Did your period come back after chemo? If so, when?

@"Kiwi Angel" Relish it.

@kmakm I know what u mean. I hate taking pills - I’m pretty excited that I have stopped the dex and will stop all their other pills I have been taking for chemo in the next couple of days - dulcolax, antihistamines, nexium, anti nausea, pain relief. 

@"Kiwi Angel" The amount of pills I am now taking, in my early 50s, horrifies me. The thought of adding more, to counterract the side effects of some of the others... Garrgh! If the Letrozole gives me the blues, will I have up the anti-depressant dose?! I don't want to be on those for too long. I'm pretty fed up with all this BC shit right now. Bloody expensive too. 

@kezmusc this journey certainly teaches us to find the silver lining in anything we can get our hands on. My biggest worry is getting depression on the medication as I have had issues with contraceptive pills in the past screwing me up. Bloody hormones!!

I really only had chemo brain through AC.  By the time I finished taxol it was gone and no sign during rads or the three weeks up to starting the Tamox.  It's definitely it because it goes away when I go off it.  So does the anxiety.  I copped blurred vision the first time around on it as well but thank fully that seems to have sorted itself out.

 Yes, my onc says it is the lesser of two evils as well and considering the issues with this one I probably would do worse on the Zoladex/AI combination.  There are a number of studies being done on the effects of Tamoxifen on the brain and central nervous system now finally.  So I guess it's not such a minority complaining about these things.

@"Kiwi Angel"  I am happy with the silver lining  I guess.  Something good has to come out of it.  LOL

Tamoxifen is generally used for pre menopausal women, and the likes of Arimidex and Aromasin is for post. They are  different medications, but I actually found Tamoxifen of the lesser evil than the others. Everyone reacts differently that's for sure....gee never heard of losing 8kg though on it, I wish that were a side effect of Aromasin lol uuugh! It really is dependant on your age, where you are in regards to menopause and specifically your personal diagnosis as to what medication is best. It is interesting as I found most symptoms described are what I had as a result of chemo moreso than the medication. x

@kezmusc it’s sux your get the anxiety w d fog from it - funny how u get weight loss and better cholesterol. It obviously really tries to latch on to your brain chemistry and then tries to give u a silver lining elsewhere. This whole BC thing certainly makes us tough as resilient!! My oncologist even said if she googles tamoxifen she finds it the most hated drug in the forums but personally finds it a better option than the others. Time will tell for me I suppose. Xoxox

Hey @"Kiwi Angel",

Like you said lovely, it's just the next step and another one of those things nobody knows until you start.  Hopefully you have no issues.  My libido was fine as well all through chemo and up to about 8 weeks on the HT.

Tamoxifen seems to leave my system pretty quickly though, so if it sux too much it is pretty much reversible and you could try something else. As far as how long it stays in your system depends on how long you are on it, your body chemistry, metabolism another one of those non definitive answers.  

I am week 10 back on after my last break.  I can feel the anxiety coming back, something I have never suffered in my life.  My memory is clapping out again and I'm starting to not be able to string a sentence together.  Add in a glass of wine and I'm flat out remembering my own name LOL.  It has taken longer this time around to kick in though.

My onc says my symptoms are severe and not common....interesting considering it takes under a minute on forums to find people having the same issues.

Seriously though, don't stress too much until you try it.  You might be perfectly fine.  

Anyhoo,  on a plus side.  (I know I've gone a bit off topic sorry) Each time I go off it something seems to get a little better and I can handle it for longer.  Aiming for 14 weeks on this time instead of 12.

On a plus side.  I have dropped 8kgs for no apparent reason other than the Tamoxifen and it has halved my cholesterol level.  I spoke with another lady the other day who said her periods came back unexpectedly after two years at 55. 

Who knows what your body can come up with.
xoxo

My hot flushes started immediately after 1st infusion of chemo and were fast and furious. I still get them somedays worse than others uuugh. Kate the hot flushes can die right down to barely nothing then back up to 100 lol. You can ask your Oncologist about it, the biggest thing I still get is the mood/emotional swing big time very odd! but no period and strangely Ive always felt since not getting a period since chemo that I am thicker around the waist. It is so true what they say about menopause you do put on weight and is so difficult to shift. I never had problems with weight prior to treatment, but chemo and menopause are chronic! 

Can't help with your question @kmakm as I officially hit the one year no period mark in January (one month after diagnosis).  But right through last year, and the 6 months before that when I had a couple of periods, my body often gave weird signals as if something was happening but then didn't.  As it turns out, according to the onc, there must have still been a small amount of oestregen begin produced by my ovaries this year as he reckons that's what was causing the hot flushes and night sweats on AC.