Needing advice....hormone therapy options

Simply

Hi all....I started Tamoxifen November 2014 and Zoladex June 2015. I haven't felt great since taking either of these drugs but after being on the zoladex for a few months I developed terrible GI type pain and an internal shake! I just feel terrible! I have now been taken off of the zoladex to see if that was creating the problems. Had my last shot in November and still feeling terrible. Starting to wondering if maybe it is the tamoxifen that is making me feel so bad. Legs are aching, ears are ringing, stomach pain, shaking....it's awful! I am just wanting to stop all of the drugs but that's a scary option too! Wondering about discussing ovary removal...it's just so hard to know what to do. I understand that these drugs are to help us but to what cost to quality of life?

Simply

and one more thing.....I only had my left breast off and when I discussed having the right one removed to decrease my recurrence odds everyone is telling me to just be careful with my screening and they don't recommend having the other breast removed....thoughts?

SelenaWolf

A few things to consider and keep in mind ...

Certainly discuss ovary removal with your doctor to see if this is an option for you; however, these days, many doctors are not recommending it for women who are not BRCA+ or who are under 50 years because of the potential medical issues (non-cancer related) that it can cause in the future, i.e., heart disease. Only you and your doctor can decide how the risks/benefits of ovary removal will affect you.

Also, even with ovary removal, you may still - depending on your personal risk - need to take some form of hormone therapy, such as an AI. AI's tend to be hard on your bones/bone density, so - again - you need to consider your personal/family history for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, etc. when considering this option.

With regards to a prophylactic mastectomy; the trend these days seems to lean toward the conservative. Unless you are BRCA+ and/or have a very strong family history of breast cancer, medical consensus seems to be that a prophylactic mastectomy is "over treatment", especially since it will not completely eliminate your risk of developing breast cancer in the future. (It will lower your risk considerably, but not eliminate it entirely.) However, if you find yourself worrying excessively and going through severe emotional turmoil every time you have to go for a mammogram on your remaining breast, then you also need to take your emotional health into consideration while weighing up all the pro's- and cons.

I hope this helps.

vlnrph

Check with your physician about the possibility of taking a brief "drug holiday" (go off the tamoxifen for a few weeks) in order to see if any of the most distressing symptoms ease up. Then, should they recur when you resume the medication, you have a better understanding of the situation.