not hot flashes... you are EXERTING yourself!

Hi marie26, believe me, you'll know when your having a hot flash, you could just be sitting and reading a book,and bang, here it comes out of no where, I have one of those paper fans that you can fold up, it sure comes in handy, and a small hand towel too, it helps.Some hot flashes are worse then others, I notice if I eat anything spicy or sweet, just a few minutes after that, I'm feeling it,so I know to stay away from spicy foods and sweets, which is soo hard.

At first, the way I recognized them the most is that they don't only come quickly, but disapear quicly. When it's exertion or comming out of a hot room (even a sauna) my "cool down" is alot slower. With hot flashes, when they go away, they're gone, that's all.

Oh, yay. I'm getting them. ::sigh:: Mine come quickly and disappear quickly too - except at night, where they seem to be prolonged a bit. I can tell exactly when it's a hot flash, because the first sensation that I feel is sort of a prickly awareness in my skin, especially in my face and neck/chest. I know that my skin then begins to redden, and I almost always break out into a sweat. This is intensified when I drink caffeinated beverages, but I'm not willing to give up my morning tea quite yet!