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Jailbirdstreet's avatar
Jailbirdstreet
Member
8 years ago

Refusing tamoxifen

hi friends i am off to see my doc tomorrow to discuss tamoxifen. I am NOT KEEN.  I am already suffering hot flashes and vaginal atrophy and muscle aches  and no periods for nearly a year thanks ...
side-effects
tamoxifen
arpie's avatar
arpie
Member
8 years ago
@Afraser    Many Thanks for that - I have yet to have  the chat with the oncologist .... but so far only tamoxifen had been mentioned. From memory, my bone density is OK - tho I've been told the radiation can make the ribs a bit brittle ....    Hmmm, I can still feel the hot sweats & shitty mood changes ..... My arthritis (a family failing on my mother's side - and I copped ALL the bad genes) is mainly in the hips & knees (had surgery on both) & hands - but in the hands it is particularly bad - especially at the base of both thumbs.  Some days are worse than others.  Sometimes it is difficult to hold anything at all & opening bottles & other kitchen items - almost impossible.  :(  It has just gotten worse in recent months again too.  I'd been advised to have surgery on my left hand back in 2010 (luckily I didn't as my husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer the next month & that was the rest of the year 'gorn' one way or the other - and if I'd been 'in recovery from the surgery', it would have been really, really bad as it can take 5 years to recover from - as happened with a friend!!)  And now it is the right hand playing up instead!  :(   I have all sorts of gadgets to help tho.  Gosh - my vaginal atrophy started when I was about 50 - so not much activity down there in the last 15 years!  :(  My GP even has difficulty inserting a speculum for my pap smear as it is so painful!  :(  

Gee .... 10 years is a long time to be on that stuff ..... can they show you charts that show the improved quality & anticipated length of life, compared to just the 5 years of taking it (as you've already done?)  

All the best on YOUR decision making too!