Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Thanks for sharing Rachel!
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Thanks again Rachel, and for the peeing in the wind laugh, I needed that!!! I had a hot flash, just reading the info. and was glad for it...well, sort of.
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I do not really weigh myself, but as long as my size 8-10 still fit I do not get too concerned. I do have a bit of a belly going on, but always had pooch, even before I had children and was a size 6.
I still get tired, but I was blaming it on residual effects of rads and just all the other BS in my life right now, besides bc. Only 4 more days of school!!! then I will have a two month vacation!!!!! Maybe I can get my life back in order. With so much going on, it is hard to blame tamoxifen, it has got to be a combination of everything;my dad passing away in Aug, my mammo in Oct that discovered the lump, my biopsy in Nov, Jan and Feb surgery, then March- april rads, March to now tamoxifen. Also in March I had my IUD removed(it was a great help for lighter periods and less PMS). Of course my sister told me I was always a bitch, so I can not say fro certain it is tamoxifen that has given me all the symptoms. I do not know what button I just hit, but now everything is in bold print.
Have a great night ladies.
I just updated my photo and user ID. My 8 year old did the art work. Can not sleep and I was playing on the computer.
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Hi Tamoxisisters,
I have been switched to Evista c/o bleeding. So far, killer flashes again and some heartburn. I'll miss you from the Tamox. thread.
xxx Basha
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Basha, You can't leave us! You started this thread. Look at all the people you have helped. Thank you!!
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My cholesterol has dropped 55 points since dx and beginning Tamoxifen. I am eating better, but I don't think I was eating that badly before. I talked with my onc about it on Monday and he said it is not uncommon for cholesteral to improve on Tamoxifen. I think it is a combination. I've also increased my vitamin D from 30 to 60.
Karen
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Basha, I wish you the best with Evista. I'm sorry about the heartburn and flashes - I hope that will subside over time.
Karen, congrats on the tlower cholesterol. Very interesting. I have always had low cholesterol, I wonder if I'll end up with NO cholesterol ;-)
Mary, I love your daughter's artwork! Lots of talented people around here (see Basha's paintings about 40 pages back).
Catherine, my period has been all over the place. Heavy, then dark & spotty, then abscent, then heavy etc. I understand that it is all part of the ride. I've had an increase in ovarian cysts so I get TVUS every 6 months, and I believe that Tamox has stimulated the endometriosis that I had kept in check for 10 years with BCP.
Barbie
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Good morning ladies and welcome to the train.
I'm coming up to my year anniversary of starting Tamaxofin - June 17th!
The side effects for me are hot flashes and I still get my periods (I'm now 47 yrs old), but not consistently. I have gained a few pounds over the last year, but I can't attribute that to Tamaxofin. I do like to have a few beers on the weekend, especially when watching the Red Sox play.
I am careful of what I eat, trying not to have alot of soy in my foods.
I walk everyday and find that helps also ... both physically and mentally!!!
Good luck to all of us ... enjoy the weekend.
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Basha,
Don't go!!!! You are the conductor of the Tamoxi Train - you can't leave!!!! If you don't want a position (conductor) you can be a tourist and point out areas of interest!!
Love ya!
Trish
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Murph,
Consuming beers while watching the Red Soxs has not calories! Also, if they are playing the Evil Empire, there are no calories in the snacks!
Enjoy and GO SOX!!
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Basha---uterine bleeding? have you had a TVUS? (it's a good idea for anyone on tamox to have a yearly TVUS to monitor both the uterine lining and the ovaries) I've been on Evista (finished my 5 years of tamox last fall) since February, fortunately no new SEs----maybe we could start an Evista thread
Anne
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Karen, that's great news!!! YAY!
Basha, thank you so much for starting this thread
All the best with Evista! Let us know how it goes? Isn't it still more like Tamoxifen than AIs? I think my ONC said it was like a "cousin" of Tamoxifen?Mary- LOVE the artwork! One talented little lady
Murph- thank you for the update!!! All good news too! Rock those hot flashes babe...
Linda- now I said nothing about the Red Sox, right? I totally bit my tongue... being a Philly chick who lives in NYC, I dunno if you mean the Phillies or the Yankees for the "Evil Empire" but ... I figure you Beantown babes can win a series every 87 years or so... no problem.
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Well, I am not a Yankees fan. I used to so see the Phillies in Clearwater during Springtraining, esp when they palyed the Detroit Tigers. I am a fan of the Motorcity and tonight I will be watching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, go Red Wings!
I have been trying to watch what I eat, but I love food. I usually eat fairly healthy, a lean protein, veggie, and a healthy starch. After my youngest was born, my cholesterol and BP were high, I went to LA Weight loss and lost 30lbs, I have maintained it and did not need to go on BP or Cholesterol meds. I still try to watch what I eat, but I also try to enjoy life. I do not live by the scale, but If my clothes start to feel tight I know it is time for Chicken Breast and salad.
Rachel- Thank-you , she loves to color and make up stories.
Have a great weekend everyone.
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Looking for some input..a little advice. I was told I could have my one last ovary removed (hyster done yrs ago) and not take tamox. but a safer med instead...wish I could remeber the name of that med..I bet you already know what it is...I am now very confused after deciding to take the tamox...I already got it too. I know I would basically slam into menopause, so I am worried either way..Your advice and input would be much appreciated....julie oh yeah.. BRACA -
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Rachel, our teams will duel it out tonight!!
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Hey Ladies. Have any of you heard of the anti-depressant Savella? I was just given it yesterday by my rhuematologist for fibro-myalgia. I went to my Oncologist today and asked him if it was o-kay to take with Tamoxifen. Well it is so new he did not know. He is going to try to research it for me. I was just wondering if any of you had been given this anti-depressant. Any info would help.
Susan
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Jules4evr, the med your doctor was referring to was probably one of the aromatase inhibitors, such as Arimidex, aromasin, or Femara. These can only be used on post menopausal women. Once the ovaries stop working or are no longer there to put out estrogen, our fat cells take over the job of producing estrogen and the aromatase inhibitors prevent the estrogen from being made at all by the fat cells. These don't have the side effects of uterine problems and blood clots like tamoxifen has, although the risk is supposedly very low for these things to occur.
Tamoxifen on the other hand, doesn't deplete the estrogen, just stops it from getting into the breast cells, and possibly some other sites as well, such as the brain, thereby causing hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
On the tamoxifen, If premenopausal, the cessation of periods can sometimes be temporary, which means that the tamoxifen induced menopause is not always permanent. And some women still continue to get their periods while on tamoxifen.
By giving up your ovary, you will definitely go into surgical menopause, which is irreversible. I don't know how old you are, but if you are young, this is something to think about. The loss of ovaries can have effects on other parts of the body over the long term. I see that you had negative nodes and a small lump, just as I did. My doctor has never mentioned any measures beyond just doing the tamoxifen for 5 years and I still have my ovaries and I'm highly ER+ and PR+. I am perimenopausal however. Periods were sporadic before and also now as well.
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Susan the best person to ask about drug interactions is a pharmacist. Most of the computer programs for filling scripts will flag drug interactions.
Good Luck.
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RoseG- that was an awesome summary, thanks!
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Hi girls - Here's a wonderful article about a friend of mine ... Teresa was diagnosed right before Xmas. Her middle son is good friends with my son - both 15 year old boys who find it hard to think of their moms as having breasts, let alone breast cancer! Our community has supported Teresa and other moms in our town - from the high school girls putting in pink hair extensions, to my son's friends all contributing $$ towards hanging plants for Teresa's new garden, and the high school kids participating in October's Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk in Boston for the past six years to honor the moms of high school kids who have been diagnosed. I participated in last year's walk and was so inspired by the kids.
The Hope in Bloom is a wonderful idea, and I wish it could be replicated across the country.
Hope in Bloom group plants garden for Rockland resident with breast cancer
By Seth Jacobson
Thu Jun 11, 2009, 08:55 AM EDT:
Rockland - When your whole world is turned upside down, being positive is not easy. But the Hope in Bloom organization recently made life a little easier for one Rockland resident.
Teresa Kimball, who grew up in town and still lives here, found out she had breast cancer back in December. Her treatment began in March, and she still has three more chemotherapy treatments to go before it is done.
A month ago, she found out she would be getting a free garden, to be provided by Hope in Bloom. Her sisters had nominated her for the honor.
"I was surprised and pleased when I found out," Teresa said.
Hope In Bloom founder Roberta Hershon explained the organization's mission statement is to "provide indoor and outdoor gardens (container, patio or in-ground) free of charge at the homes of women and men who reside in Massachusetts and are being treated for breast cancer. Each garden is tailored to the recipient's residential space and lifestyle. Indoor gardens are available year round while outdoor gardens are seasonal. A Hope in Bloom garden can improve the quality of life for patients and their families. We offer people beautiful, tranquil places to sit, reflect and escape from the world of doctors, hospitals and illness."
On Saturday, May 30, the Hope In Bloom organization, along with 10 members of Teresa's family - including her three boys - set out to work on a new garden.
"They had done in three hours what would usually take us a day," Hershon said. Betty Greene of Weymouth designed Teresa's garden and Dover Design and Read Landscaping donated all the plants for the effort, according to Hershon.
"I was pretty overwhelmed by the whole thing," Teresa said.
"It was a great day," Hershon added. "We even had perfect weather."
Hershon said recent studies have shown that flowers help maintain a positive attitude and help those battling cancer, as she discovered from her own experiences.
The roots of Hope in Bloom began in 2004 after Hershon's best friend of 50 years, Beverly Eisenberg, discovered she had breast cancer.
"Beverly loved flowers and took pride in her garden," Hershon states on the Hope in Bloom Web site. "Together, we spent hours pouring over catalogs, visiting nurseries, selecting plants and digging in the dirt. When she was no longer able to garden, her friends kept her house filled with flowers. She, like so many of us, took pleasure in their quiet beauty."
Eisenberg died in August 2005. Devastated by the loss, Hershon wanted to do something to remember her friend.
The first Hope in Bloom garden was planted in 2007 in Sharon, where Hershon and Eisenberg grew up.
"And this will mark our third summer of doing this," Hershon said. "It's about bringing the color back into people's lives. It's about providing lipstick for the soul."
"It gives people battling the disease something else to focus on," Teresa said. "When all you get is bad news and more bad news, it's a difficult thing. Flowers really help. They're so full of life, full of color...I can't say thank you enough."
Hershon said Hope in Bloom is a non-profit organization and is always looking for volunteers, donations and nominations for gardens.
For more information, log onto www.hopeinbloom.org.
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Murph. That's awesome!!
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Hey ladies. It has been a long while since I have posted or looked at this thread, but I wanted to update everyone because it was here that I have learned a lot and figured out that I was not alone in this. I started tamox in December '08 and took it through the first part of March '09 - then I stopped it - terrible side effects - exhausted, hot flashes, fatigue, etc. - my onc. was not pleased but understood my position - I told him if I started feeling better I would give it another try - in the mean time they checked my FSH levels to see if I was post-menopausal - so far yes- haven't had a period since July '08 - understand it can come back - anyway - gave myself almost 2 months off tamox - this time allowed my body to heal from all the chemo and rads that I had been through - I have given tamox another try and so far so good. I get hot - but no real hot flashes yet. Hope to make my 5 years with no big problems.
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Hi Kim - I too stopped taking tamoxifen after 3 months because of anxiety and depression. I took two weeks off (intended to take a month with my Onc's approval) but have now gone back as I got too worried. I am now taking half in the morning and half at night and so far (only 1 week on) I feel absolutely terrific. The bad side effects however didn't really kick in till about 3 months down the track last time but I am really hopeful that this time round will be good. I also started taking the tamoxifen at a different time in my cycle, which my Onc thinks won't make any difference, but wouldn't hurt. I also have a prescription for Effexor if things get really bad again and I will have my test results back from the CYPD26 (missing letter I think??!!) next week. Like you I really want to do the 5 years. Fingers crossed for both of us.
soft hugs
Helena
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Hi Everyone-
Great thread. I just started Tamoxifen last week and have noticed increased weight gain. Still using silverdene cream to deal with the 2nd degree radation burns. Onc told me to stay out of the pool until the burns heal to prevent an infection. It's not fun sitting by the pool with no hair and unable to go in the water
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Hi Can it be true - good luck with the tamoxifen - hopefully the weight gain will just be temporary, bloating may be?!! Enjoy the warm weather, I am so envious, even with the no hair and no swimming - it is winter over here in Oz - I have my clothes on with my warm dressing gown over the top. Great look. Welcome to the tamoxifen train.
soft hugs
Helena
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Helena,
Aren't warm dressing gowns just great!!
Mine is soft, fluffy and lilac.
I would wear it all the time if I could get away with it
Hugs
Viv
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Because of the posts I have read on here.... I took my first Tamox. tonight...a little scared but hoping for the best...beingpositive...jules
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Good for you Jules!! You will make it!!
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Well done Jules ... one tablet less to worry about. You are in good company aboard this train.
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The women on here are sooo supportive. I feel like you are the only ones that understand the turmoil this drug can cause. Every one else in my life is like, "just take it, it can only help you". "Only" help? Right???!!!
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