Anyone NOT go on hormone therapy after breast cancer surgery? What if you decide not to?
Any thoughts and opinions appreciated…thanks
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Hi Jenna
In the last year I have been on three different hormone blockers, all with horrid side effects and like you I am wondering whether it is really necessary. I’m 71 and the thought of this for 10 years is awful. I will be interested in what others think!
best wishes
caryl
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Hi Jenna
I think everyone comes to this decision from a different starting point….I’m 57 …my BC was strongly ER+ ( 7/8 ) and I am not a risk taker in any part of my life….i take letrozole….I do have side effects…but I still work….still able to enjoy my life and family and especially my 3 grandaughters ……I put up with the side effects because the anxiety I would feel about recurrence if I didn’t take it would be extreme….so taking it is the lesser of 2 evils for me.l,l,but we are all very different people……it is entirely your decision to make….but make sure you are fully informed by your team before deciding……even if you take hormone therapy you can still go on to have a recurrence ( as I did ) so nothing is foolproof….l you could always give it a try? …. See how you get on? not everyone suffers with taking them……are you also on zolendronic acid? ….hope you are able to make a decision that you are happy with
Hi Jenna
It is difficult to decide as I too balked at the thought of going on Hormone Therapy, so I decided to try and find out as much as I could about it before I came to any decision. I read a lot, watched lectures on the YouTube American Patients’ University site about the pros and cons of it. I contacted a McMillan’s Nurse and also phoned up the Breastcancernow helpline and chatted with a Breast Care Nurse. I then raised questions with my Oncologist and finally I set up a little Research Project on this Forum about any side effects experienced whilst on Letrozole. You can read my findings on a Letrozole Thread beneath this Thread.
I wish you well in coming to your decision and would suggest you start by looking at the statistics of BC reoccurance in women NOT taking Hormone Treatment compared to reoccurance on those who ARE on Treatment which may help you with your decision.
Silver6
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This question is the reason I joined this forum. I have been on Tamoxifen for a month and I so want a good reason to stop taking it. I sort of threw a fit with my oncologist and she asked that I give it three months. One month in and my sex drive has really suffered. I’m 47 and I feel like I’m losing what’s left of my youth. I’ll be watching this thread for any insights.
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I am following this thread with interest as I am 10 months into tamoxifen. I am at a low point, my gums are constantly sore & inflamed, I am tired, cold, iron deficient (after three months of iron tablets) and I have lost over 10% of my body weight taking my BMI to 19.4.
I have contacted both GP & treatment team for help. Not “seeing” GP for two weeks & haven’t had response from hospital as to whether I can lay off tamoxifen for a while to see if weight stops dropping.
Right now can’t see that I can do this for 5 to 10 years. Sorry to moan but it’s ironic to think I felt perfectly fine walking round with a tumour I didn’t know I had & now it’s treated I feel rubbish! Xx