Hi there Had Enough &
So sorry to hear of all you're having to deal with. I imagine you're already familiar with the advice in the attached links, but just in case you haven't seen them before & have time to have a look, I hope there might be something helpful in them. The last one, for the charity Breast Cancer Care, also has a link to a forum where other women in your situation might have helpful advice, in case you weren't given their info in your initial treatment pack on diagnosis.
https://associationofbreastsurgery.org.uk/media/64908/11-bms-consensusstatement-the-diagnosis-of-the-menopause-and-management-of-oestrogen-deficiency-symptoms-and-arthralgia-in-women-treated-for-breast-cancer-for-abs-01c.pdfhttps://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/information-support/facing-breast-cancer/going-through-treatment-breast-cancer/side-effects/menopausal-symptoms-after-treatmenthttps://forum.breastcancercare.org.ukI had a decade of menopause symptoms I found very difficult to manage without HRT, which I'd avoided due to family history of breast cancer. I've also recently had both ovaries removed & even though that was postmenopause it has had an additional adverse affect on symptoms. I'm afraid I have no magic bullet & can only pass on a few things I found helped at night, which was my worst time for overheating:-
1 Hot water bottles filled with cold water & refrigerated all day then taken up to bed at night & left in a pile beside the bed, can be pulled in to cool you down when you get too hot. This can be enough to help you get back to sleep, though you will have to swap the used bottle for another after a while, as they warm up with the heat of your body.
2 Blackout blinds/curtains kept shut all day with windows also closed to keep out the heat, help keep the bedroom as cool as possible, but open the windows as soon as it starts to cool down outside, to let in any air that's cooler than indoors! Sleep with windows open if you can.
3 Take up to bed a big glass of iced water to sip whenever you wake too hot during the night. If you get up for a while, run cold water over wrists & cool your face with a cold, damp flannel. A hand-held battery operated fan by the bed can help to cool your face & neck.
4 Not sure whether you are currently well enough to exercise, but if so, don't do this too late in the evening as it can be hard to cool down enough to ensure the best possible night's sleep.
5 An oscillating desk fan in the bedroom (or better still an air-con unit) can help you feel more comfortable on the hottest nights.
6 If you find it hard to sleep under just a sheet & need the weight of a duvet as I do, Dunelm sell 1-tog duvets. Mine still comes on & off all night though!
Do have a good poke around the forum & maybe use the search box to see how other ladies cope. There is lots of brilliant advice & support on here.
One last thing - if you have never been referred to a menopause clinic, they may be best placed to help but I would ask your breast care team/oncologist to refer you so they can be sure to pass on all the relevant details of your history & any treatments (such as Tamoxifen) that may be contraindicated with some of the non-hormonal medications sometimes used to treat menopause symptoms.
I do hope you manage to find something to help.
