Chipper NO!!! Take the hormone. It could give you some more time with your friends and family.Just enjoy the time we have.I feel we are on a stop watch. Maybe another 3 years then bam!!! Live, love, rock but don’t let it take anymore away from us. I hate the thoughts of SE but will fight it.
Hi,
my friends having zoladex injections seem to be getting on fine although you don’t know what is giving you each side effect. There are 9 of us and we are all on slightly different things due to our past histories, age, etc. You can’t have tamoxifen if had certain things in the past like clots. I will be switched to Femara and I am concerned that some people say it affects your hair! Crikey I still haven’t got it anywhere near as long as it was before chemo so not happy about that one.Hope I am lucky.
Shenay I don’t think rads will affect how you feel really. It is a pain in the neck going every day, especially if you have a drive and expensive to park too but nothing touches you, no cannulas, no needles, just a bit scarey when everyone runs out the room and the buzzer goes off. After the first one you know what to expect. Vicky, one of my buddies on here had rads to the ovaries. I think it was about 3 visits in one week. She got terrible diorrhoea after but it menat no more zoldex injections. Shenay on your planning day they will give you a sheet of dates and it will probably start very quickly, depends how busy they are I guess. We have to start 3 weeks after chemo so no break in cover. Chipper have you read the side effects of Bc if it comes back? A tamoxifen tablet is a walk in the park compared to that and you get a 60% less chance of a recurrence.
Tablets at the ready everyone. Here we go
Glug
Lily plus tablet 
Hi all,
I think the thing is we are all different in our response to treatment. I had SE’s when I started Tam (Nov 2007), then they went away and then they came back again! I think Se’s do come and go, depending on a lot of things. If I was overly tired I got more hot flushes. I know there is a lot of nonsense talked about diet and stuff but I think if you have as healthy a diet as you can manage then that helps support your body. Just my thoughts.
Shenay, regarding cream for the rads, you should be given some at the hospital. If not you should use just plain aqueous cream which you should be able to get at the chemists. Put it on about 2 hours before your rads session to let it sink in and start using it at the beginning to protect your skin, don’t wait until you have problems. I would also speak to your BCN re claiming the fares back, I’m sure she’ll be able to help.
I don’t think it matters what time you take Tam but stick to the same time every day if you can. I take mine in the morning and that suits me although it took a bit of juggling to find the right time, I used to take it at night but that was worse for me.
It is a long road isn’t it? I was diagnosed in May 2007 and I’m on tam until 2012, it just seems endless. Like you I was depressed a wee while ago which wasn’t like me, I rang my bcn as we had a good chat, it helped me understand that I felt low because everything had caught up with me, I’d put all my fears about the cancer coming back on the back burner whilst I was having surgery, chemo, rads and herceptin and I was now facing it all. It does help to talk, keep coming on here if it helps you, we understand. And yes people do assume you’re Ok because you’re not obviously going through treatment “just” taking one tablet a day. They just don’t understand because they are not going through it, hence at least “you’re not on chemo” comments! I do feel that I’ve got less patience with people these days, I’m sure you do too. Big hug for you, good luck with the rads, it shouldn’t affect your mood but it might make you feel tired (sorry)
Take care all
Love
Veggie
I’ve been on tamoxifen since mid January and started off with headaches but they had gone by month 3. Like Veggie, I find some SEs come and go, but for me they are annoying rather than anything that makes me feel I need to stop taking it. The most annoying one is the fatigue and needing much more sleep, but some of that may also be after-effects of other treatment and so will improve.
I take it in the morning with my breakfast and have occasional hot flushes during the day, but no nausea at all. I do have night sweats but usually get back to sleep very quickly. I had some joint stiffness at first but was recommended to take glucosamine and that have worked really well for me.
I too have much less patience with people these days!
Chipper, you stand a good chance of not having problems with SEs. We hear more about the problems because those who have few or no side effects don’t generally post to say so. The other thing is that it isn’t all or nothing. So you don’t need to feel that if you start you are committed for 5 years.
Eliza xx
shenay - I used a silk hanky in my bra to stop rubbing and it made it more comfy…I used aqueous cream throughout,just in the morning and evening and although my skin went very red it was only sore underneath the breast where the skin touches together. At the end of rads the skin broke and it was weepy but bcn gave me excellent Allevyn dressings which protected and absorbed the weepiness- it was better within days.
I will go for tamox…just last minute wobbles - sorry I seem to be making a huge fuss when lots of folk just get on with it ! -plan to take it in the afternoon/evening
Hi Chipper
Just found this post and see you are going for it - hope its bearable for you.
I am already menopausal for last couple of years - now I know why I had the stiff feet in morning - also made me go to loo in night - was on HRT for a year which really helped the sweats and joint pain and then wham - breast cancer so HRT stopped. The sweats etc have gradually come back in the last few weeks - so when I start tamoxifen (not sure yet) or other drug what can I expect then? I hope the symptoms do not get worse. I am lucky to sleep between 2 - 5 hours at a time and I am sure this makes everything worse - including patience as you never really feel rested. Sorry that all you younger girls have to suffer the symptoms too. I really looked forward to stopping my periods as I used to suffer PMT and unbearable period pains for 4 days a month - don’t know what is worse. Hugs Lyn xxx
Hi Chipper, so far so good on tamoxifen. I have actually lost a bit of weight on it. i know I hav’t been on it long but hope it stays like this as no emotional problems so far with it either. I am jsut taking it one day at a time with the tamoxifen and also considering the other things in my life which cause me stress. Good luck with the tamoxifen.
Rachy xx
thanks rachy and gemjunkie - will keep you posted
ok - I took my first tablet !
Well done chipper…how does it feel???
I have no real SEs,hopefully you will be the same!
Love
Dot
x
Fantastic Chipper.Well done.((hugs))
Jellylegs
thank you ! feels ok so far, a bit relieved to have taken the first one- they used to glare at me in the kitchen drawer-I have to put a folic acid out for my son every morning and the tamox. sits beside his bottle of pills.(it wouldn’t do to mix them up !!)
Well done Chipper. I’ll be following your story closely and joining you very soon…
Anna xx
Good for you Chipper. I got given a different brand last week and they are giving me nausea. I had no idea that different brands could make a difference. I would advise if you are having major SE’s ask the chemist for a different type next time. The first lot didn’t give me any nausea. Flushes much the same (8 weeks in). I am also having bad stiffness in lower back - always been prone to it but it seems worse.
alex
xx
poor you Alex -which brand did you get this time ? Hooray that it’s your final radiotherapy too
xxx
Hope this helps on brands. My local chemist said he had to have what the warehouse sent him,but he would try to help me if he could. On another thread someone said that TESCO always managed to get her the APS brand. I went into my local Tesco branch and asked for the APS brand and they got it for me the next day no problem.
Well done Chipper ! I remember taking my first tablets and being in a state of constant anticipation waiting for something to happen…hot flushes…mood swings…head to spin round etc that was in April, am still waiting…
I have made friends with my chemist and make sure I check before I leave that I’m getting the same brand each time, I get 60 at a time (wockhardt)I just take mine at night with 500mg evening primrose oil ,fingers crossed for you.
Sandra x
Well done Chipper.
Day 11 here and still no major SE’s. I have APS brand so will try to make sure I get that when I renew my prescription. Also TOM date been and gone and no period. Wow I dont miss that, that’s for sure lol.
I too (like Sandra) take evening primrose oil capsule so maybe that helps with preventing SE’s.
sandra - mine is the Wockhardt brand too…so fingers very crossed and yes, must get Evening Primrose oil…
Well done Chipper,
you are now 60% less likely to have a recurrence according to cancer research quote
Lily x