Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Debbie6122 - I had Surgery 1/13, chemo started 3/11 and ended 5/13, then rads starting 5/27 and ending 7/14. My onc told me to start Tamox within a week of ending rads, so I started the day after 7/15. If you are not getting rads, they may want you to wait until chemo Se's would supposedly be out of your system. On TC that was considered 3 weeks, but I felt it was more like 5 weeks. This is something your chemo onc should go over with you since not all prescribe procedures/medications the same way. Since I was doing rads I had an appointment the end of June to discuss the Tamox prescription possible Se's and any chemo/rad issues. I will have another follow-up approx. 6 weeks from start of Tamox. to check in, and I'm not sure if they will do any bloodwork, etc. Good Luck to you!
Mary - What would we do without our cars, how frustrating when those issues can interfere with our schedules. Good luck with all your appoinments both yours and your children.
Rachel - I found during my DX that several of DD's classmates moms, that at the time I really considered acquaintances, that were diagnosed prior to me, did reach out more than my BF's. They contacted me on a regular basis to check on me and have become valued friends.
Rachel/Mary and PA girls - Looking forward to meeting you, it seems you have much busier schedules than I with having young children, my DD is 18. So just let me know what date is best for you guys and I should be available.
Have a great weekend all!!
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Patti- Thanks for the info,
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Leggy- hugs and smooches
pjclarky- man i am sorry about your friend.
mary, glad the car got fixed. Monday's bone scan, hugs galore. Remember your CD
I was almost thinking we PA girls should all get together around your surgery, but maybe you wont be in the mood for that...? Maybe we come visit you and help out around the house after? If you wanna sleep, you know we'll be fine on our own... and we know to rinse and not just scrape Oh man, potato chips and pb&j... awesome combo!I'm working on a load of totally obnoxious and tedious caca for my lawsuit (my apartment was wrecked by a fire in 2003, and they took 6 years to "repair" it, and now it's still uninhabitable)... so this is just a drive-by!
Welcome to the newbies!
Hugs all
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Rachel, good luck w/ your apt.
yes it was nice not to worry about my car. Also, there are still nice people in the world too. After my car sat on level ground, I had to check the oil(my driveway is slightly sloped), well when I opened the hood, a gentleman who was pulling out of his spot, pulled back in to ask if I needed help. How nice.
My day was better today DH took all 3 kiddies fishing after work, so I had an hour of peace and quiet.
Have a great weekend ladies!
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Pcclarky - big hugs for you and your friend. I forgot my tam the other night - I swear if it is past 9.00pm I can't remember whether I took it or not!
Hey Kari - hope you had a nice afternoon at work and enjoying your weekend - that beautiful big pink flower is just glorious. (looks like it is behind your ear!!)
Julie - there was a lady a few pages back who was having nausea as well but it seemed to peter off after a few days. What about taking it with a glass of milk - little easier on the stomach maybe. Hugs.
Suffering bad anxiety at the moment due to periods being due (I hope it is that anyway) so doing a lot of lurking and not posting.
Thank heavens Mary that your car is going again
All the best for next week.Rachel - good luck with your lawsuit and that's just horrible about your apartment - I can clean out the kids rumpus room for you and bubs??? hugs
Enjoy the weekend everyone.
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Good Morning ladies. Helena I think it is tamoxifen brain, because at times I forget if I took my pill. I take both Tamox and Effexor in the morning w/ breakfast, so no nausea. Remember ladies if you have questions about your meds you can also ask the pharmacist. I put a great deal of faith and trust in Rph's, I guess it comes from working for a chain drug store for so long.
It looks like it will be a sunny day here in the Poconos, I am getting ready to shove the kids out and then I will sit on porch and soak up some vitamin D.
Have a great w/e ladies
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Didja have fresh fish for dinner?
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I keep stalling on the research and coming back here to hang out... stall stall... Helena, be careful, I have a tendency to show up where I am invited...stall stall..oh yeah Kari I always think that flower is in your ear Hawaiian style...
and I'm with you on the pre-meno anxiety, even though not on Tamox yet...
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No fresh fish, they threw them all back too small. We are having Burgers on the Grill tonight, with beans and baked potatoes.
After my ooph, I will no longer have a period!!!!!!!! And no longer be able to get preggo!!!!
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Mary22---I take my pill in the morning and turn the bottle upside down. Later that day or before I go to bed I turn it right side up. It has helped me a great deal. I'm pretty much forgetting every thing, but I have a ton on my plate, in addition to bc, so I don't know if it is because of the Tam, the ooph, or just too many things for one person to handle in 8 months.
I hope my little tip helps.
Karen
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I have two of those little pill dispensers for a week. I have one with my tamoxifen, calcium, and tumeric in the morning and then I have another for a multi vitamin, fishoil, and glucosamine in the evening. I just refill one a week and then I always know if I have taken everything. It also is a lot more convenient than opening all the bottles everyday. I never thought I would need one of those until I was much older, but it really does help.
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DCMom, I have one of those weekly pill dispensers, and like you didn't think I'd need them until later... oh well. It's already got Iron, antacid and Eye vitamins in it, when I start Tamox I will add that (everyone says its a "little" white pill but it seems large like a button to me... xanax is a "little" pill). Are your other pills Tamox-related? The Tumeric, calcium fishoil an glucosamine?
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I take turmeric,glucosamine and fish oil too and have for awhile. all are for arthritis but the fish oil is also for cholesterol management. Have a pill dispenser but usually forget to fill it!!!! should go do it now!! Hope all are having a good weekend, So far no SE's from the tamox with two weeks down.
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Hey girls, checking in. The flower looks like its behind my ear. That was in Maui and I just stood next to it, and my DH said "that flower is as big as your head!" We laughed and I thought it was funny, I took one of him by a pretty yellow-orange one. So beautiful in Hawaii!
DH and I cranked up the tunes last night and had a blast dancing around the patio and backyard and then in the house. We were laughing and it felt so good to feel normal! It was a hot night though and boy did we sweat. DH said "be careful or you're gonna have huge hot flashes"...but I was ok...til we stopped, LOL!
Mary, will be thinking of you this week with all of your appts. Glad your car is ok.
Helena, work was busy Friday (for a change)...when do your kids go back to school?
Thinking of all you! Have a nice afternoon/evening!!
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Karen, good idea, on the unside down pill bottle, I'll try it.
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Hi Kari - what a great nite - what music were you dancing to? My DH hates dancing but I LOVE it ... I have to grab everyone else's hubby to dance when ever we go out and there is music. My gorgeous girls go back to school tomorrow so have to run around and buy school lunch stuff today but also meeting a lovely friend for coffee/tea first - looks like it is going to be a beautiful day. It's great having the girls home with me but to be honest I never get a moment to myself which doesn't help my patience
so looking forward to having a bit of time to myself.Those pill dispensers sound good - the only ones I have seen though are the monthly ones and they really remind me of my father (who is 84!!!!!!!!!!) - will keep looking for a weekly one. Should help with the tamo brain Mary. Though forgetting to fill it sounds like something I would do too.
Have an appointment with my Onc tomorrow - going to ask whether I need to take an AI if I have an ooph and keep up with my running to keep off the excess weight. I think I am being a little too optimistic about his response. Other than that there really isn't much else to talk to him about - ain't that great!!
Mary - thinking of you this week ((hugs))
Hey Rachel what do you take your eye vitamins for if you don't mind me asking. The tamoxifen has made my eyes all "scrinchy" for want of a better word. Probably drying them out a little. BTW the best time for a visit is our spring .......LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
big hugs everyone (and newbies)
Helena
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Hello to all my tamoxer friends.....I have been following the thread for awhile and posted only a few times.......you are all so wonderful! Really enjoyable reading!
Question to all premenopausals (errr pre BC)......I got my period during chemo once (I had 4 TC's), 4 weeks to the day after my last chemo then 2 weeks after that, started tamox 8 weeks post chemo and now 2 weeks into tamox I got my period today! WTH? I have had no hot flashes to speak of and am worried from what I am reading that if I don't have the menopause SE's of the tamox that my recurrence risk is elevated. I have already asked my onc's this question since I really only missed one period since DX and the answer I got was I have strong ovaries. Don't we NOT want strong ovaries. I realize that even without our ovaries are adrenal glands will produce estrogen but come on, I don't want to freak myself out more than I already have just having BC if you know what I mean!
Any input will be greatly appreciated.
hugs
Diane
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Hi Diane, I didn't do chemo so my story is different to yours but my period hasn't stopped at all during Tam (nearly 5 months now) - just shorter in duration. I have no hot flashes at all and like you I was freaking out the pill wasn't working - I did the CYP test and I am an extensive metaboliser so everyone is different. Mind you I have been feeling lots of heat surges lately so maybe the hot flashes are on their way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, with you there, don't want to hear about strong ovaries .... what the???!!!.... is there such a thing !Seeing my Onc tomorrow and needed a few more questions so will double check with him about the no hot flash deal - better not give me the strong ovary story!!
I'm sure one of the gorgeous ladies who have done chemo will post for you but I think it really is such an individual thing with the periods stopping, starting, etc. Your body has been put through so much and now tamoxifen. Likely to be confused.
big hugs
Helena
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Karen, thanks for the advice. How was your ooph, I am scheduled for an ooph on Aug 4.
Diane, menopause is not a se of tamox, only meno like symptoms(is how my onc explained) if you are concerned there is a test to see if you are metabolising it.
Thanks to everyone for your kind words.
Have a great day!!!
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Mary K--I had a total abdominal hysterectomy and oopherectomy--so my recovery was longer than a lap, but my gyn is also an onc and she prefers going in through the abdominal wall and getting her hands and eyes on EVERYTHING--she also took my appendix. I had it the same time I had my implant exchange, it was OK. I had more pain than I thought I would in my abdomen, but it was not debilitating in any way. I was released at 8 weeks for whatever exercise I wanted to do with the caveat, that some time things will hurt, but it doesn't mean I'm hurting myself. I stayed on Tamoxifen after the ooph and I've been doing well, slowly losing weight--about 12 pounds since dx, emotions seem more stable with ovaries out, I did have intense night sweats for about two months, just like when I began the Tamoxifen, but they seem to be lessening. I get an occasional hotflash during the day, but it has all be manageable, and I'm so happy to have my ovaries out. Really follow your docs suggestions about lifting, pain meds, etc. I hiked 14 miles last weekend and use the pool for running--doesn't yet feel good to really shake up my tummy, back to doing sit ups, etc. The real change I've noticed is that I'm really tired, but heck, it has been a tough 8 months, I'm a single mom, and have a very intense job that could easily be 24/7 if I don't protect my time. So, I don't know the real source of the fatigue, I assume it is a suite of all the factors.
Diane--I started Tamoxifen in December and had a light period, than nothing until 10 days before my surgery in May--I went off the Tamoxifen to prepare for surgery, and I started my period within 8 hours. If you are worried request the CYP2D6 test in a way your onc cannot refuse! I turned out to metabolize Tamoxifen well and that is why I'm staying on it after the ooph.
Good Luck, I look forward to hearing how it goes for you.
Hugs to all,
Karen
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Helena,
If you are interested I got my pill dispenser from Howards Storage World and it is weekly and has an am & pm side.
Good luck with the appointment tomorrow....I always get real nervous before any medical appointment now.
Bigs Hugs
Viv
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Vivvygirl what a star!! There's a Howard Storage World in the same town as my Onc tomorrow - thank you - do you think it is a little sad to be excited over a pill dispenser!!!!!!!! LOL. Thanx for your good wishes
Karen - wow no wonder you are tired. I have a DH, only work 10 hours a week and still manage to get tired!!! So glad your ooph went well for you.
big hugs
Helena
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Helena,
Didn't think I would see the day I would get excited over a pill dispenser!
Or a good nights sleep as well.Am always lurking around the boards seeing what everyone is doing, am a little sad that I haven't seen Jules anyway lately.
Jules, if you are out there let us know you are going okay!!!!!!!!!
Hugs
Viv
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Meg,
Did your onc tell you not to take your Tamoxifen for several hours from your calcium tablets? I'm on a 20 mg tab a day and was told to take it several hours from calcium tabs because there will be absorption issues.
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Diane,
I just started my cycle today while on Tamoxifen. I had my period twice when I did TC x 4 (finished 6/5/09). I started Tamox on 6/21. My onc is wanting me to have the Lupron shot if I get my period. I was feeling a bit upset when my period started. I was thinking that the Tamox would stop my periods. I haven't had much hot flashes.
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Hey Vivvy I left a message for Jules on facebook and nothing there either. She was having probs with her laptop a while back .. just hoping she is doing real well and too busy!
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Helena, interesting you complained about your eyes. Mine have been so dry I can't wear my contacts and am having trouble seeing. My eyelashes are falling out again so I'm been blaming it on the chemo but maybe it is the tamox?
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Where do you purchase your DIM and iodine? I know I had looked at some other supplements such as tumeric and calcium and some contain soy.
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Hi girls
Helena, we were cranking up the music to a R&B Saturday jam session they do, all old school fun dance music from the 70s and 80s. I kept saying "OMG I used to dance to this song...I used to love that song"...very very fun! I am constantly shaking my booty to the tunes! haha!!
Had another Vit. D blood test and scored 41 (range 30-100). Doc said normal and to make sure I take 1200 IU for better bones. But I'm taking a little over that a day in my multi and calcium w/D&K....That's my 2nd Vit. D blood test and no change. I would feel better if the number were higher. Should I add another Vit. D supplement?
Wanna be friends on Facebook anyone? Let me know. Its fun getting to know our bc sisters and see them in photos!!
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Kari, I'm PMing you
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