catlover44

So glad to know I'm not overly weird....I just had my expanders put in yesterday, and I have a band of pain all around, front, sides and back.  And I HATE taking painkillers, but I'm going to have to give in pretty soon if it doesn't ease up.  (I took a nap when I got home from the hospital today, and not thinking, only propped up on two pillows.....it literally took me 20 minutes to get out of bed!  How embarrasing.  My abs are strong enough to pull me up, but I'm so sore even all along my sternum that I can't use those muscles without causing screaming pain. 

My PS had to work with one "freshly" done mast., and the other side was done back in May.  (My surgeon wouldn't let me do both sides at once.)  Hope that doesn't create problems with symmetry.  Have any of you had recon. done that way?  He told me that initially there would be some difference because the older wound wouldn't he able to stretch quite as much at first.  I'm so glad it's chilly weather and I can wear snuggly, thick tops that don't much!

Has anyone experienced an increase in hot flashes when taking iodine?  I'm taking one Iodoral tablet every other day, and on those days I'm definitely having a lot more hot flashes.  I guess my poor thyroid is confused....maybe I'll hold off on the iodine and let it recover from chemo! 

Stacey, thanks for the advice.  I would ask about the ins. paying for a naturopath, but since you are in Canada, I think things are different for you!  Aren't you the same Stacey who had the punctured lung earlier this year, right after I had mine?  Glad to be rid of that port and all its connotations...how about you?  In any case, it's always good to have support from others who are telling the drs. to stick their Tamoxifen.  I feel like it's trading one possible risk for several others that are at least as bad, if not worse.  What are you doing in lieu of the Tamox, if anything? 

Here's to being chemical-free! 

Illegal?  So we can excuse our dr's for being so pig-headed about the "drugs as usual" approach, huh?  In any case, I am so pumped after doing tons of reading (aside from the tired eyes)--I am definitely going with the iodine and indole 3 carbinol.  Tons of literature about how both are wonderful at doing what Tamoxifen does, with NO funky and/or life-threatening side effects!  I've been praying for guidance on this, and I have stumbled upon one thing after another pointing me in this direction.  We need to get the word out!

I'm so glad to read everyone's input on this topic.  I'm finishing 6 rounds of chemo tomorrow, so I've "done the work" as far as that goes, but I'm fervently looking for good info with which to arm myself against my onc. pushing Tamoxifen down my throat.  So far, iodine and vitamin D are the main things I plan to go with--one Iodoral tablet and 2000 iu of Vit. D.  However, I strongly suspect that the onc. will not give a fig about this and I may end up not going back to her after I reject the Tamox.  (I already declined to be in a study regarding the chemo, so I guess I failed to bring in that extra money for the office!)  I'm a little stumped about finding the right kind of doctor who will work with me on this--the different titles:  holistic, naturopath, chiropractic, etc.....  In any case, I still have another mastectomy ahead of me whenever my surgeon says I'm ready post-chemo (my choice, nothing was found in this one but I'm taking the target away), so I'm not turning my back totally on traditional drs, but I believe God did put things here for us to heal ourselves with and why not investigate?  That being said, I also believe a lot of cancer is caused by things we've created ourselves to scum up our environment, but that's another topic.

Have a great day everyone~

larousse, do you happen to know the situation of the 2 women who had recurrences after not taking Tamoxifen?  Such as what extent the original bc was, what surgery, chemo, etc. they had?

Jule, here is the most recent and informative link regarding iodine and breast cancer--it's from July of this year and is very encouraging:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2452979 

I haven't investigated much yet on this site, but I'm going to.  I did hear from someone who chose to forego taking an AI and is being treated and monitored by a dr. who is using natural supplements (but not iodine, I don't think).  I feel a little in a tizzy trying to make this decision, but I just have a bad gut feeling about yet more drugs in my body.  I know I'll have a fight on my hands with the onc...sigh.  I have a pretty healthy diet now (my only vice is those evening cocktails with the hubby), I'm vegetarian, eat organics as much as possible, whole grains and all that jazz, but I didn't make these changes until I was 40 (I'm almost 45 now), and apparently the bc was already lurking by that time.  Damn those hot dogs I used to eat!  

I've had my port in for soon-to-be 6 treatments of TC, and I can also see the tubing near my collarbone from the port.  It's no big deal--just the way it's put in.  Also, I had the numbing stuff put on me for my first couple of treatments, but they used a freezing spray kind of thing.  After one of the nurses told me she knew of someone who had their skin damaged from the spray, causing the incision to open, etc., I said I'd try it without it.  It's NOT BAD AT ALL.  It seems as if it would be horrible because of the location, but they pop it in really quickly and it's no worse than getting a stick anywhere else.  Don't be afraid--it'll be fine.  These nurses know their stuff.  That being said, I'm really happy to be getting mine out soon after my last treatment.....

I'm also pondering these same questions:  I'm almost through with chemo (Thank GOD!!), and really do not want to take Tamoxifen (or anything else, for that matter).  I want my body to have a vacation from chemicals, at least for a while.  I also asked my onc about the oophorectomy and got the answer about how our bodies still produce some estrogen...I had asked her about it as an alternative to Tamox. however, and she said she would "fall on her sword" to make me take it.  Uh, I hope the sword isn't too sharp because I'm really opposed to it.  If anything, I had thought taking an AI after having my ovaries removed would be a little better, but Jule, you say you had a horrible experience with that?  I'm about to be 45 and don't want to feel 90 either!  This is so exasperating!!!

Sherri & Sherry, I had the same scalp problem at I think the same time of treatment (I had posted about it on this board when I was going nuts from the itch).  Mine did go away after a day or so, after I thought I was going to have to submerge my head in the swimming pool just to make it stop!  I put aloe vera gel on it and it helped cool the burn a little.  Hang in there, it shouldn't last long!