Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
-
Welcome Neece and Jennie,
This is a great place for support! Get a good seat on this Tamoxi train, cause the ride may be bumpy at times!
I have recently switched from Tamoxifen to Femara... so far so good...
Hope everyone has a great day! Susie, hope you are feeling better...
Hugs to all
Harley
0 -
Hello Tamoxiteam!
Jennie ~ Welcome!! I had one se that i started the beginning of my second month, but nothing serious. As TCK and Bonnie says, it is hard to predict when or if you will have ses. I have a freind who has been on it for 2 years and hasn't even blinked an eyelid!
Bonnie ~ We too are having a lovely sunny day...can't wait to get out and enjoy it!
Have a wonderful day everyone
Kelly
0 -
jennie--12 days is too soon to tell. It usually takes about 6 weeks to 2 months for the body to adjust. Hopefully you will only have minor SEs like I did--I took tamox for 5 years--mainly hot flashes, some mild insomnia and achiness, all annoying but manageable. Now I take Evista for further preventative measures (I amhigh risk due to LCIS and family history of ILC) and have similar SEs.
Anne
0 -
CatbirdC....The Aloe Vera at Walmart is with the "stomach aids" like Rol-aids, Pepto, & stuff! It is usually on the bottom shelf, & sold in a 128 fl. oz...It is "Fruit of the Earth" Aloe Vera juice, 99.8% Aloe...the rest is whiskey....JUST KIDDING! Don't send me any letters girls...I'm older than you..
And I mix it with about 2 C. orange juice, 1 C. Aloe Vera juice, a banana, & a little flavored creamer, or milk..then just whip it all up! My Husband just drinks it straight....And then I drink a little in the mornings, & in the afternoons when I take my vitamins, & you can drink it again at night....I actually don't know what straight orange juice tastes like, because I always mix it with the Aloe...Ha But I'm just happy I haven't had to take the Zan-tac, or Ranitidine since I have been drinking it. I've mixed a big batch, & it keeps for a couple days in the fridge! (I know I've said this before, but I never know if this will appear on a "new" page)
Jeannette
0 -
peg
Black cohosh - from my BC pharmacy, it is an absolute no-no for those of us with estrogen receptive BC. I have been told NO soy/flax AT ALL. Watch the vitamin pills, as someone else said. I just discovered my multi-vite has soy in it!!!!
Testing - for me, it was not a blood test but a bucal swab (google Genelex) and I organized it all myself. I'll give you more info if you'd like....
Jeanette - thanks for the aloe vera comments. I'll try it again (but I DO have the expensive one from the health food store)
Thanks all for you baby comments ;-) He is absolutely perfect and too gorgeous. I was "helping out" all afternoon. I tried to reassure my DIL she was NOT imposing on my time
I too had totally forgotten how precious newborns are....Caroline
0 -
Thankyou to everyone for replying and the warm welcome. Hopefully I will continue to not have any, or if any, only mild se. I am currently trying to lose weight and regain some energy, so hopefully this may help as well. I take fish oil capsules as well as B1, B6, and B12. Do you think I need to take other supplements? Thanks for any further replies.
Jennie
0 -
Neece and Jennie: Welcome, welcome, welcome ! The T isn't the anyone's favorite but the ladies here certainly are !
Jennie: My medonc's opinion is that by the end of the 3rd month on T , I should see whatever side effects I'm going to see. 2-3 months seem to be most the dividing line between gonna happen or not re: frequent SE's. In addition to fish oil, I'd suggest taking Vitamin D3 ( I take 2000 IU but many take much more; your doctor can check your levels and make a suggestion. ) Lots of info on the BC.org discussion boards. See http://community.breastcancer.org/posts/search?commit=Search&search_builder%5Bauthor%5D=&search_builder%5Bdate_range%5D=&search_builder%5Bkeyword%5D=Vitamin+D3&search_builder%5Bsource%5D=&sort=score for all the past posts. I also take CoQ10 - not as well established re: positive effects but there is no downside to it.
Caroline - Love the photos. He looks so handsome and like such a big boy already, it's hard to believe he's only a few days old ! Bet he gonna be a tall one !
0 -
Hi All Tamoxibeauties,
SUSIE: We need you to feel better and come out and play with us !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JEANNETTE: Thanks for the aloe vera info. I know exactly where to look now. It's good that all their stores are set up pretty much alike. LOL
CAROLINE: I bet your daughter-in-law likes having you come and help her. I remember those days and it doesn't take very long to find yourself totally exhausted.
Jenny... Like MTG said, D-3 is a good supplement to add. I'm hearing from tons of women that their doctors are telling them to get on that.
HARLEY: WhazzzzzUppppppppppppppppp? Are you "behavin" yourself girl ???
)Hope all of you have a great day today. Thank God it's a little warmer here. Not "Kelly/CA" warm....LOL....but after single digits it almost feels that good.
Bonnie
0 -
Hey Bonnie,
I had to work today.... 1st day back since Dec. 21st! Am I ever tired!!
Yes, I'm behaving... but you know, that is NO FUN!!!
I am SO glad that it's warmed up... even though I know Winter isn't over yet, and we'll probably be getting another COLD snap before long...
Hugs to all
Harley
0 -
kirtensmum - make sure and check you fish oil caps. I checked all my vitamins last night and the fish oil I have has soy in it. So do the fiber one bars I like to eat.
0 -
just FYI... I have yet to find fish oil without soy... the 1st bottle I got was SOYFREE, but when I went back to get another bottle, they no longer carried it at Wal-Mart, and NONE of the other stores have it without soy... so I just suck it up, and take it with soy... I think if we are careful and try to limit the soy we get from supplements maybe it will be ok... I even found vitamin D3 without soy at CVS, but now they don't have it without soy, either.... Somehow, I think it must be some kind of conspiracy...
Harley
0 -
Okay ladies, I need a hug. I'm sitting in a hospital room with my Mom who's just had a hip replacement (and is doing spectacularly); just found out that the very sweet, very ill young woman who's been our next door neighbor since Monday is being treated by an oncologist. Well, I feel incredibly selfish focusing on myself but my mind is going to very dark, "what if" places. (The fact that I'm sleep deprived doesn't help.) I can't share with my family or they'll be messes too. I'm feeling sick to my stomach and on the verge of losing it, haven't ever been close to being this "freaked out" before. Does anyone else ever feel this way ?0
-
It's funny how dr's have such different opinions regarding supplements etc. I asked my onc about taking vitamins and/or supplements and apart from vit B6 he told me not to take anything else. He said that although some research has been done about the interaction between Tamox and other drugs there is little or no reputable research done regarding the interaction of Tamox with other supplements. He could not guarantee that any interaction might not adversly affect the potency of the Tamox. I was also advised not to drink (alcohol!) at all!!! I use to drink Chinese red tea but my husband read in a cancer handbook that Chinese teas have estrogen in them so I gave that up too!! I am just over five months into my Tamox journey!! Few side effects - aches and pains but I'm not sure if that is still leftover from a severe reaction I had to Taxol, some gentle flushes, occasional discharge, not great to sleep (but that's since dx) so sometimes I wonder is the Tamox even working. Wouldn't it be great to have all the answers???
0 -
Heyya MT,
Easy to get to where your head is at the moment. You have been stressed by your Mom's surgery and the shock of the diagnosis of the next door neighbour. Stress+no sleep= dark thoughts.
Look at that wonderful wee baby and take a few deep breaths and think only positive thoughts. Your BC was caught v early, was small, had not travelled beyond the breast tissue (almost identical to mine!),has/is being treated appropriately and you are doing all the right things to look after yourself. The bigT is working.
I am sending you a HUGE hug from north of 49. I know if I was with my walking buddy today (also a past BC woman) she too would send you a big hug as well. So you would be sandwiched between two Canadian women.
Thanks for sharing - gives us all permission to cry and vent to each other.
0 -
Fish oil, et al - too bad you are not in Canada to buy seal oil!! That's what I take and it has no soy in it. I also have been able to find a multi-vit at Safeway that has no soy, although my Centrum Select, which I've taken forever, contains soy ;-( My onc knows I am taking glucosamine, small dose aspirin, calcium, vit D (I am shocked your onc hasn't suggested this for you - we are almost all deficient) and he didn't say a word about eliminating them....
Alcohol - yes, I too have been told that a glass a day (of any kind of alcohol) increases our risk by 10%. Apparently, it is the ethanol in it. BUT I treat myself to one glass of red wine/week.
Take care all
Caroline
0 -
The last fish oil I bought was at Costco. It's called Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil. There was no evidence of soy in the ingredients.
0 -
MTG,
Sending HUGS to you, my friend!
Yes, I feel this way LOTS of times, especially whenever I hear of another sister going through bc dx and tx... We have some friends who we see at the coffee shoppe, and their daughter, who is 40 yrs. old, found a lump about 10 months ago. But she never told her parents... she never told anyone, and she refused to go to the drs. I feel for her... I've been praying for her to be healed... she has started treatment, and has had 2 tx so far. She is stage IV, with bone mets and it's in her lungs. She couldn't breathe, and they put a tube down her throat to help her to breathe....
Anyway, when I think of her, I feel so blessed... but also sometimes, my mind wanders to dark places, because I can't help wonder... what IF...
HUGS to you
Harley
0 -
MTG ..........Good Morning girl! I will just give you a big hug....I'm so glad about your Mom! And I know the feeling exactly abut you losing your Mom's neighbor. My neighbor, who we have known for about 3 years has gone through soooooo much! Divorces, one druggie Daughter always in & out of jail, & she is raising her little girl, now 7. The little girls Brother is living & being raised by his GREAT Grandmother...
Well my neighbors Son, killed himself last year, she quit paying on her house, thinking she would get the estate....Long gone 1st Husband came back wanting his half.....She lost the house, moved in with her Mom...but somehow decided to move back in empty house....very little furniture for her & her GrandDaughter, & just thinking she would get the house back in "a couple weeks"....Little one was always here, just "talking" to us, & us giving her lots of candy & toys, & loved playing on this computer......we loved her. Little Brother would sometimes visit & we had the best time with them. Police were out to check on them, because of her history of drugs....pain meds, & whatever...... She killed herself last week.I just cried! What a waste! I think she dropped her little one off at her other Daughter's house with her little dog, & went somewhere else...& just ended it. The Police were there one night last week trying to break in to find her...Daughter must have called them when she didn't come back. Then we hear she took her own life...53, same as my oldest Daughter...the little Nativity set is still in the front window, & just breaks my heart every time I see her house. Little girl is now with her Auntie...God, it is so sad! I just cry for them both.
It's just that all of us try & "fight" for our lives...and then others can't seem to get out of the dark places their mind takes them to, & see no other way out! So M...I know....I know how you feel, I feel this way too...But I know everyday will be a little bit better...Don't be afraid to just go somewhere & cry....that would do you good too, & your Mom proabably feels the same way... Hugs to you......Jeannette
0 -
MTG, as difficult as this disease can be physically, I sometimes think the mental and emotional challenges it presents can be every bit as hard to deal with. You just never know what seemingly minor incident is going to trigger a reaction.
Acknowledge the fear, it is always tucked away in a corner somewhere, but don't allow it to consume you. You are doing what you can to ensure that you have a good outcome. You are taking Tamoxifen, which has been shown to be effective, and you have made other complimentary changes to your lifestyle.
As good as it is to see your mother doing well post surgery, it is still stressful to deal with a parent's illness. Her neighbor having cancer adds to that stress, but remember that there are a huge number of different cancers that have vastly different prognoses, and treatments. Some of the treatments make you sicker than the disease itself, but people can recover from that treatment to enjoy years of life. If you find that you are still having problems with the stress levels, address them. Talk to your doctor about short term chemical help to deal with the stress, or at least to get a good night's sleep which can work wonders.
0 -
MTG ~ Yes my mind can go to those dark places especially when one is slapped in the face with a situation like the one you were. I try to focus on the women that I have met who are 15+ year survivors and are doing very well. I just read the other day that Nancy Reagan had a mx back in the 1980s, I had forgotten she was a bc survivor. Anyway, I am sorry you are feeling this way, I will be praying for you and for your mom's continued good recovery. ((((hugs))))
Jeanette ~ What a horribly sad and tragic situation! ((((hugs)))) to you too!
0 -
Hugs to all that need them. It sounds like some sad situations. We have to be glad for the health that we do have compared to others. My mom and sister are both long term bc survivors and that is what I plan to be.
Found fish oil caps at the local health food store today that have no soy in them. Also bought some vit. e and evening primrose to try for the hot flashes if they get bad. I want to wait until I am completely weaned off the effexor before I try anything else.
My brother is in the hospital with c diff and is really sick. We are praying for him a lot and are hopeful he will pull through. He has been through a lot over the years.
0 -
peg119 ~ I too will pray for your brother. I'm going to go to Whole Foods and see what they have that is soy free...just read the lable of my fish oil and there it was SOY! Someone needs to come out with a line of vits/mins/oils etc that are just for us! It would make life so much easier if I could look for the bottle with a pink ribbon and know it was safe! Thank you for sharing about your mom and sis, it is important that we hear about those long term survivors.
Ainm ~ So glad your are doing well on T. I'm not sure if it is the same thing, but Rooibos (Red Bush) tea from South Africa is considered a great antioxidant and helps with memory ect. I love the tea and it is caffeine free. You can google it to read up about it.
Suzie ~ Hope you're feeling better! ((((hugs))))
Take care everyone
Kelly
0 -
peg - check out re evening primrose.....
http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/menopausal/facing/hot_flashes.jsp
in part it says:
herbology, in which many different herbs are cooked together to make a tea customized to your particular symptoms. Common to all Chinese herbal mixes is dong quai, thought to be a plant estrogen. More plant estrogens that women have found effective in treating hot flashes over the centuries can be found in ginseng, evening primrose oil, licorice root, red raspberry leaves, sarsaparilla, spearmint, damiana, motherwort, chasteberry (also known as Vitex), black cohosh, and wild yams. These herbal remedies, Chinese and other, may be effective at reducing hot flashes but, again, their relative safety in women who have had breast cancer is not known. Avoiding, or using plant estrogens with great caution, is best, and never try them without telling your doctor. Even leading Chinese medicine practitioners caution women not to self-treat with Chinese herbs.
I know it was one of the things I was to avoid
C
0 -
I really do love all you ladies ! Throughout this process, you been there for me - with advice, jokes and now a shoulder to lean on. Caroline, Harley, JeannetteI, kcl, PatMom and Peg - I greatly appreciate your kind words. (PatMom - Believe it or not, I'm normally a poster child for dealing with stress. I tend to get very calm and very logical.) Feeling much better today anyway. And Mom is doing sooooo well (she's 83) that the Physical Therapists are absolutely amazed. So tired yes but that's okay. Hugs right back at you !
0 -
Hello everyone and thanks for the warm welcome!
Kelly no I don't like rugby. Not a sports fan at all really apart from years of sitting on soccer sidelines when my son played!
I live just outside Sydney on the east coast.
LOVE Tasmania - have been there 3 times including a two week holiday towing a little camper trailer - the best holiday I have ever had! That island is a little gem.
0 -
Neece ~ My MIL is in Taz at the mo visiting and mid Feb she will be with us, here in California, for 2 weeks before heading back to England. She is fit and amazing, at 86 she has been in South Africa, Perth, Tasmania, and then California!
MTG ~ Fantastic news that your mom is doing so well and that you are feeling better!
Caroline ~ Thanks for the info on tea and herbs! I went to find Omega 3 without soy...really hard to do and very expensive...oh well, our health is worth it! How's that grandson doing?
0 -
Queston Re: Soy In Supplements ~~~
I checked my Omega3 fish oil from Walmart and soy isn't listed as an ingredient.
Is there another word that equates to soy ??????
THANKS
0 -
Thanks for the info on evening primrose. It is so hard to know what is safe to take as the NP at the onc recommended that and black kohosh. I am not going to take either. I will have my husband return the primrose as it was $25 for a bottle. I may end up going back on the effexor if the flashes get to bad. I agree that it would be so much easier to have a bottle marked with the pink ribbon from a company we could trust.
Neece - Australia has always been on my list of places I want to go someday. Hope to get there while I am still young enough to enjoy. Sometime in the next 10 years.
0 -
CatbirdC
Sometimes, if the words vegetable .... something... are on the label, then there is soy in the supplements... The only way I know for sure that there is NO SOY in the supplement, is if it states... NO SOY... there is a spot where it lists... no wheat, no gluten, no soy, no eggs....
I have been buying them at CVS because the label said NO SOY... but now, I bought replacements and I see that it doesn't say NO SOY... so I guess I'll take them, since I bought them... but now it's back to the drawing board...
If you find them, please let me know where you got them...
Harley
0 -
Hi all. I've been away from the computer for a few days and boy, did I have alot to catch up on! I can't thank all of you enough for offering up so much information.
I do have a question. I've been on T for about 10 days. I've had thyroid issues for years- surgery and thryoiditis leading to hypothyroidism. I've been on synthroid for 3 yrs and my T4 and TSH levels have been stable. I've noticed over the last 3-4 days that the remainder of what was left of my thryoid has been feeling inflamed. Coincidence? Not sure. I have read somewhere that T can affect T4 levels, but I'm not sure if it would happen this quickly.
Have any of you had any issues with this? Thyroid problems are pretty common so I was wondering if any of you encountered this. I'll likely be calling my doctor this week if it doesn't calm down.
Thanks for any insight that any of you could give!
Kelly
0
