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Comments

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009

    Helena QOTD.... well there's a mixed batch of news eh?  Gosh do you Aussies have to do everything upside down?  interesting about your weight not changing.  Maybe the muffin top is just because you had to stop running?

    And "around the house" clothes don't cut it, unless they are ones you haven't worn in over half a year because they are "too nice" for every day.  Blow the dust off something in your closet or drawer.... put on sexy undies... treat yourself like a lady.  I had to really push myself- I took a freakin Xanax just to get out the door for that reunion.   

  • rgiuff
    rgiuff Member Posts: 339
    edited July 2009

    Rachel IBC, I think somewhere within that awesome, tremendous posting of yours, you did ask about fertility and periods once ovaries are removed.  Once they are gone, fertility is finished and so are periods, since all this requires functioning ovaries that put out eggs and hormones to sustain the pregnancy.  I read something about women with no ovaries getting donor eggs and then being injected with hormones to sustain the pregnancy, but it doesn't sound like the easiest way to go. And hormones produced by the ovaries are needed to have periods.  Once the ovaries are out, it's instant surgical menopause. 

    So for anyone who is still able to have children that still wants to try, it's best to do that while you can and then think about prophylactic surgeries to reduce ovarian cancer risk.  From what I remember reading, most ovarian cancers don't occur until after menopausal age anyway.

    Mary22, on Hystersisters.com, there is a lot of information about oophorectomies, as well as hysterectomies, and what to expect afterwards.  

  • Mary22
    Mary22 Member Posts: 428
    edited July 2009

    Boy alot to read. Rachel, alot of good info, I bought a bottle of D3. My genetic counselor already gave me the info for FORCE, the are located in Tampa, so maybe next year I will go to the conference and stay w/ my bro in tampa.

  • Mary22
    Mary22 Member Posts: 428
    edited July 2009

    OOPS, I hit submit by mistake, had to get pizza out of the oevn, my extent of cooking today. I will definitely get either a hyster or an ooph, and then maybe down the line I will get double Mast and reconstuction surgery. I will go bigger and have a tummy tuck and lipo at the same time!!!!LOL, I have to look on the bright side of things.  Dinner is ready, then I will relax.!!!!! I cleaned( bleached bathrooms down and did laundry) Time to relax.

    Have good Night

    Thany-you Rachel for all the info.

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009

    Rose... getting ovaries out is easy outpatient surgery, prevents a host of cancers, lowers recurrence & stops periods?  SIGN ME THE F*CK UP!  What am I missing?  This sounds wonderful!

    So then, what about the hot flashes on Tamoxifen?  Does "instant menopause" mean symptomless menopause?

    I can see it now, the next designer surgery... 

  • rgiuff
    rgiuff Member Posts: 339
    edited July 2009

    Not so fast there, Rachel!  The instant menopause that comes from surgery is supposed to be the most intense of all because you very suddenly get a drastic loss of hormone production.  Many of these women go on HRT but we with our estrogen + breast cancers would not be able to do that..  And being thrust into menopause, especially at a younger than normal age, can have a whole host of risk factors and side effects.  If you google surgical menopause, you'll find a lot of info about it.

  • HelenaJ
    HelenaJ Member Posts: 304
    edited July 2009

    Yes sorry Rachel, my younger sister was diagnosed at 35 and had her ovaries removed - she struggled big time (both physically and emotionally) - side effects hit the moment she woke up from surgery - she still gets hot flashes 9 years later.  She also has to have regular bone density tests, had some major problems with her teeth and still mourns not being able to have a 2nd child.

    She is however doing fantastic, looks fantastic and is my angel.

  • Mary22
    Mary22 Member Posts: 428
    edited July 2009

    I am 41, and I have three children, so for me it is easy to decide. Obviously at this point in my life and w/ my recent dx, I do not want anymore children, besides I would have to be on Tamox for 5 yrs anyhow.  I am just trying to decide which would be better, just a ooph( due to speedy recovery) or a complete hyster and be done. Since I already have stretch marks that look like I had a c-section, I am not concerned about scarring, just recovery time!

    Thanks for all your input ladies.

  • BooBee
    BooBee Member Posts: 288
    edited July 2009

    My ooph was latherscopic.  Two small incisions on my bikini line and one in the B button.  My hyster was vaginal with lathoscopic (spelling?) incision in the B button again.  Scarring is not an issue. 

    Recovery is a different story. 

  • awb
    awb Member Posts: 213
    edited July 2009

    Rachel---I had to have a TAH/BSO (everything out abdominally due to large ruptured ovarian cysts) and  went thru immediate surgical menopause within 48 hours--major hot flash, sweating, racing heartbeat, feeling  nauseous, panicky and unable to stop crying---(nurse had to run in and give me a shot of phernegan for the nausea and to calm down)----still having SEs over 4 years later. (hot flashes, trouble sleeping, generalized achiness, and early osteopenia, to name a few).  If I'd had the choice, I would've gladly kept my ovaries.

    anne

  • prayrv
    prayrv Member Posts: 362
    edited July 2009

    Renee,

    It is my hope that my ooph and hyster will be like yours, however my gyn wants to do an abdominal (apparently my uterus is supposedly too big to do vaginally - polyps and fibroids).  What did you mean by recovery is a different story?

    Anne,

    I want to keep one of my ovaries, but gyn wants to do the whole thing.  How old were you, if I may ask, when you had your TAH/BSO?  You can pm me if you like.

    Thanks for your input ladies - I'm scheduling my surgery for the first of September and need advice.

     Hugs,

    Trish

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009
    on the oomph, I am going to be 50 next year, this kid is all I could have anyway, my fertility ship has sailed, so all i am left with is the periods- and how!  This "bad news" about the oomph is actually what I am looking for, for me and for Mary.  I'd much rather have the bad news now than waking up from surgery with a big surprise.  So thank you all again for that (and very very sorry that it sucked/s so bad :(  )My position about using my genes now that I know I have breast cancer is that I wouldn't have kids now from my genes even if I could.  That is, a personal decision of course. Helena, I am so sorry your sister got DX'd (breast? ovarian?) at all, and especially so young. I wish your sister would see that she can have more children, just not from her genetics- egg donor, adopt, again, a personal choice- but it is her choice and she does have a choice and she could have more children. Trish, I don't know how old you are but if your reason for wanting to keep an ovary is to have kids, you can now store eggs, and if you have the man already, (or if you want to use sperm donor) its even a safer bet and easier if you store embryos (fertilized eggs).If a woman has already gone into menopause,  would she then have no problem or little problem with the oomph?  Renee, was it easy for you because you already had the hysterectomy and/or already were in chemopause?Mary- see you tomorrow and we'll dish more...Again and again, thank you ladies for giving the news, good, bad or whatever, knowledge is power.   
  • Mary22
    Mary22 Member Posts: 428
    edited July 2009

    I figure either way it will be instant menopuase and no more period, one more reason for the woman at work to be jealous. When I had my 2 surgeries during the school year she said it must be nice to lay around and watch tv. She has very bad periods and will probably say well at least you no longer have your period. At least next year we will be in different classrooms so I will not have to deal with her as much. BTW we work as associate teachers in an autistic support classroom, so I am off all summer. I want to schedule my surgery asap, before training starts up.

  • HelenaJ
    HelenaJ Member Posts: 304
    edited July 2009

    Anne - if you don't mind what was the recovery story?  If my BRCA test come back positive this is where I am headed but at all costs would like to avoid it.

    Rachel - my sister has breast cancer and her DH and father of their 4 year old daughter (at the time) decided that it was a good time to leave her during her 3rd round of chemo.  Mmmm...best thing that could possibly have happened as far as I was concerned but really bad timing.  Hence no 2nd child due to no husband, no ovaries and no money.  We are not only upside down here in Australia but we are also a million years behind in all sorts of things eg. adoption/sperm donors etc etc.  (Hugh Jackman's wife is a big advocate for access to adoption to be less bureacratic and expensive).

    Also just on a side note I just had a tea with my best friend (wore my hair out, slapped on some mascara and wore my nice jeans) who told me I looked lovely (without prompting) and my "apparent" wobbly bits didn't show and that the last time she saw me I looked gaunt.  Not at the pretty stage but boy sure do feel better. :)   It's also a beautiful warm sunny day here - yippee!!

    Mary - wanna come and do my bathroom?????

    big hugs (cos I can now)

    Helena

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009

    Helena, you know that story of the husbands leaving wives during breast cancer treatments, chemo in particular, is getting to be familiar.  One of my friends' daughter is going through that right now, plus he's saying that her having to go through chemo is why he should be given custody of their young kids.  For those of you who have great supportive DH's SO's partners whatever, brava, and good for you.  You got the real treasure in life.  However, for those of us who do not, let me say this about being a single mother of a sperm donor child: HUZZAH!  And G-d bless my fertility coach and best pal (who got married a virgin at 21 and started having babies at 22, happily married 28 years later) who told me "youbettahoff" without the man. Its a GOOD thing your sister had no more babies with that piece of !()!#&.  But if she can manage it, it would be great for her to have more kids of her own.

    Wow, I am surprised that Oz is in a different era than the US. Well this much is similar, for a single woman, it's MUCH faster and surer to have a sperm donor/egg donor/surrogate than to adopt.  The only real barrier I see for your sister is the money, and that's a big barrier.  I did actually read that because of the economy, even these donors and such are having sale prices.  Still, I have been there, and it aint cheap.

    Hugh Jackman.  Can I just have a moment for Hugh Jackman?  If it wasn't enough that he is hotter than hell as an Xman (oh baby) he also married a woman like 15 years older than him, when she was 45 I think.  Even my pals in menopause get uh... moist... thinking about Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman, YUM!

    YEAH BABY!  Tea with the friend, put on your mascara, yeah baby, that's what I'm talkin' about.  Feels good eh?  Like remembering who you really are.  Yeah, we can face the ugly ugly ugly and blood and guts and gore and cruelty and still, when we powder our noses and smooth out our curls, pull on a pretty frock and rock it old school.

    Hugh Jackman.

    Uh HUH! 

  • BooBee
    BooBee Member Posts: 288
    edited July 2009

    Trish, I was 42.  I had a painful ovarian cyst so while he was there he took out what I no longer needed.  It was heaven not having periods. ...... Recovery just takes longer.  My kids were in their 20's and I had it done during my slow time of the year so it was a treat lounging around watching movies.  If I still had young children I would feel the same way you do.

    Rachel.....The ooph is an out patient where as a hysterectomy is a 2 to 3 day hospital stay.  I don't think it makes a difference if you're in menopause or not, it's still and organ being taken out.  My recovery time may have been longer than normal because I had some bladder stuff done at the same time.  For me the worst part was having a bowel movement.  I didn't take any stool softeners like I was told.  This was not a problem for the ooph.  Although I was still constipated, it wasn't painful at all.

  • BooBee
    BooBee Member Posts: 288
    edited July 2009

    Trish, I think I might be confusing you with Mary in regards to having young children.  Sorry.

  • BooBee
    BooBee Member Posts: 288
    edited July 2009

    Here's a great youtube video explaining the different types of hysterectomies.  I'll see if I can find one the the ooph.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn8Jf6nfv7c&feature=related

  • Susie09
    Susie09 Member Posts: 225
    edited October 2009

    Does anyone or does everyone gain weight while on Tamoxifen?  I read where it can be one of the side effects.  Geesh, another crappy thing about it.  lol

    Susie

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009

    Susie- all of what weight?

  • kfinnigan
    kfinnigan Member Posts: 490
    edited July 2009

    Helena, you always make me smile...I love that you put some mascara, a hat and some nice jeans on for your 'tea with a friend'.  You always sound upbeat!!   

  • Susie09
    Susie09 Member Posts: 225
    edited July 2009

    Rachelbc, the weight on you in your picture.  You look quite heavy.  So, I was asking if it

    was gained from taking tamoxifen. 

  • Munchy
    Munchy Member Posts: 59
    edited July 2009

    Cant remember who asked... but D3 helps insure cell differentiation during the natural division process.  That means it prevents mutation = it prevents normal cells from becoming cancer cells.

    Also, if you drink alcohol, taking some extra folic acid is supposed to counteract the bad effects as they pertain to breast cancer. You can find great articles and the supporting research for this stuff at lef.org

    Rachel - You make me laugh!  Hugh Jackman... yeah, I'm with you.  I'm just guessing here, but if they have to put you on hormones to sustain a pregnancy, wouldn't that just undo the whole purpose of removing your ovaries - which is to get rid of all the hormones they produce?

    Still no word on my test results - that is my project for today.  Who knows how long I will be on hold before I can get someone to give me an answer.  Sigh. 

  • HelenaJ
    HelenaJ Member Posts: 304
    edited July 2009

    Just checking in this morning - always great to see how busy all you overseas ladies have been during my sleep time!!!  Sometimes I have to resist just in case everyone thinks I have no life and just spend my days on the BCO website - no not true --- there are other websites!!!!!!!!  Specially nice when Kari says I make her smile - what a great way to start the day.  Also specially nice to hear about folic acid - thanx for that Munchy!!!!!!!

     Renee - I can't believe you have kids in their 20's.

    My friend I had tea with yesterday (I can't drink coffee any more - makes me feel sick) she is having the most horrendous time going through menopause - not so much the physical side but she has very bad mood swings and feels depressed pretty much all the time.  We are best friends and although she has seen me go through all this breast cancer stuff, she is suffering so bad that her doctor has put her on HRT.  Yeah scary.  We sit there and talk about the same things going on in our lives which are very similar except I have breast cancer and she doesn't. 

    So if I am 47 and do another 4.5 years on tamoxifen that should pretty much see me out the other side just in time for menopause.  So I get 10 years or so in "menopause".  Does anyone know if I have to take an AI?  My onc suggested that if I have my ovaries removed (due to BRCA results being positive) then I may not need to take an AI.  Sounds very tempting.

    Are the BRCA results the ones you are waiting for Munchy - sorry can't scroll back to see.  Regardless make sure you let us know once you get through - I hate the waiting on hold but never trust them enough to hang up and wait for them to call back!

    My daughters both have friends coming over to play today (school holidays here in Oz) and of course it has started raining - I so totally don't believe there is global warming over our house. 

    Have a great day everyone and by the way I can now give proper hugs - no more soft hugs for everyone. 

    big hugs

    Helena

  • HelenaJ
    HelenaJ Member Posts: 304
    edited July 2009

    Whoops - Rachel - boy could get into long story about chemo and husbands leaving!  With my sisters case although it was horrendous at the time she is like a butterfly emerged from a caterpillar in his absence.  At 45 she has come to terms with her one child family and her daughter is beautiful.  Wendy rides a motorbike, has a pink leather jacket and a helmet with a flower on it.  She rocks!!

    By the way - just boasting but here is a link to an article I appeared in for the Oncotype testing here in Australia - you may see that the photo looks familiar!!  The articles are on pages 22 and 23.

    http://www.healthscope.com.au/info/general/Content/get/1794/itemId/

    Rachel - as I have said before you are gorgeous you crazy woman  :)

  • Mary22
    Mary22 Member Posts: 428
    edited July 2009

    Have fun Helena.

    Munchy, I asked about the D3, I was not sure if it was for cancer prevention or to help bone loss, or a combo of both. Also I will have to get some folic acid for the days I feel like having a relaxing drink.

    Have a great day eveyone!

  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 195
    edited July 2009

    Ok, now I know, why I have a picture of my dog and not me...Rachel, I wish I looked as good as you! 

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009

    Munchy- oh  yeah.  When I did IVF I took max doses of estrogen, and I was told at the time that yes, it could increase my risk of breast cancer... but oh oh oh I didn't have any risk factors save for an early period (11yrs old) and no history of breast cancer in my family... except oh oh oh my mom got it when she was over 70... So it would have to be not only saving your eggs, and making embryo but also a surrogate.  Lotsa $$$$.  Munchy, which test results?

  • Makratz
    Makratz Member Posts: 1,605
    edited July 2009

    Rachel, very funny about Hugh Jackman!  Yes, he's hot!

    Sorry to hear about how hard single moms have it.  One year prior to my dx, my best friend was dx.  She was a single Mom of 3 under the age of 9.  I did everything I could to help her, including having her move in and take care of her kids.  We spent the summer together so I could help her.  I just cannot imagine having to go through all of this alone.  You single moms or just single survivors are the real heros!  Isn't it great that we have these threads to help and support us!

    BTW, I think you are beautiful too!  I'd be so happy if I looked like you!

  • Rachel_BC
    Rachel_BC Member Posts: 679
    edited July 2009

    So... me and Mary got together again today... this time we remembered to take a picture...

     

    and we were thinking of you ....

    Hey, Leggy, can your dog do this? :D  :* 

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