Sorry Girls - I’m having a negative moment!!! And need to your thoughts please!!!
Had WLE (22mm lump) in June 2000. CMF, rads, Zoladex and 5 years Tamoxifen.
DX in Aug 2007 with bony mets. Rads, Tamoxifen, Zoladex and Zometa.
Repeat scans in Jan 2008, reveal spread - still in bones.
I am ER+, PR+ and HER2-
Blood levels still show high - so, still pre-menopausal even though Zoladex every 4 weeks.
Next move is to have ovaries out and move on to Arimidex.
So, now for your thoughts please?
Zoladex hasnt worked for me for some reason, so, why should I be expecting any different by having my ovaries out???
I think that the answer is - so that I can move to Arimidex - but I just need a little reassurance and would be extremely grateful to hear of anyone else’s views/experiences - please?
Also, where else in your body produces oestrogen?
Thank you
Anne xx
Hi Anne,
I can’t help you on the first bit, but I think after the menopause oestrogen is produced by the adrenal glands.
Love,
Sally xx
Hi Anne,
Sorry you’re having a bad moment or two. I’m afraid I don’t know anything much in answer to your post except when I talked to onc about ovaries making oestrogen he said there’s a gland in your brain that makes it (pituitary?maybe?) and various other places in your body, and I’m sure he said body fat too. So that’s it then, I’m a little oestrogen factory!!
I’m sure they wouldn’t offer an oophorectomy unless they expected it to make a significant difference.
Sorry, not being much help am I? I’ll just send a hug then…
((Anne))
love Jacquie x
Yep, just googled it. It’s the adrenal glands and fatty tissue, but by far the most is made by the ovaries.
Hope this reassures you a bit Anne
Jxx
Thanks girls
Jacksy - must admit that I havent googled it for a few weeks, but you’ve had more success than me!! Feel thick now aswell!!! LOL!!
A xx
sixpen,
I thought Zoladex only worked for approx 2 years after which you should have ovaries out to be postmenopausal.
Arimidex works differently to tamoxifen and will hopefully give you better results. This is what i was led to believe, anyone may say differently!. All the very best X
Googled it!!!
And found it this time!!! Durrrhh!!
Jacksy - Ty for making me smile - ‘little oestrogen factory’!!!
I’ve got my Weight Watchers books out now!! I had been so blase about my weight - after the baby, I am at least 2 stone overweight - and thought that was the least of my worries!!! OMG!!!
Thank you
Anne xx
Perhaps they could take a bit of the spare flesh as well as the ovaries??! Good luck with your weight-watching. How many points for a tea at the South bank?
Jxx
I tried that one with Gynae-bloke - he told me that I’d have to stay in more than one night for that - I told him that it would be worth it!!!
Anne xx
Hi Anne
This is probably teaching your grandmother etc etc but my impression is that Arimidex is used primarily on post menopausal women (and those who have had their ovaries removed) to deal with the ‘residual’ oestrogen produced by various other sites in your body. The mechanism is not the same as tamoxifen. Side effects vary but I on the whole it’s tolerable. I get night sweats (not too bad) and aches and pains in the joints but it is keeping my mets (LOTS in the lungs and one smallish in the liver) stable and doesn’t stop me living my life.
Really hope it works for you
Barbara
Agree with barbara on this, my wife had the op and its very straightforward.
we were lead to believe tamoxifen blocks some of the receptors on the cancer cells and reduces their ability to eat so to speak, the inhibitors i.e. letrazol and the like work by removing the food supply instead i.e. the oestrogen which is produced in other areas of the body as well as the overies of course. I have heard of some oncs using the inhibitors without overy removal, the overies being chemicaly suppressed by monthly injection instead.
Dave F
Hi there! Arimidex worked well for me for nearly 3 years…Good Luck I hope it works well for you too Anne. I’m in my 40’s pre-meno and not slim! I’ve had Prostap injections since diagnosis…it works very similar to Zoladex. Had Prostap because it’s a finer needle and as I was on Warfarin due to DVT so finer needle meant less bruising. Belinda…xx
Hi Belinda, not heard of Prostap before, Just googled … wondering if you are on a clinical trial?
Sixpen,
just to go back to the oestrogen thing, we make this yes in our fatty tissues, whatever our weight!! Its just naturally produced so we will always have some floating around!
Take care
Sue xx
Hi Mrs Blue, no I’m not on a clinical trial. I know some other ladies in other parts of the UK from me who also have Prostap instead of Zoladex.
Belinda.