Breast Cancer

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  • Gorger
    Gorger Posts: 100 Member
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    Tamoxafin is going to effect my eyes???? :sad:

    Tamoxifen can contribute to cataracts- as what seems to have happened to me. But it decreases the risk of cancer recurrence and has other beneficial effects. Some studies say it builds bones- which is great- because afterwards they often put ER positive women on Letrozole, a drug that I am on now -that causes a decrease in bone density. (Often times they put you on both drugs for awhile). Letrozole seems to be the drug of choice over Tamoxifen these days but you can only take it if you are post-menopausal or if they do something to stop your ovaries from functioning. Even though I was on Tamoxifen for close to 4 years in my life I still have Osteopenia which is the beginning of Osteoporosis. I read in "The intelligent Patient Guide to Breast Cancer' that it can also reduce cholesterol and lipids in the blood. Had I known that I would be taking Letrozole, I would have made sure I consumed lots of calcium when I was on the Tamoxifen, while I had a chance to save some of my bone. My bone scan says I have lost about 10% in my lower spine and in my neck so I may have to take other meds to stop the bone loss and those drugs have lots of side effects. Weight bearing exercise also stops bone loss. Another reason to exercise, girls!
    So...cataracts can be fixed... and the benefits to Tamoxifen may just outweigh the risks. I am a prime example of that because I stopped Tamoxifen early and I had a recurrence.
    * Remember I am just a patient, not a medical professional- but I'm single and have nothing else to do except read boring medical journals. hahahah
  • Gorger
    Gorger Posts: 100 Member
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    Hi,

    Quick intro. Diagnosed May 2010. 3 surgeries ending in a bilateral by July. Chemo ended Nov. 2010. Radiation ended March 2011. Finished herceptin In July. Now just arimidex. Coming up on my 6 month check. Goal of 2012 to lose 60 pounds and eating healthier. Looking forward to connecting with you. Now must get up and get ready or work. More of an intro later.

    Martha

    Welcome Martha! You are a brave warrior indeed! ....And you are still working! Wow! You are an amazing example for all of us! You are my beautiful hero!

    As for the potential blindness that I experienced....the cataract contributed to a thing called "Angle Closure Glaucoma".
  • fancyladyJeri
    fancyladyJeri Posts: 1,316 Member
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    Great information. Thanks.
  • Gorger
    Gorger Posts: 100 Member
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    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22254089

    Here's an interesting Pub Med Article that says that Vitamin E Tocopherol can act as Chemopreventive Activity in Breast Cancer. Apparently, Gamma-tocopherol-rich mixture of tocopherols is a very promising cancer-preventive agent and warrants extensive future research. I'm thinking the foods that have it could be walnuts, avocados and canola oil. ( Read the article because it is the anti-inflammatory properties that are in the y and the o tocopherols that have an effect. (There are different types of Vitamin E). I don't believe they are talking about the cheap Vitamin E that you get in the drugstore. ... I remember that I found Vitamin E helped me with the breast pain that I had. But I bought the expensive stuff in the health food store. Any interesting thoughts about this girls?
  • Spamee
    Spamee Posts: 148 Member
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    Hi!
    I am new to MFP. I will be a 4 year Warrior March of this year. I had 8 surgeries in 2.5 years. (lumpectomy, bilateral mastectomy -Started Reconstruction - , Exchange Surgery-PS really messed that up! I had Severe Symmastia , I Had a hole in my heart that I had to have fixed, Hysterectomy, Stage 1 SGAP & Symmastia 'fixed' , stage 2 SGAP, and my last surgery was 15 months ago, Stage 2B SGAP.
    I would just recover from a surgery...have about 1 month to work out a little, then it was time for another surgery.
    My surgeries have left me in constant pain. I try to ignore the pain as much as I can & still work out...Hoping that as I get my strength back the pain will lesson.

    I need to loose weight & also build some muscle back.
  • weemuse
    weemuse Posts: 40
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    So much to go through in a very short time! Remember that every surgery involving anesthesia also adds to chronic fatigue, making your workouts even more of a battle.
  • Spamee
    Spamee Posts: 148 Member
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    thanks, thats good for me to keep in mind weemuse when I feel fatigued often. I had about 25+ hrs of Anesthesia
  • calpollyana
    calpollyana Posts: 42
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    Hi! Glad you joined the group! You sure have been through the ringer. You must be a very strong person. Your still kickin' and fighting for an active and healthy life. I love it! I hope you have success here on mfp and continued health and healing.

    Rhonda
  • weemuse
    weemuse Posts: 40
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    Just wondering if there are any books you found/find particularly helpful during your treatment. My two favourites are:

    "Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book" (5th edition) by Dr. Susan Love.
    "The Chemotherapy Survival Guide" (3rd edition) by Judith McKay and Tamera Schacher (both oncology nurses)

    Kathy
  • Gorger
    Gorger Posts: 100 Member
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    Just wondering if there are any books you found/find particularly helpful during your treatment. My two favourites are:

    "Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book" (5th edition) by Dr. Susan Love.
    "The Chemotherapy Survival Guide" (3rd edition) by Judith McKay and Tamera Schacher (both oncology nurses)

    Kathy

    Hi Kathy
    In BC (British Columbia) they give a book free to all new Breast Cancer Patients. It is called "The Intelligent Patient Guide to Breast Cancer" written by Ivo Olivotto, Karen Gelmon, David McCready, Kathleen Pritchard and Urve Kuusk (they are all breast cancer Doctor specialists). It's totally excellent. If you can't find it where you are, we have a toll free cancer line and they will send it to you, probably for a donation if you are outside of BC. We also have toll free dietitians in BC etc. I am in Canada.
  • Gorger
    Gorger Posts: 100 Member
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    Hi!
    I am new to MFP. I will be a 4 year Warrior March of this year. I had 8 surgeries in 2.5 years. (lumpectomy, bilateral mastectomy -Started Reconstruction - , Exchange Surgery-PS really messed that up! I had Severe Symmastia , I Had a hole in my heart that I had to have fixed, Hysterectomy, Stage 1 SGAP & Symmastia 'fixed' , stage 2 SGAP, and my last surgery was 15 months ago, Stage 2B SGAP.
    I would just recover from a surgery...have about 1 month to work out a little, then it was time for another surgery.
    My surgeries have left me in constant pain. I try to ignore the pain as much as I can & still work out...Hoping that as I get my strength back the pain will lesson.

    I need to loose weight & also build some muscle back.

    ...And I also welcome you to the group. Wow! I'm so glad you joined us for support and motivation.
    Although everyone is so different with their experiences, I can say that I had a ton of pain too, until I found a Yoga teacher that studied my particular problem and helped me enormously. I had a lot of fluid build up from my mastectomy and my surgeon told me that it may take over a year before the fluid went away. I went to one Yoga class ...and because of the stretching ...the fluid went away after one or two sessions (a great surprise!) - as it enabled the fluid to escape, somehow. (Wierd but true). Also, my surgeons office told me to take Vitamin E and that also helped me with my pain. These things that worked for me may not apply to your situation but it goes to show you that perserverance is an asset. Your words inspire me. Keep dieting everybody!

    The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~Author Unknown
  • weemuse
    weemuse Posts: 40
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    I was also told that fluid in my breast would dissipate over a year or more... but I went to a massage therapist who is also licensed to do lymphatic massage and she got rid of it in two sessions. She just moved the fluids into the lymph system and my body took care of the rest.
  • motivated42
    motivated42 Posts: 8
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    Hi! So happy there is a group for us. It's good to know that we are not alone and others have fought and survived. My name is Val. I was diagnosed with (IDC) breast cancer, the day after Thanksgiving 11/25/11. I never thought this would happened to me. Before I was diagnosed, I was doing the p90x workout program and had lost 26 lbs. I still have a lot more to lose. It's great to know that we can support one another on this journey. All of us have different paths but we all want to lose weight and be healthy. My oncologist is doing the chemo first and then surgery. So far I've had 5 treatments. (Herceptin & Taxol) I am fighting because I want to see my children grow up and just enjoy the life that God blessed me with.
  • weemuse
    weemuse Posts: 40
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    Thanks very much! I'll check it out soon.
  • calpollyana
    calpollyana Posts: 42
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    I also go to a massage therapist who does lymphatic massage. She said that is especially good after chemo treatments, because it helps the body eliminate the toxins. I had four rounds of chemo in 2009 and I wish I had known about that back then. (: But now I get one once a month, and it makes me feel like a new person.
  • calpollyana
    calpollyana Posts: 42
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    Hi! So happy there is a group for us. It's good to know that we are not alone and others have fought and survived. My name is Val. I was diagnosed with (IDC) breast cancer, the day after Thanksgiving 11/25/11. I never thought this would happened to me. Before I was diagnosed, I was doing the p90x workout program and had lost 26 lbs. I still have a lot more to lose. It's great to know that we can support one another on this journey. All of us have different paths but we all want to lose weight and be healthy. My oncologist is doing the chemo first and then surgery. So far I've had 5 treatments. (Herceptin & Taxol) I am fighting because I want to see my children grow up and just enjoy the life that God blessed me with.


    Hi motivated! Yep we are fighters, all right. I had two kids, 12 and 8 at home when I was going through my treatments. It was hard sometimes to find the energy to keep up with everything. My mother in law came to stay after each round of chemo, and she cooked for the family. It was a blessing. It was so hard to be merciful and compassionate with myself. I wanted to be the same wife and mom as I was before, and I just wasn't able to keep up. Just remember that the vacuuming and mopping will eventually get done! I think cuddling one of the kids and reading was awesome mental health therapy me!
  • 1953Judith
    1953Judith Posts: 325 Member
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    I went through treatment in a state of numbness (it beat worrying), but about two years later, the emotional tidal wave of what I had been through hit me. I didn't want to remember what I had been through and what might be again, but I didn't want to forget all I had learned emotionally, physically and spirtually. Two things really helped me. 1) I did acupuncture for the stress and 2) I wrote down a list of as many meaningful things I had learned and/or wanted to retain from the experience, I cut out each item and put it in a basket. Every now and again when I am down about my health or my breast cancer past, I pull out items to read and remember until I feel better.

    On another note, I have had fluid in my lumpectomy spot for several years. My oncologist just monitors it and does a bit extra with followup mammograms and ultrasounds. Has anyone read if you should be concerned about the fluid. It doesn't both me.
  • Gorger
    Gorger Posts: 100 Member
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    I went through treatment in a state of numbness (it beat worrying), but about two years later, the emotional tidal wave of what I had been through hit me. I didn't want to remember what I had been through and what might be again, but I didn't want to forget all I had learned emotionally, physically and spirtually. Two things really helped me. 1) I did acupuncture for the stress and 2) I wrote down a list of as many meaningful things I had learned and/or wanted to retain from the experience, I cut out each item and put it in a basket. Every now and again when I am down about my health or my breast cancer past, I pull out items to read and remember until I feel better.

    On another note, I have had fluid in my lumpectomy spot for several years. My oncologist just monitors it and does a bit extra with followup mammograms and ultrasounds. Has anyone read if you should be concerned about the fluid. It doesn't both me.

    Hey Judith. My surgeon wasn't concerned about the fluid. But there is a Yoga move that's really easy and it drained it all away for me.
    While watching TV prop a pillow or two under your back when you are lying flat on the floor facing up. Support your head. Let both your arms hang below the pillows on either side of you-(below heart level...almost like you are trying to touch your elbows behind your back kind of thing. (Best way I can describe it). If you lie there for awhile it drains the fluid. Worked for me. Was gone the next day even though it had pooled there for a very long time. Maybe someone here that knows that yoga pose -and can better describe it...
  • weemuse
    weemuse Posts: 40
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    I also go to a massage therapist who does lymphatic massage. She said that is especially good after chemo treatments, because it helps the body eliminate the toxins. I had four rounds of chemo in 2009 and I wish I had known about that back then. (: But now I get one once a month, and it makes me feel like a new person.

    I never thought of lymphatic massage to help get the poisons and dead cells out! What an excellent idea!
  • weemuse
    weemuse Posts: 40
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    I went through treatment in a state of numbness (it beat worrying), but about two years later, the emotional tidal wave of what I had been through hit me. I didn't want to remember what I had been through and what might be again, but I didn't want to forget all I had learned emotionally, physically and spirtually. Two things really helped me. 1) I did acupuncture for the stress and 2) I wrote down a list of as many meaningful things I had learned and/or wanted to retain from the experience, I cut out each item and put it in a basket. Every now and again when I am down about my health or my breast cancer past, I pull out items to read and remember until I feel better.

    On another note, I have had fluid in my lumpectomy spot for several years. My oncologist just monitors it and does a bit extra with followup mammograms and ultrasounds. Has anyone read if you should be concerned about the fluid. It doesn't both me.

    Just wondering... if you've had an axillary node dissection and are avoiding, like me, needles on that side of your body, will acupuncture be as effective?

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