Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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Just a quick note to say, hey, Karen, don't worry too much!!! Indeed the thickening is expected with tamox (in fact in your normal cycle the uterine lining goes from something like 3 or 5 mm to 15-20 mm thick, and then is shed and you start over again). One thing my onc told me in last visit was that as long as you're having periods its extremely unlikely you'll develop endometrial cancer because the endometrium is being shed periodically (so anything abnormal is shed too). I realize you haven't had a period for several months but that's not very long in the scheme of things, so you likely still fit in the "having periods" category. Hopefully the biopsy will show nothing, just how normal you are.
Hugs and best wishes!0 -
What are you basing that on?
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HI Tamoxibabes ~
I have been pretty quiet but reading! CS ~ you are quite the wealth of information, I thank you for your well thought out posts. Although at times they make me feel really dumb. But I guess if I can read along and figure them out I am still in the game. LOL
Karen ~ try not to worry. I just had a bad pap, they did a biopsy of my cervic and it was b9. I will hope the same for your uteurus. Keep us posted.
I am a little over 3 months in on the tamoxifen and yup I have taken it twice on some days realized it right after I popped it in on accident a SECOND time before bed ! My hot flashes have gotten a little less extreme. Still no period since chemo......... so far bloodwork says I am in menopause they don't know I will stay there I am 43.
Have a good day girls.
Keep on keepin' on !
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Debwa, I know CS777 does a ton of research and is brilliant. I'm not sure where she learned this, but I'd be willing to bet that is correct.
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Ok I had a lot of catching up to do. I am laughing about the pill boxes because my sister just made fun of me for getting one! I have too many vitamins, supplements and now tamoxifen in 5 more days to start taking. My doc said I could give my body a break since i just finished chemo mid May. My onc went over the study of Tamoxifen and went into great detail about the side effects since I was so hesitant to take it. He definitely made me feel better and said that endometrial cancer was an extremely rare SE. I have had abnormal paps since I was 18 and my GYN said he doesn't plan on doing exam other than once a year since he also agreed it was a rare SE. Good luck Karen...sending positive vibes your way!!
UGH I've been staring at the bottle for about a month and in a few more days it will be my life for the next 5 years...this better work!
Have a great evening everyone!! Be well
Diane
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Thanks to all of you for sharing and for sending positive thoughts. I will let you know how I make out. My pap came back normal so I am thinking the biopsy will be normal too. Just want to have the test and get the results so I can move on.
Thanks again for listening and caring!
Best wishes for continued good health to all of you.
Karen
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CS7777 - I have gone back over my calendars. I have only had 9 periods in the last 25 months. In the last year, I have only had 2 periods - 1 in September 2009 and 1 in April 2010. All of my periods have been heavy, but have only last 4 days. My Gyn called last night, but I missed his call. He was on vacation last week, so I am going to see if I can get the biopsy moved up to this week if at all possible. I am not totally freaking out or anything, but if I don't have to wait until next Thursday, the sooner the better.
JustMeAlicia - we are actually the same age. I turned 43 in June. DX at age 40. I have been on Tamox for 2 years and still get hot flashes and night sweats. Sometimes the hot flashes are bad, sometimes they are mild. Last year I had a lot of leg cramps, but those have stopped. Other than the hot flashes, the only other s/e is I am tired all the time and don't sleep well. I have all the symptoms of menapause, but they just checked me a few weeks ago and I am not menapausal at all yet (so not sure why I don't get my period - figure that it is a s/e of the Tamox as well).
DiDel - thanks for the positive vibes! Good luck with taking your tamoxifen. The pill box is a great idea. I have one, but stopped using it. I need to go back to using it, since there are a lot of days that I put my medicine on the table and I forget if I took it or not. Since I can't be sure, I decide not to take it since I don't want to double dose.
Take care.
Karen
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I've now been taking Tamoxifen for almost a month, and haven't noticed any side effects yet! Not even a hot flash!
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Raili - just a thought . . . if you continue to have no side effects, you might want to be tested to see how well you metabolize the tamoxifen. I am an intermediate metabolizer which means I am getting some benefit from taking it, but not as much as maybe someone else. Just something to think about.
Karen
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Thanks to Hannahbearsmom and Caroline for the info on the pill box and the welcome.
I think lots of us still visit even when we don't always join in the discussions.
Hope someone benefits from the "soap" cure for foot and leg cramps.
Bonnie
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don't be fooled by side effects - one gal had mega hot flashes with T and when she was tested, found out she was a POOR metabolizer.....
C
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Hey Karen, That would be really nice if you can get the procedure moved up. I know I feel better once I get this sort of stuff done with even if I don't believe that they're going to find anything. Your periods getting further between is a common SE of tamoxifen. You probably know, but tamox acts LIKE estrogen in your reproductive organs (as opposed to how it acts on BC cells) so it can mess up menstruation, just as you've found. It messes up the docs, too, in trying to figure out if we're really menopausal. Women who don't have a period for a year on tamox can have ovaries making a perfectly normal amounts of estrogen and other hormones, and hence aren't biologically menopausal. Sorry to hear you're having a tough time being tired all the time. Hugs to you and best wishes for an uneventful and benign biopsy.
debwa was your question directed at me? If you're more specific about what you're asking about I'll be happy to answer. bcincolo, tx for your confidence. Still, just a good reminder that our sharing is great but we also all need to verify info we get on boards like this and check w/our own docs. I'm sure we all do.
Thanks all for the ideas on the pill boxes and others. bcincolo - I love your method of moving the bottles! Mine method is supposed to work similarly in that my DH gets the bottle out, and I put it away after I take my pill. So if its out I haven't taken it, etc. I truly don't think I've doubled up on 15 days worth, although its possible I did on a couple days. I think I may have moved some pills to an older bottle for travel or something and its hidden somewhere. Must look around!
catbirdc I wasn't the one having cramps, but your bar of soap thing is supposed to be good so for whoever has the problem I hope they find your suggestion useful.
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Hi everyone i haven;t been around for a while but I would like to ask question. I have been on Tamoxifen since April and I have this nagging pain in my right knee. Nothing helps it, not Advil, not Tylenol 3 or he Mobicox that I am on fo my Osteoarthritis. I read that Tamoxifen is supposed to actually benefit the bones in post menopausol women. I did have an x ray done of that knee and was told that it was arthritis ,but I should actually get some kind of relief from medications , so that's why I was ondering if it coud be the tamozifen.
What do you think? Thanks
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Hi All,
I've been lurking lately but thought I'd post.
My onc told me that Cocoa Butter is good for muscle cramps and neuropathy. I have slight neuropathy in my feet from chemo that ended in January.
Tarry1 I have severe pain in my "big joints" -- knees, ankles and hips since starting tamoxifen but my onc seems adamant that the pain isn't from the tamox. When it happens, it's always both knees, hips and ankles. Nothing touches it but 800mg Motrin. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia but, prior to the breast cancer, the RA only effected small joints in my hands and feet.
Re: pillboxes - I have one two sided pill boxs for a.m. and p.m. meds. It's a pain every Sunday morning to refill that box but I certainly helps me keep track. I have another pill box on the kitchen table for my supplements - vit D, women's "over 50" multi, and omega 3. I was taking biotin as well but even though it made my nails grow and strengthen, I think it also contributed to the facial "peach fuzz" some of us have talked about. I've been off that for a week or two and it seems like I'm less fuzzy ... Between the fuzz, my missing breast and my clown-like out of control curly post- chemo hair, self image has been not so good. But, I consider that progress -- in the throes of surgery and chemo, I could have cared less what I looked like!
Also - a question - has anyone gotten relief from hot flashes with Effexor XR? I'm on it for depression but my onc was surprised that it hasn't relieved my 3 a.m. hot flashes -- or any of them for that matter.
Best to all
Lottie
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Karen ~ I too get the the leg cramps, mostly in the middle of the night ! OUCH ! Keep us posted on your biopsy.
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Hi Lottie, I have been on Effexor 50mg (not XR) since Feb and yes it has indeed helped with the hot flashes. My onc put me on it for the hot flashes. I do know that since I have been taken 50 mg Effexor at night, I sleep so much more than I ever have. I have read many posts on the side effects of Tamoxifen... the biggest issue I am experiencing now is the weight gain. I have been on Tamoxifen since Oct 09 and I have put on 14 pounds. I have never had weight issues, I always lost the baby weight after my four children were born, and I have been extremely careful over the past several months about what I eat. I just seem to be adding on the pounds slowly. Does tamox mess with our metabolism? Thanks to all for the helpful info. Mary
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Shasta, I'm not sure if anyone responded to you about swelling. Yes you do need to see or at least put a call into your onc if you have swelling in your feet or legs, especially if it is bilateral which could indicate that you have a clot. Do you have a red, swollen area in your leg? That's ER material for a possible DVT which can result in a pulmonary embolism. Please take care of yourself!
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Hi Tarry1... I'm not any kind of Doc, but I don't think it is the Tamoxifen! You get the joint pain more with Femara & Arimidex! Sometimes my left knee hurts sooo bad, like in the middle of the night, but I get up & start walking around on it, & it usually gets better. When I work out in my gardens too much, kneeling down & bending over, it starts hurting! So I slip on one of those elastic knee braces, & take a couple Aleve! Mine is bursitis....Sometimes it is there, & sometimes it stays away for a long time! I also take Glucosamine every day, along with the Fish-oil with Omega 3, & a multiple vitamin!
And Mary....me too! I think my metabolism has hit the road...I lost it.....I have put on some pounds, but I hid my scales, so I don't know how much!
I've been on Tamoxifen for almost 7 months. I weigh when I have to go back to the Oncologist. But I eat less than I ever have, & we walk all the time...& work in my gardens....BUT...you would think I would be a mere whisper of myself! Shasta.... my legs & ankles swell sometimes too! But I bought some "compression stockings" & they have them at Walmart, cheaper than at the medical store....these really help! They are not the TED stockings....Just make sure, like Hood wrote, that it is not anything else, causing your legs to swell. So between the knee brace, my compression stockings, I feel like I am sometimes being "held together" & that when I take them all off, I'm going to fall out...!!! Ha!
Bye gals! xoxoxoxoxo
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Joining this group tonight. uggg uggg uggg ugg ugg Let's just say I am not happy to have to go through hot flashes again. I haven't had hot flashes in two years.
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KittyDog, Here's wishing with all my might that you DON'T get hot flashes again!!!!! You never know.....
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Oh Hey Kittydog! How lucky for us that you are here! We'll help you kiddo! Geez, I HATE when one of us is just "down".....You must be a lot younger than I, because I didn't get any hot flashes....just maybe I get "warm all of a sudden" during the day, but I think that is because this blinking weather is 100 degrees out, Ha! So me & the dog stay in with the swamp-cooler if we aren't out mall-walking etc!
Please, guardian angels, watch over Kitty, & help her with those hot-flashes! xoxoxoxoxoxo
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I think we see so many people because of specialization and because things can turn up down the road. A radiation oncologist and an oncologist both deal with cancer but the radiation oncologist doesn't know the chemicial treatments and the oncologist only has a bare understanding of the impact of radiation on the body.
Then there is the SE issue. For example, with the radiation oncologist, its my understanding that radiation SE can turn up a year or so down the road. Likewise with the breast surgeon, its the same sort of thing with LE and the like. We may think we are all healed up in a couple of weeks or months but that isn't really the case.
Personally I like my GP--she is great--but I wouldn't want to rely on my GP to spot for problems in some other specialists area of expertise--after all, its my life we are messing with.
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Thanks ladies. I am 47 but I started going through memopause when I was 40. Before DX I was working on my first year with out a period....I haven't had one since May 2009. So my oncologist did do blood work to see where my levels are now. Who knows maybe it will get changed when I go back next month.
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Welcome KittyDog! None of us 'want' to be here - but seeing as we are we are all making the best of it. Lots of wonderful women here - and someone always seems to have an answer to the most complicated/simple question. Remember - the only foolish question is the one not asked.
I disagree that large joint pain is not caused by T. I believe it is. I am 9 1/2 months in and almost since the beginning, I've had low back and hip(s) pain. I have a propensity for problems with my low back - always have had - but this pain and stiffness is like no other. Nothing seems to make any difference and I already take glucosamine and omega 3. It is not SO severe I need a medication but some days, I am tempted - especially lifting and carrying my 6-month-old, 25 lb+ grandson!
Take care all
C
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Lottie - I take Effexor for the hot flashes and it has helped me. I started with 37.5 milligrams and now I take the 75 mg. It helps with the depression too.
Called my doctors office today to see about moving up my biopsy next week from Thursday to either Tuesday or Wednesday. Have not heard back from them (no big surprise!). I actually got my period yesterday. My last one was on April 4th and now I have it again.
Wishing all you lovely ladies a great weekend!!
Karen
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Hmm, Karen, a period every 3 months...I could live with that.
Seriously though, it's a pain that it's unpredictable I'm sure. Mine was late this last time so I think I might be going down that road too. We'll see.0 -
I started taking Tamox on March 1..no big issues except the usual hot flashes / night sweats. I was kinda peri-meno before my diagnosis..not my periods are farther between and day 1 is super heavy..day two is normal..then I dry up. I'll be happy if they just stop. I started taking effexor in June after my Onco recommended it for the sweating. It has helped a little bit as I don't wake up wet anymore..but I still have major hot flashes pretty much all day. I take my Tamox in the evening and it seems as thought the flashes are really bad between 12pm and 5pm..almost gets a bit better after I take the pill. The effexor made me feel pretty good for about the first month, but lately I have been very moody, angry at everyone, feeling sad, crying..you name it. I feel as though could just run away and leave my life behind. I had to have my TE replaced last week..and right after surgery noticed discharge from my good boob. ( Uni-NSM in March) I don't know if the tamox is messing me up..or that I have been taking vicoden again after last weeks revision, or if I am losing my mind..but I am a hot mess right now
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tarry----I have a lot of achy stiffness, but my oncologist insists it isn't from the tamoxifen. he feels it is more from the lack of estrogen from my surgical menopause. I think it may be due to the combination of the 2.
anne
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Hey twirl, Sorry you're having a tough time of it. Hugs!!!!!! Two thoughts for you - perhaps ask if you need to increase the effexor dose for the mood stuff? And, please talk to your onc about the nipple discharge if you didn't already. Most likely nothing, but that's something they want to watch (I'm sure you know that...just reinforcing...). Best wishes that your mood and HF's improve!!!!!
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I had surgery for breast cancer in January & was supposed to start tamoxifen since March. I just can't make myself yet...I was waiting to feel good again after the radiation finished in April. Now I feel better & I dont want to feel bad, have side effects, etc. Course I don't want the cancer back either, so I'm working up to it, probably Monday. I want to cry just thinking about it. I don't know why I'm so stuck on this after all the other surgeries etc. Guess I wanted to think it would be finished, not being treated for 5 years...anyone else having trouble getting started?
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