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  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Hey everyone, 

    So, NOW,  I found a MOLE on my butt!  It is raised, and feels kind of "rough".  Does anyone know what to look for with suspicious moles? 

    I  guess it will be ok to wait and let my surgeon look at it when I go to see him on April 4th.  At least, then I won't have to co-ordinate my insurance for yet another specialist dr. visit.  It is kind of funny, because I am picturing me, going to see my general surgeon, and he walks in, thinking he will be examining my breasts, but instead, I'll be sitting there, buck naked, and I'll say, "hey, would you like to take a look at this mole..."

    Lynn,

    I am having a bad day today, dealing with stupid insurance issues, and I can't even find a leave-in hair conditioner that doesn't have SOY in it!....      ....sigh....

    Thanks

    Harley

  • honeygirl
    honeygirl Member Posts: 136
    edited March 2008

    ((((((((((((Harley)))))))))))) Sorry you're having a bad time right now. Moles that change color , shape , itch , bleed , need to be looked at. Sometimes its just the atmosphere , as in the weather is so much drier in the winter , it makes our skin change. It may be nothing. Just a "change" due to the weather. Hope all goes OK.

    Good luck also , with the ins. co.. I get sooo angry about ins. co.. We pay them so much money , and they act like we are robbing them! Makes me so mad I could just scream.Take care.xx

  • DianeE
    DianeE Member Posts: 30
    edited March 2008

    Hello ladies on the tamoxifen train,

    I just joined this thread as I have just started tamoxifen 2 days ago.  So far, I have noticed some flushing, a little cramping and maybe a little fatigue.  I was not sure if the fatigue was real or if I am waiting for it so maybe feeling it.  Anyone have any words of wisdom to a new train rider of the tamox train? 

    Diane

  • ashaby
    ashaby Member Posts: 200
    edited March 2008

    Hi Gals,

    Thanks for your sweet replies. Lynne, the janitor yelled at me for making such a mess in the bar car, so I told him how to reach you and slipped him a twenty.

    Harley, I keep getting these squamous cell carcinomas; rough and flaky, and easily removed with dr.'s freeze method.

    Sam has had 2 days in tx and seems to like it. My DH is gone next week so I hope I can be a tough enough Mom.



    And,,my feets are really hurting. Anyone else?



    XXXBasha

  • ashaby
    ashaby Member Posts: 200
    edited March 2008

    WELCOME, Diane.

    Yes, I had all those se's in the beginning too. Now I have flamboyant hotflashes and sore tootsies.





    Basha

  • honeygirl
    honeygirl Member Posts: 136
    edited March 2008

    Welcome Diane. Yes , I had those too. Now , just awful hotflashes. Good luck to you and welcome aboard!xx

    Basha , Yes my feet , especially by the end of my work week , are aching! I must invest in a foot spa...

    Good luck to you're son. I'm sure this is hard for him. So this is such a good thing that he is going. Remember "mom" "tough love" sometimes is needed. I know its hard , but he needs Mom's pushes. One day at a time.xxx

  • honeygirl
    honeygirl Member Posts: 136
    edited March 2008

    Hey Basha , any chance you can post so of you're art?

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Basha,

    I am hoping it's not ca...!  I never really noticed this mole before, and the texture is something that I thought was odd... 

    So, I don't think it will hurt to wait 3 weeks before I have my surgeon look at it, do you?

    Thanks!
    Harley

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Honey... 

    I haven't really noticed this mole before, but the texture seems weird to me.  Also, since it is on the LEFT side on my butt cheek, and I have been having lower back pain, mostly left side, my mind ran away with me, thinking ....  WTH? 

    Anywho, my ONE year bc anniversary is TOMORROW!  A year ago tomorrow, my biopsy was done.  My surgeon took ALL the bc out!   After my mast. in May, the pathology report was all normal... 
    YIPPEE!

    Harley

  • honeygirl
    honeygirl Member Posts: 136
    edited March 2008

    Harley , congrats! One year. Feb. 20th for me. I know how you feel. I know alot of "things" on me looked and felt deferent to me after chemo. And now , my skin is soooo dry , everything feels weird. I know its hard , because you can't see it , can you? Cause a change in the way a mole looks can mean alot. You have a very good outcome since your mast. results. I don't think its anything serious , but let the doc look at it to make sure. I had a lump come up while I was on chemo , scared me shi_less! But it was nothing. A little infection. Hang in there. xxxx

  • foreverblue
    foreverblue Member Posts: 2
    edited March 2008

    Hi

    I am due to start Tamox - actually finished rads on Feb 14 but haven't been able to start as yet - scared to say the least.

    Worried about hot flashes of course, can't bear the thought of uninterrupted sleep again due to night sweats....and the list goes on.

    I would like to ask and I know this is superficial, but about weight gain etc....has anyone actually retained their shape while taking tamox?  I'm not afraid to put on a few kgs - but want to know if I have to say goodbye to my figure... mainly my smallish waist.  Has anyone has cosmetic surgery to remove this intra-abdominal fat they have gained?

    Michelle

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Honeygirl,


    Thanks!  Congrats on your one year cancerversary also, if a little belated... 


    Yes, my body feels strange, too.  My skin is VERY dry!

    Here's hoping that we can move on, and look back on this later as just a bump in the road of life.

    Harley

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Michelle,


    Welcome!

    Well, if we try to keep exercising, we may not have too much trouble in the weight dept., I think.  I actually LOST so much weight last year, when I was dx'd with bc, that now that I am gaining weight, I am only a few lbs. heavier.  But, I do FEEL like a blimp, because ALL the weight is in the abdomen region! 

    Good Luck to you!  Keep posting here with any questions or concerns.  Take a seat on this Tamoxi-train, and put your feet up and relax!

    Harley

  • JapanLynn
    JapanLynn Member Posts: 211
    edited March 2008

    Hi, ladies--

    Welcome, Michelle...I've actually lost about ten lbs since starting tamox, but I've been working at it.  Trying to improve my diet, drink less wine, and exercise more.  From what I've read on the this board, not everyone gains weight on tamox.  It's best to make only periodic visits to the chocolate car. ;-)

    Harley, congrats on your anniversary!  Here's hoping year two has less stress.  I really hope your mole turns out to be nothing...sheesh, it's always something, isn't it?  Now that I've been on effexor for a little over two weeks, it seems my hot flashes are on the increase...WTH?  Of course, with this cold (better today) maybe I was running a low-grade fever--who knows. 

    Basha, still waiting for the angry janitor to find me...I'd better lie low for awhile.  Hope your feet are better soon.

    Welcome, Diane!  Re: tamox SEs...I blame it for just about everything, from hangnails on up, but I don't really know.  Fatigue isn't really a problem for me now, but I have to stay on top of the joint pain to keep it under control.  Exercise helps.

    Re: insurance companies...I heard someone on the news recently call it legalized extortion; that about sums it up.  I'm in the midst of collecting receipts from my surgery/treatment/living in NY for five months for income tax purposes.  This is the first time I've had enough deductions to itemize.  To say I'm not very organized is an understatement, although my medical stuff is all together.  Now I need to find receipt from union dues, my summer course, charitable contributions, etc.  Hope it pays off.

    It's a beautiful almost-spring Saturday in southern Japan.  I have the apt. all opened up and am enjoying the fresh (no Gobi dust today) air.  Hi to everyone...forgive me for not mentioning all by name.  Sleep well!

    Lynn

  • Cynthia1962
    Cynthia1962 Member Posts: 236
    edited March 2008

    Hi Ladies,

    I just bought myself a rebounder trampoline that's on sale this week at Big 5 Sporting Goods store, in case anyone is interested in getting one.  It's good for treating/preventing lymphedema and builds bone density.  It's an easy and low impact way to exercise, too. 

    Have a nice weekend everyone,

    Cynthia 

  • nativemainer
    nativemainer Member Posts: 7,922
    edited March 2008

    nash-

    I have been taking tamox since last Oct, 10 mg twice a day.  That's the way my onc prescribed it.  I don't think it matters, bc controlling-wise, if it's taken once or twice a day.  From what I've read, it can matter a great deal side effect-wise, though.  Call and ask your onc if you can split the dose and try that for a while. 

  • nativemainer
    nativemainer Member Posts: 7,922
    edited March 2008

    Harley--

    here are the things to look for on your mole (or have someone look for, depending on how limber you are!):

    size:  bigger than the eraser on a pencil should be checked out

    shape:  normal moles are perfectly round.  Irregular shapes should be checked out

    color:  normal moles are all one uniform color (may be brown, black, blue or even greenish). More than one color in a mole should be checked out.

    surrounding skin:  normal moles don't bother the surrounding skin.  Red, irritated skin around a mole (if you haven't been scratching) should be checked out

    Some moles are flat, some stick up some, this doesn't tell us anything about how much to worry.

    If it worries you, have it checked.  Having a mole removed is a 10 minute office procedure that heals up in a few days.  The mole will be sent for pathology testing (boo, hiss, nasty words) to be sure it is just a mole.  Even if it isn't just a mole, removing it is usually all the treatment necessary. 

  • nativemainer
    nativemainer Member Posts: 7,922
    edited March 2008

    Oh, I forgot--if the mole bleeds, it needs to be checked out.  Normal moles do not bleed (unless they are scratched or cut). 

  • DianeE
    DianeE Member Posts: 30
    edited March 2008

    Hi Ladies,

    Thanks for the welcome and for slowing the train down so I could jump on.  I am reading about weight gain, and of course, totally not happy about that.  My SE info from pharmacy says weight loss, anyone had that.  When I asked the onc about it, he says the weight gain is from less exercise and more eating, probably from inactivity or depression.  So that made me kind of want to kick him as I believe all the posters on this board who are actually living it. 

    So, thanks again for the welcome and keep up the faith.

    Diane

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Thanks, NativeMainer,

    Well, I can look at it with a mirror and the color is light brown, but if I remember, it is bigger than an eraser.  Thanks for all the great advice!  I am not too worried about it anymore, thanks to all the great helpful comments I've received.  I have never really had my moles checked out before, but, it I think it is probably a good idea to have this one checked, especially since it is so hard to see, and keep tabs on it...

    Welcome, Diane!

    Harley

  • ashaby
    ashaby Member Posts: 200
    edited March 2008

    Dear All, I'm musing on weight gain and Tamox and I have to say as I hit perimenopause in my late forties, the weight started piling on. Now that I am 56 and on Tamox, I quickly joined Weightwatchers. Just like everything else, we gotta fight back. It's not fun, but it's doable.I'm losing very slowly.





    Lynn, I reminded the janitor that this is our train and to stop hassling passengers.



    Cynthia, I love to think of you bouncing like a little kangaroo.



    Harley, Unless it's melanoma, dark brown, they are all highly treatable, cancer or not. Good luck.



    Honeygirl, I will try to post a painting on this space. xxxxxBasha

  • Ulla
    Ulla Member Posts: 8
    edited March 2008

    hi ladies,,

    i was reading all ur posts since 3 weeks,,

    i am on my lasr week of rads,,and i know that i will be on tamoxifin after that...my tumour had 35% estrogene receptors and 15% orogesteron receptors...thats why my dr told me that i will need to take tamoxifin for the next 5 years..

    i want to tell u that i was thinking about not to take it at all,,i am only 35 now and couldnt have the chance to have my baby yet...

    i am very tired of having any more treatments or drugs or SEs

    i am really afarid of the SEs of tamox,

    i would like to know if i will have periods during the 5 years if i took it??wen i should expect my periods back..i finished chemo 25 of jan and didnt have periods since 6 of jan,i am really afraid,,worried and sad,,

    need ur wisdom and all wat u can tell me about it...

    love u all..

    mel its nice to c u posting here too,,i love ur posts ...

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Thanks, Basha! 

    I'm fairly sure that it is ok.  In fact, I bet my surgeon won't even want to take a look at it when I am in his office on April 4th.  He will probably wait til I'm asleep, having my butt scoped LaughingEmbarassed and then he can just take it off when he's done, er... scoping me!!  I will have to get the dreaded colonoscopy sometime after I see him on April 4th.  He has been bugging me about it, since having had bc puts us at higher risk for colon cancer.  The fun never stops! 

    Hope you are doing ok.

    Welcome to all newcomers on the Tamoxi-train!

    Harley

  • DianeE
    DianeE Member Posts: 30
    edited March 2008

    Ulla,

    Welcome to the post.  Glad you are almost done with rads.  I could not start the tamoxifen until my skin healed so there was about a 10 day delay.  So sorry you have the added stress of having to figure out timing to get pregnant along with breast cancer.  Did you have periods during chemo?  Often times, chemo will stop periods.  Mine did but I was told that they could resume on the tamoxifen.  I am 40 and the younger you are, the better your chance of returning to a regular period.  One thing for sure is that you do not want to get pregnant while on tamoxifen.  Did your onc talk to you about your desire to have a baby?  If not, please do ask them what you need to consider.  Keep us posted on what you find out. 

    The side effects have been very minimal for me but I have only been on them for 5 days.  I will keep you posted how it goes and if I come across any good remedies.

    Harley - your too funny.  Sorry you have to have the scope, some where we should have all been given a "get out of scope" card for all we have already done.  Maybe draw an arrow to your mole so the doc does not forget that you want that checked out while you are in la la land for the scope.  Good luck.

    What is up with gaining weight in the abdomen?  Is that a hormone thing, or did I not notice it there because my boobs were blocking?  I don't know, but I have a lot of work cut out ahead of me so that people don't think I am starting to look pregnant.  GGRRR!!!

    Take care everyone,

    Diane

  • Cynthia1962
    Cynthia1962 Member Posts: 236
    edited March 2008

    Ulla - Welcome to our train.  I have not had a period since my second chemo tx last April, but my estradial level indicates that I'm still premenopausal and will be getting my cycle again soon.  I just turned 45, btw.  As young as you are, chemopause is probably temporary.

    Michelle - I have not gained any weight from the Tamoxifen.  When I first started taking it, my appetite decreased a lot and I started losing weight.  That's improved, but I still don't feel hungry very often.  My belly has become more "fatty", but that happened around the time chemo threw me into chemopause.  It doesn't look any bigger, just jiggles more.  :(  I think it's a result of the change in hormones.  As for the side effects, I only have mild flushes.  No big deal.  

    Diane - weight gain isn't a given, but the change in our hormones does seem to change our abdomens.  So not fair!

    Basha - I can't wait to see one of your paintings!

    Harley - glad your mole looks harmless.  Last year I saw my dermatologist almost more than I saw my onc, lol.  

    Take care all,

    Cynthia 

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 2,126
    edited March 2008

    Hey Diane,

    That is a great idea!  I think I will have the nurse draw some instructions on me (and my butt), so that while I am asleep (my surgeon tells me that his hospital will actually put me all the way out!  HURRAY for drugs!), he won't forget about the mole.   I already have to have the nurse write on my left (LE) arm that they are not to check BP, or any needle sticks in that arm!
    My surgeon is funny!  He told me that one of his dr. friends had to have surgery, and he wrote instructions all over his body, so they wouldn't screw up!!  LOL 

    I asked my surgeon about the GET OUT OF SCOPE thing, (actually, I said "Haven't I been through enough?")  He said, "Hey, I am already giving you a break.  That is why I didn't mention it sooner."  I had already read that bit about having bc puts us at increased risk for colon cancer, but I wasn't going to tell HIM!!  Too bad he keeps up with all the new info.  Laughing

    BTW, I also look pregnant!  My abdomen is so inflated!!

    Best wishes,

    Harley

  • Ulla
    Ulla Member Posts: 8
    edited March 2008

    DEAR DIANE AND CYNTHIA,,THANKS ALOT FOR THE WORM WELCOMMING,,,

    I AM REALLY STILL SO CONFUSED ..MY ONC,IS VERY DIFFICUILT PERSON TO DEAL WITH ,,INFACT I AM GOING TO C ANOTHER ONE AFTER THE RADS ,,SHE KEPT TELLING ME NOT TO THINK ABOUT THIS ,,NOT TO THINK ABOUT THAT,,WEN I WAS ASKING HER ABOUT SO MANY THINGS REGARDING TO THE BABIES TING,,I USED TO RECIEVE HER SAME WORDS EVERYTIME FOR EACH Q I HAD,,THINK ABOUT UR TREATMENTS NOW,,IT I NOT THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS OR THAT,,,GRRRRRR SHE WAS REALLY DRIVING ME SO CRAZY ,,THANK GOD I WILL GET RID OF HER THIS MONTH ,,

    DEAR DIANE ,,I KEPT HAVING MY REGULAR PERIODS DURING ALL THE 1ST FIVE ROUNDS OF CHEMO(3 FEC AND 2 TAXOTERE)THEN MY PERIODS JUST DIDNT SHOW AGAIN AFTER THE LAST TAXOTERE WHICH WAS IN 25 OF JAN ..NOW WE R IN 16 OF MARCH SO I MISSED 2 PERIODS TILL NOW..

    I KNOW NOTHING YET ABOUT TAMOX AS I WILL MEET THE NEW DR IN 25 MARCH ,,,

    I AM IN REAL NEED TO KNOW WAT IS THE REAL BENIFIT OF BEING ON TAMOX FOR ME ??IS IT DESERVE TO BE IN SUCH DRUG FOR 5 YEARS ??

    WAT IS THE LONGEST PERIOD OF TIME I CAN HAVE BETWEEN RADS AND STARTING THIS TAMOX???

    WAT IF I DECIDED NOT TO TAKE IT >>WAT R THE RISKS ??

    I AM VERY WORRIED AND UNCOMFORTABLE TO THINK ABOUT BEING ON A DRUG FOR 5 YEARS ..

    WAT ABOUT MY PERIODS WILL THEY COME BACK DURING TAMOX??

    HOWLONG THEY WILL BE DISAPPEARED BE4 COMMING BACK AGAIN??

    SO MANY Q THAT R FILLING MY MIND AND MAKE MY DAYS HARDER AND HARDER..

    SORRY FOR BEING SO NEGATIVE BUT IT IS JUST HOW I FEEEL//

    THANKS ALOT SISTERS..

  • DianeE
    DianeE Member Posts: 30
    edited March 2008

    Ulla,

    I feel bad for your frustration and I am frustrated for you.  One of the first questions my onc asked was if we were finished having kids.  So at your age I think it is a very important thing to be asking you before treatment.  I do not know how long it will take for your periods to return.  There are hormone levels that can be monitored, most importantly the estradiol, to see where you are at.   

    As far as the tamoxifen, it blocks estrogen from binding with any cancer cells that need it to grow.  So if your tumor is estrogen driven, and it appears that it is, tamoxifen has  been proven to be an important step in prevention.  Talk to your new onc about it as it is a personal decision.  I do not know how much a pregnancy would put you at risk for recurrence at this point.  I hope you find the answers you need soon.  The unknown is such a scary thing.  Take care.

    Diane

  • VirginiaNJ
    VirginiaNJ Member Posts: 314
    edited March 2008

    Hi Ladies...thank you all for the kind words of support RE my Dad.  He had the best weekend...such clarity.  It was my BD yesterday, so I'm thinking it might have been some kind of karmic (is that a word) gift...

    To all the newcomers, WELCOME!!

    Ulla- I was 40 at the time of DX.  Had chemo in May of 2007 - periods stopped after 2nd treatment.  Got my first one in Oct 2007 and have been mostly regular ever since.  My surgeon asked me about kids...she said that she would want me on Tamoxifen for a minimum of 2.5 years before I considered children.  I am a little older than you, so I think that train has sailed for me...  My onc nurse in NYC things that Tamoxifen is a miracle drug and should be in the water...  

    I am sorry that this is such a difficult decision for you...  I suppose that I am far more scared about a recurrence, so if the onc tells me to take Tamox or any other drug, I will...

    Best wishes in making your decision...

    Virginia 

  • betsy13
    betsy13 Member Posts: 18
    edited March 2008

    Hi All,

    I've been reading, but usually late at night and too tired to post....I loved the Keys (we swam with the dolphins:) got back at the end of Feb. and was a good girl using 50 sunblock.....the alcohol... I was not so good about....so much for the standard answer of "less then one drink per day".....and tomorrow is ST PAT's DAY Oh Well....after tomorrow I am going to be good:) Anyway I saw Harley's ? about her mole....Glad you are still going to have it checked out.....I've had lots of basal cell especially this past year.....and even had some on my toe which I had radiation on during the time I was getting rads for my BC because the basal had recurred and was not a favorable area for surgery...and Guess What??? the basal on my toe is back....it isn't even a year later...actually it was only 9 months before I noticed 2 spots in the area of the original basal cell that where red and bleeding and since then I have had some behind my knee and tomorrow I am getting a bx on my shoulder.....I asked my dermatologist if there is any link between the BC and the Basal cell.....(his wife had B BC) and he said he didn't think so......well after my toe came back positive I asked him why I was getting so many Basal cells and he said that it must be my immune system.....makes me a little nervous....not about the basal (you don't die from Basal cell:) but about his comment concerning my immune system....I am still getting acupuncture (to help with the se of tamoxifen, which are much less) and eating well and exercising (back running:)  So doing all I can.....anyone else have any experience with skin cancers??? OH and also I have also had about 12lb weight loss since starting tamoxifen in Sept.....of course I am being careful.....and can gain easily if I'm not:) So I will be in the Salad car:)

    Betsy

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