Hot Flashes? Really?

Last month during my yearly physical, the doctor seemed extremely surprised to find out I still had all my girlie parts. "Does my chart say I am 70 years old or 40?"

Around 2:30 AM I woke up. Why? I was unbelievably HOT! I pushed back my comforter and the blanket. Surely with outside temps going down to 16 degrees tonight I would be ok with just a top sheet right?

An hour later I was still awake. I was still too Hot. Oh my goodness! Could this be what hot flashes are like? Have I reached that “new” plateau in life? But I am only 40 years old. Shouldn’t this happen much, much later? I decide sleep is still necessary so I take a bath to cool off. This should work right? I tossed and turn and the more I thought about the “change of life” the more I worried and the hotter I became.

At 6:30 AM I give up. No point in trying to sleep now. I get up and get everyone else moving. When I let Pup out I was relieved by the burst of freezing air which rushed in the kitchen door. Ok, I cannot stand at the open doorway all morning. I will let all the heat out of the house. I can hear my father’s voice “We’re not paying to heat the whole outdoors.”

On my way out the door I fight the urge to leave the house coatless. As I passed through the living room I sort of glanced at the central air thermostat. Holey Cow! Who set the heat at 80 degrees?! No wonder I was hot!

Instead of yelling at my children I turned the heat back down to 72 and laughed it off. At least it wasn’t the change of life out to screw me up. It was my children making me feel old. Great way to start the day…relieved.