Re: Post-hysterectomy hot flushes

[Guest guest]

Dear Lucy,

However reading between the lines here, the traumatic childhood may be the key

to the problem, the fact she was a thrashing sleeper and wake screaming with

nightmares, and has debilitating headaches It may be something buried in her

sub conscious, which is causing the tension and the need to be cared for. Just

wondered if psychotherapy or something similar may help, but then I see she is

reluctant to spend money. A difficult one, but I can see you have helped her a

great deal. Well done.

Tina.Alder

-----

Original Message -----

From: lucy.blunden@...

To: ukherbal-list

Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2010 4:03 PM

Subject: 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

[Guest guest]

Hi Lucy

Have you tried Shatavari? It has a good effect also on low menopausal

mood and mood swings and may help build her confidence and help

relax. Withania also lifts mood and relaxes, and would help with the

fatigue..

Sally Owen

> 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

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> List Owner: Graham White, MNIMH

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your help so far, guys, it is good to get such instant feedback.

- re psychotherapy, I totally agree and initially suggested counselling (which

she can get 'free' as she has some private healthcare) and at first she was open

to the idea, but since the herbs have removed the thrashing and scary

nightmares, she is no longer keen. It is of great clarity to me that you don't

thrash and wake screaming unless you have some really tough things you are

trying not to know about and I feel as though she recognised this and then

backed away when it wasn't so pressing.

I think being ill is unconscioulsy quite important to her and i suspect that it

may have been the way in which she has had care given to her rather than being

the care giver (the headaches started around the time she was caring in her home

for two elderly people - her mother and father in law - who died within ten

months of each other)

She is also taking anti-depressants so I don't feel i can make inroads on her

nervous system in the same way yet all her complaints are NS based.

She feels determined that 'there is something wrong' with her re headaches and

that 'they' haven't found out what it is yet. i asked her what she thought it

was related to. she beleives it is in her blood. I have given her a totally new

daytime script with focus in that direction and told her I was.

What I don;t really understand is why she is having so many flushes when she has

had a total hysterectomy and so long ago. Can anyone point me towards info on

post-hysterectomy flushes?

Thank you all, I am pretty new to the group and it is great to be part of

something which is responsive, thoughtful and sensibly helpful!

>

> 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

>