Instant surgical menopause?

Hi Sandy,  I believe we have crossed paths before.  As part of my treatment I had surgical oophorectomy for my 3rd surgery.  Although I was 52 at the time, I had not started menopause and was ER & PR + with 80% receptors.  Of the 3 surgeries, the oophorectomy was by far the easiest, however I did take a long time to come out of recovery on the day, as for some reason I did experience pretty bad pain, however by the next day I was OK. (had overnight stay in hospital as I live nearly 5 hours away in the country, so doc wanted me to stay overnight just to be sure).  Maybe my body just reacted as it was the 3rd surgery in 3 weeks. 

At the time it was a pretty big emotional roller coaster having them out, however as I was also getting over the 1st op, and the 2nd being 30 nodes taken at auxillary clearance, maybe it was a culmination of all 3 ops that caught up with me.

I have suffered severe hot flushes, and continue to do so (3 years ago now), however I am also on Femara, so that would be contributing to the flushing also.  I do also get emotional and teary very easily, so maybe that is the lack of estrogen, however if that is the biggest price to pay, then I will be happy.  Prior to this all starting my bone density was very good (no doubt due to high estrogen) and each time I have had the bone density test since, my density is dropping.  I am due for another test next week, so it remains to be seen how low it has dropped in the last 18 months. 

I do know some ladies who are sorry they had the ovaries out, due to the side affects etc, however I am not sorry.  Yes I do suffer every day, and the guy who sits next to me at work thinks I am crazy having my fan whirring away next to me in the middle of winter, however if it helps to keep me free from recurrance, then thats OK by me.  Good luck with your decision.  I see you are fairly young and have young children, so if the doctors think it would be beneficial to help keep you to remain cancer free, then I would think seriously about doing it. 

I guess long term, I don't know what medical problems I will end up with because of the low estrogen.  I have read that it also increases your chance of a heart attack and all sorts of things that could kill us, however the cancer can also kill us first.

regards Aussieched

Hi Sandy, I am 39 and had breast cancer last year and I was tested for the gene, I carry BRCA1, so based on this I had an oophorectomy in January this year.  Yes, yes, yes, I was thrown into immediate menopause.  I do have mood swings, but they are starting to level out now, it was really bad at first.  But I have 2 major complaints - weight gain and hot flashes.  Other than that, it's not been too bad. I did acupuncture for the hot flashes and it does help.  Unfortunately I am still struggling with the weight gain, no matter how much I exercise, the weight is not going anywhere and I have changed my diet too.  Honestly for peace of mind, I am glad that I did have the surgery done.  I so do not miss the monthly visits.

Sandy---I had a TAH/BSO (everything removed due to large ruptured ovarian cysts--not by choice!); I'll be very honest, the first year was rough.   Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, very emotional; but I was recovering from major abdominal surgery and taking tamoxifen at the same time, so that  probably contributed a  lot. Things definitely leveled off over time, but 5 .5 years later, I still have hot flashes, but muscle stiffness and achiness are my biggest problem. (I took tamox 5 years, not take evista for prevention--I have LCIS and family history of ILC).

Anne

I was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago - I'm now 45.  I underwent a partial mastectomy, chemo and radiation.  I recently received testing that showed I have the BRCA2 mutation.  My family physician advised having oophorectomy/hysterectomy, however, my oncologist would not make a recommendation.  She said this was a decision I needed to make on my own, but did say if it were her, she would have the ovaries removed.  I had her begin the process of booking surgeons - ooph and bilateral mastectomy, but am now reading of some things that are a bit concerning. 

My biggest concern is the emotional toll this will all take.  I don't want to live my life worrying about a reoccurence or ovarian cancer, so would like to have this done.  My family doctor mentioned they might do some hormone replacement therapy for quality of life issues.  Has anyone heard of this being done?   

p.s.  I have never been less moody.  My sister, one year older than I, with natural menopause, is wayyyy moody and very crabby, almost nuts.

Me, I'm fine .

So nice to hear from you both.  I look forward to hearing how your sister is doing Issymom.  I hope for the less moodiness Anniealso.  It's been quite the emotional rollercoaster this past year.  I'd like a break : ) 

I'm going to see my family doctor on Friday and will ask him to check what my hormone levels are like now before anything is removed.  Could be that I'm quite low already.   

I'm so glad for this forum.  I've been part of a breast cancer support group, but haven't met anyone in person yet who had either BRCA 1 or 2 or the oophorectomy surgery.   

Sandy - That's exactly what I would say. I have not had mood swings at all. Yes, I get down or irritable, but it is directly related to an event, i.e. my father's death, kids refusing to clean their rooms. I'm not nearly as volatile when I am upset. I have a pretty steady feeling of calm that I've never had before. Some of it I attribute to cancer--don't sweat the small stuff, etc. Mostly, I think it's because I finally don't have the huge hormonal swings I used to have.  It's one of the few good things that's come out of this whole nightmare. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. 

Maura