Multiple Sclerosis and Breast Cancer

FATIGUE.............It is the#1 common complaint for MS. I'm good in the a.m. but around 2:00 I'm done. I hope you soon get answers about your symptoms. and I hope it is NOT MS. There doesn't seem to be much the drs can do for you, only put you on DMT's, Disease Modifying Treatments, to 'hopefully' slow down the progression, or put you on steroids during a relapse. A few years ago my neuro said "there's nothing else we can do for you.See ya in 6 months. Not very reassuring.

Good luck on the 15th........Maureenxox

Hi Beckers,

You can obtain a copy of the written report of your MRI from the hospital or imaging facility when it becomes available. But you'll have to decipher it yourself before you see your neuro. I had to pick up my report and films before my appt. with the neuro.

Saw my neuro. I too had a flair lesion show up. He said blood brain barrier stays open about 30 days. Crazy. Are you all on meds? He recommended a new one that costs $55,000 a year. That's NUTS!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly Chef I'm scared to go back on and I'm scared not to. It's been many years for me and I don't want to push my luck. (I took Avonex and Copaxone in the early years.) This new med is called Tecfidera and it's oral. He said instead of weakening immune system it's protects the cells.

Hi Beckers,

LDN is Low Dose Naltrexone. It claims to be a "cure-all" for so many conditions. Many MS'ers swear by it on disease control and diminishing sysmptoms??? Many cancer patients also take the LDN. The cost is approx 50$ a month via a compounding pharmacy. Its controversial b/c there is little profit to drs and big pharma. I want the right to at least try it.

The s/e's and cost of MS drugs are outragous. Makes me feel that I am being taken advantage of. I have NO s/e's w the copaxone except injection site reactions, but the cost.........

Anyway, research the LDN. You'll learn more than I can tell you. Did you check the s/e's of the oral Ticfidora..OMG. FU. NO THANX.

No worries Maureen. I share your feelings. That is why it is such a quandary. Damned if we do and damned if we don't is right. Heavy sigh...

Annette F. started out with PPMS, and seemed to end up in a wheelchair soon after we heard about her MS. I grew up with A.F. and the Mickey Mouse Club. M I C..KEY..MOUSE. I loved her. So I don't like to compare myself to her. I have had MS for a LOOOOONG time, I think, in hind sight, since my teen years?????? It has been pretty B9 til 4 years ago and if I was properly treated I don't think I'd have the perm damage?? I went to NYC yesterday to visit my son and we took a walk for coffee (he walked and I gimped) and I said I was ready for a scooter. He pointed out that I was getting excersize and if I started to use a scooter I'd never get up and walk?

BC, for me, has been an easy journey b/c I refused all the treatments xcept surgery and rads.If I get mets that I cannot control, well, gimmee opium and slowly put me out of my misery.

Now that the question is in front of me, MS or BC, I simply cannot predict the future. They both suck. But the MS has impacted my life a lot harder than BC.

AND......your thoughts?

XOX...Maureen

Beckers,

Please don't assume that you will cross over to SPMS. Many never do.

When I had my last attack I went to the ER, not thinking it was an MSrelapse. They were clueless. By the time I called my neuro it was "too late" for steroids to stop the attack. DENIAL, I guess. If you feel an attack, see your neuro FIRST.

Beckers,

I never really had a relapse that interfered with my very busy and active life. Maybe I was SPMS all along?? And then like you said "BAM".........................MS SUX.

How are you handling the Tamoxifen?

S

Beckers,

I'm sorry the tamox is kicking your ass. I chose to keep my hormones in tact for as long as I survive this beast so NO AI's for me. Hormones and MS are related. Pregnant women w/ MS do better b/c of the hormone changes in the 3rd trimester. I need to research this more. Stats say I'm increasing my risk for BC recurance but I won't play with my hormone level, and possibly hurt my MS control??????????????????????? If I read anything relevent I'll post about it.

xox...Maureen

When I had that attack I was starting perimeno and my hormones were going nuts (unbalanced) coincidence??? I believe they are related. Thats also when my breast lump started to change---cancer.

Estrogene has a way of producing in your body w/o overies. Its necessary for female health, Aderenal glands, body fat, especially belly fat, the food you eat, enviornment, etc. Some good estro, some bad. Tamox has a different mechanism of action, it binds to the recepters acting like estro so the estro doesn't enter the receptors...something like that? The AI's kill off the estro.

I saw my neuro yesterday and he said hormones ARE related to MS, but he had no answer to why or how. He needs to do some research on the subject to catch up. Its called continuing education. idiot.lazy. I guess he feels that 4years of med school is enough.

Interesting, yes but for me, NO thanx. I did hear about trials and tx's with chemo drugs for MS. It is thought that a strong immune sys will attack the host as in MS. A weak immune system will not fight cancer. Chemo does kill cancer cells while killing the immune sys making it MS 'friendly'. Is that effect on MS temporary? until the immune sys rebuilds? I want a strong immune sys to fight the cancer. I often wondered if the copaxone was a immuno suppressant making it bad for cancer but good for MS. Copaxone is an immuno modulater, what ever that means. I'm still confused. I hope I'm not confusing you too. That article mentioned several chemo drugs and tamox and arimidex. The later 2 drugs are not chemo drugs. soooooooooooo dah IDK.

Beckers, Isn't it past your bedtime? 4:30 a.m.

OOPS. I hope my brain starts going in the right direction! I went 3 hours ahead instead of 3 hours back in time Is it MS or just old age? My family lives in So Cal so I'm well aware, sometimes.

I'm going to read the insert of 2 pages of fine print again for the copaxone. Its so hard to know, logicaly what the right thing to do is. The drs don't know, shared solutions doesn't, maybe the researchers know? Will they disclose that info? I am sooo suspicious of the large profits at 5,000$ a pop because of the high cost of research. Do they really want to lose that revenue b/c copax MAY cause of worsen CA?

My immune system is kicking ass according to blood work, so, so far no obvious supression. Can we treat both MS and BC simultainiously?? We deserve better answers but maybe NO ONE KNOWS. A dialoge here is all we have.

Thanks Live2Laugh. I have started supplements that deliver mega antioxidants and totally believe it with respect to our foods. You see, I had ooph 4 years prior to bilateral highly ER+ BC. So....estrogen had to be coming from somewhere.



I look forward to hearing how MD appt goes. Let us know if you get any good info.



Night night.

Book : Detox or die   by: Sherry A. Rogers

Detox drink, every day : 1t. vitamin C powder, 300-600mg Lipoic Acid, 400-800 Glutathione

Yes, all of those sweeteners probably helped us get cancer, so I am over hauling my diet. Lots of fruits and veggies, very little meat and dairy. Almonds and sunflower seeds as treats. Its a work in progress. Not buying anymore boxed foods or cans. Even the PH of your drinking water can make a difference, I get Trace mineral drops at Good Earth and put a few drops in my water. It never hurts to improve our living habits, every little bit counts.