Hi everyone reading this, I’m hoping to hear a few experiences about stopping Tamoxifen before and after DIEP flap reconstruction operation. I am booked to have my delayed reconstuction op on 11 November and very nervously excited. I’ve received pre op letter from ps consultant and he says I will be given anti-blood-clotting injection drug to administer myself day before op (sounds similar to one in tummy fat I had to do during chemo). He does not however mention stopping Tamoxifen for a short while and after reading lots of web info from people who have had op and pre/post op advice from clinics in USA and UK it seems some doctors ask patients to stop taking it one or two weeks before and after operation to reduce blood clotting risk associated with tamoxifen. I have my pre op on 7 November but that might be a bit late to ask as it is just four days before op. Has anyone else got any advice/info relating to this? I am a bit scared to stop taking Tamox as I was 7/8 ER positive and having had a big tumours (6cm and 2cm) and spread to some lymph nodes feel deep inside that badboy BC cells are just waiting to grab me again if I let my guard down! Also worried about blood clots/DVT etc. though I’m actually a bit of a secret hypochondriac constantly thinking I can feel lumps, swellings and have lots of aches and pains. I’m almost sure it’s just my fear and imagination but . . .
Any advice very gratefully received.
Gay x
Bump
Hi GBC
Please feel free to call our helpliners about your query, lines re open in the morning at 9 (weekdays 9-5 and Sat 10-2) and they may be able to offer you some information to help on 0808 800 6000
Take care
Lucy BCC
Hi there,
I had LD reconstruction recently & advised to stop Tamoxifen a month before and after surgery. I was 8/8 so a little concerned, have to say though I still had hot flushes so believe the tamoxifen effects were still working. I have only been on tamoxifen for a year. I also had blood thinning jabs while I was in hospital too.
Hi Gay
My experience is that I was put on tamoxifen in June last year before my surgery, a wle. My consultant told me to come off it about two weeks before the wle in the September and went back on about two weeks after.
The fact that you are having an injection for anti clotting might make it unnecessary to come off the Tam, I don’t know. You could phone your bcn just to get reassurance over this.
Hope it all goes well.
Mary
Hi Gay
I too was told to come off tamoxifen the month prior to my DIEP op. I started taking mine again once I was home and mobile. I had my op in September. I’ve a thread ‘DIEP reconstruction and loving it’ if you want to read mine and others experience.
I won’t say don’t worry, as I remember how I felt leading up to my own op. However being the other side of it, I can say it’s been more than worthwhile.
Hope the is helps. X
Thank you so much for your replies artemis17, Mary32 and Mrs B and the information that you all were told to stop Tamoxifen before op. I have left a message with BCN but not heard anything so I think I will ring the BCC helpline as suggested. Maybe even the PS’s secretary as I have that number although presumably it is an oncologist’s decision. Very grateful for messages. Thank you.
Gay x
I was supposed to have my diep flap today, I got put to sleep at 8 o clock this morning and was woken up at about 10.30 and was told it had been cancelled (luckily just as they were about to cut me open) I had carried on taking my tamoxifen even though I asked about it at my pre op appointment and was assured it was fine to carry on taking it. To say I’m devastated is an understatement and the team that worked on me have had a severe telling off by management, it has been rescheduled for the 31st of January. This is the second time I’ve been cancelled. I was cancelled on the 11th of May because the surgeon broke his collar bone. Is someone trying to tell me something???