I was told my stroke was brought on by years of being on HRT (28 years following a hysterectomy in my 30's) After I had my stroke, I was taken off it immediately 'cold turkey' and now have to start going through menopause as well as stroke recovery - nothing like throwing me in at the deep end LOL! Anyway, 5 months on, I am still having horrendous hot flushes that last about 15 mins each time when my face, chest, arms and knees are bright red like I'm going to explode. My heart rate is pounding and I feel quite woozy till they go away. I'm a bit scared that this is not doing my stroke recovery much good. Does anyone know if hot flushes raise your BP to levels where it could trigger another stroke? I always do checks like touching my nose with my finger, holding my arms up and checking my tongue is straight afterwards and everything is always fine. The occupational therapist suggested Red Clover so I tried this but it didn't do any good and I'm not sure it's a good idea to mix herbal pills with medication. My GP's answer seems to always be "it will get better over time - it's still early days!" :(
So sorry to hear about your stroke, being on HRT following a hysterectomy in your 30's must've been hard enough, without having a stroke as well.
I am unsure whether hot flushes can raise your blood pressure as we are not medically trained, you could however, purchase a blood pressure kit from your local pharmacist or doctors and keep regular checks of this yourself?
Thanks Vicki - I do have a monitor which I use at home and BP is fine normally. I just can't seem to catch a reading in the middle of a flush though. Too busy dashing outside or waffing myself to cool down!
Would you mind me asking whether you were on an oral (tablet) HRT or transdermal ( gel or patches)? Out of interest who blamed the stroke on HRT?
There is some evidence now that CBT helps with flushes (perhaps your GP could refer you) Yoga also seems to help.
I can highly recommend the Women's-Health-Concern this is the patient arm of the British Meopause Society. They have very good fact sheets and also a nurse counsellor service.It must be really hard for you, the flushes hopefully will diminish in frequency given time.
Hi Sveva - I was on oral HRT Premarin for 27 yrs following a hysterectomy. The consultant said that HRT taken by women over 60 increases your risk considerably of a blood clot stroke (I'm 65) and, as I was otherwise in perfect health, that must have been the cause of my stroke. I did come off HRT when I was 60 at the request of my GP but I suffered continued UTI's. I was referred to the gynecologist and after trying all other available treaments for 4 years, nothing worked. Her advice was the benefits of being on HRT for me far outweighed the risks as I was a serious risk of having permanent bladder damage otherwise. One year after re-starting HRT, I had my stroke :) I'm not blaming the advice I was given, I knew the risks and was prepared to take my chances to lead a normal life. Unfortunately for me, my luck ran out LOL!
I have had a very similar history to yours early menopause at 35, I am now 70. I too have been on HRT stopping for a short while about ten years ago I was then diagnosed with osteoporosis about 6 years ago, and with full support of specialist and GP I went back on HRT I have always used topical patches then Oestrogel , the profile for transdermal is safer. After my stroke last September I stopped HRT. I then had a Bone density scan and my Osteoporosis has got worse. There then developed a dispute between two GP's in my practice one was blaming the stroke on HRT , she even wrote to the stroke specialist , he wrote back to her in no uncertain terms and said the Stoke had developed from the heart as a result of AF and he had no problem with me continuing HRT. The GP that supports me is younger and very uptodate with evidence based information. I am waiting at the moment to see the endocrinologist that specialises in Osteoporosis and also women's health. It's a really hard one for Osteoporosis is a silent risky condition but another stroke could be devastating for me and my family. Interestingly stopping the HRT this time I have only the odd hot flush so nothing bothersome. I realise your symptoms are more troublesome. Have you tried things like Ovestin cream and Vagiifem pessaries for the urological symptoms, both are low dose and can be used long term? Won't help with hot flushes though!. I run menopause counselling at the hospital where I work , latest thinking is that CBT and yoga can help with hot flushes , everything else seems a waste of your money except HRT.........Sorry for the long post but hope it helps. I am still trying to find my way round the new website so missed your reply for a couple of days! One final question what drug have they put you on to prevent further strokes?
iI had a stroke September2017 , I was lucky it was not severe
Hang in there . My mom still has them at age 80! I'm hoping that heredity chain breaks there. However at 53, I had a stroke last year. And since I am perimenopausal, I'm not clear on whether my cognitive deficits like memory loss adhd and like are related to the stroke or impending menopause. Any experiences like this? Help soon before I forget ;)
Hi Sveva - thanks for your reply. It's interesting isn't it how GP's opinions differ within the same surgery! I have a similar problem at my surgery with statins! My GP pushes them whilst the other says they are not worth the side effects. Anyway, I digress :) It was my stroke consultant who confirmed it was the HRT and the length of time I had taken it that caused the stroke (and ironically also my gallstones) Strangely enough,since I came off HRT, I have had no problems with gallbladder attacks/pain since so a pending operation that was scheduled at the time I had my stroke and subsequently cancelled has now been shelved for the time being. After my stroke, I had a heart monitor fitted and tests for AF and this was ruled out, everything came back normal. When I was under the gynecologist, I tried both Ovestin and Vagifem but had to come off both as the side effects were awful for me. I'd had 2 cystoctopys during the 4 years I was under the gyne which confirmed bladder damage due to recurring UTI's. I was offered botox injections to ease the pain but this had to be repeated at 3 monthly intervals which I wasn't keen on so the alternative was to go back onto HRT which cured it. I had a full medical prior to the gyne putting me back on it and she was happy for me to go ahead (much to the annoyance of my GP who disagreed completely!) I can cope with the hot flushes as such. I was mainly worried that my BP would shoot up so high when I had one that it may trigger another stroke. Since my last post, I have read somewhere on the internet that hot flushes don't actually affect BP readings but I will keep my monitor handy and one day I may be able to get a reading in the middle of one to see! When I came off HRT at 60, it took about a year for the flushes to stop so only another 6 months to go LOL! p.s. I was put on Clopidogrel, Accupro BP tablets and Crestor Statins. I am allergic to statins and ended up in A & E who took me off them. I have also been taken off Clopidogrel which caused muscle weakness and put on aspirin and now feel much better and making progress.
Sorry to hear about your stroke and your poor Mum - bless! As I had an hysterectomy in my 30's, I never 'went through menopause' until I came off HRT. I wasn't told much about HRT when I first went on it other than I had to take it to stop me going through menopause at 37. Foolishly, I thought I would go through it whilst I was on HRT and if and when I came off the pills, it would all be over. How wrong I was!! It all starts once you come off it. They didn't tell me that bit LOL! I know that memory loss is connected to ageing, strokes and menopause so your GP would be the best person to chat with. There are tests he can give you to test the extent of memory loss and depending on the outcome can reassure you and/or offer treatment to help. I'm not familiar with adhd so can't really comment on that. I do know that my memory wasn't as sharp once I got past 50 (I'm 65) but, fortunately, I haven't had any memory problems post stroke. I do have problems picking the wrong words or saying sentences backwards and drying up mid sentence but other than forgetting where my keys are or what I'd gone into the kitchen for that's pretty much how I was pre-stroke. Take care.