Im bitchy, I moan, I groan.....anyway.
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42 years old. estrogen positive bc. ovaries removed. just wish i could sleep!!!! ambien, lunesta made me even more awake! i have severe hot flashes every 20 minutes. i could set a clock to it. I've gained 20 pounds.my clitoris has shrunk, my love life is in the tank.i keep chanting... "i'm Alive" "I'm Alive" but this really does suck... any advice???
best wishes to all of you out there...
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kujo,
The hot flashes are no fun. I've found that keeping the thermostat turned down and dressing in layers that can be peeled off helps....doesn't cure them, but it does help. For the love life issue, check out the "I want my mojo back" thread that is pinned to the top of the "moving beyond cancer" forum, you will find more suggestions than you can imagine.
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YEAH Saint!! The timing is perfect, we needed some good news today...
Nicki - Thinking of you lots today, I hope you and your husband are staying strong...ditto what otter said...
kujo...you're scaring me
I am set to get my ovaries out in 2 weeks and dreading it...of course compared to the alternatives...bc, tamoxifen, birth control (the irony of THAT) I'm sorry you're having it so rough...Nothing new in town for me tonight...I'm heading to bed and I plan on sleeping in and seeing if I can't get rid of this cold this weekend!
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I'm b-a-a-a-a-a-c-k!!!!!
Woo hoo it's Friday night and I have had a mega-nap from the work week and finally have the energy to post.
Nicki, that really sucks. Ditto what otter said, we are there for you to lean on. Haven't read your blog yet but I will. Glad to see you back on here but sorry for the reason.
Hot flashes, no love life, shrinking body parts (why couldn't out butts get smaller?), lots of suckage here. THAT ALL SUCKS!!
Traci, glad you are spending time with your brother and hearing his laugh...I sent you a PM. Call me when you want to meet up again, maybe we'll call Trish? Love you, girl.
Saint, Navygirl, Diane, anyone else I left out, bear with me, I am retiring in 19 days and the round of parties and luncheons has officially begun.....still working (hard!) full time so days are full and nights are too short, so posting here is what gets hard to do during the week. This WILL change when i retire!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Sue
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Ewwwwwwwwww, hot flashes!!! Here are a couple of things that helped me:
1) a nifty little invention called a CHILLOW--I got mine for about $25 from Amazon.com. It's hard to explain what it is. You fill the CHILLOW with water, "burp" it (sorta like you used to burp Tupperware), and keep it under your pillow. When a hot flash hits, pull out the CHILLOW. It STAYS cool indefinitely! I misplaced mine once for several months...it was STILL cool when I found it!
2) a tower fan with a remote control--We have ours set up on a table so it is high enough to hit the top of the bed. If I am awakened by a hot flash, I grab the remote and crank up the fan. AHHHHHHHHHHH
3) a spritz bottle filled with WITCH HAZEL and ROSE WATER (or just plain water)--I use an old pump hairspray bottle so it is more like a mister. Whenever a hot flash comes on, just a couple of spritzes on my face and back of my neck really helps. I had been using the WITCH HAZEL and ROSE WATER to set my makeup for years; you won't need to worry about your makeup getting messed up. I carry a purse sized spritzer bottle around with me.
4) speaking of makeup--I've found that the newer, powdered mineral foundation is pretty much the only type I can wear now. The hot flashes would make me sweat and then my foundation would sort of melt off my face. I've tried out several different brands and have noticed there really isn't much difference between the expensive ones and the cheaper ones. In fact, I found the best color match for me with "Wet 'n Wild" cheap-o brand (I think it was $4.99). NEUTROGENA and a few other companies have neat applicator containers with theirs where the brush is part of the whole deal. The mineral foundations also make a good base for eyeshadows, etc. I use eyeshadow to sort of fake eyebrows since mine have all fallen out; it "sticks" great to this type of foundation and looks pretty natural. I spritz with the WITCH HAZEL/ROSE WATER when I'm done applying my makeup....and I use my blow dryer set on "cool" to help that quickly evaporate. Since I don't really have hair now, my son finally asked me the other day why he always hears the blow dryer when I'm getting ready to go out. LOL...I told him it was a "girl secret"!!
I don't know if I'm unique, but I did find that I'd have hot flashes almost non-stop if there was a big change in the weather coming (like clear to stormy or vice-versa). Eating set them off too. Obviously, dressing in layers helps because you generally get chills after the hot flash passes! I found that all-cotton undergarments helped too. It's not easy to find a mastectomy bra that's all cotton, but I did manage to find an (ugly) one from Amoena.
Hope that helps a little! Hot flashes SUCK!
THAT SUCKS to everyone who needs it........Have a GREAT weekend and bring us some SOIs to celebrate, k?
(((HUGS)))
Diane0 -
Kujo,
I forgot to mention what I use for the insomnia: 50mg BENEDRYL and 6mg MELATONIN taken about 30 minutes before bedtime. The BENEDRYL helps get me to sleep and the MELATONIN helps me stay asleep. I've battled insomnia for years and have tried numerous prescriptions and home remedies. This is really the only one that's worked for me. When I first started taking the MELATONIN several years ago, it only took 2mg which would probably be enough for you. There is even a bit of research out there suggesting MELATONIN (albeit in much larger doses) might be good for breast cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering's website (www.mskcc.org) has information pages about herbs and supplements; that is where I read about the MELATONIN and bc.
Dang, I'm long-winded tonight!
(((HUGS)))
Diane
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Kujo, if you are on tamoxifen I was told that benedryl would be a no-no per my onc. It supposedly interferes with tamox. Check with your onc ( I could be wrong and it won't be the first time in my life!).
Sue - welcome back and start your party planning!!!!
Hugs to all,
Trish
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Im on tamoxifen and have to take prednisone and benedryl to get a CT scan. Doc never said anything about that... I will ask too
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prayrv & dream,
I know there's a list somewhere that lists the drugs that use the same pathway as TAMOXIFEN. Dang chemo brain won't let me remember it though. I don't think the occasional use is a problem, dream.
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Hot flashes, hmmm. We haven't turned the furnace on this winter or last. We have a gas fireplace in our livingroom, but that's all. The temp has gone down as low as -26 and it's wonderful at night! My poor husband has 3 blankies and the comforter and I lie there with my little fibre throw and I'm just fine.
Clitoris? I thought they took that when they did the hysterectomy.....8-O!
Melatonin has been working pretty good for me lately until tonight. Had to get up and get some icecream. Maybe I had a hot flash? Anyway, I do find that the Melatonin does give me "looser" bowels if I can be so polite. ahem. Had to look it up to see if it was the problem. Yep. But, it works so good, I'd rather have the good sleep than the gentle stomach...sad, eh? You guys can try Gravol too. My body is too used to it but others I know swear by it.
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Hugs for all. That Sucks as needed. Re Benedryl, I was told it can raise one's blood pressure, and should not be used regularly -- not sure if that applies with chemo, as I know it is often given before certain chemos. Maybe the iv is different than in pill form, dosage, etc, or iv is diluted with saline. It might be a ? to discuss with dr. I do carry it with me in case I have an allergic hive outbreak, per MY dr recomendation.
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barbe1958 ~
Is Gravol only available in Canada? Is it OTC?
Nico
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Definitely worldwide. I've bought it in Turkey even! OTC
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WhaSux?
Here's to an SOI filled weekend! I have my new kindle---it is slick as snot! & my new cat is adjusting well. I'm just concerned cuz he's a sick kitty & I want him well (I also have to keep him away from the 15 yr old cat so HE doesn't get sick!!!) But this new one is such a cool dude! Last nite he laid in bed with dh, the papillon & the golden & watched TV--he really watches! LOL I'llpost some pix soon.
Here's the good news about hot flashes---they don't last forever!!!! I only get them now when they change my tx--and then only occasionally for a short time---THEY SUcK!------I always consoled myself with the thought that thru the ages women have had to deal with them & survived...but then there's Lizzie Borden & Lorena Bobbitt and...so? LOL
HUGS & blessings to all my bitchin-sistas; new, old, returning & just reading!
Be well & stay strong
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Saint, I have one cat out of four who also watches TV. Neat eh? Once DH and I actually bought a tape for cats and he and I watched it while the others walked out of the room!
As for the hot flashes, I don't think women lived long enough to experience them a couple hundred years ago. We are being punished for longevity.....sigh....:-)
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I did a quick google and wikipedia (I know, I know!) says that GRAVOL is DIMENHYDRINATE, otherwise known as DRAMAMINE.
Nothing to bitch about today (WOOOHOO!); I hope it stays that way for all of us.
)((((HUGS)))
Diane0 -
Have any of you found that melatonin makes you depressed? A friend of mine said that he used it and it made him depressed. I've been hesitant to try it because of that.
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Jane,
I think it had the opposite effect on me because I was so sleep deprived before I started taking it.
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I have 2 friends who take it & swear it improved their lives!
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Melatonin has made me more cheerful! I feel that tiny quiver of hope now....
As for Dramamine, we can't buy it anymore in Canada. Go figure! Gravol has been around forever.
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Well, crap...I should have known I'd have something to bitch about before the day was over...
My oldest DS was auditioning today for the music department at the college where he's been accepted. He plays saxophone (alto, tenor, and bari- sax). There were 4 slots for saxophones....he got #5!!! He's an "alternate", so I guess I'm hoping somebody else decides on a different school or something...not sure how else he'd squeak in. He's heartbroken. Music is his life and he actually chose this school over another because of the marching band. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! So, that's a GINORMOUS "THAT SUCKS!!!" for this mama bear and her cub. What do you say to a kid whose dream's been taken away? :-(
((((HUGS))))
Diane0 -
Oh #$%^^%&^$%&*$# Diane! THAT SUX!!!
Tell him when a door shuts a window opens....?
Someone may choose a different school----it's early days yet!
HUGS & prayer that one of the 4 looses his lip!!!!!
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Here's my new boy---he's pretty sick, but I am hopeful that getting him out of the shelter & with good vet care he will recover! Any name suggestions are welcome. His shelter name was Romeo & the current favorite is Fergus....
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One more--ya know how we are with a new baby! LOL
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Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...He looks so cuddly!
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Just quick note on hot-flashes:
I have found that sticking your feet from under the covers help reduce the intensity of them at night.
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Diane...that sucks for your boy. Praying.
My dog is sick/dyin g. Woke up this am with one that would not or could not move. She is still not doing really well and the kids are not handeling it well at all.
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Awww, Saint - he looks very much like my lovin' boy, Sponge!
Kim - so sorry about your dog. It is so hard to have them suffer. They ask so little and give so much. Hugs.
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Kimberly,
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog! I know my Oscar (in my avatar) is my best buddy.
That sucks!
((((HUGS)))
Diane0
