The Day the Heat Finally Stopped

One month into taking medication

(Written before - watch - heart stress)

The hot‑flush medication worked literally the day I took it. The downside is that it goes through your liver; the upside is that hot flushes have been one of the worst things I’ve dealt with — and I’ve overheated my whole life. But the last few years, with the oestrogen drop and my body’s functions changing, it became something else entirely.

My brain would overheat the second I tried to concentrate. Before I even sipped my coffee, I’d be on fire because my brain was already predicting hot food. For years I couldn’t drink hot drinks or eat hot food. Everything had to cool. Everything took forever.

But this past month? I’ve been able to go back to hot coffee, hot food, hot porridge — and it has blown my mind. It worked instantly. I was sat in my pyjamas at six in the morning, staring at my coffee, knowing exactly what was going to happen… and then it didn’t. My porridge didn’t set me off. I didn’t have to wait for it to go cold. I didn’t have to eat it over an hour. I could just eat it.

It’s been a game changer.

Of course, I still have to keep an eye on my body — I can’t afford to damage anything else when menopause is already knocking into every system I have. But hopefully this is a win.

What fascinates me is that it’s a brain‑blocker. It blocks the receptor that tells me I’m going to overheat. It’s more technical than that, but this is just my story. And here’s the thing: my concentration still triggers overheating. I still override it. So I’ve learned to pretend I’m not thinking when I am thinking — you end up tricking your own body.

Because when you overheat, the hot flush kicks off fight‑or‑flight. Then you forget what you’re doing. You lose your thread. You lose your moment. You lose yourself.

So yes — it’s a small win. Hot coffee. Hot food. Not having to eat my dinner over the entire night. My brain and concentration still need work, but I’m halfway there, and honestly, that’s good enough for me.

Footnote

Sometimes the smallest changes feel like getting a whole piece of your life back. Or so you thought.....

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