Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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Funny Lacey, so much pharma! And you are psychic--I detest beets. But I adore raspberries and they might do the trick with color. I really love smoothies, but I find I can't use them to replace a meal. I still need to chew. I've tried various protein powders and made some delicious smoothies. Then I think, "Well that was a refreshing beverage," and I start looking around for something to eat. Does that go away?
When I was training for my marathon a couple of years ago, my main running partner was a guy who retired early so that he could devote all his time to sports. He's an amazing athlete. It's a very appealing lifestyle, retired and super healthy.
Maybe when you get your Ritalin, Lacey, you'll magically be patient and focused enough to bake!
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Hahaha, Run......that would be nice! Patience and focus....:)
I think the raspberries would give you a nice lighter pinkish color.....and maybe with some cranberries and unsweetened cranberry juice? I add some of both of those to stave off UTIs during this tamox run...and it also adds color. Trader's carries the unsweetened juice. If I need to chew something while making the smoothies, I might eat a few red grapes, or some of the apple, but I find that the thickness of the smoothie satisfies me. I just always visualize the "goodness" going down. I suppose you could chomp on a few walnuts and put fewer in the blender.
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I called Caremark mail order about the tamox refill to see if there was a problem getting the TEVA brand. Well, it seems that they get their tamox from a pharm supplier in Wilkes-Barre PA and they are well stocked with that brand, so the rep assured me there would be no problem. She also put a note on my file to indicate that I was to receive this brand in the future.
So, I suppose that each pharm has their own supplier, and the distribution could be quite uneven? Glad your pharmacist was able to track down some 10's for you, Run.
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Cranberries, great idea! And I would love to chew walnuts, though in a few seconds I could chew way too many. Grapes, another great idea. There's no Trader Joe's within 90 minutes of me but I might be able to find unsweetened cranberry juice somewhere. I do love this super smoothie idea.
That's fascinating about the Teva supplier, and good sleuthing on your part. I have access to Caremark too. Hmmm. I do like using my local pharmacy--nothing special or quaint, just the one based at my supermarket. When I got my birth control pills through Caremark, I occasionally forgot to reorder them (quarterly) and had to pay for rush orders, and it was strangely more of a hassle than stopping at the pharmacy counter while shopping for groceries. Still, food for thought.
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Okay.....so as I am busy tauting my cruciferous loaded smoothes, I neglected to include this disclosure, which I knew from an article my sister sent me last year and I have largely ignored. This morning a friend sent this link:
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it
So far I have not had a problem with regular kale/spinach/arugula consumption, but figured I'd better share the info...would not want to promote anyone's thyroid problems!
Will also check it out with my doc at PE time later this month.
Run, I did hear from Caremark yesterday that if I ever needed a rush order it would be pricey....and they do "push" early refills, so I will remain aware of that. Sadly, another prescription (Celebrex) I used to get from Canada for "free" (an arrangement from our local health consortium that passed the benefit on to the consumer) will now cost me over $100 for each order.
Oh well.......it was good while it lasted.0 -
Lacey12 the great thing about you is that you have found what works for you - and that is very inspiring for those of us still trying to find the magic routine.
RunFree16 - Lunch is quite a few things thrown together - I prepare/cook quite a lot of each of the base and then dish it up once into 5 little dishes with lids that stay on - double bagged in case anything leaks - which I take to work - one a day.
4 Tablespoons salad (cucumber, carrot, red pepper, tomato - all cut into little cubes)
4 Tablespoons cooked black lentils
4 Tablespoons quinoa
40 grams of Bulgarian Feta Cheese (its white, firm, salty and tasty) OR 40 grams of goats cheese.
I add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Sprinkle with sea salt (with iodine).
Mix all together. Very tasty and very filling. It takes a long time to eat so fills me up
When my day turns out well (2 to 3 times a week) I eat lunch at 14:00, have a strong cup of coffee at 16:00, take Tamoxifen at 18:00 with a glass of water and then supper at 19:00.
The trick for me is to fit exercise in there!
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Bounce, thank you for the excellent details! That's just what I need and it sounds delicious. Exercise is the trick indeed. I am fortunate to have a treadmill in my house. If not for that, I would get very little exercise in the winter.
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Sometimes I use cooked mung beans instead of the black lentils but I think it is much better with the black lentils.
I guess I could use green lentils too.
My husband adds a few tablespoons of pasta to his version.
If I run out of other options I use parmesan cheese.
Back to Tamoxifen - besides for hot flashes - which leave me very cold when they depart! I have also been bothered by my ears feeling blocked and popping.
Anyone else encounter this?
Its definitely from the Tamoxifen - not a cold etc. It happened when I took T before rads for about 2 weeks and then I stopped T and only started again at the beginning of January.
Any bets on whether it will get better or worse?
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thanks, all, for your words of encouragement. I feel better about things. Putting my concerns in writing was cathartic. I'm feeling more motivated to exercise -- milder weather helps! I took my dog out yesterday for a 40-minute leashed walk in my very hilly neighborhood. Today my DH and I took advantage of temps in the 50s before it started raining ... We took the dog (black lab) to a nearby reservoir path loop (where she can go off-leash). Total trek was about 2.75 miles. We walked at a leisurely pace so it was a little under an hour. A decent start to end the inactivity.
Lacey and macatacmv, you're both in Massachusetts and sound like you have great MOs. May I ask if they're in the Boston area? I like my MO but am becoming disenchanted with my whole team now that treatment is over. I feel a bit untethered, but at the same time I know my case doesn't warrant close contact at this point.
I've made some great entree salads in the past few days. Chopped organic romaine hearts (cut into a nice bite-sized dice) tossed with carrots, cucumbers, avocado, grilled chicken breast (all cut in similar sized dices), hard-boiled eggs, chickpeas, and quinoa. A bit of homemade ranch dressing (made with organic safflower oil mayo). Not low fat, but low glycemic and good protein and fiber -- and healthy fat sources. My DH loves them, too.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
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hey gem, I do use the Boston docs, it is a trek to get there, but worth it.
the insurance came thru for my new med today. It is higher tier and kinda pricey still, but hopefully worth it, too.
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Gemini, my MO is very good. She always spends whatever time we need to sort out my Tamox SE issues and possible remedies for them....definitely "gets" the quality of life concerns. I don't go into town. She is at an MGH center in the Western suburbs. I started there since when I was first diagnosed two years ago, I could not manage my busy full time job and a commute to Boston, and fortunately, this has worked out great for me. I would be happy to PM with you if you like.
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Bounce, that salad sounds wonderful! I'd do it without the eggs but otherwise I'm all over it. That's great about your walk today. We were supposed to get that warm-up here in central NH also, but it never went above 34, and the roads were and remain treacherous. I did get in a great treadmill run though. About your ears: I've heard about this. There was someone on here a while back who felt sure she had lost her hearing from Tamoxifen, but she agreed that's very rare. You might contact your MO about it. At least you could get a hearing test now and then another one in a while to see if it's changed.
macatacmv, that's great about your med!
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hi, guess I will be joining this group. I started tamoxifen last week. I am still have tiredness and am recovering from 10 weeks of rads, but other than that, hope to do well on tamoxifen. Guess I will be doing 5 to 10 years. (I think 5 of tamoxifen, followed by 5 of an AI after menopause sets in.) So far no side effects, and hope it stays that way!
Thanks for posting all of the healthy eating advice and recipes you all seem to have. It is very inspirational, especially since I too, am trying to be more healthy this 2014.
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So now I have an asnwer to my popping ears. Am going to call my MO tomorrow to move up my appointment. Feeling like crap, chemo brain or brain fog or what ever it is-I need help for it. I have to work. And I like to work. I love what I do. But would like to have a better memory of what I do and what I did yesterday. I checked an email trail a bit ago for work to confirm facts for a contract--and I sent the email Friday. I have NO memory of sending it. NONE. That is just wrong.
Hugs and blessings to all.
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hello ladies I am new to this group. I started tamoxifen 5 days ago so far no side effects. I also started rads on the same day. Has anyone else done rads and tamoxifen at the same time and if so what should I prepare for? By the way I also just completed 8 rounds of chemo on December 19 2013 (whew)
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Welcome Hy and L2. Everyone is different-as you will see as you scroll through the posts. And there are lots of other threads you might want to read. My MO had me wait about a month to start the AIs (estrogen blockers) I took before I went to tamox due to side effects. I was really tired about half way through rads. But everyone is different.
Sorry you are each having to join the team. But the team is the best.
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Thanks run, after taking my new med I slept until noon today. I actually feel rested.
I have not been working for 2 years (since I got so sick during rads). Now on Tuesday I am reopening my cobbler shop. I found a cobbler that wanted to move here and do the hard work. I hope I am ready for this.
gem, my MO has actually started coming down to the island. She treats lots of women here. So it seems like MGH is spreading out to it's "partner" hospitals. I have found that she is much more relaxed and seems to have more time to talk when she is not in the city.
I work most closely with my PCP to get my QoL back to where I would like it. I have changed from a male PCP to a woman. We have to take charge of our medical care, for sure.
susan, I ended up getting hearing aids this year. I had horrible tinnitus while on an AI. But we are not sure if the hearing loss was a normal progression or a result of tx.
welcome. L2 and Hy!
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Mac, that's great that your MO comes to your area. I bet she loves having to work onsite on the Vineyard -- doesn't surprise me that she's more relaxed. :-)
Interesting that you and Lacey are with MGH. I got all of my treatment at Mt Auburn in Cambridge. Their breast center is highly regarded -- I felt confident with the surgeon (she has a great reputation), and rads was very convenient since I live close by. I do like my MO, but every once in a while I do wonder if anything would be done differently at another hospital. I'm not thinking I needed more surgery, and my OncoType score indicated no chemo. It's more the follow up protocol that I'm questioning. However, I think we all feel a sense of withdrawal some months after we are finished with treatment. Odd, because we all look forward to it being over, yet for me I didn't realize at the time how secure it felt being in constant contact with my team.
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Lacey - Celebrex is set to go generic this year! Woo Hoo!
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Gemini4---My dad is very good friends with an oncologist (he's not mine...I live in another state). This MO told me when I was diagnosed that there were 2 things to keep in mind....one was that when treatment was over, I'd feel a bit lost. This is from having so much attention directed at you (wanted or not), then suddenly being on your own. Combine this with the new problem of constantly worrying about every little pain (could it be cancer again?), you feel left behind. Two is that if I compared myself to a group of my peers, I'd outlive almost all of them. This is due to me having such focused medical care even after BC treatment is over. That is one thing I remind myself of daily; it helps with the "worries". And I have an MO who I only see every 9 months. I didn't have chemo or rads, just Tamoxifen, so he doesn't seem very concerned with keeping track of me. I like him, but I worry that he doesn't worry enough about me! That's probably pretty common for us. I'm going to ask my BS (who sees me every 6 months and I was done with him pretty much at MX!) if he thinks I should be seen more often. My BS was the first doc I saw through all this and he's the one who hooked me up with PS and MO...even a new cardiologist and gynecologist. Heck, he even recommended the guy who's going to do my first colonoscopy next month! I also space out my appointments so that I see one of my docs at least every other month. For now, that helps my peace of mind.
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Wow, farmerlucy, that's great news....my pocketbook is smiling! Thanks for the info.....:)
Lala, I totally agree with the idea that we have a sort of medical care separation anxiety after being so actively involved with our caregivers for months...but I also hear your worry about the every nine month MO check up. On one hand, that schedule would leave me feeling scott free and healthy...on the other hand, since I've had enough Tamox SE's to negatively impact my quality of life, I am pleased that my MO sees me every three months....not sure if she would stretch it out more if I were SE free.
Welcome L2 and Hy!
Mac, so glad you are starting with a promising med. And good luck with your reentry to work. I love the fact that your MO comes to MV for office visits.
Gemini, yes MGH has spread it's tentacles, not to overshadow the other "big boys" around here. BI is building a big Cancer Treatment Center in my town to capture some of that suburban market. Sadly, it is big business.
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This question of feeling lost when you stop treatment is so familiar to me. I just got told by my beloved RO that she didn't need to see me again, like, at all. I was shocked and kind of bereft. I will still see my BS and MO, but not RO. And that was my favorite cancer too, of the three that I use.
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Lacey, yes big business for sure!!
gem, MVH is partnered with MGH so everyone from here is referred to there. We have a great radiologist that reads the mammos here that works there and knows all the docs. We have patient gateway that connects the medical records, and all the docs. It is convenient but I wonder to, if some where else would do things differently. Anyway, I stay in touch with BS and MO by email and still see RO, so really I see some doc every 3 months. Beside my PCP who I see more often to follow the med ses.
Thanks for the good wishes for reentry into work. I had a melt down today. I felt so overwhelmed just trying to organize and get ready for opening the doors. I got into my perfectionist persona. I had to just let it go. It and I will never be perfect. I did get some of the financial stuff straightened out with the bank. I got some bank fees refunded that had been occurring because I was not paying attention to the shop account. I have to remember it is with small steps that I will move forward. A good friend reminded me that my most important job right now is getting healthy. I also got the phone back working. I had to call the tech support for them to tell me the modem was unplugged.
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Run, I recall having that same feeling when my RO and I had our last appt, exactly a year ago. However, I got over it pretty quickly since I went on a tear trying to shed the (too) many doc appts I had at that particular time. I had grown very fond of my RO who DH and I thought quite kooky and over intellectualized at first, then she really warmed up and we both enjoyed the relationship with her. It's weird....her role was an intense and specific one, and when it was done, I missed her, but would not want to need her again! Just another odd experience in this journey.
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Hi all
I am very envious of how well you are dealing with the food issues. Before BC I would pretty much eat white rice for dinner a luna for breakfast and whatever naughty lunch was at my work meeting- then my daughter moved in for 8mos and I did better planning meals- maybe all that white rice is the cause of my BC lol
I am trying really hard but since my daughter moved out I am by myself and so I cook on weekends and scour recipes that are healthy and make large servings then eat that for dinner. Breakfast is easy oatmeal (now I am not boycotting it) if I am home alternating with prunes/apricots/walnuts on my "light" days.
But I am working-thats the hardest part- I have back-to-back meetings and travel a lot and the food is around and its not all healthy. I sometimes bring a protein bar for breakfast- lunch is a challenge as well but we have tons of vegan/vegetarian/raw you name it- this is the SF bay area and you can even get smoothies but its a farther walk. If I bring lunch is a PBJ on protein bread- I take trains to/from work so carrying all that fun stuff along with my laptop and other paraphenalia just does not work- I have tried.
My DH has retired officially as of this weekend and will be spending more time in CA where I work- he is a fabulous cook but has no regard for portion control- all fresh ingredients , freshly made but I usually gain weight when he is around so we shall see.
Exercise- I have that one figured out. I am a yoga person and there are several places that have lunchtime yoga- if my schedule fits- I change clothes and go right over at lunchtime- if that does not fit I leave work and go right to the yoga studio before going home and then take my train home. Have to go before going home or never go out again. Weekends I just go its my investment in me and I was way too quick to shelve it when too busy....On vacation I usually do a yoga class at least every other day- in Hawaii I go every day but when working if I go 3 times/week thats good- realistically its 2. I walk .7mile to the train each way which gives me built in exercise and I really appreciate that time to rev up in the morning and unwind at the end of the day.
I am still tired- I was not tired during rads at all- maybe because DH and DD were here but now since the holidays I am dragging of course now I should be in bed and am up typing so nite all
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Hi Ladies
I am curious to know what the RO does on follow up visits after rads finishes. I saw my RO on my last day of rads and don't have any appointments booked for him ever again!
wyo - you sound busy enough to tire out a 20 year old! If you like rice but want a healthier choice how about using whole wheat rice or red rice (I make a mixture of the 2 kinds) or a wild rice mix or something like quinoa or lentils or beans. I cook 2 cups of these (raw) and cooked it makes a lot more so its enough for a few meals.
My MO was adamant that I take Tamoxifen on an empty stomach. I
thought it could be taken with or without food but she is one scary lady
and I wasn't going to argue with her.
Anyone else been ordered - really - to take Tamoxifen with or without food?
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Bounce-I was told either, but I personally have to take it with food, if not it really upsets my stomach.
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Bounce, my MO said it made no difference if I took the tamoxifen with food or without. I often take it with my morning coffee because my old lady pill sorter lives near my coffee machine. ;-). I also recall reading here several months back that a study reported better absorption of tamoxifen among those who drank two cups of coffee daily. I'll see if I can dig up the article.
Wyo, I love rice too. I find quinoa is a satisfying substitute. My favorite so far is a tri-color quinoa that I found (can't recall the brand). I always rinse quinoa well before cooking -- it removes that saponates that make it taste bitter. Then I sort of "toast" it in the hot pan, stirring it around, before adding liquid. I always use chicken broth to boost the flavor. I love the texture of it.
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gem, I like that article that says 2 cups of coffee. I'll have to tell my PCP that one, she has cut me down to just one.
wyo, whew, your schedule sounds busy! I am a yoga person, too. I take the dog for a walk everyday,too. I am on a strict diet to get down to a good weight. So I have a meal replacement program. But since I work at home, I can regulate my "food" intake. I had a big bowl of coleslaw for lunch today. I need to get in the fiber.
bounce, no one said anything about food or no food with my tamoxifen. I usually take it in the middle of the day so it usually lines up with my lunch time shake.
Well, I am beat! I don't know what I was thinking. Reopening is going to be a real adjustment. Everything hurts. It will be an early night for me.
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macatacmv, here's the link to the article I read last year ... And it mentions two cups or more ... Woohoo!
Good luck with work -- I'm sure you'll be fine after adjusting to the new routine.
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