Sweating

I'm having trouble with sweating at the moment which is unusual for me. It happens at night in particular but I'm having trouble during the day too. I feel so warm and the back of my neck can be sopping wet. When I say to my husband that I'm feeling warm, he normally says that the temperature's comfortable. I had a hysterectomy 14 years ago and have no ovaries. My disease is serous papillary primary peritoneal cancer. The peritoneum's cell structure is genetically identical to the structure of the outer lining of the ovary. When cancer occurs there, it's treated just like advanced ovarian. I had six rounds of carboplatin last year. The disease is low grade and last time I saw the oncologist, she said that there was some growth but not enough to restart chemo yet. Would appreciate some advice about the possible cause of the sweating particularly since it's not something I've ever suffered from before.

[Hidden]

Hi Tina,

I am sorry that I can't be much help, but I get that as well, particularly on the back of my neck and I don't have a lot of hair yet so it is not that...you could give OvaCome helpline a ring and speak to Ruth Payne tel [phone] she is very good with giving advice and might have the answer..best wishes love x G x

[ScardyCat40]

I sweat a lot as well and get hot during the night so know how uncomfortable it can be. Have you mentioned this to your consulatant or CNS? I also have a low grade serous papillary adenencarinoma but they also found some high grade cancer as well. Currently waitng for appoint for MRI of pelvis and ultrasound of liver. I also have gallstones which can cause hot flushes and I'm on HRT

[Hidden]

Really appreciate your answers. WI'll be seeing oncologist so will ask. It seems to be usual for us doesn't it?

[TinaWright]

Hi Tina,

Oh darling, you have my deepest empathy - I have always been a cold fish, always wanted the heat on full blast in spite of being wrapped in a blankket, hubby would sit on the sofa with his shirt off in the middle of winter and anyone who visited would comment how hot our house was. I now use a 4 tog duvet all year round!!!

Although I was 52 at the time of my cancer diagnosis, surgery and treatment, I never suffered from menopausal sweats apart from a little at night.

While having chemo the sweating was so severe I felt pysically ill with it and faint.

Now, 21 months down the line I still sweat even on the coldest of days. Even the back of my kness sweat and ankles, it sounds bizaire, doesn`t it? My back will trickle with sweat and I have had to find myself a stronger antiperspirant and now use femfresh spray down below ( I have never needed to do this before), I even take fem fresh wipes around with me and change my underwear to prevent odor as I sweat so much down there too. Its awful darling, you just don`t feel fresh at all, do you? Its even difficult to get dry after a shower.

I can`t have HRT - I also had cerous pappillary carcenoma with a high grade tumour of 3, also some clear cell cancer in my uterus. But according to my GP, it is more likely to be hormone related rather than the type of cancer or chemo although, having said that, my cousin had sweats when she was having treatment for her breast cancer, hers stopped after the chemo, anyway doc told me it could be 5 years before the sweating stops - wonderful, I thought!!!!

The interesting thing is if you had no ovaries you may not expect the hormonal sweats after all this time, My Gp explained that we store oestrogen in our fat around the hips, bum and thighs and this will be released as and when its needed - long after the menopause. I guess the same applies after surgery although maybe the sudden shock causes such dreadful sweating day and night. I even get a prickly heat in my scalp, do you?

I`m not sure why we seat so much and then in time it stops - I`m quite baffled on the subject too. But I do understand what you are going through.

Big hugs from Tina W X

[MargaretJ]

Hi Tina! "sitting" here dripping as we speak! This from the woman who sailed through menopause without hot flushes! Now go from sweat running into my eyes to feet like blocks of ice, sometimes both at once. Something has b******d my temperature regulator!

I have no answers just sympathy!

Hulgs! Margaret

[Hidden]

Thanks all ... It's interesting that we seem to have it together, isn't it? When I get replies from my consultant, I'll let you know she says ... Really appreciate it so much to connect with you here!

[Anne-2]

Hi Tina

I am in a similar boat to Margaret[ and she knows this is in more ways than one]- didn't really suffer at all during the menopause, mainly I think because I was on HRT, but since surgery I suffer all the time from the most awful sweats- at one point it was almost once an hour.

I know I had to have the op and it most likely saved my life but no one warned me about this side effect which I have found very difficult and tiring to cope with. I'd say too that I feel that I don't have a 'thermostat anymore!!! An hour ago I borrowed a fleece as today as well as wind and rain on the 'sunny' south coast it is ***** freezing and now I'm typing this in a sleeveless top!

Talking of the suuny south coast, there is a coach half on and half off the De La Warr Pavilion [ a full size replica for the cultural Olympics- remember the Italian Job[ going for gold!] -if any one would like a laugh. Someone in our local rag wondered if this was typical of parking in Bexhill-LOL!

Back to your message- all sympathy to you over this, I know exactly how you feel!

Love and hugs

Anne x

[Jan76]

Hi there .....

Try a lighter quilt ..I have a 4.5 tog on now even tough its cold here in Norwich ...very cold .

Hubby generates heat .....like a living hot water bottle ..

I was really hot with the chemo and then cold ..... so had to buy the lighter quilt ...much better ....Still get a litte warm during the day ...

During the menopause I took sage and red clover in tablet form and they helped .... cannot not and would not want HRT ..had blood clot on the brain in 03 .

I drink plenty of water ..not sure if that helps .....

Feeling for you xxxxxxx

Love Janet xxxx

[Hidden]

I might try a lower tog. I have one of those quilts which has two attached and I'm using the summer one at the moment. I can understand about not having a thermostat. That's just how it feels. I wonder how the oestrogen is stored and for how long it lasts. Is it that the oestrogen stays for as long as its needed after the ovaries have been removed or is it produced by food intake and then stored naturally without the need of the ovaries? The back of my neck is the worst and yes, placed like the back of my knees too. Places I have never had a problem with in my life.

[poleglass]

hi1 everyone. I am going through 3rd. line chemo and am presently at the 8th weekly cycle. of 18 taxol on its own.waiting on scan results before they decide if they are going to continue so it is a worrying time.i am a 3c grade,I sweat profusely and sometimes it is so bad i feel i am going tp pass out as it is so uncomfortable and it makes me feel like i am going to melt.I have just lost the rest of my hair today for the 3rd. time and still the sweat is pelting of me and am presently lying with fan beside my bed1 my hubby says its like lying on the runway of the airport1 x You are not on your own.

[Hidden in reply to poleglass]

Hi there P...

I can understand how you feel. You are at a low point. I think the fan is a good idea and it's not as if the weather's hot is it? Sometimes lately it's been humid which is not good either. Healing thoughts to you.

[TinaWright]

Hi girls,

I have ceiling fans in all three of our bedrooms and I have mine on fast all night long too. I`d much sooner have a nice chandeliar, the fans may not look great but they are quite wonderful to lay under. I moved into my own room a while ago because hubby is so hot, we hate being apart but we do both sleep much better and we are not as tired and niggled with one another the next day. Its like the royalty - he comes to my chambers on invitation only now, LOL!!!! I know too much information - laugh again!

I have even had cold showers as many as 4 a day but then I get hot getting dried and dressed. I can time mine too - every evening at 9.30 on the dot I get soooo over heated, it was in actual fact worse when we had the heating on - at least now we can have the windows and doors open. Wouldn`t SNOW be wonderful, we could roll in it throughout the day.

I don`t think, I am having quite so many, I have noticed that some days are better than others.

Yes, we should drink plenty of water as we can soon get dehydrated and that can make us feel quite poorly. Also, I don`t worry about my salt in take at the moment, think I may need it.

I`m not sure about how long we store the oestrogen for Tina, I am having my 12 weekly check up tomorrow I will ask if you like. Good question, do we continue to make it through the foods that we eat? I`ll ask that too and get back to you.

[Hidden]

Thanks Tina for your ideas and, yes, I'd be really grateful to know about the oestrogen aspect of things.

[poleglass]

thank you tina b .its great to know i am not on my own.x

[TinaWright]

Hiah Tina B and other girlfriends,

Well, I went armed with a long page of questions today for my 12th weekly oncology check up.

First of all, I think I was asking how long a piece of string is BUT he did his very best to answer all the queries as best as he could.

So, Tina, Once the ovaries have gone the body stops making oestrogen however ladies in particular with large hips, fat thighs (this is so me) tend to store oestrogen in the fat in this area, soooooo, this explains it if the sweats are better somedays than others.

He explained that, when we go through the menopause its a more gradual process and although ladies still can get the hot flushes its not usually quite as bad as it is for us who have surgery which is like there one day, gone the next. Its a bit like we have gone cold Turkey and it takes a while for our body to adjust.

Sometimes it takes a long time, but he said it doesn`t last until our 70`s say unless we have been taking HRT. In this case the menopause is delayed so therefore if we are an older lady then the symptoms will be just as severe as us younger ones (as in pre-menopausal). He can`t give us a clear answer on how long it will take for our body to learn to live without it and I supose it greatly may depend on how much fat we have for it to store - I wonder if the process may be more natural in that case??? I didn`t ask but it makes a lot of sence.

Anyway, he said he could perscribe a tablet beginning with the letter V - he said sometimes it helps with the sweats but because I already take Diaxarit (chlonodine) for migraine and Amytriptaline for rest less leg and fibromyalgia pains he didn`t want to give me anything else because he said both of these drugs can help control the menopausal sweats or in our case post surgery sweats.

He did suggest I increase my dose of Amytriptaline to see if that helps at all.

Basically our GP should be able to advice what is best for each individual patient.

My Oncologist nurse said she will also send me some info in the post about alternative remedies. She said some ladies swear by Black Kohash from Holland and Barrett (sorry, not sure if I`m spelling any of these right and I`m feeling too pooped after the long day to look them up). She also said that other ladies find by cutting out Dairy and having soy milk instead of bovine milk sometimes helps them.

Sooooo, it looks pretty much like trial and error I`m afraid.

At least now we are not quite so in the dark why this happens.

Love with a hug from Tina xxx

[Hidden]

Hi there Tina...

Thanks for asking your oncologist. So was he saying that we make oestrogen using the ovaries. Then, say in my situation, when we have a complete hysterectomy at 39, we use that stored oestrogen which is kept in the fat cells in the hips and thighs. We can continue to use this even though we are 52 or older, but we don't make new oestrogen through our food? I really appreciate that you asked and that you came up for some solutions I might look at for both temporary relief and the alleviation of symptoms. Love with a hug from me to you too.