Hot Flashes in Heatwaves and Humidex

BCat34

I wanted to share my coping mechanisms for how I'm managing hot flashes in the heatwaves and humidexes.

If you get hot flashes from the heat and humidity (due to age, chemotherapy, tamoxifen or other medications, or maybe you're just a flashy person), even if you are outdoors, put the inside of your wrists against a glass of ice water or some other really cold beverage. Or, head for a cold water tap and make sure it gets the insides of your wrists. I got this inner wrist cool-down tip at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from a gift shop volunteer while I was going through my FEC-D chemo journey and her advice helped me so much! This has also helped anyone else I've ever told going through chemopause or menopause to fight back against the flashes.

While I was at the gift shop there, I was buying a cold/chill towel. These stay cool for hours after they are wet. These also helped me enormously while I was going through chemotherapy.

Now that I've moved away to a very humid climate in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, this year, I bought wearable, battery operated fans. The one around the neck allowed me to be outside for hours in the heat warnings along with plenty of cold water. There's even one you can fill with cold water to mist you. Mist first, fan next, so much relief.

I bought a dehumidifier and that has helped along with staying in the AC and staying hydrated when it's scorching hot here in Ottawa's summer months.

Anyone else have any other tips?

WC3

BCat34:

Thanks for the tips! I've been running the AC at night and sleeping with the ceiling fan on, something I never used to do before the hot flashes. I hope I don't have them for decades like my mother has. I'm still trying to figure out what triggers them. I seem to get most of them when I move when I am laying down, so I tend to have them upon waking and going to bed.