Hi. I saw oncologist on Tuesday and have decided not to go ahead with Any medication. I took Tamoxifen for a couple of months and had horrible side effects. Some people side effects far worse than I had and I don’t want them. I had
hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and lumpectomy and 2 lymph nodes which were cancer free. is it safe to have acupuncture? It would be just for general wellbeing.
I’ve been on letrozole for five months after bilateral mastectomy and SLNB.
I started having acupuncture a few months ago for shoulder and general joint pain and the results have been amazing. I saw my consultant on Monday and since I have no lymphoedema symptoms, he’s happy for me to have acupuncture. I was very sceptical and only looked into it after physiotherapy was making little difference to my shoulder pain.
My acupuncturist actually specialises in breast cancer patients so it’s been a great experience.
Hi vicky
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Hi I had acupuncture about 3 months after my radiotherapy finished. I was advised to check that the acupuncturist was registered. My acupuncturist wouldn’t needle my left arm as this was the side I had my lumpectomy and nodes taken. Hope this helps
My oncologist recommended acupuncture to help with the hot flushes and it worked amazing well. A year on still only get occasional warm spells not the full blown flushes. Just avoid in arm where had nodes removed. I had it through a charity with acupuncturist trained to work with cancer patients.
Hi Vicky
Thanks for posting and asking if it is safe to have acupuncture after treatment for breast cancer.
Acupuncture involves placing very fine needles at various places in the body and can be used to help with general wellbeing like you say. As @elsie1 says it can also be used to help manage side effects of treatments such as menopausal side effects which you may have experienced on tamoxifen.
It is advised to check the registration and experience of the acupuncturist you use as @Shoo suggests, and also to talk to your treatment team before starting any acupuncture treatment.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include our Moving Forward resources such as our Moving Forward booklet and Moving Forward courses that are for people who have had a diagnosis of primary breast cancer and have come to the end of their main hospital treatment within the last 2 years. You can attend Moving Forward either at our face-to-face course or take part by joining online. Find a course near you or register for an online course via the links above or call us on 03457 077 1893.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000, If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
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Best wishes
Katy
Breast Care Nurse
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