Re: Post-hysterectomy hot flushes

[Guest guest]

Hello lucy

I recently treated a lady post-hysterectomy and the flushes retreated very

hastily. I'll have a look at her details and forward them to once once the snow

let's me get into work!!!

Hayley

Post-hysterectomy hot flushes

Dear List

I have a patient that I have been working with since the Summer who had a full

hysterectomy 20 years ago in her 30s. She has 20-30 hot flushes per day when on

no treatment. She takes some black cohosh tablets which are very effective for

a period of time but then will 'wear off' and she has to take a break from them

and gets the flushes back full force until she goes back on the tablets again 10

days later, when they work again. I don't know where she gets them - possibly

Holland & Barrett.

She gets terrible debilitating headaches which I have managed to reduce (don't

seem to be connected to the cohosh as they don't go when she stops it nor did

they start when she started the cohosh) and was a thrashing sleeper who would

wake screaming from nightmares. These have stopped and the sleep, although

still broken is much better. She has high levels of muscular tension especially

around the neck. She has high levels of fatigue which i have changed

dramatically but she would still like to improve.

She had a pretty traumatic childhood and a tough family life. She is happily

married now and enjoys her granchildren. Her diet's reasonable as she used to

see a nutritional therapist.

She is the 'type' to be ill - I get the impression that this is how she gets a

sense of being cared for and looked after. Lots of things have helped her but

she is reluctant to spend money on many extra things e.g. massage.

I tried giving her a blend of leonurus, vitex and salvia which has worked very

well when she's off the cohosh but they are now coming back.

I feel a bit stumped as to why they are quite so bad and also the mechanisms

bearing in mind the total hysterectomy.

Any help and ideas gladly received.

Thanks