Symptoms prior to diagnosis

LtotheK

Christine, no kidding.  I feel like I could have been spared this cancer, possibly, had I addressed the D years ago.  Good to know about the meal!  I often take it in the morning with cereal, and that's probably not ideal.

5,000 is in D3 and you can get it at the health food store.  Everyone goes on about the 50,000 not working as well, but it did just fine getting my numbers up.  Thing is, the doctor wouldn't continue to prescribe it once I got over 30.  She thinks that's enough, I'm of the mind why not try to go for 60, it doesn't seem to be a threat in any way.

christine47

I am with you, higher should be better, my onc told me once a week for just a month on the 50,000, then once per month.  When I told him my endocrinologist friend suggested 50,000 every week for months, he wrote a rx for 60 tabs, that was in Jan.  The endocrinologist suggested the links between low D and diabetes is also huge and not being studied very well since there is no money in Vitamin D. 

Letlet

Like a couple of ladies here, i was so so very tired prior to diagnosis. Im the one supporting the family financially, hubby watches the kids and goes to school at night. I would sleep on the bus, the weekends. I thought the tiredness was just par for the course, now i know that the cancer was causing it, and my vit d level was in the toilet too.

Wonderland

I had hair loss and extreme fatigue for 6 months before diagnosis. I thought I was going through menopause.

hdangelbaby

I know this is a hot topic, but i swear swear swear this is what either caused or sped up my BC.

I was on ortho tricycline for 14 years. I developed ovarian cysts. the birth control just wasn't working that well anymore.

march of 2010, go in for yearly pap and breast exam. breast exam was clean. doc put me on Yasmin, supposed to be great for acne (which i started getting again), and ovarian cysts.

June-sept 2010, having terrible migraines. had to go get on fioricet for migraines. had them at least once a week. missed work due to them

sept 2010, I get really really sick with the flu. Like all out fever (which i never get, even when i'm sick, when i had strep on chemo, i didn't even get a fever) was in bed for 3 days.

sept 15 2010, found lump, by accident after shower.

fast forward  oct 2010, went to doc for lump and migraines again, doc said i must have high estrogen levels, causing the migraines (birth control ya think?), had ultrasound,biopsy, diagnosis, and on oct 18th, had my lumpectomy with axillary dissection.

came back IDC with 2 involved lymph nodes. and yes, both breasts would itch like mad . just popped up kind of whenever. this was during the summer of 2010 when i was also having the migraines. I knew I had cancer as soon as i felt that lump... and i knew it was from the Yasmin. You know when something's not right, cause you can feel it in your gut.

I'm a month out of chemo, starting rads soon, and neither had a migraine or itchy breasts since the surgery.......

hdangelbaby

oh, and i was exhausted all the time during that summer too.,. no amount of sleep felt enough

TonLee

I was tired for about a month before the actual diagnosis (thought it was my thyroid).

Except it was REALLY REALLY easy to lose weight.  I could cut back 300-400 calories a day, and drop a pound every two days....I totally lost my appetite....went from size 3 to having lots of room in a 1.

The only other thing I can tell you is I felt "puny."  Meaning, when I looked at a picture of myself, I thought, "I look fragile.  There isn't a robust healthy glow about me."  Sure I was fit, and tan, but looking back at the pics, I can see it in my face. 

Puny.

barbe1958

Christine, tablets for vitamin D??? I understood it had to be liquid D3.

Fearless_One

Wonderland, interesting about your hair.   Now that you mention, it my hair got really dull in the months before my diagnosis (along with my extreme fatigue).   I had noticed it coming out more in my brush, too.    

TonLee

Yes!  The hair thing.  Mine broke off in a mohawk effect on the top of my head.  I had to wet it, and spray it down.  I forgot about that!!!  Though at the time, I thought it was thyroid...

Anonymous

Oh yes, I completely forgot about the fatigue - that was awful.  I would fall asleep while people were in mid-conversation with me while at work.  Then I was told by my Dr that I had a Vitamin D deficiency during the month preceding my diagnosis. Now, I'm on 50,000 Vit D weekly.  I'm feeling better now.  Just awaiting my first chemo round...

Thank you ladies for your input. 

dsnydawn

I had itch on nipple...just like another poster said..felt like inside.  I tried lotions because I thought is was dry and never associated it with bc.  But after lumpectomy wednesday had tumor at 12 o'clock and in tissue at 9 o'clock(where i was itchy) I would say probably 6 months to a year and after thinking about it, my husband reminded me that I told him that I though my breast had leaked (like when you are breastfeeding) but I never thought to even complain...not saying that all itches will be bc, but def something I will pass along in the future...hey you never know

Anonymous

I too felt exhausted all the time prior to my dx. Then I felt great the last few months after changing my diet to raw veggie juices and organic chicken and salmon and eliminating wheat, dairy, sugar. Now with the chemo I am back to feeling exhausted, which frankly, feels a bit scary -- like I'm going backwards.

Fearless_One

dsnydawn, I forgot about the slightly tingling nipple!  

pj12

windlass,

You are so in the middle of all of this, a time when it feels like life will never get back to normal. I hope time will help you heal and get your strength back. Bless you and everyone here going through difficult times. 

Anonymous

Thanks, PJ. It's good to hear from someone who has already finished this process that life does return to "normal." I really need that reassurance.

christine47

barbe1958, my D vitamin is a rx, small green capsule, is probably liquid center, and easy to swallow.  It is 50,000 IU, and has taken me from a low of 10 to now 39.  So it is working. 

Thatgirl

Yes. Yes. Yes. I was extremely tired. I went to my Dr. because I thought I had a thyroid problem. I also had him check my vitamin D which he told me was fine. At my dx my vit d was 17 or 18. I



If itching could be a liver problem it's not far fetch from cancer. She is er+. If our liver breaks down estrogen and if it was overloaded and over worked itching could be a se.

barbe1958

I had deep red blood (not brown) coming out of the nipple on my cancer side. They said it didn't even have anything to do with my breast cancer. I don't know about that one.......but it DID make them look closer. My tumour was at the 6 o'clock position at the bottom of my breast. No where near the nipple. My nipple didn't itch.

Titan

Marcy..thanks for starting this topic! I just felt blah..people tell me NOW that I look liked crap then also...good friends right?  HA HA

FWIW..tho guess not on topic..I take 4000 IU's D3 per day...started out at 41 now up to 59..plan on getting it a alot higher than that.