Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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I'm a little late on some responses, but here goes. KARI--I have had increased tinnitus since I did four rounds of T/C, but I have not had my hearing checked. DIANE--I am so happy that you had a great vaca then got benign results. Whew! I breathed a sigh of relief for you. RENEE--I understand your concern about mammos, etc. After a "normal" mammo when I was 37, I pushed to have another "prematurely" because I was concerned about changes in my breast; yep, it was cancer. Second time around, same damn thing happened. "Normal" mammo, then pushed for a breast MRI; yep, cancer again. Yes, I understand that there is no 100% guarantee that a malignancy will be detected. I just want support more often for those of us who have to fight an uphill battle to get more diagnostics done after a "normal mammo," when we sense that something is just not right. I will stay hopeful for you that your next mammo will give you peace of mind. CHELEV--Your hair looks a lot like mine (lengthwise). I did 4 rounds of T/C (last in May) and I am out there with the "fringe" style. I just turned 53, and my color is charcoal gray with white interspersed throughout. When the hairs first popped out of my head, they were black, with a white skunk tail look down the top of my head. My former color was dark auburn with gray highlights (well, that's what I liked to call them...). I am waiting to see what color it will be next, but I think I will probably be happy with whatever color it is (famous last words...). I also am one of those who has never worn my hair short, but now that it is short, I think I like it better. I think the longer hair made me look older (wishful thinking about the short hair making me look younger perhaps?). By the way, I have been taking Tamox 5+ weeks now (unless chemofog has screwed up my counting, which--believe it or not--I noticed lately, sigh); I have what I consider to be relatively minor side effects--stiff neck, vaginal "secretions," feeling warm all the time and occasional hot flashes, but I do have onset of fatigue around mid afternoon that I did not have before Tamox. My fatigue had decreased post-chemo but was pervasive throughout the day, more or less, so I am wondering if the increase in late day fatigue might be related to Tamox. AIMN--Still looking and hoping for the positive side effects! HELENA--Love the squeaky toy! MARY--UGH over the infection; hope you feel better soon. HAPPY ONES--Congrats on the upbeat mood. And MEG--Keep us posted on your surgery so we can send you positive energy and high hopes for all to go well.
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RACHEL--Sorry, I just saw your posts. I hope the nursery school interview will go well. I imagine that we will hear some interesting stories from you about that!
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If it's OK with all the CA girls, Sunday Nov. 8th would be better, so I can get a place at work, for us to have a party....
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PattiB- I am still waiting for the cute veterinarian to hit on me....
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Leggy, the 8th is good for me. Let me know when and where.
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message for the NoCal girls- BITCH!
I am SO JEALOUS!!! 0 -
Rachel, LMAO! Hilarious....we need to get an East Coast Contingent on the calendar!
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Rachel, I know - I would LOVE to go out to Cali and meet up with the girls out west. I love CA - was there three times last year on business and was ready to move right then and there!
Got the go-ahead from my doctor to ramp up to full doses, but I will be staying with the 10 mg, no sense in asking for trouble, is what the nurse said. Haven't noticed unusual stiffness, except a little more in my carpal tunnel wrist. Where I noticed a little tenderness was under the arms, I guess in the lymph node area. Nurse said that is normal too. Plus the "secretions", and of course our friend, flash. Tinnitus did get worse for me with TC - I've had it since I was a child, but it's much louder now. Wonder why that is?
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Chelev.....I had horrible tinnitus after my surgery and all the way through and about 2 months after chemo. No one could tell me what caused it. I have had it all my life too just not so often and much louder, too!
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Another message for the NoCal girls, remember our special handshake:
Now THAT would make a helluva group shot...
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Leggy--the 8th works for me...yay!
Chelev--LOL on your friend "flash". (Makes it sound like a super-hero...not so much though, huh?)
Rachel--get your butt on a plane--and bring "the kid".
And I love the movie Baby Boom (not sure if that was mentioned here or on another thread...) 0 -
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Well I'm just not going to play anymore if you are ALL going to meet up.
squeak
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HelenaJ wrote:
Well I'm just not going to play anymore if you are ALL going to meet up.
Hey, Helena you can come too! Or you can invite us to Australia.
At one point, about 25 years ago, my dh and I almost immigrated to Australia. We applied for immigration visas and got them, but then my dh decided he wouldn't earn as much money in Australia as he would here and changed his mind. I still wonder how life would have turned out if we had gone ahead with our plans.0 -
Well your DH was dead right about the money LOL!!!
Doors open and a shrimp on the barby for everyone. big hugs Lisa-e
Hey, I get my new nipples on Monday.
Haven't got time now to type anymore.
love you all
big hugs
Helena
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You girls just crack me up, you give me morning laugh.
Helena, you may end up with a great deal of company, especially with winter coming for us and summer for you!!!!LOL.
Rachel, find a stray every few days and go to the vet.
Went to bed really early yesterday, very stressful day at work.
Hey No Cali girls have fun.
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HI,
I haven't been on the Taxmo site but have been on the exchange and chemo. I am hopin gyour ladies can help me out.
I'm 46, had chemofininshed June23, still on herceptin and had exchange surgery aug 09, no period since Jan and now this week I started the tamofin and am spotting. Is this normal? I did delay starting Tamofin for 6 weeks but I was still on the herceptin. Thought I was in memopause for 9 months? any help would be appreciated.
malle
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malleme, met up with another bc sister last night! I'm 47 and she's 48 and lost her period 11 mos ago during chemo. She's on tamox too and her period just came back 3 wks ago. No warning just "HELLO"! She emailed her onc and he said pretty much 'ok no biggie' then she emailed her gyn and she replied "have an opening tomorrow, get in here quick, we will biopsy"!!!!!!!! So she just went through all sorts of scans and biopsies, etc. all is normal thank goodness. My gyn told me if I bleed at all to notify her asap. Call your gyn!!
Leggy, Nov 8th works for me too!!!! really curious as to where you work...hmmm!!
I WISH WE COULD ALL MEET UP!
Rach, that photo cracks me up, the secret handshake!!! Jealous of the big boobs over here! haha!!!
Helena, hope you don't get squeaky nipples!!
Shrimp on the barby, YUMMMMMMM!!I posted some highlights of the cancer event over on the Motivation thread so if you've read it, skip the rest of this post!!
Went to the Many Faces of Breast Cancer event last night and here is some highlights: (Many of us know some of this already, but here goes). The latest from the San Antonio symposium 12/08
Med Onc:
Exercise is more important than Supplements! Studies show no benefit, except for Vitamin D (complex discussions over this now). Vit. D deficiencies are more common than they first suspected. Vitamin E, which was the big craze has no benefit and beta carotene studies show you are worse off with it. If your Vitamin D level is low - there is more disease, too much and its toxic. 800-1,000 mg daily is the recommendation. Also Vit D & Calcium is optimum!! Everything else should be obtained through our diet!
Alcohol - 1 drink per day for women, 2 for men.
Weight - Keep normal level - there are metabolic benefits with this - insulin levels....there is a risk for recurrence with negative tumors.Exercise - 3 hours per week or a breakdown of 30 min per day. But she said she'd like to see 45-60 min. of moderate exercise each day! (WOW that's a lot), BUT this is the recommendation for reducing breast cancer in your lifetime, there are no studies for recurrence (I thought there was?)
Diet & Nutrition - Rich plant based, low processed foods and red meat. Complex carbs are good not simple carbs.
She talked about Oncotype testing - a tumor market test for node negative women (counts me out), some can avoid chemo with this testing.
Tamoxifen - se's - Hot flashes, vein thrombosis, blood clots, uterine cancer, mimics estrogen at certain stages and protective for bones in post menopausal women. Effexor can help with hot flashes 40% of the time, also can try lexapro.
AI's - OK to have tofu, if you are eating something in its natural state as part of a well balanced diet, its when we take something into supplement form or alter it from its natural state that it can hurt us. (soy for er/pr +)
Genetics Counselor:
BRCA testing, 5-10% carry the gene. You get a blood test and 2 wks turnaround time for results. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian, get tested. (I'm going to pursue testing for my DD's sake)
Surgical Onc:
MRI can help with your plan, but anything they find needs to be proven with biopsy. MRI's pick up all kinds of stuff and seeing what's there is hard. Different people can read them differently.
Lumpectomies - they try to stay as close as the original boob. breast preservation may not be for everyone. With genetic testing in younger women, the surgeons balance risk (mast & Recon)
Rad Onc:
Helps br. surgeon & reduce recurrence (lumpectomies). There is something called Intensity Moduality during rads, reduces toxicity 30%. Reconstruction after mx is a challenge for cosmetic results. PS don't like rad oncs! She said we can get there, we have options for recon, locally or regionally (like SPRING) for complex microsurgery (flap or diep).
Bone scans can show hot spots from rads within 6 mos or a fracture could be healing.
I talked to the Rad Onc afterwards about recon and the rads hitting my heart/lung. She said that rads usually will hit 10% of your lung, but usually our lung capacity is good and that shouldn't present a problem. As far as my heart being zapped, she said the good news is that PCP's are trained in the 'heart' and I should go to mine and tell her I was given rads to my left side and ask to be screened for early heart disease and follow this for years to come.0 -
Hi Kari - thank you for your long post - lots of typing for you!! Isn't that interesting about supplements. As I seem to be the only one not taking any (other than my vitamin D3 drops) it makes me feel a lot better!! My DH is a great cook and believes in eating good quality food in its most natural state - the bill is always really scary when he does the shopping. He is however a smoker so that cancels him out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For a very intelligent man he is soooo stupid about smoking.
Malle - I didn't have chemo so I can't really comment other than say Kari is right - any abnormal bleeding should be checked into. It could just be your periods returning. Tamoxifen can play around with your cycle. Mine just stopped after 6 months of being regular. Hope you are happy with your exchange surgery. Hugs.
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Helena - I wish I was a great and creative cook, you'd think all those Food Network shows I watch would help, LOL! I am not a huge veggie fan, but crave them in cycles, its weird. I did stop on the way home to Pluto's (this big salad place) and filled up a salad with veggies, I try and do that every so often, but I just can't stomach them each day! I DO TRY THOUGH!!! Smoking....BAD DH! bad!!!
Love ya girl
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Unclean, unclean - plague here!!! Oh I have such a stinker of a cold, high temp, cough, sore throat, headache and general aches and pains everywhere. I hit the bed early last night and stayed there today until dinner but had to come back after about two hours. DH rang our GP this morning and he faxed an antibiotic prescription to our pharmacy. So now I'm taking that too!!
Helena - good luck on Monday and I'm keeping you company in that the only supplement I'm taking is 50mg of B6 daily to help with nerve damage from taxol.
As for get togethers - there's always beautiful Ireland!! Just bring raincoats!!!
I'm just going to pop over to motivation to confess no exercise and then I'm burrowing down in my quilt because my head feels too heavy for my neck!!
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kfinnigan thank so much, I will get in there.
Malle
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Helena, the only vits I take are Calcium and D3, I was taking Omega 3 prior to bc, but saw that some may have soy in them. I do not even like that I have to take meds daily. But everything is just sooo scary now.
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Hi Girls, is it safe to say where I work, on this thread? It's a beautiful place, just incredible! I'm so glad the 8th works.
Helena, NIPPLE'S!!!!! Yahoo! Good Luck!
Kari, I had a lung clot scare, when I was doing Rads. My Onc. had me get a CT scan, and they said something showed up, regarding my heart, and that I had to go see my GP. He had me get an EKG, and said it wasn't serious, he went into this technical explanation, but I didn't understand I still don't trust that.
Ainm, hope you feel better soon.
Hey Rachel, come on out to CA, you would be the hit of the party!!!!!
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Leggy, I think I'd be cautious about saying where you work, on a public forum.
Anyway, regarding the 8th - I am going to go ahead and call my dad & step-mom and see if I can spend the night of the 7th with them. They live in Glen Ellen and if I stay with them, I can break up the driving over two days. Also, the 9th is my birthday so I should be able to to get a nice dinner out of them. :-) I presume details about the 8th (time and place) will be forthcoming via private message. I am really looking forward to it!
Ainm, I hope you feel better soon. It is so rotten to feel like you are a walking contagion.
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Time for a major rant, so you can tune my out, just need to clear my head.
Everything bothers me and I mean everything. At school I have bull from co workers, I mean seriously don't people ever grow up. I must have drawn the short straw at work, because on a day that we were down 2 employees (teacher and associate) the ohter assocaite had to leave early to take her dd to the doctor, mind you her husband is off and her dd is college age. I had to get 7 kids on the buses w/ the help of a sub, at least it was another set of eyes.
Everyone in my house bothers me, my son,dh,and daughters. They talk to loud, they will not give me a moment of peace. I tried to get out of the house be myself tonight and my daughters had to come, fine but they bickered the whole time. I have a terrible headache and now I am wondering if I should go get and MRI to make sure there is no more cancer. I just had a bone scan, and a CT scan of my chest and both were clean. When I had my ooph, surgeon did a thorough check aroud my abdomin and ovaries were free od disease. So I feel confident that I am disease free, but still worry in the back of mind every time I get an ache or a pain.
My friend from work, has cancer everywhere, not just her brain. So I am a little down in the dumps, which could be why I am soooo grumpy. Her bad news just seems to validate my worry about every new ache and pain being cancer.
All finished with my rant, I know you girls will understand, my dh sure does not, and I can't voice my fears to my kids and make them their fears.
It was a beautiful day. On the phone with sister, she just took her spit test today. Her son at MSU has swine flu!!!!!
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Kari- Fabulous write up, thank you very very much.
runnin in, runnin out.... love ya all
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Oh just missed Mary's post... wow, that's some major news, someone alert the media- Mary is HUMAN!!!!!
Mary m'love, you have been taking so much shit for so long and with so much grace and humor, making it all look easy, and frankly, making the rest of us look like pikers, whiners and wimps. Its about damn time you had yourself a rant dear. I am only sorry I don't live closer, I'd come get you in the roadster and we'd go anywhere you like... maybe find a leather bar where we can beat up some big dudes. Its fair for you to have a rage that'd fill the Grand Canyon.
Keep my number handy, I'm good for bail money.
Major hugs.
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OK, since I am here... and in a mood... I hope you will allow...
Helena... if your boobs squeak, what noise will your nipples make? Or maybe they will counterbalance your boobs like those little tabs they put on tires to balance them and your boobs will stop squeaking. If your boobs do stop squeaking, will you miss it?
Wow I was falling in love with your DH and had secret plans to come to Oz to steal him- until you told me about the cigarettes. Ugamugameatball!
Leggy- TEASE!!!! get on a freakin plane you say eh? One of these days I WILL!!!!
Ladies all- I am hunting for a contact for the troops in Afghanistan. You know I do this thing with the FDNY firefighters sending goodies to the troops in the "sandbox" and I got my contact in Iraq but I need one or two in Afghanistan to coordinate with me by email, receive and distribute the goodies to the troops who need some support and love around Xmas.
I have hit up the usual suspects and so far got no one in Afghanistan. I remember a bunch of you having family serving, so I am unabashedly badgering you. More info on this effort to come... you'll like it, I promise.
PM or post, you know I am reading, and ASAP please, and I will post when I have my quota.0 -
Hey Mary - I have told my DH that I feel like the bloody United Nations sometimes trying to deal with the problems of the world, diffuse conflicts, arrange negotiations, hold peace talks, feed the world, medicate the world - then being a therapist, sexy whore mamma and chauffeur ..... and do you think I could just then just try and have 5 mins to breathe and zone out watching Neighbours (really crappy Aussie soap). Hence my denial about wine!!!!!!
Your headache just sounds like too much of everything to me.. stress..let me out of here stuff. (((hugs)))
Rachel -- straight away I got a picture of you and Mary as Thelma and Louise... and if you do go and you meet a Brad Pitt look a like I will be on the first plane over!!! mmmmm brad pitt mmmmm
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