Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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Its good to see my East Coast Tami girls are ok. That was a shock to read let for you all who felt it.
I too have gotten boob envy. I know it was my decision to have both my breast removed. I did tons of praying, reading and asking questions before I came to how I was going to treat my cancer. I do miss them. I find myself staring at other boobs now too. Wondering if they know how luckey they are. Even though I had reconstruction done its not the same. I live daily with the scars that bring back tons of memories that were not of joy but of pain instead. I know that I should be greatful that I am alive, I am trust me.
Jo you and Becky are in my prayers!
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survivor11 - I take my Tammi in the morning with breakfast and it seems to be working for me. When I first got my script, I asked my MO about splitting the dose - take half in the am and half in the pm. I did that for a couple of weeks until I got tired of splitting the pills then took it all at one time in the am. I did the pill split in the beginning because I had tried Arimixdex and Femara and has terrible SEs with both - hestitated with Tammi but now everything is fine. You will have to decide what is going to work best for you. Everyone is a bit different.
Paula - Thanks! Will update when I hear something. The waiting is driving me crazy.
Earthquake in Northern VA? Really? Glad everyone is safe and sound.
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Thanks for the info. Think I'm going to try taking it in the am and hope that the SE aren't too bad.
Am pretty nervous about the thinning hair part. I soooooooooo want my hair to grow back soon.
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Earthquakes...giant ice bergs...tornadoes in weird places.....makes you wonder. Hope everyone is ok Tink!
June- good to see you here. How are you doing?????
greenarch- how fast can you get that second opinion? you are worth it.
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As for envy ladies....it is normal...we are normal. Sometimes the smiles don't cut it, hmm? I met with someone yesterday...a gal who is doing her PhD research on survivors of breast cancer and their perception of images etc. ....and I was a bit surprised by how different my feelings are about everything five months after first meeting her. She saw a strong woman from beginning to end (according to her) and what I commented on was that I made it through this final meeting without breaking down at any point and how I did not put us in the corner of the restaurant but was talking as loudly as I would about any other topic...all this to say....our feelings and reactions change...our conversation may have been different if I had had it pre-stress test instead of post...I may have felt more vulnerable and fragile....at any given moment, our feelings can change...so don't beat yourself up if you feel envious about a breast or hair or someone's weight loss or weight gain or ability to sleep without a pill....it is all normal...we are and will be ok.
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Thanks Sandee!!!!!!
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Thanks Sandee
I have to tell a funny on Dh and me. We were channel surfing and came across the Hooters Beauty Contest. So we watched the girls announce who they were in the bikinis'. We comment on which boobs where real and who's was not and who got really bad boob jobs and needed to get them fixed. We did not watch the rest of it. haha
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Sandee well said!..
Thanks ladies we are all ok we have had 3 aftershocks but i only felt one of them and it was minor compared to the afternoon one thank God!
I think im skipping the melatonin tonight and honestly going straight for the xanax. had to keep strong for my dd as she was literally shaking and not being able to get in touch with ds and dh for awhile has caught up to me!.. so i know i will sleep tonight!
Love and hugs
Maria
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Stay close to an out Tink ok? I know you trust those wings of yours but we need you here so be safe
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We watch the same tv. I keep asking why couldn't mine have looked like theirs when they are what I wanted. Oh yes and the bad ones, at least mine do look good. We have bikini destinations that is on a few nights a week. Sandee I agree with you and wonderful that you got to help with her PhD. I haven't broken down and don't feel like I will, but... We all have to deal with this in our own way.
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Sandee after all you have been through you are one strong strong lady! To hear that from someone else must have made you feel wonderful.
Ladies I am mildly freaking out. I am having a very sore arm pit. Different from when I had my Lymphedema. Not sure if it is the same thing as I don't feel any cording, however just a lump and very very sore almost bruised like.....my appt with my MO is on Sept 12th. We are heading to New York tomorrow and wonder what to do....
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(((June)))) Call the Onc and just see what they have to say. Just for peace of mind so you wont have the what if on your trip.
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Thanks Sandee.
Tink - Hope today is a better day and you had a good night sleep.
June - Call your MO and let him/sher know what is going on - if for nothing else but your own piece of mind. Hava a good trip.
Sherry - DH and I do the same thing. We will sit there and try to figure out who has the real boobs and whose are fake.
Went to lunch and shopping with a good friend yesterday. Had a great time but of all things, I lost my cell phone. I have never done that before. Have now lost all my contact numbers but had insurance on it so I should be getting a new one today.
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June, good idea to call the onc but i have had a few scares like that and DH (who is a surgeon) always says to think first if maybe i strained myself, pulled a muscle, etc. You should def check it out but just trying to suggest some possible other reasons. Hate that we run to think the worst first but that may be our lot for a while. Hope this helps, June. Let us know.
Shari0 -
Oh, forgot to mention that we play the boob game too. DH is actually a plastic surgeon, so thats cheating but sometimes i spot the fakes before him.
Jo, too bad about your phone. Thats such a pain! Ive done it, too.0 -
June.. I agree cant hurt to call your ONC nad ask what they might think. They may be able to put your mind at ease a bit ... hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Jo... THanks I did xanax usually does it but tonight back to the melatonin!
Sandee.. yes I will keep all wings intact! lol
thank you!!!HUgs Tammy ;ladies
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June I agree call your onco for peace of mind0 -
Sandee - what an opportunity to document your BC journey-- wow.. that sounds incredible.
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Dear Sandee, i appreciate your comment about us not beating up on ourselves. Thanks for sharing that. Helps me to hear it.
Shari0 -
I've been taking Tamoxifen for two months....at first, nothing really bad but have now noticed an anxiety state developing like I'm losing control. I'm on a trycyclic antidepressant (low dose) for about the same time for arm pain caused by my mastectomy which feels like it quit working and I found most of my feelings aren't so much about the cancer since mine has a fairly good prognosis (no lymph/vascular invasion, low Ki67, clean nodes, small tumor) but the post mastectomy pain..my underarm feels like a bad sunburn. For a number of weeks, I felt like I was coming out of it all...doing long daily walks and eating really well...now suddenly, the yuck feeling came back WITH the arm pain. I tried an SSRI but my doctor put me on two high a starting dose and I ended up in emergency with a nervous breakdown so am now terribly afraid of those drugs. I have heard elsewhere that while tamoxifen can make you feel anxious, splitting the pill and taking it morning and night can help. I also read studies where tamoxifen doesn't affect quality of life and didn't particularly cause weight gain or loss...BUT it is a med that is very protective not only for breast cancer but other types as well. Uterine cancer almost never causes death; clots can but it isn't way up there. My doctor said no to removing the other breast and no to a hysterectomy; the numbers don't warrant that when vigilance is all that is needed. So, I am wondering how others are coping with this strange anxiousness/crying episodes/depression?
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The only crappy thing I find about a missing breast is the post mastectomy pain I got. My surgeon left me with a teenie Size A- without a nipple...I've thought of breast reduction in the other to bring it to the same size and then fling the bras away! I still have to watch low cuts because my surgeon gave me an old smiley face incision near the top since I had a tumor at the 11:00 position left breast. I don't feel too much about others' breasts myself. Maybe I'm in denial. But I keep looking at the other one thinking I should knock it off to avoid ANY chance of having another mastectomy and the resulting pain that sucks the life right out of you.
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Hey Bluepearl,
be careful that your antidepressants don't interact with Tami, some drugs interact with it, lowering its effectiveness. I hope your anxiety goes away soon, it's true that this is a very bumpy busride we're on. Even the smallest thing can upset you for a whole day! I find myself in a rollercoaster with some very depressing days, regardless of good news, but as long as you know that there is a tomorrow, and you will probably feel better than today, you will be o.k :-)
What other cancers does Tamoxifen help 'against' (sorry for my English, getting tired)?
Hugs!
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Dear bluepearl,
You may have already done this so excuse me if you have.
Have you talked to a therapist since dx? Even though you seem to have a logical approach to your cancer, the dx and mx is plenty traumatic. Anxiety seems like a rather sane response. Everyone responds differently. I also had a uni mx and i finally went to see someone and it was a very good thing. Drugs serve a purpose (i am not shy about using them when needed) but i think i benefitted more by adding the talking part.
Just a suggestion...hope you feel better.
Shari0 -
Bluepearl... yes what Shari said is so true. Tam makes me very anxious and it was becoming debilatating. I am now seeing a therapist and have PTSD.. imagine ha!.. im sure we all have a bit of that. He has helped me find some helpful ways to manage it, which he said we will try first. Its still there but more managable ...most days. There are times like yesterday when we had the earthquake here nothing helps and I have to resort to a xanax, but if thats what i need to do once in awhile i do it. Hugs to you.. this is such a rollercoaster we are on!.. we are here for you
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After losing hair on Tamox does it come back at the end of the 5 years?
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So I got my hormone blood work back and my Estradial is fine at 380 even though it went up from 66 9 months ago pre tammi. But still within normal ranges and since I had my uterus removed my gyno said that I am still cycling so that explains the difference in the numbers. However my testosterone is at almost nothing a .02. So she wants me to go to a Dr. that does bio identical hormones and get a compounding testosterone hormone cream. After reading about low testosterone I have had it for a couple of years. I have almost no hair left on my arms and it also explains my hair thinning and I guest tammi just made it worse. The biggest thing is it causes osteoporosis which my MO put me on Fosomax already so I guess that is a good thing. Causes can be ovaries not working right or adrenal glands not working right. So called my MO to see if he thinks I need to see a endocrinologist and find out what is causing this or just treat the symptoms and also to make sure the testosterone cream will be ok for me to use. So I guess I'll hear back from him tomorrow. Also low testosterone causes hot flashes. Mine began two years ago yet they could not figure out why I was having them because my estrogen was fine. So at least it is nothing major except the osteoporosis worries me, but I am ahead of the game on that one with the Fosomax.
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Sherry.. glad everything checked out ok and you are ahead of the game with the Fosomax. If it is not one thing its another. I think i am going to asky my GYN in Oct to do some testing, she hasnt really done anything at all since being diagnosed, no baseline no blood work, nothing it makes me a little nervous to be honest!
Off to make dinner
Tomorrow will be 3 years my dad is gone its hard to believe, sometimes it seems like forever and others like yesterday!.. wow!
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Tink I will be thinking about you tomorrow. My Dad died in 1983 and it seems like yesterday. Sometimes I think they just don't really think enough about our hormones. In fact I was the one that suggested testing the testosterone and when my gyno called me today she said it was a good thing I asked about it because there really wasn't anything I was telling her to make her think she needed to check it. But after talking to DH I think I am going to try to find a endocrinologist to see if they can find out what is causing it instead of just treating the symptoms . That may end up being all I do about it in the long run but I kinda like to know why things are happening.
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Sherry - You are ahead of the game with the Fosomax. We all know we have to be our own advocates. Thank goodness for Mr Google and the Internet. If low testosterone is the culprit for hot flashes, maybe I should ask my MO to do some testing.
Tink - Will be on your shoulder tomorrow and giving you soft hugs. My mother passed away in 1995 and my dad in 2001. Some days it is hard to believe they are gone.
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OK Tami gurus -- so my hot flashes are EXTREME. Oh. My. Gosh. I could heat the northeast in February just fromt the eminating from the back of my head and back. So my friends swears that soy pills will calm them down... is this right? Oh, and today I started on Curcumin and Biotin! Hoping that Biotin works to save my poor hair!
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