I think you could be right Cheshirecheese. I was in the car earlier and hubby had window open. I said close it I am cold, then two mins later I had all the windows open and i was boiling!!!
xx
hiya ladies entering my 6th week on tamoxifen and have been struggling terribly with the sweats , carry tissues with me everywhere as the sweat starts to run down my face = really not a nice look ! i spoke to my onc about it on monday and she recomended oil of evening primrose and starflower oil , bought a capsule combination of them both from h @ b and started them tuesday , last night i managed 5 hours straight through , not done that in weeks , it could just be it was cooler but i`m hoping the caps are working , oal i physically have to stop when mine hit , i get an anxiety feeling followed by slight nausea then the sweat or flush , hopefully you will sail through xx
theres a magnet you can buy either off boots or holland & barrett website…works wonders…ive used mine for a year and would be lost without it, did the usual, use it for a month, dont use it for a month test…but noticed the difference straight away on not using it. Have a look, its the best £20 you will ever spend.
My consultant is telling all his ladies about it and is getting good feedback from them about it. Its a purple menopause magnet thingy…its fab
Hi ladies, hope you can help. I have now been on tamoxifen for 4 months. Hot flushes were fine at first but last 3 weeks have been terrible. Are evening primrose and starflower oil safe to take if you are oestrogen positive? Thanks.
Could it be related to a change of brand?
hi, buttons. the magnet sounds very interesting, but its quite a lot of money for something that might not work. Has anyone else on here treid it?
haughtaj - I told my Onc about taking evening primrose and starflower oil caps I take 3 a day and I am oestrogen positive my Onc said it was ok, but if in doubt check with your own Onc. to make sure.
Buttons - Thanks for the tip about the magnet is it called ladycare packaged in a purple box?? I will definately try this its got to be worth it just to try and like you say if it works it will be the best 20 squid you’ve spent ever if it gets rid of the hot flushes and nightly sweats.
when I asked about evening primrose, acupuncture etc to my onc … he laughed and said they don’t work! Just a placebo effect if people think they work … he was no help whatsoever!
Angielav - Sorry your Onc was not very supportive, even if these complementary treatments are a placebo effect so what! if it works it works if it puts you into remission its definatly something not to be sniffed at. I am of the opinion that if it makes you feel better, then do it. Looking after yourself is of the upmost importance with cancer if that includes supplements/diet or complementary treatments then so be it. Go with your intuition on this, if you are drawn to it then its the right treatment for you. I am going to have crystal healing today and acupuncture for the first time next week and these treatments are free Complementarys are available from macmillan centres again for free .
Basically the Docs dont know what causes cancer, or why some treatments work for some and not for others, all they can do is dish out the usual ‘poisin and burn’ treatments, dont get me wrong I am very grateful for the conventional meds. like chemo which has so far worked for me. Looking after yourself is important and if any extra complementary treatments make you feel good than do them and ignore your Oncs. narrow view of these treatments. I have told my Onc what supplements I am on and about the diet change and he was fine with all of these he did warn me not to take st johns wort when on chemo.
Sorry for digressing but I feel strongly that Oncs. should be supportive of all their patients endevours to try and heal themselves.
xxx
The only proviso I would add to that is to tell them what you’re considering, particularly treatments where you take something orally, as herbal preparations DO contain chemicals that can affect the conventional drugs you may be taking. For example, St John’s Wort, a well-known herbal treatment for mild depression, should not be taken with Tamoxifen as it has a similar action to Prozac, which is already known to reduce the effectiveness of Tamoxifen. There are other herbal preparations that are contra-indicated for similar reasons, so please do be sensible when considering complementary treatments, just as you would check regarding over-the-counter drugs or drugs prescribed by your GP.
Thanks ladies … He said herbalists and manufacturers were making a lot of money out of our misfortune and all he could offer was sympathy! How patronising!! My mum doesn’t like him!
Angie, I have to say I agree with him to a certain extent.
That said though, the placebo effect is extremely powerful. I remember seeing a programme about the placebo effect where a group of people were due to have surgery to their knee to improve movement. They all had the same problem, and all had anaesthetic and a keyhole incision made to their knee. Half of them had the planned procedure (something to do with shaving off bits of bone or something gruesome) while the other half had just the incision and no intervention. I seem to remember that some or all of the control group were actually TOLD they had not had anything done inside their knee, but very many of them improved just as well, if not better, than those who had received the proper surgery. I may have got some of the details wrong but that was the gist of the programme. Very interesting stuff, and I’m a great believer in the placebo effect. I’ve used placebo sticking plasters and “magic cream” on my kids when they were little, to great effect.
Personally I think the snake-oil industry is worst in the field of cosmetics, but that’s a different discussion.
I started to have hot flushes when the chemo put me in menopause in June, they’re not pleasant but because I am always very aware that I did get them as a consequence of a life-threatening illness, I am so far able to accept them as a price to pay for prolonging my life. I am not sure I’ll be able to keep this up if the docs will give me a good prognosis and once the heavy phases of the treatment are over.
I started tamoxifen nearly a week ago, it’s early but so far so good. Maybe hot flushes slightly worse but only slightly.
perhaps this tamoxifen is going to be my comeupance. I sailed through menopause a few years after my hysterectomy, so much so that i did not believe my doc when he said my blood sample showed that i was post menopausal, no hot flushes or anything.
perhaps someone up there decided I got away lightly and tomaxifan is going to do its worse. Did one half of my gig last night with the usua fan blasting away to keep my cool and then turned it off for the second set to get used to drumming with sweat pouring down me—not a good look, especially with all the bruises
Hi girls
Another one joining the sweaty-girl-gang!
I’ve been on Tamoxifen for 6 months now and was coping with the odd night-sweat, but 2 weeks into Zoladex and our matress is ruined!! It’s absolutely disgusting and very disturbing to wake up in cold, wet pyjamas and covers 3/4 times a night.
I don’t know whether to try EPO. Really don’t want to do anything to raise my oestrogen levels when I’m taking so many drugs to lower them and protect me, AND have cut out alcohol which is quite a price to pay for cancer! I know if I ask my onc he’ll just suggest another drug, which I really don’t want. He doesn’t seem to support anything that doesn’t come with a field of proven medical research, which I guess is the way for most medics.
So, EPO or one of these magnet bracelets?? What’s everyone else’s experience?
xxx Jane
Just started Tam and made the decision to take EPO, hot flushes and night sweats not too bad so far, but I am also taking Dixarit (normally prescribed for high blood pressure) for hot flushes anyway.
Tried the magnet in you knickers thing several years ago when I started the menopause, it did not work for me but I know others have reported that it did help to improve things.
Role on winter!
DaisyGirl xx