Stage 2 Sisters Club
Comments
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TaRenee
How long have you been on tamoxifen? I’ve been on it 1 and 1/2 years. I get achy joint pains, as well as hot flashes, and sometimes night sweats. Has anyone had any problems with weight gain?0 -
I’ve been on it 2.5 months. So far the only side effects I have experienced are hair thinning (like postpartum hair loss), fatigue, and loss of appetite. I am only 33 year since old and I’m sure I’ll experience some diffeent and additionalside effects over the 10 years I’m suppose to be on it.
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10 days after first A/C neoadjuvant infusion having pain in lump feels like bruise. Anyone else
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jaymeb I have been on it 11 months. At first it was bad with the night sweats. Then it eased up. And now hot flashes and night sweats are back with a vengeance! And I’ve gained about 10 pounds. So yeah. Good times.
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is it common to be a little bit achy 3 weeks post chemo treatments. I finished my 4 DD AC and 3 DD Taxol 3 weeks ago and noticing some joint achyness here and there. My treatment seemed to just abruptly end and I don’t see my onc until early Nov. my mind is probably getting the best of me but I worry. Trying not to.
Thank you
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cccmc2- I'm 3 months post chemo and sometimes I experience bone and muscle pain. My oncologist told me it is nothing to be concerned about. I could experience this type of achiness for up to a year. I find non-drowsy Claritin to make a difference with the muscle pain. Several ladies on the threads recommended the non-drowsy Claritin.
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I made it to the 1 year mark!!! 😀🙌🏼💪🏻 Now if I can just make it through the week. I’m exhauste
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Congrats! You’ve been through a lot in the last year!🤪
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tarenee- congratulations on your one year anniversary. A lot has happened in this year. May the next year be much easier for you.
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Tarenee, congrats on your carniversary! I wish you good health
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Congrats TaRenee. Many, many more years to come.
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It just feels so good to say I made it! And I have to say how thankful I am for those of you who have made it longer than me. YOU are my hero’s
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I just had a 4 month checkup at the MO the other day. One of my liver enzymes is elevated - ALT 39 - up from 31 in July which was a re-test from May when both enzymes were elevated. From what I can see on my chart, when I had an ALT of 38 it was considered normal. So they're really talking about a 1 point elevation from normal.
So I got a phone call about this and they suggested I come in for a CT Scan of my abdomen to so they can look at my liver just to be on the safe side. She said "it's probably nothing".
I realize that this is my decision, but I am wondering if there is more harm than good undergoing the CT Scan for an enzyme level that is considered normal in people without a history of cancer? I asked about just doing a re-test in 6 weeks like I did before when I had elevated enzymes in May, but the gal said that since they already did a re-test, the doctor recommends a CT Scan this time.
There is a good bit of radiation that comes from a CT Scan.
For what it's worth - I feel great! The elevation could be from the weekend trip we just returned from - I ate pretty well, but I was certainly not following my diet to the "T", I was not on my time-restricted eating, and I had not gotten vigorous exercise all weekend and probably didn't sleep as much. We were in the car for 10 hours round trip. None of that is good for my liver enzymes.
The elevated report I had in May was also a few days after returning from vacation where we flew the red-eye and I didn't get proper sleep and ate poorly the whole week.
So I am thinking through this and considering not doing the CT scan. I'm wondering if liver enzymes fluctuate in normal healthy people. And I am wondering if chemo drugs can damage the liver and if it is long-lasting damage so maybe these fluctuations are a new normal.
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I know nothing about liver enzymes. I hear your worry and your thinking. Your wondering about this scan and what it would show, and THEN WHAT?, seems very reasonable. My MO usually explains the risks, the possibilities, and the benefits of each dx and tx decision. Maybe you haven't quite had enough clarification and context yet about this from the MO.
Can you have your MO explain more of his/her thinking about ordering this scan? What's the worst thing it can show, and then what will the choices be for tx? Is it true that if there's a cancer recurrence in the liver, that tx can be started soon enough to be more effective than if it's later? Other than the possibility of cancer, what are the other possibilities, and how does the CT scan help inform treatment decisions of all types? These are going to be ongoing decisions for anyone who faces a possibility of a recurrence, which is any bc patient.
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HikingLady - thank you for those ideas on conversations to have with the MO. I also think that it is purely protocol that once a re-test is done, any future abnormal tests require a CT scan. I am guessing about this, but I think he is bound by standards of care. I had no idea until recently that typical doctors are not free-thinkers.
I am also skeptical because when I asked how far out these CT scans are scheduled and where would I have it done, the gal said that it would be done right there in their office and can do it as soon as Monday.
Going forward, I will not schedule a check-up so soon after a vacation.
I think I will ponder this for a while and then maybe call back and ask these questions regarding what a blip in an enzyme could mean and wouldn't my enzymes continue to increase steadily if I were sick versus fluctuate by a few points.
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I can relate to your reluctance to have a CT and I think that both you and hikingLady have some good questions here. Your MO should take the time to answer every question you have in detail. If the gal in the office who said, "It's probably nothing." is not a doctor, I would ignore her comment no matter how well meaning it may have been. I don't think a CT would be ordered for "probably nothing", If that were the case, it would certainly trigger my paranoia: doctors who own CT machines like to use them $$. It sounds like you don't quite trust your doctor if you are second guessing and considering going against his advice. Maybe a second opinion is in store if he isn't able or willing to communicate his reasoning to you. I'm sorry for being negative but I have had at least 3 CTs to investigate a single "incidentaloma". I refused a fourth which was suggested by a radioligist because she wanted another one on the same machine. I had a long discussion with the pulmonologist who had no Idea of the extent of my exposure to x-rays and CTs before that. Nobody keeps track or even asks about prior exposure. By the way, CTs 3 years in a row that show no change in an incidentally found lung nodule is considerd enough. (and might they cause breast cancer?) It is up to us to keep track and speak up.
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Go Kale: That is not a high ALT number by any means. Perhaps you can ask to delay and just watch.
I had the same thing happen, the Onc said it would have to be a magnitude 10x that before there was something horrible going on. My was the AI medication.0 -
Thanks, ladies, for sharing your thoughts on elevated liver enzymes. I did some looking online and found that Loratadine - the antihistimine in Claritin and similar allergy meds can raise liver enzymes a little bit, but does NOT damage the liver. To me that sounds like it could raise enzymes a few points and cause a false alarm. I take it year-round so I am going to look into natural alternatives to help my allergies. My allergies are not severe or life-threatening so this may not work for other people (may not even work for me since this is only day 3 without Claritin). I just would like to minimize anything that will make the MO start looking for something wrong. Last time I re-evaluated all of the vitamin supplements I was taking and quit CoQ10 right away and since then I have stopped everything except Vitamin B-Complex since I gave up meat, dairy and eggs.
My other decision is to do a wait-and-see. I need to make an annual appointment with my primary care physician. Usually, the PCP will offer to do blood work so this time I will say yes - cholesterol and liver enzymes - at the very least.
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I too take Loratadine daily. I started pre-chemo when I was told that it would help diminish muscle cramps. I've never had any issues with muscle cramps with chemo and h&p so I will continue taking the loratadine. My liver enzymes haven't been elevated though. If you find a natural remedy please let me know. I would prefer natural remedies before medications. Good luck to all. I have a 5K tomorrow morning. My 83 year-old mother and I are walking the 5K. She isn't able to run so we will walk together. I'm looking forward to it. I'm just hoping I have inherited her good genetics. LOL
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Diagnosed in July 2017. Stage 2a, triple negative, no lymp node involvement. Had Chemo first, then surgery (lumpectomy), then radiation. Had complete pathological response to chemo. Still worry about reoccurrence. Any survivor stories
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jo6359, What a great way to spend time with your mother. My daughter just climbed the Space Needle with the "Base to Space" annual fund raiser for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. (Not a pink event.) 832 stairs! it looked like they had so much fun - I’m thinking of joining her next year...I’ll have to start training for that right now. If I add 2 or 3 stairs a day to my routine, maybe I can do it.
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Pinkears, I am 11 years out and doing great!!!!
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Sara- i. have participated in 5 Fight for Air Climbs sponsored by American Lung Association. In the past it has varied from 49 to 53 flights of stairs. I was unable to do it March of 2018 because I was receiving chemotherapy. Last week I registered for next year's climb March of 2019. Great job on your dds climb. Next year we will both be ready for the climb.
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This Saturday (unless this crazy storm stalls and it’s raining) I am supposed to participate in a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K I’m kind of excited but my ACS rep said it is a huge event and could be 6,000+ people. Holy Wowzers! I do hope the storm clears out and we have good weather. I’m ready to get active again and this is my first 5K in a year. And my MO said I should exercise more. So there’s that. Walking is good, I don’t really like to run.
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I don't really run unless a bear is chasing me. We have been living under staggering heat. Hurricane Michael may have put me into stress mode. Thank you, God, for sparing me this year.
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TaRenee- have you been impacted by the storm? hopefully the weather will be good and you'll be able to do your 5K. I think it's just as beneficial to walk fast as it is to run. Even though I enjoy running when my knee start bothering me I switch to power walking. I'm doing a 1-mile walk Saturday morning for the breast cancer Association. I will run a 5k Sunday morning.
Mexico Heather- I hear you about the hurricane. I am thankful we have been missed so far this year. Hurricane Irma was nasty last year. The heat has been oppressing here in Miami. I'm running on the weekends but I'm using my treadmill during the week. I cannot tolerate the heat and humidity in the evening.
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The storms have blessedly not been horrible here. There are trees down and power out but it could be so much worse. My parents stayed in MS on the coast for Katrina and it was godawful. Michael seems to have done the same for FL. I hope this is the end of the season. We’ve had 2 come through here in 2 weeks and I’m over it. But again, in good shape, much better than other areas close to here.
Hopefully tomorrow everything will begin to dry out. Saturday is supposed to be sunny and cool. The high is only projected to be 69 !!! I’m looking forward to some cool. The hot flashes in the summer are the worst
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Hi ladies, I hope everyone is doing well.
I have a new development. I just noticed brown spotting today and I haven’t had a period in 2 years. I am not taking any hormone therapy.
I will see my primary care physician on 1/21.
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Life is good here. We started a "touch up the house" project in June which snowballed and we just finished up last month! I took some fun trips this summer and fall (in between working on the house). Next week DH and I take off for some Arizona fun.
Let us know what you find out, GoKale. Hopefully it's just some normal perimenopause stuff.
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I slept for two days. Seriously. All day Saturday and all day Sunday. And I had no problem sleeping those nights. I’m not sick. But apparently I am exhausted. I go back to my oncologist on the 30th. Hopefully the fatigue is passed by then. If not I guess we start looking at iron levels again.
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