Worried about Tamoxifin side effects

Thanks Vicki For the tips on dealing with the possibility of Radiation burns... what cream did you use & did you use  cream before Radiation... I am fair skinned & really hope this does'nt happen to me.....  Christine :) 

Just a quick note about the radiation Christine.  I had that and not chemo.  I mostly breezed through it even going to my 30 sessions on my own, pretty much.  The only negative in the end was that I experienced surface type burns under my breast.  The last two weeks of treatments I would stop off at a special nursing station and they would bathe and dress the burn and then I would repeat the process at night.  Within a week of completing my course of treatment the skin in that area was completely healed and was so smooth and healthy.  So don't be alarmed if you end up with a bit of burn side effect.

Hugs,

Vicki

Thank you for the welcome :) &  I can see just  from the last  2  ladies & yourself  how supportive this network  is & I am glad I have joined, I should have put something up sooner  & maybe I would have saved myself  less stress.....Still trying to find my way around...I have'nt started tamoxifen or Radiation yet due to my stress & infection...My Dr does'nt want me to think about it until I see him next which is on 10th dec, as he wants to concentrate on getting rid off infection first... Then we can dicuss...At the end off the day you got to believe you are making the right choices ..This BC is certainly hard work... Let me know how you get on.. Thanks Christine:)

Yes it is the Estrogen that is the problem  &  as Janet was saying we are lucky to have the Tamoxifen to block it ..I  guess at the end of the day, we are all taking risks with the hope of a good out come....It's just all new to me this breast cancer journey & really hate making decisions on stuff I really dont understand.. if that makes any sense.....&  Yes Deane  please let me know how you get on...  Thank you for sharing  your concerns ... Christine:)

Thank you for your advice on Tamoxifen, it makes me feel a little better knowing that Im not alone on how I feel...I think I have read too much on Google...I have also been  quite shattered these last couple of days due to loosing my cousin to ovarian cancer  after winning her battle to breast cancer last year, very sad.... My  Dr wants me  to have an ultrsound tomorrow  to put my mind at ease as I have a history off ovarian cysts which have'nt been a problem in the past & my last ultrasound was 3 years ago...I guess that will take away a bit off stress from the situation...

I have just completed my chemo and radiation and am heading back to see the oncologist tomorrow. She has suggested that I will be going on to Tamoxifen. I too have concerns about this drug but as my cancer was more advanced than yours it is pretty important for me to do something about the estrogen to help prevent recurrence.

My oncologist has had me do some blood tests to check on hormone levels to see what chemo has done to them. I have inquired about the possibility of having a hysterectomy if this would be beneficial in my situation. I will be discussing all the possibilities for hormone treatment with her before coming to a decision. I will let you know how I go. It is a difficult situation to be in and like you I want to be sure I am not going to create another problem by taking this drug.
Deanne x

I have been on tamoxifen  for almost 11 months.  I was extremely anxious about taking it initally, almost to the point that I was considering not taking it. So much of what I had read on the internet was negative - weight gain, insomnia, depression etc. The list of possible side effects seemed to be endless.

However, to be honest, I haven't found tamoxifen too bad. I do get mild hot flushes, particularly at night. But they did start just after I finished chemo which has put me into early menopause (I'm 47). So maybe I would be having them even if I wasn't on tamoxifen. From time to time I do wake up very early in the morning (like today) but my insomnia seems to have lessened over time. I'm not finding it a major problem at the moment.

I've so far managed to avoid gaining weight but I am fairly careful about what I eat and I am exercising about 5 days a week. I suspect if I wasn't excercising so much my weight would creep up. But then again, I've always gained weight easily, so maybe nothing has changed there. I guess what I'm saying is that it's hard to be sure any particular issue is related to tamoxifen.

I do worry a bit about the risk of uterine or endometrial cancer. I plan to ask my gp to refer me for a pelvic ultrasound in a year or to just to make sure everything is okay there.

I guess my attitude now is that even though I don't like taking medication every day I am grateful that tamoxifen is available to minimise the chance of recurrance. My advice would be to give it try as it may not be as bad as fear and it could save our lives. Good luck, Janet.