With 5 degree weather, a short sleeve shirt and starting the day with cold as ice toes, I thought it would be a stable internal temperature day. Well that was wrong thought.
This afternoon while doing work, I realized I needed to take my lab coat off. It was becoming urgent.
I could feel that my feet were on fire. That feeling of being lit on fire from the toes and feeling it go whoooooooosh. I knew my face was red and sweaty. I didn't notice, that everyone could see the hot flash I was having. The charge Nurse looked at me and went and got me a cup of ice and a gingerale. She asked me "How hard are you hot flashing right now?". I then proceeded to knock the cup of ice over. In the ICU. Very graceful. I then attempted to pick up the ice cubes, but ended up creating more puddles because I was so hot at that point. One of the nurses who came over to help me, takes one look at my beet red face and my trail of melted ice cubes and asks "How hard are you flashing right now?" She is not much older than I am and asks "Have the medications they put you on put you into menopause?". She has watched a lot of her colleagues deal with their hot flashes. I confirm they are from the tamoxifen, and consider pouring the remaining ice cubes down my shirt. "That's awful". I tell her "Yeah, but worth it if it keeps the cancer from coming back." She gets some towels to help clean up the disaster are that I have created. I think she could have used one to clean up the puddle I have become.
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