THERMAL DISCOMFORT

To be honest, I dont do anything for the Hot Flushes LOL, mainly at night I sleep lightly with a sheet and leg out LOL. Yes I have friends that were early stages and too were not placed on hormone blockers. Have to be guided by your Oncologist I think. I had no side effects on Tamoxifen, but Arimidex I do so am trialling 6 weeks off and then back on. I suffer achey legs, joints  and feet in particular and cannot walk after sitting, its like an old lady and on hot coals. Awful! 

Hugs to you MEL 
What do you do about the hot flushes then, sounds like you are having a horrible time.  I'll find your story amongst stories.  I'm sorry to hear that and I have no idea what is ahead of me...
My Surgeon says I have a couple of months to think if I want to go on hormone blockers, the oncologist says don't have the hormone blockers as only 1 out of a 100 women have been saved from cancer from taking the hormone blockers over 10 years.  They say my breast cancer is early stage, and the side affects of the hormone blockers including all the menopausal symptoms is not worth it. With my hot flushes and aching legs.   I have osteopenia now so I need hormones etc....

@Myjourney it does sound very much like the hot flush, this is how mine are as you describe, mine dont rise at all, its an all over heat and then I get a bead of sweat across my forehead. I was on Tamoxifen for 4yrs and it DID NOT cause hot flushes at all. At recurrence at 4yrs, I was taken off Tamoxifen in 2015 and when I started Chemo..BAM Hot flushes and have had them 14 months now post chemo as it threw me into Menopause. Im currently off Arimidex and has had NO bearing whatsoever on the hot flushes, I still get them LOL. So for me, its purely menopause and aramostose inhibitors don't cause the flushing. Hugs Melinda xo

Ok you have helped me a lot, it has to be a return of menopause symptoms and as you point out that is good as my hormones will be lower to help prevent cancer.

I have discovered footwear has helped relieve my leg weight bearing issues.  I went into a store that sells this fuddy duddy nana shoes, the smart shoes with arches etc.

I bought an expensive pair of sandals with an arch, the brand is "Arches".  I didn't get a strap at the back which I need to keep my feet straight, otherwise they give me so much comfort and take pain away from my legs, hopefully this could help.

Oh dear you don't need that added pressure but I do understand that your employer is looking for you to be who you were, before this all happened; none of us realise until we are in it that a diagnosis, some treatment and or surgery is not the end of it.  It keeps giving!

My legs ache, like the bones are aching especially at night.  I find if I go for a bit of a walk it helps my well being probably more than the aches. My left arm also aches but that is a direct result of surgery and the lymphatic system is finding new path ways as nodes were removed.   

I was taking Panadol Osteo regular as he suggested but now I only take them when I need to.  If I have a busy day planned, like yesterday, a Board meeting or the like I will take them to allow me to get through what I am doing as once it starts it dominates my thoughts and I struggle to concentrate - that won't be good for you in a work situation.
Hope that helps
Take care

Estrogen helps regulate our body's temperature so when your estrogen levels are reduced (menopause, chemotherapy, tamoxifen, arimidex etc) the body struggles with maintaining an even temperature and we have hot flushes or chills or both. 
A lack of estrogen also causes joint, muscle and bone pain (fabulous hey!) so it sounds like you are experiencing a drop in your estrogen levels which is very important if you are ER+ .
Something that worked for me with dealing with hot flushes is to visualise cancer cells being burnt up in flames. This does not actually happen but the imagery worked for me and I have got to the point where I accept hot flushes with a smile - well maybe it's a bit of a grimace but I know that the hot flushes are a symptom of low estrogen and I know that low estrogen will help reduce my risk of recurrence so that somehow makes me feel better about it all. 

If anyone has any ideas about how to mentally deal with joint pain I'm all ears!

Love your cat....
Can you tell me a bit more about how your aching legs feel like and are you taking the Panadol Osteo every 8 hours etc...have you been told we can keep taking it...
I haven't been to work since October, I'm getting scared at how I'm going to get back there as I'm up in the air.  My boss has put pressure on me not to be a failure, as be emotionally and physically fit.  

Hi - hot flush I am not sure that it has a definite pattern - mine is beads of sweat across the forehead and in the scalp but I do know others who just flush from what appears to be the feet up, red all over extremely hot and then it passes!
 
Mine has only come on since I started taking Tamoxifen however still not sure if Tamoxifen is the culprit, or other medication that I am on or if it is just pure menopause, which I doubt as prior to BC I had no menopause symptoms whatsoever!  I have the aching legs and Oncologist told me to take Panadol Osteo.

Probably confused you a little more however your body is doing a lot of adjustment as it is working to kill off any stray cells.  They say gentle exercise can help!  Most states run the Encore program http://www.ywcaencore.org.au/
- as it may help with the muscles and aches!

There is a resource booklet on this site
https://www.bcna.org.au/media/2129/bcna_exercise_and_breast_cancer_booklet_0.pdf


Take care

Thank you everyone, it's nice to be able to speak to real people who understand.  
I'm not on hormone blockers as I'm still in recovery of radiation.  Surgeon says I won't go on them until a few months.  I don't think I will.
Why I don't think it is a hot flush is that I have had them before and for me they start from the bottom and rise.  Where this experience is even throughout my body and just radiates burning heat. It started half way through my radiation.
I was on bio identical hormones (troche), but was told to stop this once they found eostrogen and progesterone fuelling my cancer.  I had only been on the troche for three years.  Didn't make the five where they say it's safer.
That was on the 29/12/16 stopped cold.  For a week I was fine then it hit me, my menopausal symptoms is from hips through legs aching bones etc, I can't weight bare. Hard to walk.  I need hormones to stop this.  I didn't get any fog or hot flushes (which I haven't had for a long time).

The cancer nurses told me to take Panadol Osteo which has taken the edge of my pain in the legs.

Now I just need to stop this heat issue.  Can a hot flush be as I describe it?

@Myjourney  sounds more like hot flushes, they do lessen over time. Mine were one after the other when I started treatment, even to the point of sweat dripping of me to the ground.................now, though I am still having treatment, they have lessened considerably & some days I have none at all...