Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Well 3 months into T first cycle 26d 2nd 30 day now currently at 45 and counting...so is it called chemopause (does T cause this) or menopause (well I know not til after a year with no visit) But at what point do you get stuff checked out. Had gyn visit prior to starting T. He didn't do a TVUS.
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Jan508 - I was always hungry and wanted to eat all the time when I first started Tamox but it also could have been from rads (not sure why that would cause hunger). That has now mellowed out and I am not hungry all the time anymore but still can't seem to drop any weight and have gained about 7 pounds. Thickening around the middle too even before the weight gain. Oh well, if I don't get breast cancer again it will all be worth it.
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My first few months on tamoxifen, I gained about 7 lbs. Was hungry all the time, I guess due to the hormonal changes. Then I made a serious effort to increase exercise and eat really clean and got rid of the excess. Maintained it for a year and a half without any difficulty, almost seemed like I couldn't gain weight no matter how much I cheated. Now suddenly, for the past 3-4 months, same problem, hungry all the time, addicted to sweets, and I've gained about 7 lbs. again. This time I'm thinking menopause? It's been 10 months since my last period. And unlike earlier weight gains, this seems to be mostly around the abdomen. But, no matter what the cause, it's time to take action again and banish the extra weight. I have a feeling that once I get unaddicted to the carbs (usually takes a few days to do this), and exercise slightly more, in a matter of weeks, I'll be back to my maintenance again and hopefully, be able to easily maintain it once again.
I believe that if caught early, a few extra pounds are like a wakeup call to get moving, and are just a hump to overcome. The only hard part right now is that the holidays are coming and the sweets are everywhere! Anybody want to join me in trying to stick to a weight loss plan?
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No, I don't have floaters, but I do get an 'aura' with my daily migraines. This has nothing to do with the 'freckle' that is found inside the eye (picture of optic nerve). This is called a choroidal nevus, and actually my BF has one also ironically. It's only worrisome in that it didn't show up 2 years ago when photos were taken of eyes. There is such a thing as crystalline retinopathy that can be caused ****RARELY**** by tamoxifen. That needs to be checked out. So 2 different issues in the eye. The freckle has to be checked for mets, one cannot rule that out yet having a bc dx. That's what we do, we keep a check on our own health issues, and advocate for ourselves, get things ruled OUT best we can. Rule things in, and take care of 'em~! ~juli
**Weight gain on tamoxifen was huge, with no gain in appetite--UGH!**
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RG: I gained 3 lbs since I've been on the Tamox and I don't own a scale. I guess I better go out and get one. I've been walking 1 1/5 mi a day but I may have to go back to the gym and rev up my exercise some. I have no gym restrictions from the PS.
If I did gain any more weight I'm going to wait until after the holidays because I have no will power when it comes to this stuff especially around the holidays...I will be more than happy to join you in Jan.
Jan508
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I've lost 5 lbs since I started on the Tmox - 2 1/2 months ago. I will say that I met with a Naturopathic Oncologist the week before I started and she's helped me to clean up my diet, so that's not hurting. She, now, also has me hitting the sauna to help sweat out the toxins that are embedded in my fat. I thought I'd hate that sauna, but you know what? I feel better with each visit, my head feels clear again, my sinuses don't hurt, my joints don't hurt, my pimples have cleared up, my blood pressure is down 20 pts, I'm sleeping great and honestly, I feel better now, after a month of sweating it out, than I did before I got the diagnosis in May. I walked 5 miles today - I usually go 3 - now I'll see if my joints ache in the morning!
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phx: That's great! I have not been eating very well, at least, I've been hitting the sweets lately...I plan on changing that after the holiday parties.
I also plan on upping my walking to more miles but I have a limited window of time during the day if I want to walk outside. I plan on joining our town gym in Jan since it will probably be too cold to walk outside at that time.
We don't have any saunas around here that I know of, but I'll check it out, thanks for the tips.
Jan
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I apologize if I am so late in the game here and this has been mentioned a thousand times in the previous 300 pages! I had a mx, but no rads or chemo, but have been so so so tired lately. By 1PM I need a nap. Am eating well and exercising, taking vitamins. This has been going on more or less since I had the Zometa, about 2 wks ago, but could be coincidence. I have more bruising than usual and wonder if the tamoxifen could be causing the fatigue. I also get up 2x a night at least to pee or have a hot flash. Just sort this all out for me, Experienced Ladies, please! Thanks!
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Morning Shari! I read your Bio, & saw your name is almost the same as our first Daughter "Sheri"...Ha! I've been on Tamoxifen for 11 months, & yes, I do bruise a lot easier now. And also up at least twice a night....But I'm not really tired during the day. Maybe if I could take a short nap I could stay up longer!
I get up about 5 a/m, and around 7 p/m I could just go curl up in a warm bed!
I don't know anything about Zometa, but by them giving this to you, it sounds like it is because of the "two" spots in your breast? I had radiation with the MammoSite device, & no chemo either.
These SE's usually come & go after a few weeks, but at least I CAN sleep better now, even if I am dreaming!
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Jan, she told me I can have 3 bad things a day, and I usually do. She told me if I was going to have sweets to make them myself and not buy anything with an ingredient on the package that I didn't recognize. I also like potato chips, so I just buy the "healthiest" (wink) I can find, with potatoes, oil and salt listed as the ingredients. Since I feel better, I'm able to do more. I got pretty soft during the surgeries and rads, as I hurt and was just too pooped, but it's firming up and I'm so glad as my daughter's wedding will be the end of Feb and I'll look just fine at it.
PS - just read the 2 previous posts, I'm getting some doozie bruises now too, never had them before the tmox. I've also noticed my skin is more fragile all around. I'll get little cuts on my hands and don't know how I got them. I've taken to wearing rubber gloves to do the dishes and cleaning and always have my garden gloves when I'm working in the yard or sweeping, etc. It has to be the tamoxifen.
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phxsunshine, chevyboy - I am also bruising much more now. Actually I have unexplained bruises on my hands and arm right now. I agree the skin is more fragile and if I try opening something using 'what little force I have' more often than not my skin will just peel off in the area used. Weird. The cuts are there also. Going to ask my doc about this tomorrow though, so will report back as to what he (GP) says.0
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Yes, Real....let us know! I forgot to ask about the bruising when I just saw the Oncologist, but I just figured it had to be the Tamoxifen...and yes, my skin is like "tissue paper" sometimes! The cuts & bruises are just part of our getting better I think!
Either that, or getting older....And I KNOW I'm much older than the rest of you guys! So it HAS to be the T pill! I thought I was the only one losing strength in my hands & my legs! But I think for SURE it is me just getting older! The best thing is..... we can say we HAD cancer, and we are taking Tamoxifen to keep it that way!
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Hope everyone had a great Thxgvg. It was so good to get away but as always I'm happy to be home in my own bed.
So, I just caught up on all the posts and it seems like I can just about relate to everyone - To fat, to tired, to dry, to weak, to hungry .......what do we do? Keep putting one foot in front of the other and be happy we're fighting this disease! It's does wound and it does leave scars. Anyone have a band-aid?
I'll take a box.0 -
Hi all...
Just took my very first pill last night. Woke up at 2:30 am with bone pain in my back and arm and needed to take ibuprofin. I didn't expect side effects that quickly! Hoping it doesn't get worse...
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Hi all,
I just realized I've been on tamoxifen for a year and a day! 20% down...woohoo!! I'm thankful I haven't had any really bad ongoing side effects, which makes it easier to feel good about the drug. I just keep telling myself it's a vicious watchdog that will attack any BC left, or new (heaven forbid).
Hugs to everyone regarding the various side effects you're experiencing. I hope they subside. And hugs to the newbies - here's best wishes that you have NO side effects from tamox and NO recurrences of BC, EVER!
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!
CS
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Congratulations cs7777, on to another good year!!!!
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Congrats CS777. I just finished my first bottle of 90 days! I am too woozy on cold meds to do the calculation but I have many many bottles to go.
Di
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I asked my GP about the brusing, cuts etc...and he believes it's from the asprin I take with the tamox, and not the tamox itself. He's doing some testing to confirm and is looking at the platelets etc. He said if the asprin dosage is too high then it will cause venous fragility. Interesting. He's also testing my Vit. D levels - yes!! Phxsunshine and Chevyboy...does this help at all?0
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IsThisForReal ~ I'm not taking any aspirin on a daily basis, but my circulating Vit D levels were very low - 27. However, they were low before I began the tmox and my skin was pretty tough and I didn't get colorful bruises that hung around a long time. Chevyboy ~ tissue paper is very appropriate terminology, that's what I was thinking when I found another new little slice on my middle finger yesterday from, I don't know what. I won't see my chemo Doc until Valentines Day, but I'll ask him about that then too. Thanks for sharing the info, I really appreciate it.0
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Xtine...I don't know if it is the Tamoxifen that caused that bone pain in your back & arm.....especially that fast! Sometimes I get stupid little "pains" in my leg, when I lay on my left side...I mean I can hardly move my knee, it hurts so bad! But when I turn over it is gone! So who knows??? (Only the Shadow knows......)
And cs7777....Congratulations! Tomorrow will be one year for me, post-surgery! So that's when I gave up cancer! And January will be one year for me on Tamoxifen! I think it gets easier, right? And the T pill IS like a "watch-dog!" It WILL keep all of us cancer-free!
Isthisfor real.... You know, that makes a lot of sense! I also take a lo-dose (baby-aspirin) with my pill....I think I'll give that up for awhile! I ALSO heard that too much Fish oil/omega3 will thin your blood, & they advise you to not take it if you are having surgery. MAYBE, the combination of the 2 is causing bruising! Does this make any sense?
Yes, Sunshine...let us know what your Onco says! I call those "mystery spots" because I cannot for the life of me figure out what I am DOing to get these "spots" /bruises/ cuts/ .....well other than falling into an escalator step a couple weeks ago....Man, that gash was amazing! My own fault too! I thought I'll just hop up a couple steps to hurry this thing along, & it caught my leg...Oh well... I STILL have to baby that gnarly gash!
Sounds like we can all help each other on here, Ha! Sure we need our Docs, but we need all the support we can get! Thanks, everyone! xoxoxoxo
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Hi,
And thanks to all that shared their thoughts with me concerning the weight gain thing with the Big T. I'm not gaining any more BUT I'm not losing any that I can see or feel (the middle) either. I am watching and I always did walk daily so that should help.
Chevyboy~ I think the SE's come and go as time goes on and for most seem to "bug off" more as time goes on too. When the eye doctor told me to take Omega3 for dry eyes (caused by who else but Mr. T), I was then taking a baby aspirin daily. After starting Omega3, knowing it too thins the blood, I cut my baby aspirin from 7 days a week to Mon. - Wed. - and Fridays. I don't notice any easy bruising so maybe that did help.
It's 27 degrees here in southeastern Ohio, snowing lightly and just basically miserable !!!!
Catbird
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I'm with Catbird- I cut my 81mg asprin down to Mon-Wed-Fri and that helped with the bruising.
Now if only I could tame the endless appetite! I'm also freezing all the time... my theory is that it's a s/e from chemo- something about a change in my CNS and the way my body regulates temperature. I have the opposite of hot flashes. I think I'd freeze to death in Ohio!
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Hello All:
I've been quietly following all of the good advice here for sometime and wanted to ask about a Tamox SE. I have been on T. for a couple of months and have now noticed difficulty breathing. I feel like I am short of breath and cannot get enough air with the inbreath. Thus, I often have to pause and make myself take long deep breaths. I had not been taking the T. consistently at first because I was forgetful, but now that I have, I am noticing that as well as some vertigo, more often. Can anyone chime in about this? Thanks!
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Hi Whitedove, I don't recall reading about this s/e before... I'd be sure to bring this up with your doc ASAP. Hopefully you're just having some allergies or something, but best to check that out. Anything with airway obstruction is critical. Let us know.
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Hi Lady Madonna,
Thanks for your reply. I actually googled this and was led back to the info pages of BCO. They have a Tamoxifen page that said if you had dizziness, shortness of breath that you had to immediately call your doctor. I do feel like my blood pressure is elevated. (I always been in good health aside from BC, with low blood pressure). I get dizzy and feel like I might pass out. This is all since Tamoxifen. I googled:
Tamoxifen + shortness of breath ...
and was led to = high blood pressure + stroke
I was shocked, to say the least, at the numbers of entries citing stroke risk with Tamoxifen! I will see my doctor Monday and ask about this as well as more clots appearing in menstrual bleeding.
from WebMD:
WARNING: Tamoxifen has rarely caused very serious (possibly fatal) strokes, blood clots in the lungs/legs, and cancer of the uterus. If you are taking tamoxifen to reduce the risk of breast cancer, or if your cancer is limited to the milk ducts (ductal carcinoma in situ-DCIS), then discuss the benefits and risks of taking this medication with your doctor. However, if you are taking tamoxifen to treat breast cancer, then the benefits of taking tamoxifen are greater than the risks of side effects.
Seek immediate medical attention if you develop symptoms of a stroke or blood clots in the lungs/legs, such as weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, sudden vision changes, confusion, shortness of breath, chest pain, or calf pain/swelling.
Tell your doctor immediately if you develop symptoms of cancer of the uterus, such as unusual changes in your monthly period (e.g., amount or timing of bleeding), unusual vaginal discharge, or pain/pressure below your "belly button" (navel).
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Hi WhiteDove! I would check with your doctor for sure, if you notice shortness of breath! Or go get your blood-pressure checked! And it is true, about the benefits compared to the "possible" danger of all the other things we read about......
Yes, LadyMadonna is right too! I notice in THIS climate, with the cold then the warm weather, & the wind, I have to use my Advair a little more than I used to!
I also would get dizzy, a little, about once a month....but I think that is just ME! Ha! And then I noticed my left ear is a little plugged....sooooooo I think those two things are related! I just bought the generic of Claritin, and that helps!
Honey, be aware of all the side effects that are listed with any medication, but chances are, they are just remote "possibilities" of any of that actually happening. I also asked my Oncologist about a lot of them....So if you are concerned, ask again. Good luck figuring this out!
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whitedove, it seems like any difficulty breathing should be looked after immediately. Note that the WebMD thing you quoted said to seek immediate medical attention for it. Do you have an urgent care clinic that you could get to now, or the emergency room (I mention urgent care first only because ours gets people in w/in about an hour much like in an ER, but it is MUCH cheaper than ER). or can you move your regular doc appt to today? Please don't ignore that symptom. Best wishes!
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Thanks Chevyboy, I think my onc will say to just live with these SEs. I was trying to get out of having to take Tamox in the first place. So much to learn.
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Please let us know how it checks out whitedove. i do hope you're able to get your symptoms checked out quickly.
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White dove, I've had this occur now and then even before starting tamoxifen. A couple of months after starting on it, it occurred again, but lasted several days. I complained to my Primary doctor and he sent me for a stress echo. I knew it wasn't cardiac or a pulmonary emboli, felt more like aching muscles stopping me from breathing properly. Of course nobody found anything wrong with me. I casually mentioned it to my Onc on the next visit a month or so later and he said I should have called him immediately and let him know. I never even thought to connect it with the tamoxifen, so never occurred to me.
Since I had lots of mysterious aches that seemed to travel around different parts of my body the first year I was on tamox, I'm thinking maybe it was transiently hitting me in the diaphragm and chest muscles at that time.
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