The brain fog is real.
Reporting back - I’m now fully two weeks in and a few days ago realized the hot flashes had basically stopped and I am sleeping better - hallelujah!
I have had hot flashes for years, but I have not been on estrogen (except for what I got from the pill, which I went off a couple of years ago, at 55). I started a low oil/no dairy vegan diet, and the hot flashes completely went away. That is hard to maintain for long, so I have added some animal protein/dairy/fats into my diet, though less than usual. Had too much movie theater popcorn last night, and I had the first hot flashes I’ve had since I started the diet. So maybe all the fat/and or salt caused it. I was kind of amazed when the hot flashes completely disappeared with the ultra healthy diet, though.
Movie was great (Spiderman), popcorn wasn’t worth the consequences.
And now I’ve gotten a different question. I’m finding that the adhesive from the patch is leaving a rectangular outline on my skin. Any suggestions for the best way to get this off? I thought just rubbing some lotion on it would do the trick but I am really having to rub hard to get it off.
Because I was too lazy to type this up… I googled, so here is one article that says what I was about to suggest. 
https://m.wikihow.com/Remove-Bandage-Adhesive-from-Skin
Amazon sells bottles of Goo Gone skin adhesive removers. I personally have not tried them, but reviews seem to be positive.
Yea I think I have to try that. I googled too but nothing came up. I probably made my search too specific as I included “estrogen patch” in my search string and all my results were about the patch itself.
I find I react to the patch, a bit, and move it 2-3 times in the week, just when it starts to loosen. There is an adhesive area which would have been the outline, I can usually just sort of roll it off with my fingers. Something oily, like baby oil, would likely help.
I am able to rub off the adhesive in the shower with soap and a washcloth. I forgot to mention that it’s important to keep the patch below the waistband and to move it to a different spot each time you change it.
Oh I’ve been moving it to different areas each time I apply a new one and figure I better work on getting the adhesive off before my lower torso becomes covered in adhesive rectangles lol.
Tried that Goo Gone Bandage and Adhesive Remover and it works like a charm.
Still feeling better?
@Midwest67 yes I am. I went from having hot flashes every 1.5 to 30 hours to having literally none. It has been a godsend.
7 months later and I’ve put on 10 pounds since starting the progesterone pill and estrogen patch. I should have been paying closer attention but figured some of the recent weight gain was simply holiday over-indulgence. So I think I have to choose between the lesser of two evils - weight gain vs. hot flashes. I think I’d have to choose hot flashes and try some of the herbal supplements (e.g., black cohosh) that seem to provide relief for some.
Had you ever tried diet and exercise before the patch? And cutting out alcohol? I really only have hot flushes when I am really off piste (crappy carbs, sugar, wine/beer, too many rest days) . What really works like a bomb is fasting. I think sweaty exercise is also a big player.
Have you spoken to your practitioner about it? Maybe there needs to be a dosage adjustment?
Sounds frustrating!
@Sybylla I barely drink alcohol and have always been exercising at least 3 days per week (cardio and weights) for 45 minutes per. My diet, while not ideal, has not changed over this timeframe.
@Midwest67 I did speak to my doctor. I am going to taper off this medication regimen and try some OTC alternatives and see how that goes. Fingers crossed.
I had horrible hot flashes over the summer months. Was waking up at least once every hour totally soaked. One of my health providers suggested trying acupuncture. I was extremely skeptical but figured I had little to lose. My hot flashes completely disappeared after two sessions. I would highly recommend trying.
I had a different experience, I felt that being on the estrogen patch/ progesterone pill helped keep my weight steady. I just recently went off hormones so to some other health issues and I’m concerned about gaining weight in addition to the hot flashes returning. I tried the holistic approach at first but it didn’t work for me.
I react to any patch I apply. I apply Benadryl/cortisol creams when I remove from that spot. It takes a day for the red, itchy outline to disappear.