Hi all, I'm 54yo, just had a single mastectomy and my prognosis is looking good. Oncologist is just waiting for the Endopredict to return a result but is hedging towards Tamoxifen or similar. The more I read the more I'm stressing about taking any of these drugs (my mum was on it 40 years ago and from memory, it wasn't pretty).
Are there any good news stories out there? or is it terrible for everyone? Thanks P
Hi Paula I’ve also had a unilateral mastectomy, multifocal invasive carcinoma. Aged 50 at the time I wasn’t in menopause, so was prescribed tamoxifen and zoladex which I commenced in January. I’m told that the chemical menopause is not dissimilar to what I would have experienced had it happened naturally. Side effects have been manageable with exercise, nutritious food and magnesium spray for wakefulness.
Hi PaulaF72 - I'm 47 and started on Tamoxifen five months ago. For me the first week or so was fine, followed by two months that were a bit difficult.
I went through a lot of side effects, some lasting a day or two while others persisted for a few weeks. I didn't have great sleep due to the side effects. None of it stopped me working or doing every day things. My oncologist listened to the side effects, gave some suggestions, and asked me what I wanted to do - I told him I'd keep going because it felt like the side effects weren't as strong as they had been.
The side effects began to ease so I'd only notice odd things occasionally. This past month I haven't had any noticeable side effects at all and I am hopeful that this is now how it will go from here.
Not everyone will get side effects. I was hopeful I would be one of the lucky ones but when I wasn't I ploughed on anyway and held onto some wise words I found in these forums that the side effects show that the medication is working.
All the best with deciding which next treatment path to take.
Thank you for taking so much time! I’m so pleased it’s going so well for you. Good luck on the rest of your journey.
