MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
Comments
-
I am signed up for news alerts on drugs.com for Tamoxifen, and here is
another article that just came into my inbox last night.http://www.drugs.com/news/tamoxifen-may-offer-long-term-heart-cancer-protection-30266.html
0 -
charmaine - Thanks for sharing the article link. I did read it and found it very interesting. I have been on Tamoxifen for almost 3 months now.
0 -
Jo how do you find Tamoxifen. Are you having any side-effects?
I have been on Tamoxifen now since March 2010, and the side-effects that I am having are occasional joint pains / but more than that horrible muscle spams in my lower shins and most often in my feet.
I also find since being on Tamoxifen I am bruising very easily.
0 -
Charmaine - My hot flashes have been reduced to warm waves. In the beginning, I had a queasy stomach but found out if I take it at breakfast with a small glass of milk I am okay. My only side effect is joint pain in my toes and feet hurt. I talked to my MO about this and he said I was describing neuropathic pains. The pains were so bad some days, I could not walk. I have a job where I am on my feet all day. He gave me a script for Lyrica which seems to help alot. I am on 75mg right now and I am going to call him today to get him to increase the dose. He said he would do that if I needed it. Also, I take the Lyrica at night and it does help me with sleep. Lyrica causes drowiness and for me that is a good thing. I get some good sleep these days. Other than that, I can say Tamoxifen is so much better than the two AIs I tried.
0 -
charmaine--I thought I wasn't limiting the use of the arm/shoulder on the lumpectomy/rads side, too. In fact, I thought I was doing the opposite out of fear of getting a frozen shoulder, but the measurements the lymphedema therapist took proved that I was using the arm/should much less than the other, to the point that I was losing muscle mass and range of motion. It's human nature to not move parts of the body near an injured area. If your radiation covers the entire breast area it has to include the pectoralis muscle, the one on the chest under the breast, and that muscle is involved in shoulder movement. You can get a referral to an orthopedic surgeon to evaluate for surgery for the shoulder, but usually they won't do surgery until after physical therapy has been tried and failed. I don't think there is any surgery that can be done on the pectoralis muscle to reverse radiation damage, and a surgeon will probably be reluctant to do surgery on it since radiated tissue doesn't heal well due to the damage the radiation does to the blood vessels and muscle tissue. Fortunately, physical therapy is very effective on frozen shoulders, even after years. No matter how one gets a frozen shoulder, PT is very effective at fixing it. It does take some time, but the stretches they teach you are invaluable--I'm 4 years out from rads and have to do the stretches several times a week or my pectoralis muscle tightens up and causes lots of pain and problems. I'll have to live with this for the rest of my life, but now that I know how to prevent frozen shoulder and the pain I feel like I've got some control. Don't ask for a PT referral, tell them that's what you want and need and keep telling them that until you get one. Call your insurance company and ask for a case manager to help you--PT now will be al lot cheaper than extensive PT and maybe surgery later.
0 -
charmaine - I am seeing a LE PT due to cording problems and she has given my several exersies to do that has helped tremdously with my range of motion as well. My BS gave me the referal to the PT since I see nurse Debbie every three months for my L Dex numbers. I am a high risk for LE and I am in the very early stages. So you might want to talk to your BS if they can give you a referal and always check with your insurance.
Well all I had a horrible evening, DH has been in Rochester, NY for the past three days so it has just been me and DS. Evening started out fine, picked up my compression sleeve from the salon and tried it on felt really good. Picked up DS from HS, he had a project to get done for today. He was working on the computer and wham bam thank you mam we got not just one but 38 viruses on the laptop. He was working on a Power Point and it is only on the laptop (my laptop). Completely trashed the .exe files, of course DH out of town flying back (in snow storm) was delayed nothing he could do. Other pc no help. DS went to see he could work on it at a friends house, was able to barrow a laptop. So by 7:00 he was set up, I was stressed out and DH missed connecting flight out of Chicago. Woke up when DH got in at 2:30 this morning could not go back to sleep still stressed out, finally got to sleep at 5:00 just to wake up at 6:00. DH called on his way to work and was taking the laptop to his IT guy to see if anything could be done. I am sure we are going to have to wipe the hd clean and reload all the programs. Yes will did have a protection system in place but it got infected too, not for sure what this virus was but it must of latched on something the DS was looking up for his English project.
0 -
mjbmiller-computers can be so stressfull.urggggggh
0 -
Yea, my laptop is working. Had malware infection that locked it up. The IT guy fixed it. He gets a $40 restaurant gift card. Any ideas?
0 -
NativeMainer:
Thank you for your detailed message. I will try and make an appointment with my PCP for sometime next week or the week afterwards and will fill him in with what is happening with my right arm/shoulder. I will try and get him to refer me to a PT that is covered by the Ministry of Health. (btw I am in Canada) I do not have private insurance coverage unfortunately and only have health coverage through the Ministry of Health and what that covers is also very limited. Not all PT services are covered unfortunately and I may have to go on a waiting list to get a PT.
But will let you all know if I can get in with a PT.
Thanks so much, Charmaine
0 -
cjv, thanks for the latest on the Tamox. I really do like it when good side effects are discovered. Gets me more motivated to put myself thru' the hot flashes and night sweats. I know, I know...preventing a recurrence should be motivation enough.0
-
mbjmiller, maybe your husband's IT guy could give BC.org a hand working the bugs out of this site. It's still acting up by not going directly to the last post read, and a few other quirky things since last weekend, like you all have previously noted.0
-
Charmaine, OHIP will pay for PT if it's done at the hospital and/or with a doctors prescription.
0 -
just reading, keeping up, and wanted you guys to know im here, and glad your all doing fairly well... 3jays
0 -
Patoo, had an idea...She makes a post in the threads she follows so she can just scan down and find her picture and start reading from there. I don't understand why they can't fix the problem soon because they had the code in there before. Maybe they are just trying to slow down our posting. No response from the PM I sent to the tech contact.
0 -
Charmaine, I posted on another thread about your frozen shoulder. I too developed frozen shoulder at least 18 months after my rads. You don't need surgery you need PT. Frozen shoulder is a medical issue I don't know why it wouldn't be covered. Even if it's not, my extra PT (I went over my allowed amount because I had some for another issue prior) was $40US a session and I went 2x a week. You need to fight for this. Good Luck
0 -
Charmaine--I agree with Snobird, fight for what you need. You have paid for the services through your taxes, so they still work FOR YOU! In the meantime here are some links to some exercises you do at home:
http://www.perfect-body-toning.com/exercises-for-frozen-shoulder.html
http://www.physiotherapy-treatment.com/frozen-shoulder-exercises.html scroll down on this site to see videos of home based stretches and exercises
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00071 this one starts out with some medical info, but has diagrams and instructions for stretches further down the page
Sorry these didn't come through as links, not sure how to make that happen in Firefox.
0 -
Barbe:
Thank you so much for the heads up about a PT at a hospital or with a doctors prescription here in Ontario Canada re Ohip.
0 -
Yesterday, I had to have 12 - twelve! - vials of blood drawn to check on a problem with my adrenal gland. I had to go back today to have one more taken, but yesterday I kept saying, "Are you sure these aren't supposed to be more divided out between the 2 days?". I was just stunned as I watched her take down more and more vials. I was kind of stammering and stuttering and she caught my drift and said, "Don't worry, this doesn't add up to even a pint", but OMG! The rest of the day I felt weak, and I'm wondering if that's such a good idea for someone who had chemo 5 months ago. I'm pretty sure after chemo your blood cells do not rebuild as fast as they used to and I don't know if they ever do again.
Speaking of the pint of blood, I know you once you've had chemo you cannot donate blood to the Red Cross anymore, nor can you be an organ donor. Would be nice if the MO mentioned these little things among the dozens of other lifetime SEs I keep learning about.
0 -
Hi all God has been Good to me. Trying to keep busy doing cross stitch.
0 -
Lynniea have your SE worked themselves out? I know your tummy was not feeling so great.
mjbmiller-gee Dallas has so many good places to eat just throw a dart and go with it.
0 -
For the most part Thanks for asking
0 -
Friday.... 7 pages of talk since last weekend? geesh kids ... how can I keep up????
I can't pretend to read back, so I just wish everyone a really great weekend ... for me, working 30-45 hours a week still, tonight is my aaaahhhhhhh night
I wish all of my buddies here a few days filled with fun and light-hearted activities. For those in treatment, I hope you're handling okay. This too shall pass, we promise.I've said before, but will say again ... please PM me if there are any questions that you think I might help with based on my dx or tx cause I jsut can't keep up during the week, ok?
Love and hugs kids
0 -
E-I know that when the aliens took me to the mothership, they highjacked my real body (at least I'm assuming that's what happened since they obviously replaced it with a Shelly Winters replica!!!), but I never realized that they then casted my "good" body & made mannequins from it. Must be how they fund their current excursions! Thanks for the evidence!
0 -
HnS, wow, that's a lot! I did not know abot the blood donation.
Lynnie, glad you are feeling a little better.
Mary, this thread moves pretty quick. Good to see you!
Joni, is that what happened to me? I always thought those were just nightmares,
0 -
Thinking of you Lynnea-
And I will be thinking of you all this weekend...man, I cannot wait to get to NYC tomorrow...I need it. There is something about that city that feeds my soul. I will be doing my typical walkabout-albeit not as intense as usual. Have to baby these new booblets. Normally, when not at the pharma conference I put on some comfy shoes and go see what I can discover...I cover miles. So cool, all the people and the neat little delis...shops (Century 21 YEAH!). I always buy myself one prize each year when I go. Last year I bagged a $500 butter soft leather jacket for 90 bucks:) I try to set a price of no more than 100 and it is amazing how much fun it is. And to do one thing I have never done before. So this year, I will be taking the Staten Island Ferry ride. It is free and that is not a bad thing while you escape all the tourists paying to go see the Statue of Liberty. I don't need to get up close and personal with her:) Apparently this is the way to see her and the sights with the locals. Last year I got on David Letterman. Year before I had my sister fly up the following weekend and we met up with Omar Sharif in the lobby - very strange encounter. We said hello and how our mom would absolutely flip if she saw him. My normally more subdued than I sis asked for a little kiss on the cheek to "take home to my mom" and he grabbed grabbed her, bent her back down and kissed her! HOLY GEEZ> It was so fun! He was completely drunk and is like 80 but just made it all fun. You can't buy that kind of memory.
I have been so depressed but I am trying to shake it off. And it will pass. Big hugs all.
0 -
Ah Annette, the depression will be left behind in Texas and be bored without you and leave before you get back! That's your story and I'm sticking to it!
Century 21 is a real estate company. Do they have a store too?
0 -
Annette--What a great thing to do for yourself! Good for you! I'm sure you will find something wonderful this trip, too. Enjoy yourself!
0 -
I am 57 yrs old. Had a bi-lat MX 3 yrs ago with immediate reconstruction. I have been in total menopause for 4-5 yrs...hot flashes, mood swings..the works.
I have a rectocele that needs repairing (a hernia like bulge in the rectum) and my doc recommends going ahead with a hysterectomy while we are in there because my uterus has dropped about halfway and I would eventually need to have it done anyway.
I have been doing some research on hysterectomy and I do not like what I am reading about what the removal of the uterus does to the rest of the organs and what it does to your body shape. I eat right and workout and would like to keep my figure as long as I can. I am wondering since I am already into menopause would I not experience the same effects from this surgery as someone who has not yet reached menopause????....
I would like to hear from women who had this surgery after menopause and the effects it had on your body.
Also have any of you had the rectocele surgery?? any advice would be helpful....my doc says mine is pretty bad and that he would place mesh there to hold it in....also he is doing a little work to my bladder since it is tipped a little.
My surgery is scheduled for July 6th so I have time to decide on weather to have the hysterectomy or not. I was thinking better now than later but now I don't know. Please help me.
0 -
Annette have fun in NYC and buy yourself something wonderful. I have only been once and it was a quick business trip and did not have time to see much. Did eat at Tavern on the Green. My SIL is from NYC and I keep saying I am going to get her to take me because I would like to see NYC from a locals perspective. Have a great trip and leave the stress at home.
Linda I had a hysterectomy 16 years ago at the age of 32 so obviously pre-menopausal, kept my ovaries and never had a body change of my organs that I know of. My figure has stayed slim just gotten a wee bit older. Don't know if this will help you out but maybe someone who has had it post menopausal can help you out.
Went to our local Relay for Life last night and it was really nice. I had never been before, but they had us get up and say our name our cancer and how long we have been cancer free. I hate getting up in front of people on a microphone, yuk But it was nice. Very emotional walking the survivors lap. Did not realize I would be so emotional about that.
0 -
Have fun in New York I would love to go someday I live so close to. We live only 3 hours away
0
