MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Anonymous

Welcome Journey4life. This IS a great forum for sharing and laughing and encouragement.

Cindyl

I didn't have chemo, just rads and Tamoxifen but am considerably less hairy than I was before the big C. My arms are less, hairy as are my legs, underarms and private parts.  Still some hair, but I'm a dark haired sheep and used to have a lot more wool.  My hair on my head is thinner, but not baad.   My chin on the other hand?  Unless I pluck vigorously, I'm gonna look way more like my schnauzers than any of us would like.

elimar86861

Greetings, journey4life!  In a thread of this length, you just have to jump right in.  Looks like you have already been through the intense first year of B/C, so maybe your life is getting back on track.   Hope so.

staynsane,  The actual story of this thread is very mundane and doesn't involve any particular wisdom on my part.  In a moment of clarity, I knew i could not pass myself off as "young" anymore (and I think their B/C issues are a little different than ours are.)  Still, I wasn't quite ready for the "older" label.  Made a new little thread for myself then (surprise!) found out a whole bunch of others felt exactly th same way.  Add in a little story-telling and a dash of Clooney, and viola!, here we are over 700 pages later.

A new day, a new horror.  Today I am wrestling with the possibility of having a UTI.  Normally, I'd be able to diagnose myself in a quick second, but with rads to the pelvis, everything is beginning to get irritated down there*, so I can't be sure.  I had one lab test which was negative, but have antibiotics sitting on the counter (that they gave me the day before Xmas, just in case.  I have not used them yet)   I felt like I had been improving, but today feel bad again.  Am going to try and wait til Monday for another lab test so I don't take the antibiotics for no reason.  Bummed out if I have to be irritated like this for several more weeks.  Hurting.

(*)  The comparison would be the soreness you felt in the breast by about the 5th week of rads.  Remember how that area got quite inflamed?  So maybe that is all this soreness is, but it burns also because that's what a bladder does when it' angry.

p.s.  My picture at the top today is Rio at Christmas.  As in Brazil.  As in my reverse Brazillian hair pattern. Get it?  Aha-ha-ha-ha! 

heartnsoul76

Elimar - I've been having problems with UTIs but not UTIs for a few months now. Very miserable & painful. Nothing I know to do but lots of water and cranberry juice. Of course mine is not caused by rads. I'm starting to suspect the Tamoxifen. I saw one or two things on Dr Google connecting the two.



Nice to meet you journey4life! Hope to see you around often!



Cindy, my chin has sprouted a new hair or two since this all began 2 1/2 years ago. I hate those pesky things so much that I think I'm going to have them professionally removed.

marlegal

Eli, love the page topper (the Rio .. ahem Brazilian ... shot)

Journey, welcome! not that we want recruits because of the reason, but I love meeting new folks. We all bring something different to the table.

Hard to tell sometimes whether certain things - like hairy eruptions in places we'd rather not have that - are a result of BC, or our treatment, or meds, or just the plain old aging process. Not sure it matters really, not like it's going to make me like my chain hair any more or less!

juneaubugg

FYI my hot flashes are all but GONE!!!!! WOOT WOOT! Screw Effexor. I felt like shit and was sweating like crazy... I am now on Gabepentin. I started a month ago on 300 mg (100x3/day) and that helped immediately. After my MO appointment on Thursday she upped it to 600 mg (200x3/day), and said I can go up to 900 mg if needed. I probably will and perhaps be hot flash free. since I upped it I am barely flashing at all. No real night sweats either. I finally go to cuddle up next my DH last night under the blanket! I HIGHLY recommend trying it if your flashing like I was.



She also didn't like the 25 lbs I put on since treatment ended two months ago. I've already gone back to calorie counting and I bought a treadmill to walk on while I watch TV. It is going into the TV room today. I'm determined again. I'm not cleared to exercise yet, but hopefully by next week ill be back in Pilates after seeing my PS on Monday.



Happy New Year to all off I don't get back on here before then.

barbe1958

june be careful about weight gain with Gabapentin, Neurontin and that other one....you know..the third tenor! ehehhehehehe There are 3 drugs used for peripheral neuropathy that are used off-label for hot flashes. You can gain a pound a WEEK on them!!! I  just can't remember the name of the third one right now....hmmmm. 

juneaubugg

Shit Barb... Well that doesn't help the team, but I'd rather be heavier then flashing. My QOL was really affected.

butterfly14

Hi everyone, it's been awhile since I posted. I'm excited to be finishing my chemo tomorrow, and hoping that the hot flashes and baldness will end soon after.

I'm looking into different shampoos like Nioxin and taking Biotin suipplements. Has anyone tried these for hair regrowth? Also, how long do the hot flashes last after chemo?

Any insight will be appreciated.

Cindyl

butterfly-will you be taking tamoxifein?  That will impact the answer re. hot flashes.

elimar86861

juneaubbugg, I always recommend trying gabapentin before the other drugs because in a side by side by side comparison, gabapentin has a shorter list of drugs that it interacts with.  To me that is always a warning sign when a drug has hundreds of other drugs that it should not be taken with...I always feel like it is only a matter of time until I would slip up.  The gabapentin did not work for me and I think the trick is finding the right drug that works with your own brain chemistry, which basically amounts to guinea-pigging yourself to discover which works best for you.

Barbe, Since gabapentin is the generic of Neurontin, I will guess that the three you are thinking of are gabapentin (Neurontin,) venlafaxine (Effexor,) and amitriptyline (Elavil.)  I put the common U.S. brand in parentheses and they are probably called something else in Canada, but you can always Google check it.

maryah930

Juneaubgg ~ I agree with you, heavier is better than hot flashes.  I am not looking forward to that once again.  Thought I was over and done with them two years ago.

Barbe ~ Neurontin and Gabarone are the trade names for gabapentin.  Gabapentin (generic) is much cheaper than if your pharmacy fills the prescription as neurontin or gabarone.  I used to take it for facial neuralgia after my sinus surgery.

butterfly14

Cindyl - My MO wants me to do the oopherectomy after chemo becuause I also have lupus and a blood clotting disorder, and tamoxifen can cause blood clots. So he wants me to be in forced menopause to go on a different type of drug.

Cindyl

Ah butterfly, I see hot flashes continuing for you then.  It seems like any time they do the menopause thing..., or tamoxifein, or...

butterfly14

Cindyl - That is what I was thinking. I need to come up with some kind of relief, I have not sleep all the way through the night in 2 months.

barbe1958

Lyrica!!! Lyrica is the other one. I appreciate the input on Gabapentin/Neurontin, so that means there is yet ANOTHER one I'm missing....hmmmmm

Cindyl

Butterfly - I've had maybe 3 really good nights sleep since all this started... If  it's not hot flashes, it's leg cramps...  But I think both are slowly getting better.

LindaKR

Cindy1 - I've been using Hyland's homeopathic "Leg Cramps" & "Leg Cramps PM" they work great, takes about 15-20 minutes to take effect, but lasts for several hours - the PM ones actually help me sleep too.

butterfly14

Cindyl - does the Al cause leg cramps too? I was hoping that most side effects would be gone with chemo. Right now I will just be satisfied when I get my hair back.

Cindyl

Butterfly - My MO says my leg cramps have nothing to do with Tamoxifein, but other posters here say differently.  I don't mean to be discouraging, I've been on T for 6 months now, and the se's have diminished, but some days are still rough.  Hope your hair comes back fast!

Linda - I'll look for some of that stuff...

Joanne_53

I take 250 mg of magnesium for leg cramps and tired leg syndrome ... I did not have this problem before tamoxifen.

LindaKR

I take and AI and I did not have the cramping problem before (so I believe it's another AI issue), I actually get them in my legs, feet, arms, hands and mx area - and the "Leg Cramps" helps them all.  I tried Magnesium for several weeks and it didn't help me.

journey4life

Thanks for the warm welcome!

elimar - I wish my life were getting settled now that its been a year since dx. Unfortunately, in November when I had a prophylactic oopherectomy, there were some cancer cells in my right ovary (a new primary). So, I will be back on the chemo wagon I have an appt on the 4th with my MO and I imagine we'll set up my tx days. I can't believe I have to go through all of it again...some days, it feels like someone else's reality, not mine. It will be real soon enough!

For leg cramps, I've heard that quinine water helps. There are also quinine pills now if you don't like the taste of tonic water.

LindaKR

And the Hylands Leg Cramps is also available with Quinine, but I haven't tried that one yet.

Outdamnedspot

I've always found tonic water tastes better with a splash of Vodka and a good chunk of lime.

LindaKR

I like mine with a really good Gin

elimar86861

journey4life, The good news was you had planned to get that ovary out anyway, so good riddance; but I know it must be daunting to have to go through chemo yet again.  Do they give a Stage for ovarian?  Did you have node involvement?  I'm on a second cancer too, but I am a chemo first timer and really hate it but, as my RO says, I've got to hate cancer more.

Speaking of the leg cramps...I have had a couple "charley horses" recently.  Never had them before in my life, but I think mine coincided with coming off Tamoxifen.  (It was before my chemo began.)  Or perhaps it was my stopping my calcium/magnesium during this treatment.  Maybe that is more likely.

firework1068

Reconstructive Issue, need so e experienced advice.



I keep getting capsular constricture......this ti e it was on the right side( previous cancer site) I've had a BX and two lymph nodes removed on that side. So, I'm going back into the OR to start all over again.

I have heard if this keeps happening, the PS may say Im not a good candidate for reconstruction. I purposely had. bi lat so I could avoid radiation and the damage that occurs to skin. Anyone know something about this? Gratefully

Lorraine

marlegal

More than a page behind, so I'm answering as I read

Butterfly, my hair took a good 3-4 months to get just a few inches, but it was great hair! I was one of the few who didn't have so much as a bend, let alone a curl, but it still looked great. I've had very fine hair all my life and it did come back thicker. Over the next couple years, it settled back to normal thin/fine but by them I'd found a short cut that I liked and other did too, so it worked out fine. I wouldn't use any special products for a while - the hair is like baby new hair and most professionals say to just leave it alone till you have at least an inch or two of growth. Also, I modified my bedtime to compensate for being up several times a night. Since I was ER+ a lot of the supplements were out for me because they contained some form of estrogen. So I went to bed 30 minutes earlier and have stuck with that even now, many years later.

Outdamnedspot, my tonic water comes with vodka and lime also   I've had leg cramps most of my life. When doing chemo and taking tamox they were much worse. Since then they have subsided to almost nothing, but I still get the occasional.

marlegal

firework, lots of ladies taking a break from this thread over the holidays - make sure to keep checking for responses because I'm sure they will come. I personally didn't have recon so I'm not one of the ones who can help, sorry.