Hi everyone, I'm new to both BC and this forum. I was diagnosed with invasive LC (triple neg) and LCIS (hormone pos) in Oct 22, aged 43. I've had WLE, chemo and radiation. Am now on baby tamoxifen 5mg. First few weeks were ok but now I just feel like crap. Fatigue, nausea, heavy feeling in my pelvis, Aches and pains, head aches. Is this all normal and anyone else have the same? Am a bit paranoid it is not the baby tam but something else...the anxiety is a killer!

Hi @Viv_1979, talk to your oncologist. I took tamoxifen for 18 months but fatigue and breathlessness were hard for me so I switched meds to AI. I did not have the side effects you are experiencing. If you have a breast care nurse have a chat to them but definitely give your oncologist a call. Best wishes to you.

Oh yes, I get cranky when these plum colour bruises appear - mainly on the hands and arms. No recollection of knocking into something to cause same!My Mum was the same at this age so I assumed it was in my make-up. She didn't have Breast Cancer but was on lots of meds for other ailments. So maybe it's the meds......

Hi @Viv_1979 - SO sorry to see you join our select little group - hopefully we can help you thru this difficult time xx. Make sure you let your Onc know of these side effects - you do NOT have to put up with them, unassisted xx. Please feel free to join the private Triple Negative group - jump on here & hit 'join'https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/30-triple-negative-breast-cancer-tnbcIt looks like you've got a double bunger - both triple negative AND hormone positive .... hence the Tamoxifen. Often it has 'less side effects' that some of the other Aromatase Inhibitors .... but it basically puts you into 'menopause', hence the weird stuff happening to you just now.Can I ask what your age is? Had you gone thru menopause already? Even if you had, the meds will ignite some of the 'side effects' too :( What region do you live in? Are you in a city or regional/rural? We may have members nearby who can point you to available support groups nearby. (You can add your 'general' location to your profile.)Also, check out this post, which shows a lot of other areas in the forum that you may like to explore - showing off your furkids, your garden, art & craft & many other things .... we even have some laughs & share 'wise sayings' too .... https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/23477/a-big-welcome-to-all-our-new-members#latesttake care x

Hi @RedRose77. Im not on tamoxifen got switched to anastrozole. I have those lovely bruises on my face. I have discovered that I scratch my face during my sleep or if i wear my rings to bed the bruises are bigger and worse. i sleep on my side with my hands under my face. I have to keep my nail very short or the scratch marks are like I’ve been attacked. I didn’t know what i looked like while sleeping because thats not the way I start out. My daughter informed me. Since going on the Ibrance the purple blotches are not restricted to my face. My arms have always got some sort of purple bruise somewhere. It only takes a brush up against something to create one. Other than sitting around doing nothing which is not going happen i have learnt to live with them. I don’t even bother covering them up anymore the makeup routine took too much time. I have been told the older you are the thinner your skin gets. And our treatment does age us a bit faster. My oncologist once said that she probably aged me about 10 years I hope this helps when you see your oncologist next ask him/her about it.

@RedRose77 I would send you a picture of mine but might not look too pretty theres one on my wrist thats about 2 inches by 2inches the one on my face atm is like the grandkids got to me with a texta. Did the washing today and now have 3 more to add to the collection on my arm and of all places my fingermy SIL reckons its old age. But she’s older than me and doesn’t get them quite like these. My brother who is on hormone blocker for metastatic prostate cancer gets ones like mineone thing i did notice is if I knock myself hard enough. i bleed like a stuck pig and its the tiniest nick. Which takes weeks to heal. This cancer ride is certainly challenging. Let me know what your oncologist says about it if I remember i see mine next Thursday I’ll ask her

Tamoxifen side effects | Online Network

arpie
Member
2 years ago
Hi @Viv_1979 - SO sorry to see you join our select little group - hopefully we can help you thru this difficult time xx. Make sure you let your Onc know of these side effects - you do NOT have to put up with them, unassisted xx.

Please feel free to join the private Triple Negative group - jump on here & hit 'join'
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/30-triple-negative-breast-cancer-tnbc

It looks like you've got a double bunger - both triple negative AND hormone positive .... hence the Tamoxifen. Often it has 'less side effects' that some of the other Aromatase Inhibitors .... but it basically puts you into 'menopause', hence the weird stuff happening to you just now.

Can I ask what your age is? Had you gone thru menopause already? Even if you had, the meds will ignite some of the 'side effects' too :(

What region do you live in? Are you in a city or regional/rural? We may have members nearby who can point you to available support groups nearby. (You can add your 'general' location to your profile.)

Also, check out this post, which shows a lot of other areas in the forum that you may like to explore - showing off your furkids, your garden, art & craft & many other things .... we even have some laughs & share 'wise sayings' too ....
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/23477/a-big-welcome-to-all-our-new-members#latest

take care x
Cath62
Member
2 years ago
Hi @Viv_1979, talk to your oncologist. I took tamoxifen for 18 months but fatigue and breathlessness were hard for me so I switched meds to AI. I did not have the side effects you are experiencing. If you have a breast care nurse have a chat to them but definitely give your oncologist a call. Best wishes to you.
marg16
Member
2 years ago
Hi @Viv_1979, I trust that you have managed to get some advice from your oncologist. I had a mastectomy end of October including lymph node removal and commenced 5mg tamoxifen about 10 days ago. I have been monitoring the symptoms pre-tamox and now post-tamox to see if it is "me" and menopause (which I struggled with anyway) and what are the effects of tamoxifen - basically to separate them. Over the next couple of weeks I need to increase the dose to 10mg per day and have been warned it could be a difficult 3 - 6months as it all settles. I get the menopause symptoms and headaches in the morning and focus on hydration to try and relieve that which I have some success with. I was told to "play around" with the timing of the dose and to take it after breakfast to reduce nausea, and I find I also need to take metamucil daily. Bloating and swollen ankles are becoming a daily occurrence :-(. I have really low days and some days quite good and am seeing a counsellor to help with that however that occurred pre-tamox. So I am back in 6 weeks (now 4 and a half) to speak with the oncologist and will be able to provide an update to her then on the side effects caused by the tamoxifen and ask what I can do to relieve them, particularly if the strategies I am putting into place are not working. For me, quality of life is very important. Good luck in these early days of treatment and trying to establish a new norm for yourself. <3
RedRose77
Member
2 years ago
Hi all,

I have a question about tamoxifen. I have started on it about 2 weeks ago and wanted to know if anyone who takes it has noticed they are bruising easily?
I woke up the other morning and noticed a bruise on my chin (no injury before) but I had squeezed a pimple the day before 😬 it doesn’t hurt, just doesn’t look very nice. And it has never happened before.
Aska
Member
2 years ago
Hi @RedRose77
I've been on Tamoxifen since August. 20mg daily. Sorry, I don't have bruising as a side effect.
cranky_granny
Member
2 years ago
Hi @RedRose77. Im not on tamoxifen got switched to anastrozole. I have those lovely bruises on my face. I have discovered that I scratch my face during my sleep or if i wear my rings to bed the bruises are bigger and worse. i sleep on my side with my hands under my face. I have to keep my nail very short or the scratch marks are like I’ve been attacked.
I didn’t know what i looked like while sleeping because thats not the way I start out. My daughter informed me. Since going on the Ibrance the purple blotches are not restricted to my face. My arms have always got some sort of purple bruise somewhere. It only takes a brush up against something to create one. Other than sitting around doing nothing which is not going happen i have learnt to live with them. I don’t even bother covering them up anymore the makeup routine took too much time. I have been told the older you are the thinner your skin gets. And our treatment does age us a bit faster. My oncologist once said that she probably aged me about 10 years
I hope this helps
when you see your oncologist next ask him/her about it.
RedRose77
Member
2 years ago
Thank @cranky_granny. I did try covering with makeup but it’s too big and just makes it worse. I’m seeing the oncologist in a couple of weeks so I’ll mention it to him.
cranky_granny
Member
2 years ago
@RedRose77 I would send you a picture of mine but might not look too pretty theres one on my wrist thats about 2 inches by 2inches the one on my face atm is like the grandkids got to me with a texta.
Did the washing today and now have 3 more to add to the collection on my arm and of all places my finger
my SIL reckons its old age. But she’s older than me and doesn’t get them quite like these.
My brother who is on hormone blocker for metastatic prostate cancer gets ones like mine
one thing i did notice is if I knock myself hard enough. i bleed like a stuck pig and its the tiniest nick. Which takes weeks to heal.
This cancer ride is certainly challenging.
Let me know what your oncologist says about it
if I remember i see mine next Thursday I’ll ask her
iserbrown
Member
2 years ago
Oh yes, I get cranky when these plum colour bruises appear - mainly on the hands and arms. No recollection of knocking into something to cause same!
My Mum was the same at this age so I assumed it was in my make-up. She didn't have Breast Cancer but was on lots of meds for other ailments.
So maybe it's the meds......
cranky_granny
Member
2 years ago
@iserbrown my mum was 71 when she passed away from heart attack. She was also on a concoction of meds for her she got smaller versions of them. I believe its called purpura or something like that. Age and some medications can cause it. I’ve just presumed its a combination of the 2 but I never thought being 66/67 was old.