Starting 2015 with Tamoxifien

I take it with dinner. I am feeling better today! Still some joint pain but nothing like it has been.

I got my referral to the new MO! Got a female. maybe she will show some compassion.

Three weeks and so far no SEs. I am post menopausal and was not interested in flashing again. Instead, I seem to get cold easier than I used to. Had to bump the thermostat up a couple degrees. Odd.

One of the reasons I decided to take my tamoxifen in the morning was because I thought if I did have an occasional glass of wine of a night, I wondered if it would interfere with it. has anyone asked their onc that question.??

Blownaway- You'll get there, just give it time and listen to your body. I was a "slow recoverer" but I still reached full function. Interesting thing to look for, I felt exhausted at one year of meds and went to Dr concerned I was having set back. Cardio said sometimes people who have reached good function find beta blockers that helped in recovery will then wipe them out. He was right and Echo results allowed me to taper off meds but be aware you can feel heightened fight or flight response with stress when coming off beta blockers. I thought the experience had just mellowed me out but turns out it was just the Coreg! Sometimes I think my husband wishes I still had some on board!

Hi ladies-

I'm joining you all in about two weeks. I'm glad to see so many of you doing well and with minimal/managible side effects.

Just had a long discussion with my MO about tamoxifen and he says 80% of women have few problems if any - I'm planning on being In this group!

Robin - I had ILC also, with very strong ER/PR readings. Since I'm only 48 and still pre-menopausal, the plan is to stay on Tamoxifen for 5 years and then switch to an AI, with OS if I haven't gotten there naturally.

Mostly right now, I'm feeling blessed to be on the road to recovery and to have effective treatment choices to help keep the cancer at bay.

CG

BCdiag46. My MO wants me to switch from Tamoxifen to OS with Zoladex and switch to AIs. I know the new soft study shows greater survival and less reoccurrence numbers but I'm 3 wks into Tam and nervous to switch and have severe SE . Any thoughts? I have two good friends that both did tamoxifen for 5 yrs, both under 45 and both diagnosed again this past week. And their bc is rampant on these second diagnoses. Has anyone else had their MO push this soft study info and change on them? There is an interview regarding it on the main page her

Just started taking it 3 days ago. I'm kind of worried as we are going away (desperately needed mental health break) before radiation starts. I'm worried about the sun sensitivity SE?

JJOntario- I live in SW Florida and spend a fair amount of time in sun. I haven't noticed any change in sun sensitivity. I am fair skinned and had skin cancer already so I try to be good about using sunscreen and after radiation was committed to SPF shirts which I now use all the time on boat or beach. Just a few minor changes to your routine we should all make anyway and you can still enjoy your relaxing vacation. Safe travels!

Scottiemom...I'm the same.. No sweating.. Just so hot.. :-(

I was having some "wake up in the middle of the night hot flashes" there for awhile. But the last week (I am now well into my second bottle of tam) or so, I am pretty much back to normal. Actually I am sleeping better than normal (though this may be a happy se of radiation....) .

To all of you who are having both intense hot flashes and freezing cold--I call them cold waves: I was diagnosed with BC at 51, when i was already having hot flashes alternating with cold waves as part of peri-menopause. Got treated for my BC and went on Tamox 10 months ago at 52. The hot flashes got really, really intense but then went back to "normal"--I accept that living with several hot flashes a day is the new normal. (For 5 more years!) I couldn't sleep for a while but now it's better--maybe just 2 or 3 hot flashes rather than 5 or 6. The cold waves have gotten much better too. There were times even before Tamox that I was so freezing there was NO WAY for me to warm up, but that has gone away. Some docs seem to be unaware that cold waves are very common and alternate with hot flashes. But we who are going through them know!

lilmouse, I too started experiencing a miserable coldness right after starting tamox. Now after 3 weeks, it seems to be not as bad...or I'm getting used to it.

Hockeycat.. Hopefully you wont have any side effects... Lots of people cope well on it.

On my 5th week.  No SE's.  Praying this continues!  Only 9 years 10 months and 3 weeks to go!

Been on tamoxefin almost 1 year. I had lumpectomy and rads, no chemo.

Tolerating Tamoxefin OK. I just had my annual routine blood work and alarmed to see some big chances in areas I had always been consistent. My WBC dropped to 3.8, Vit D levels way down even tho I doubled my intake starting a year ago, and my cholesterol dropped from 179 to 135, to name a few. I'm sure it has to be due to the tamoxefin but my Onco said no. Anyone else experience anything like this ??? Thanks!