Oncologist

Hi Louise

I was diagnosed in 2007 and have been in Menopause since 36 years old (I am nearly 40).  My cancer was ER+, which means that it was feed by estrigen.  I am on hormone therapy for another 2 year (5 years in total) and will also have my ovaries out.

I was told by my oncologist that usually if your periods have not returned (menopause) in the first 12 months of starting hormone theraphy it is not likely that they will return.  It is not likely that I will go out of menopause now.  So it only happens once in most cases.

 

Whilst I am not a fan of menopause or hormone therapy or having my ovaries removed the side effects for me are minimal and much better than the alternative that the cancer could come back.

 

Happy to talk some more, I hope I haven't confused you even more.

 

Tanya

Well it turns out that my oncologist has recommended that I have chemo followed by tamoxifen rather than the other treatments that were originally put to me by my surgeon....I guess I shouldn't have jumped the gun and based my thoughts on what he said!

The oncologist was lovely and explained everything really well.  I will need 4 cycles of chemotherapy over a 12 week period, followed by the Tamoxifen.

The thing that really surprised me though was the risk that remains of getting secondaries after the treatment - she said that if I had no further treatment my risk of having secondaries is about 24% and after treatment would be around 11%!  I thought that it would be a lot lower than that.....after all, that's still more than 1 in 10 that will get secondaries!  My margins and lymph nodes were clear and it was only a stage 2 cancer so I thought I would be fairly safe anyway?!!?!  Oh well, at least 11% is lower than 24%!

I am a bit worried about losing my hair - it seems so silly but I almost feel more scared about losing my hair than I did about losing my breast!  I guess it's because I could hide a lost breast but it is more difficult to hide that you have lost your hair!  I know it is a small price to pay for the benefit you get and I keep telling myself not to be so silly about it! LOL

I am going on a girls only holiday away (with 5 girlfriends) to Langkawi in October and will begin my chemo when we get back.  It will be nice to have a break and relax before the worry of putting my body through chemo :)  I can't wait!

Incidentally I went for an MRI scan today on my liver because they found a shadow on it in the CT scan - well that was a disaster!  Firstly they had a little trouble finding a vein and then when they had me all hooked up and in the machine they got a big warning beep and had to get me out really quickly because I've got a tissue expander in my breast at the moment from the reconstruction and it has a magnet in it that they use to work out where the valve is to fill it up.  Well the MRI machine didn't like that at all!  They were all worried about the tissue expander and whether it had moved at all inside me but I don't think it has....I had to have an ultrasound on my liver instead and then they couldn't really see the shadowy bit!  The people who did the CT scan think it is benign though so I am going to wait until I get the tissue expander changed for the permanent prosthesis and then get an MRI done in about 6 months time - they don't think it is anything to worry about :) - what a morning though!! LOL

Anyway, have a great day everyone,

Louise :)

Hi Louise,

I am going in for a lat dorsi reconstruction in October and was wondering how long it took you to get over it and is it really painfull?  I already have a tissue expander in because I was originally just going to have an implant but my scar tissue won't stretch enough, so I've had to go with the lat dorsi and they'll put the permanent implant in at the same time.

I am on the SOFT Trial and will have been on the Hormone treatment for 12 months in November.  I am on Tamoxifen and also Triptorelin Injections every 28 days which basically shut the ovaries down.  Side effects for me have been Hot Flushes every 40 minutes and night sweats (so not much sleep!) and in the last couple of months I have started having joint pain.  So I guess it will be off for a bone scan when I next see my Oncologist.  I have decided to put up with the side effects and that it is a small price to pay to prevent the cancer from coming back.

Anyway hope you aren't having too hard a time.

Trish

Hi Trish

I only had my operation on 26th August and had to go back into hospital on 8th September because of a haematoma from my mastectomy site, so I haven't really had a full recovery yet!

My back is not nearly as sore as my breast.....the only areas that have been uncomfortable have been under my arm and in the centre sort of area between my breasts.  The area under my arm is still swollen, I think from the moving of the lat dorsi muscle under the skin between the back and the front. I have only used Panadol for pain relief since I came out of hospital (and even while I was in hospital after I came off the PDA) so it wasn't really painful for me, more uncomfortable than anything....

I go back to the plastic surgeon tomorrow for a check-up and I'm not sure if he is going to start expanding me then.  I went to have an MRI on my liver today and I didn't know that I couldn't have MRI's because of the magnet in the tissue expander so they put me in the machine before they realised.....they took me out pretty quickly once they figured out that I had one and then they were worried that the tissue expander may have moved.  I don't really feel any different so I am hoping that it hasn't and that everything can still go along as it was. Fingers crossed :)

If you've got any more questions about the lat dorsi reconstruction, please feel free to ask - so far I am happy with the result and my back doesn't feel too weird :)

Good luck,

Louise

Hi Louise,

Thank you for replying I really appreciate it.  I hope things settle down for you soon.  I feel a bit more reassured as I have had Registered Nurses telling me that the donor site is really painfull. 

All the best with the rest of the reconstruction.

Trish

 

Hi Louise,

Thank you for replying I really appreciate it.  I hope things settle down for you soon.  I feel a bit more reassured as I have had Registered Nurses telling me that the donor site is really painfull. 

All the best with the rest of the reconstruction.

Trish

 

Hi Louise

 

Thanks for the info, I didn't know that I couldnt have MRI while I have the expander in.... very interesting.

I am booked to have my ovaries out next month, but I will still need to be on Arimidex even once my ovaries are out.  I am not 40 yet but we have two children and are gratful for that.

Good luck and thanks for letting us know about the MRI thingy.

 

Tanya