[caption id="attachment_1258" align="alignright" width="150"]<a href="http://www.hormonesoup.com/?attachment_id=1258" rel="attachment wp-att-1258"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1258" alt="Hot Flashes Are Not Fun!" src="http://www.hormonesoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/hot-flash-dreamstime-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a> Hot Flashes Are Not Fun![/caption]

So I have been feeling fabulous since my <a title="The Power of Hormones" href="http://www.hormonesoup.com/the-power-of-hormones/" target="_blank">New Years Day scare</a>.   I was slathering on my progesterone cream with a vengeance - never wanting to live through that panicked state again.  Within a few days of being back on my progesterone I was back to myself.  It was so relieving to feel normal again.  Anxiety is painful, as well as physically and emotionally draining on a person and for those around them.

I was hopeful I would go back to my pre-cold-turkey-going-off-hormones-state of mostly blissful balance, but you know it's never that easy right?

I've been feeling these overwhelming moments at random moments in the day where I suddenly feel strange sensations coming over me.  Yesterday we were out for a walk and My Beloved looked over at me and said, "Your face is bright red" and at that exact moment I was suddenly feeling hot and my heart started palpitating.  Honest to God I thought could this be a mini anxiety attack - remnants of the sudden panic attack I had less than two weeks ago.  What a disheartening feeling to think that my progesterone wasn't keeping the anxiety at bay like I had thought!!

At the time, we were walking past a drug store and I wanted to go check my blood pressure and pulse because it was making me feel lightheaded.  My blood pressure was 129/079 and my pulse was 104.

The sensation subsided and we continued for our walk.  About 3 hours later I was walking past the same drug store and was feeling fine so decided to see what the blood pressure cuff had to say!  This time I had been walking at a quick pace for half an hour and my pulse was 95 and my blood pressure was 111/64.

My usual blood pressure is 110/70. I thought how strange it was that even though the second reading was on the low side I didn't feel lightheaded at all

Later that evening I had a sudden memory of the hot flashes I had suffered during my third pregnancy!  Of course it wasn't an anxiety attack - it has been hot flashes all along!

You would think this would be a relief - and it was - but at the same time I have to say the idea that my hormones aren't balanced yet made me realize that my road back to bliss isn't over yet.