 11 hr day today. Beyond exhausted and took excedrine PM andvbeen in bed for an hour ......And STILL No sleep. In addition to insomnia and night swears also having hot flashes during day. It is like the surgery flipped a switch in my body. I will post what Dr office has to say on subject. I hope you are healing well.

Fwelton

I called my surgeons nurse from Dana Farber today and she said that YES they do have women complain of menopause symptoms of night sweats and hot flashes after mastectomy. Doesn't change anything, but would have been nice to know what to expect up front.

6bunnies

I'm so grateful to my Mom for finding this site for me.  I had a radical double masectomy 3 weeks ago and the night sweats started up a day or 2 after coming home from the hospital. Both the Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon said it was from the Pececet and Soma I was taken. I have quit taking both and the night sweats still continue. I had a complete hysterectomy at 40(I'm now 50) and only experienced 2 nights of sweating from that procedure.  Along with the current night sweats, although I am running no fever, I just can't control my body temp cause my feed and body are always cold.  I'm glad I made the decision to have this surgery since I was first diagnosed with breast cancer at 35 and again at 47. I'm just taking one day at a time and remembering what my mother always says..." And this to shall pass". Prayers and Strength to you all. 

Ariom

I went through a really early Menopause started at 38 all done by 45. I didn't take HRT. I am now 60 and have been having hot flashes, day and night since my UMX, 15 months ago. They aren't really bad ones, but they are certainly noticeable.

I figured it may have been because of the loss of that "D" cup of fat cells! LOL

Perky2

I am having hot flashes and night sweats after BMX 8 months ago. Can't understand why this is happening. Does anyone have a good explanation of why this is taken place now.? I am 62 yrs.of age, went thru menopause at age 53 with no problems. My diagnosis was DCIS grade 3, negative hormone receptors. Trying to find out exactly what is going on within my body

Optimist52

I assumed my hot flushes (mostly at night) were due to letrozole but now I'm wondering about the effect of mastectomy too. I had a mastectomy in July last year and I will be having a prophylactic mastectomy soon and am wondering will this make it worse?

Ivegotthis

You had me at "night sweats", however, I didn't have a mastectomy. I had a lumpectomy. I had a hysterectomy in 2012 at the age of 52 but Inever had nights sweats, just hot flashes. I began having night sweats this week. I have to get up and change because my night shirt is drenched. I just couldn't understand why. I'm not on Targeted hormone therapy. But it only happens within the first two hours after falling asleep. Very strange.

lbsires

I had a bilateral mascetomy about 4 weeks ago, had hot flashes ever since I left hospital. Can’t sleep at night, I am 44. They put me on Zoloft, which made it worse!!! I am off of everything now. But hot flashes still continue, need advice on how to handle hot flashes. I am not on any tamoxifen either. I do t really sweat profusely, just upper body gets a burst of hot, mostly my back. Really don’t want to take any more “meds”

lbsires

Did anything help your symptoms? Your description of symptoms, age and treatment are very similar to mine

Moderators

Dear lbsires,

Welcome to the community. We are sorry for what brings you here but so glad that you reached out to our members. This particular topic has not seen recent activity. You might consider sending a private message to the member who shared your symptoms and/or start a whole new topic which might offer more visibility. Let us know how we can be of help.

The Mod

LisaK12

I have had extremely long and heavy periods (one lasting about four weeks, and two others lasting more than two weeks) and started experiencing hot flashes at all hours of the day and night, since my double mastectomy in April. The gynecologist found nothing abnormal. However, I am 52 so this could be perimenopausal...