Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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VL22---Are you a candidate for the Breast Cancer Index test? That might give you additional peace of mind. It did for me.
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VL22 - I wish I had that meeting with your MO today instead of with mine. I am just depressed now. I'm going to go looking for a different MO, she doesn't hear me regarding all my other conditions. It makes me on edge. I've decide no on Tamoxifen. I'm starting the search tomorrow. Wishing you the best of luck with your decision to forgo Tamoxifen or AIs. I know how important QOL is, painfully important. May your QOL improve and you stay NED.
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VL22, periods might come back! Wouldn't that be the ultimate kick in the patootie! The ONLY good thing to have come out of this entire shitball experience has been not having my periods. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say! They were evil and ruled my life. I do not miss them! My onc did mention that they might start up again at any point. Oh bloody no they better not!
I think you slowly get used to higher levels of pain. I am creakier by the day. Rolling over in bed HURTS. This has got to be tamoxifen because in 2016 there was none of this and now I'm like a seized up rusty hinge. That hurts. Not loving it. I understand people who just say no. As much as I"d like to, I wonder how vulnerable and exposed I would feel. I wonder about a lot of stuff, to no avail.
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Runor, don't we all? Wonder about a lot of things, that is!
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I insisted on keeping my hormonal IUD. Largely because of not wanting to deal with periods. The doctors weren't thrilled about it because it's exogenous hormones but they also said there wasn't any specific data about it, it's low dose, not estrogen, etc.
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Hi all --- Just gonna post these links to immunity studies here. Posted on my own thread but wanted to leave these here for anyone that may be interested in researching this further, depending on their own medical history.
The Effects of Tamoxifen on Immunity
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2902982/
Tamoxifen Induced Lupus Erythematosushttps://www.omicsonline.org/tamoxifen-induced-lupus-erythematosus-2157-7609.1000138.pdf
Tamoxifen SLE Immune Study
https://ard.bmj.com/content/62/4/341
In Vivo Modulation of Natural Killer Cells By Tamoxifen
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8334683
Immunomodulatory Effects Of Anti-Estrogenic Drugs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22750814
(the article that this references is a PDF which can be found here:https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/acph/62/2/article-p141.xml
or if that doesn't work, by searching for this "Acta Pharm. 62 (2012) 141–155 Review DOI: 10.2478/v10007-012-0012-3 Immunomodulatory effects of anti-estrogenic drugsAMITABHA RAY* MONICA FICEK Saint James School of Medicine Anguilla, British West Indies "
Tamoxifen Augments The Innate Immune Function
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I picked up my refill this month and the Mfg is Mayne Pharma and not my usual Actavis brand. That has to be why I am having severe pain in my ankles, feet and calves. Also have sharp joint pain in my hips if I lay on the couch with my knees bent. Ouch! I haven't made the connection until now. I too am having issues with having to go "NOW", and not "soon". Sometimes I don't get the message at all and it is too late. I thought it was the coffee and caffeine, but no, it has to be the Tamoxifen. I try to limit the amount of water I drink if I know I am leaving the house, but that sometimes doesn't work either. What the heck? Would magnesium help with the joint pain?
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TinyDancer,
Interesting. I was OK (meaning SEs were tolerable) on Tamoxifen by mayne. Starting my third 90 day prescription on Tamoxifen by Actavis today, which will be the third manufacturer. Here's hoping we both are OK.
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Is everyone aware of the risk to the liver or having labs that are being drawn to monitor their liver while taking Tamoxifen?
Up until today, I never knew there was up to a 30-40% risk of developing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease or Liver Disease/Failure due to taking Tamoxifen. Clinically, it seems everyone is supposed to receive liver testing every 4 months.
How many are receiving such lab work?
Curious to know.
Wanted to pass along the info for everyone. Better to be safe than sorry.
...especially of note are younger, pre-menopausal women who also have concurrent depression (see multiple studies)....
(symptoms and studies to be aware of listed below)
-------------- (cross posted)
I'm just going to add this link, it goes to a thread where a member posted her experience with Tamoxifen.
I feel like anyone deciding on this hormone treatment should be aware of possible damage and risk to their liver, as I was never made aware of this by my MO or team.
Please, as her story illustrates, at the very least, before starting Tamoxifen, have a liver enzyme test run. Better safe than sorry and needing a liver transplant because of the damage!
(Reference post is written by CanadaLiz on 12/15/2018)
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/78/topics/868854?page=1#idx_29
Symptoms to be aware of:https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/side_effects/liver_probs
Here are a few studies for info:
A prospective, randomized study on hepatotoxicity of anastrozole compared with tamoxifen in women with breast cancer
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462391/
"In addition, fatty liver disease, also known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), was observed in more than 30% of patients with breast cancer who received tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy.10,11 The first anastrozole-induced hepatotoxicity case was reported in 2006.12 A retrospective study demonstrated that fatty liver disease detected using ultrasound was more frequently seen with tamoxifen than with anastrozole (30.4% vs 6.25%).13 "Association between tamoxifen treatment and the development of different stages of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26071793
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092966461500176X
"Several studies showed that taking tamoxifen may incur a 30–40% risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD), according to different diagnosis instruments."ConclusionThe current study suggests that tamoxifen treatment is associated with the risk of fatty liver either by increasing the risk of newly developed fatty liver conditions or worsening previous fatty liver conditions, and even retarding fatty liver improvement."
"Our study suggests that tamoxifen is associated with the risk of NAFLD development, either by increasing the developed fatty liver or worsening the previous fatty liver condition and even retarding fatty liver improvement. The severity of fatty liver is associated with higher rates of abnormal LFT. During the follow-up period, regular abdominal ultrasound checkup, not just for detecting liver nodules, but also for identifying fatty liver change, is crucial. Further checking of liver function and other metabolic conditions once the fatty liver condition has progressed is essential."
Drug Record: Tamoxifen
https://livertox.nih.gov/Tamoxifen.htm
"Outcome and ManagementWhile fatty liver arises in at least one third of women treated with tamoxifen for up to 5 years, clinically significant steatohepatitis is less common. Nevertheless, monitoring of serum aminotransferase levels during tamoxifen therapy is appropriate. In women with persistent elevations in ALT levels, the relative benefits and risks of continuing tamoxifen therapy must be weighed. Factors to help in the decision, include noninvasive tests for hepatic fibrosis (platelet count), imaging of the liver and, in some instances, liver biopsy. Other approaches short of stopping tamoxifen therapy include nutritional advice and weight loss, abstinence from alcohol, and possibly medical therapies for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (which are currently investigational and have not been shown to be specifically helpful in tamoxifen induced fatty liver). The possible development of serious hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension can be assessed noninvasively by serial determinations of platelet count, but may require liver biopsy to document."
Tamoxifen induces hepatotoxicity and changes to hepatocyte morphology
https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/br.2015.536
"Clinically, patients who accept the endocrinotherapy are instructed to reexamine their liver function every 4 months due to its hepatotoxicity. Numerous research and clinical studies have illustrated clearly that TAM causes the inhibition of mitochondrial β-oxidation and subsequently leads to macrovacuolar steatosis (21,22). The early symptoms were characterized by the presence of a single, large lipid vacuole within the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes (23)."
"In conclusion, the present data showed that a relatively low concentration of TAM (6 mg/kg/day) for a short time treatment (2 weeks) would cause hepatotoxicity and change morphology at the microscopic and ultrastructural levels. Although the liver function may compensate or reverse the injuries gradually, the damage that occurred in the short-term TAM therapy has been shown. Thus, there is a necessity to obtain measures for monitoring liver function and protection at the early stage of the TAM endocrinotherapy, prior to apparent and undesirable clinical symptoms occurring. Furthermore, as DNA damage also occurs at this early period without clear clinical symptoms, which in the long-run increases the risk of hepatocarcinoma, exploring alternatives for TAM in long-term clinical endocrinotherapy is required."
Liver Injury Induced by Anticancer Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijh/2013/815105/
Death due to liver failure during endocrine therapy for premenopausal breast cancer
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/0284186X.2010.484813
"In the tamoxifen product information, liver-related side effects are listed and it is recommended to perform periodic liver function tests, although in clinical practice blood tests are no longer performed routinely during follow-up for women with early breast cancer."
"Young women, in particular between ages 26 to 35, seem to be—for yet unknown reasons—more frequently affected by acute liver failure, and the use of antidepressants (metabolized primarily via liver enzymes CYP 3A4, 2D6, 2C19), other potentially hepatotoxic drugs (e.g. acetaminophen-type analgesics and NSAIDs), and alcohol are more frequent in younger breast cancer patients than generally presumed and reported. We therefore advise physicians to pay special attention to patients treated with endocrine therapy for breast cancer who have concurrent depression and who potentially or actively consume hepatotoxic drugs and alcohol. Such patients should have their liver function monitored and liver imaging should be performed if indicated."
The Association of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Tamoxifen in Patients With Breast Cancer
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cncr.24374
A prospective, randomized study on hepatotoxicity of anastrozole compared with tamoxifen in women with breast cancer
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3aa1/d236d38c20f3a9377dea6f9d5ad8235221c6.pdf
G.L.O.W.N. - Tamoxifen
https://www.glowm.com/resources/glowm/cd/pages/drugs/t002.html
"Effects on lab test results
• May increase BUN, calcium, and liver enzyme levels.
• May decrease WBC and platelet counts.Special considerations
• Tamoxifen acts as an antiestrogen. Best results occur in patients with positive estrogen receptors.
• Adverse reactions are usually minor and well tolerated. They usually can be controlled by dose reduction.
ALERT Serious, life-threatening, or fatal events associated with tamoxifen in the risk reduction setting include endometrial cancer, uterine sarcoma, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. ALERT Discuss the potential benefits versus the potential risks with women considering treatment to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. Benefits of therapy outweigh risks in women diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Clotting factor abnormalities may occur with prolonged tamoxifen therapy at usual doses.
• Variations on karyopyknotic index in vaginal smears and various degrees of estrogen effect on Papanicolaou smears have been seen in some postmenopausal patients. May increase serum thyroxine concentrations and may be explained by increases in thyroxine-binding globulin.
• Initial adverse reactions (increased bone pain) may be a sign of good tumor response shortly after starting tamoxifen therapy.
• Monitor WBC count, platelet count, and periodic liver function tests results.
• Monitor serum calcium levels; hypercalcemia may occur early in therapy in patients with bone metastases."0 -
I started out on Tamoxifen made by Actavis, went through the 3 month supply, with basically minimal side effects, now I have a different manufacture and it's Teva from Jerusalem, Israel which it says on the bottle, funny, the pharmacist covered it up very carefully with my prescription label. I know somewhere here some one was asking about a different manufacturer if they ended up with different side effects. I am not too happy with a pill from other than the USA. I feel like the Teva manufacturer is making my heart rate higher, I have dry mouth, my leg cramping is bad and I drink a lot of water. Plus there is another number on the bottle NDC 51862-446 means it's been repackaged by Libertas Pharma which is Mayne Pharmacy. I see my surgeon this week I am going to ask him about this, but I think I should be directing the question to my oncologist. But I tend to agree that there are different side effects with a different manufacturer. Why do they got to mess with your meds, just keep the same one all the time, if you are not having problems why mess with it?
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VL22 - Different meds have different effects on different people. Your MO cannot day 100% that joint pain will occur or will be worse than tamoxifen if you go with an AI. I had horrible joint and muscle pain on tamoxifen along with hot flashes and severe brain fog and then blood clots. MO switched me to Femara/letrozole and joint pain & brain fog got better - not totally resolved but better. Switched again at last visit to arimidex to see if we could reduce the hot flashes. Hot flashes only happen a couple times a day now, joint pain is much better (almost non-existant) and brain fog is lowest yet. You don’t know unless you try though.
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TinyDancer5 - Magnesium might help with cramps, but it might take a while My oncologist also suggested potassium, and using electrolytes when exercising. But she would prefer I get these through diet rather than supplements. Another person on this forum or maybe it was the AI forum suggested avoiding the magnesium citrate formulations, since that that (in much higher doses) is in the lovely jug of stuff used for colonoscopies. She suggested the magnesium glycinate or mg-byglycinate as being more absorbable. I get occasional mild to severe cramp in calf, usually the left. But stay within recommended doses. Some people tell me they take magnesium at night vs day to help with sleep. This is my second time with tamoxifen. I remember getting occasional cramps the first time with tamoxifen, but not as often as I do now. I switched from AI to tamoxifen because of joint issues.
Supplements: GAIA turmeric-joint; glucosamine-chondroitin; magnesium glycinate; biotin; potassium-iodine; low dose calcium; C; B-complex ; D; Fish oil. For a year or so after bi-lateral used Juven Nutritional therapy for wound healing with 7g arginine, 7g glutamine. Often add turmeric to meals.
2009 ER+ left breast. 52 yrs. Lumpectomy, Radiation 6 weeks, tamoxifen 5 years. Dense lumpy left breast, normal right. Acupuncture offered at facility as part of integrative medicine. It really helped with anxiety/stress during radiation treatment.
2016 ER+ left breast. Probably a new cancer, but unknown. 4 rounds TC Aug-Oct 2016, Bi-lateral (my choice) Nov 2016, no reconstruction. Anastrozole 1 mg starting May 2017. Joint issues noticed immediately. Stopped Anastrozole after 3-4 months do to joint stiffness in. After several months of no AIs, fingers were feeling better. Started tamoxifen March 2018
10/2018 noticed stiffness and some trigger finger again. Was eating meat a lot more (daily) than normal. Usually 1-2 /wk. Have cut way back on the meat, seems to help, but one finger still very prone to trigger finger.
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BlueGirl, Magnesium Glycinate would help with these leg and ankle cramps? Great! Any brand will work? It says it can also help regulate your sleep quality too. I'll stop taking Melatonin for a while and give the Magnesium a try.
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Just here to vent a little about weight gain on tamoxifen and figure out if anyone here has any tips for combatting it. I find it frustrating that so many doctors dismiss this side effect (although my oncologist does not), as if women don't understand what is going on with their own bodies. I've gained 35 lbs since starting tamoxifen almost 2 years ago (I'm 5'7" and went from 125 lbs to 160). And I know it's the tamoxifen, since I didn't have chemotherapy or radiation therapy, I am at least 10 years away from menopause, and my exercise and eating habits haven't changed. Also, I've developed fatty liver from tamoxifen! No one warned me that this was a risk, but now I've done research and found it's quite common. Again, I don't understand how doctors can know tamoxifen causes fatty liver, but they don't accept that maybe, just maybe, it also impacts the way fat is stored in the body at large.
As for my experience, I've noticed that I'm hungrier on tamoxifen (stomach rumbling when I shouldn't be hungry, etc), although I haven't increased my food intake. I've also noticed that I gain weight really easily, where I did not prior to starting this medication. I'm hoping that with a strict diet plan and a more rigorous exercise regimen I can lose the weight I've gained. Any success stories here?
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I have begun to get some leg cramps as well. My calves feel like they are "dancing" when I lay down and that sometimes turns into a full on charley horse. So I will try the magnesium. I mentioned this to my Onc but she was simply focused on hydration. So I will drink more water but maybe will add some gatorade. The hot flashes have definitely intensified. I have finished almost 5 months of medication and I can definitely feel the impact. I am going to try acupuncture first for the flashes to see if that provides any relief. I truly don't want to add a medication on just to treat a symptom of another medication. That feels like too much to me. Of course, if the hot flashes continue to ramp up I may change my tune. It definitely impacts sleep when you wake up 8 - 10 times a night.
Interestingly enough I find that I struggle to keep weight on with the medication. I feel like it has turned my metabolism clock back to pre teen days when I was skinny as a rail. Of course I have also cleaned up my diet considerably, but find I have to add daily protein shakes just to keep weight on. My theory is that the lack of estrogen is turning me into a 12 year old boy. Anyone else out there have that odd challenge?
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mellee
I started to gain weight fairly soon after starting tamoxifen, but I noticed that I was getting a different pattern of fat distribution. I've always been a fairly typical pear shape, reasonably okay above the waist but heavy from the hips down. But now when I gain weight it goes on my non irradiated boob and even more so round my waist. It's a bit of a pain not gaining weight equally on both boobs! I am post menopause, but I don't think that's the reason for the change, as I was already five years past the menopause when I was diagnosed.
I've lost the thirty something pounds I put on by cutting carbs, it's been harder to lose weight this time but it has finally gone, though I think my waist is still a bit larger than it used to be. So in my experience it is possible to lose weight on tamoxifen, but it's slower to shift and tends to stick for a while, which is frustrating when you know you've done all the right things. I started this diet in April and took six months to lose it.
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For me, heartburn/acid can feel a whole lot like hunger/rumbling stomach.
I've had heartburn through the roof. I started tamoxifen first and then radiation two weeks later. The heartburn started really bad a few days into radiation, but the RO thinks the tamoxifen is the more likely cause and it's certainly plausible.
So far the extra strong Prilosec they prescribed is helping a bit but not a lot, and I'm still taking more antacids than I ever have before in my entire life combined. And also still eating more...
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Dizzybee, that's encouraging! I know it's going to be harder to lose weight on tamoxifen, but as long as there are some success stories to keep me going I hope I can do it.
Salamandra, I've had what I thought was an ulcer and have done course after course of omeprazole and pop Tums like candy. Maybe that's what's going on with the hunger. Thanks for the tip.
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Mellee, there is hope for weight loss while on Tamoxifen. I've been working on losing weight since my BC diagnosis (figured I can't do much about some of the risk factors but I could work on weight, nutrition, and exercise). I was losing weight much faster before starting Tamoxifen but with an increase in exercise and a slight increase in fluid intake I am continuing to lose slowly--have about 15# to goal, have lost 40+ lbs. The couch potato me is no more, but she keeps calling!
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I was on Tamoxifen for 4 months and even with taking Protonix daily, it irritated my throat and stomach as evidenced by PET/CT scan. I'm off it now due to it causing a very thickened uterine lining, and am recovering from hysterectomy surgery. I'm getting a 2nd opinion consult soon about what to do since any pill that irritates the stomach/throat taken daily will continue to cause serious irritation. I've doubled up on the Protonix and hoping my throat and stomach heal during this time. It actually feels pretty good since not taking the Tamoxifen or any pills that irritate. The question is what do I do next? I can't continue to destroy my throat/stomach. Hopefully, the 2nd opinion doctor will have some answers.
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I am now taking the magnesium glycinate for leg cramping and it WORKS! Yay. So happy, I take two tablets at night and sleep well through the night. It felt like before my legs had something rumbling through them, not anymore, the mag glycinate worked for me.
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Have any of you ladies had urinary issues after starting Tamoxifen? I'm on Tamoxifen due to high risk (very dense breasts & ADH). I started in March, and I've had minimal side effects-so I thought. I've been having lower abdominal pain and pressure, as well as some UTI issues & blood in urine. My urologist did a cytoscopy and CT scan last week. CT scan came back ok(other than some weird Bochdalek Hernia(?)), but when he was doing the Cytoscopy, he was shocked. He said lack of estrogen has done a number on my bladder, urethra and lady bits. He said it looked like that of an 80 year old woman. That made me feel super sexy (eye roll). Anywhoo...he said I need to come off Tamoxifen. I haven't met with my oncologist yet, but was just curious if any of you have experienced this.
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Urgh. I've had an unopened bottle of Tamoxifen for almost a month. Because my PCP prescribed statin and blood pressure meds recently, I'm trying to add everything gradually, and I wanted to wait until I was through with rads, which ended 12/13. So I started the statin last week, and I told the MO I'd start the Big T this week. Crap. Cancer didn't scare me, rads were fine after the first day, but these pills are freaking me out. I keep having blood work problems - early December when it was drawn at the MO's lab I was dehydrated; I upped my intake and got retested a week later, and that time my potassium was too high. Who the hell gets high potassium levels? All the foods I should eat for controlling my low-grade diabetes and for general health are now off-limits! I had to have a kidney removed in September, so anything that affects the kidney/bladder stuff really terrifies me. It seems like everything I have to take has possible negative SEs for that. I've never had regular prescriptions until this year, and I'm 68, so all this is frustrating and frightening. I don't want to take even more pills to counteract SEs, and I REALLY don't want to take anything that might affect my lone kidney. My confidence in my PCP's office was shaken when I got a blood pressure med prescribed that both the MO and pharmacist told me not to take, and had to argue with the nurse practitioner about it. I'm supposed to start the replacement for THAT next week. So I'm looking majorly side-eye at any pill right now. Can't I do like rich cowards did in the Civil War and hire a substitute to do this for me? Except I'm not rich. Just a coward.
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Aww Alice. I don't think it's cowardice to have very understandable wariness. I really hope you are one of the lucky many for whom tamoxifen is just fine.
I've been on it about 4.5 weeks. Nothing scary happened at the beginning. I've had some weird body temperature stuff and heartburn but that's the worst of it, and I'm hopeful my body will keep adjusting.
Big warm thoughts sending your way.
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Alice I second Salamandra's statement. You are definitely not a coward. From your post, I think you are more likely a warrior. I agree it is frightening to add medication into your life (I was same as you pre diagnosis - no pills for anything). And sometimes I think because I never took much medication my body responds lets say enthusiastically to it.
I am doing ok on the Tamoxifen so far. Yes some things popping up but nothing yet that is going to make me quit it. But I do wish that I had slowly ramped my body up on the 20mg daily dose. I have read different posts where ladies wiser than I allowed their body to ease into the change by starting with lower amounts. Wish I had thought of that. Hang in there, sending hugs
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Thanks, Salamandra and Rah2464. I'm reading the paperwork that came with the pills and AARGH. Now we get to worry about liver damage, too? And cataracts? I already have one of those starting. And to think my MO put me on Tamoxifen because I had good reasons to not take the AI route (and I had a thorough hysterectomy years ago so that's one place I don't have to worry about). I just got to the insert part that states "Because Tamoxifen citrate tablets do not prevent all breast cancers, and you may get other types of cancers..." WHAT THE HELL? I already know I get other random cancers, but if this doesn't even protect against other breast cancers, what's the point?
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Oy the paperwork! Try to think of it as CYA for the manufacturer.
I wouldn't be surprised if the breast cancers it doesn't prevent are, for example, triple negative or ER- cancer, which you don't get prescribed tamox for if that's what you've got, but they have to say so, because CYA.
On other threads here I have seen women talking about getting liver monitoring, and that seems sensible to me and I'm going to ask my doc about it.
I think it is just terrifying to have a doctor you haven't got confidence in. Do you have enough access to the MO you trust to run questions by them, or even meet with them to go over everything holistically and see if they can make you recommendations about the most cautious way to start/monitor you on tamoxifen? Can you get a new PCP?
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Oh Alice I know exactly what you mean. I haven't gotten to the medicine part yet, but I'm already worried about it. I take no medicine except my tiny thyroid pill. I don't even take over the counter pain medicine unless I have a high fever. I read all the side effects and it terrifies me. Plus I can't even swallow pills unless they are tiny. I don't know how I'm going to handle this. So, you are not alone.
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I think what I want are solid statistics on women taking Tamoxifen to prevent recurrences or mets vs. stats on side effects, all broken down by age and other relevant factors. The inserts only talk about women with DCIS or who are high risk but with no cancer, then vaguely mentions that it's also used to try to prevent recurrences, but nothing else about that.
Salamandra, I like my MO and she seems to keep a pretty close eye on me, blood work and office visit every 6 to 8 weeks. I'm ready to dump my PCP but it's difficult in the middle of all this, since I need to find an in-network provider, and one who can renew my referrals to all the specialists I've accumulated. Everything seems so much more complicated than it needs to be.
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Teachermom, I am going for a bladder and kidney ultrasound in the first week of January. I have 'occult' blood in my urine. Always do. This is nothing new. But my doctor is new so he is being vigilant in sending me off for an ultrasound (I have waited 6 months for this appointment, he found blood in my urine in July 2018 and I have my ultrasound January 2019!)
I have been on Tamox since August 2017. Once in this time my vagina decided to go berserk, dry up, collapse, twist and wear army boots. In desperation and misery I shot up a blob of Premarin. Oh yeah, blasted those hormones right up into my lady bits. Sweet relief! It was like ... magic! One, single, .5ml blob of Premarin fixed a ton of misery!
This makes me wonder if the very occasional application of a little hormone cream might not keep our pee parts in tune too? My pee-er doesn't work like it used to. I seem prone to all sorts of misery if the Mr. wants to get frisky. Bladder infection is almost a given. I think vaginal hormone treatment every day or even every week might not be good for people taking hormone blockers (Tamox). But holy Hannah, once in a while to keep from getting the lady parts of an 80 year old? I really think it is malpractice of doctors who just say an blanket no way to any vaginal hormone use. Remember, they are not the ones walking around with a vagina that feels like you're breaking crackers into a bowl of soup. Talk to your doc about once in a very rare while applying some hormone cream to the area, maybe just topically, smear it around. It might help?
I've had a cystoscopy when I was in my early 20s and they enlarged my urethral opening. Anyone coming at me with that again will need new teeth. That was miserable as hell! You have my sympathy!
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