Sammy, I've been on Tamoxifen for nearly a year now with no troubling SEs. So it is possible.

Buffalex, my platelets dropped too, after rebounding after chemo, though not as significantly as yours (they have remained above 100,000) so we are not alarmed. My onc ran several blood trsts, and so far we have no news. He's watching and waiting.

mltdd, thanks for the info... I'm done chemo, my SEs are from the Tamoxifen...

I've been the queen of SEs from chemo on through, so please don't let me SEs scare anyone... Most people do just fine with very little except for hot flashes...

Hi Blessedbe

I found this on this site and hope it's helpful

Pregnancy After Diagnosis Doesn't Seem to Affect Recurrence Risk

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• TOPIC: Diagnosis and Fertility and Pregnancy
• TAGS: Pregnancy and Risk of Recurrence and Pre- or Perimenopausal

It's estimated that there are about 400,000 breast cancer survivors younger than 45 in the United States. Many of these women might want to have children, but some doctors have been concerned that getting pregnant after a breast cancer diagnosis might affect the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence). This is because hormones can promote the growth and spread of breast cancer, and during pregnancy, hormone levels change.

Many women who get pregnant after a breast cancer diagnosis end their pregnancies because they've been told it would reduce their risk of recurrence, especially if they had been diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and got pregnant within 5 years after diagnosis – getting pregnant would have meant their hormone therapy treatment would have been interrupted.

A study suggests that women who get pregnant after being diagnosed with breast cancer have the same recurrence risk as women who don't get pregnant after being diagnosed, no matter the hormone-receptor status of the breast cancer.

The research was published online on Nov. 19, 2012 by the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read the abstract of "Prognostic Impact of Pregnancy After Breast Cancer According to Estrogen Receptor Status: A Multicenter Retrospective Study."

The study matched 333 women who became pregnant any time after a breast cancer diagnosis with 874 similar women who didn't get pregnant after diagnosis. The women were similar in terms of:

• cancer hormone-receptor status
• number of lymph nodes involved
• type of treatment(s) after surgery
• age
• year of diagnosis

The researchers found that there was no difference in the risk of recurrence between the two groups of women. Even when the researchers looked at only women diagnosed with estrogen-receptor-positive disease and only women diagnosed with estrogen-receptor-negative disease, there was no difference in recurrence risk.

The researchers also compared the recurrence risk of women who ended their pregnancies (30% of the women) to women who went full-term and delivered babies. There was no difference in recurrence risk between these two groups of women. So there is no reason to tell women who've been diagnosed with breast cancer that ending a pregnancy after diagnosis will reduce their recurrence risk.

Interestingly, the researchers found that women who got pregnant after a breast cancer diagnosis had better overall survival than women who didn't get pregnant after being diagnosed. This benefit also was independent of the cancer's hormone-receptor status. Overall survival is how long a woman lives, with or without the cancer coming back.

It's not clear why the women who got pregnant had better overall survival. It could be that the better overall survival was due to better overall health and not because of being pregnant. So we can't conclude from this study that pregnancy after breast cancer improves survival. But the good news is that pregnancy doesn't negatively affect recurrence risk or future survival in women who've been diagnosed.

This study was a retrospective study, which means the researchers analyzed information that had been collected before the study was designed. Retrospective studies aren't considered as good as studies that are designed first and then collect new information specifically for that study.

If you're currently being treated for breast cancer or have been treated in the past and think you might want to become pregnant in the future, this study is reassuring. It suggests that you can get pregnant without affecting your risk of recurrence or survival, no matter the hormone-receptor status of the cancer. You can learn more about fertility issues and planning for children after breast cancer treatment in the Fertility and Pregnancy Issues During and After Breast Cancer pages in the Breastcancer.org Day-to-Day Matterssection.

robinlk, nice to see you. This is my older sister by 2 yrs recently dx with triple+ and pagets of the nipple, L side. Not Robin, Robin is the RN on infusion unit. My sister is sch for bmx on Monday 3/28 and is very scared. I think the major surgery is scaring her the most. It's so much more than lx which I had.I've been finding info about her dx on these sites as her dx and tx is diff from mine. She just was finishing tx for non Hodgkin's lymphoma and bc showed up on pet scan. She is going to reconstruct with expanders and then implants. So far looks small <1cm and no nodes showed up in pet scan. Hoping she can just do 12 taxol. My sister robin is the nurse on infusion unit at LIJ hospital on LI and our info gatherer and explainer although I've learned a lot through this journey.

Take care all you ladies. I will be lurking here to gather info for her until she is ready to join herself. Too overwhelming for her right now I think.

Lisa so sorry about your sister.

Not sure on stage, but this refers to an excellent study done regarding Taxol+Herceptin: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/hercepti...

In fact, my oncologist at Dana-Farber had put me on the Taxol+Hercepting/Perjeta FIRST, once that's done I'll switch to the AC to address the more systemic issues since I was node positive.

Hope this helps.

For 3 years I complained about the pain from my hips to my feet . Kept telling my oncologist about it because I did not have this pain before dx./before chemo/tamox . I was dx at 43 pre-menopause . When I get up I'm very stiff and walk like I'm 80 years old. MY feet feel like they are in pain all the time and standing for long times about kill me. I had a bone scan in 2013 another in 2014 AND just now in 2016 turns out I have Arthritis in both Ankles and in my right hip. So on to another Doctor

My first post! I also had terrible nausea. I couldn't move. We tried Varubi (newer drug) and pulsing my steroids over the week. The nausea didn"t go away, but it was reduced and I bounced back faster. Rather than a week of hell, it was 2-3 bad days. Sipping on ginger and limeade was a go to drink. I hope it gets better soon.

I found chemo-induced nausea to be different than my severe hyperemesis (vomiting) when pregnant. BUT, some of the tricks still applied. First and foremost, stay hydrated. At the first sign you start to feel like you can't do this or feel depressed--get to hospital and get fluids! That was a mantra on our hyperemesis boards. Being even slightly dehydrated worsens nausea/vomiting and a nasty cycle ensues. Secondly, stay on top of your anti-nausea medication, and don't worry about taking more than 1 or 2 meds either. Find your cocktail and use it! Eat what you can stand. Yes, ginger and lemon ease stomach ache, and carbs are easier to keep down, but ultimately whatever you find that you can keep down, eat it. Lastly, separate liquids and solids by at least 30 minutes. When I was pregnant I waited at LEAST an hour between drinking and eating, but didn't find it necessary to be that extreme during chemo. So unless chicken noodle soup is your go-to food, avoid soups.

I'm starting the same drugs today - 1st day of chemo. My oncologist didn't tell me all this! She ordered Ondansetron ^{HCL - 4mg every 6 hours and Compazine 10mg every 6 hours. Both for Nausea and Vomiting. I had a lumpectomy, tumor was 2.3cm, on 2/24 and 3 of my lymph nodes were clear,}

^{I'll be 71 on 3/30/16 and have high anxiety about how my 71 year old body is going to handle it. All my tests were very good: EKG, blood work, echocardiogram, etc.}

^{Gotta go - have to be there at 9:00}

Maggie330 - Sorry you have to be here. I just finished a regimen similar to yours, except I was also taking Perjeta. I'm about to start Herceptin only until December. In addition to the advice from SpecialK, I want to add the same thing about not thinking about your age. My grandmother was in her late 60s when she battled BC 15 years ago. There have been many advances in the field of cancer research since then, and I think it is easier to go through treatments now. My grandmother is now a survivor and she has been an inspiration to me during my own battle. It is tough but doable. The first treatment was the hardest for me as I experienced the side effects for the first time, but with each treatment they were so predictable that I could anticipate them. Most of them can be handled with prescribed and OTC medication. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about some SEs like neuropathy and anemia. My doctor told me it wasn't worth it to take iron pills because they wouldn't work against chemo-induced anemia. I do try to eat iron rich food, but I have been anemic for a couple of months. Once you finish chemo, you can look forward to crossing those temporary problems off your list. The last week before your next treatment should be your best one. You will probably be almost back to normal and feel more like yourself. Then the cycle will continue again. Stay strong and positive and it will be over in no time.

More Nutrition Advice for the Cancer Survivor....

http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/DocServer/Nov20...

• Ashla- thanks for the nutrition info. I love to soak up what I should be eating/taking for preventative measures.
• Blown away- April 4th is less than 1 week away! I would mention it to Dr and Radiologist so they can watch for it on imaging.

tres - it is a hard thing to go back where scary stuff happened - it makes total sense to me. Just know what you have endured so far means you are a brave soul - you can do this.

It is completely understandable that any of us could develop PTSD from this experience. Talking with a therapist could be beneficial--if you are experiencing actual panic or flashbacks I would recommend finding a therapist with actual trauma therapy experience.

tresjoli, I understand. When I had to return to my primary care doctor's office for the first time, which was the site of the mammogram and ultrasound that swept me into whatever the last six months have been, I did just fine until I was in the car after the appointment. I lost it. But letting myself cry like that helped; I've since been back again (just for a routine appointment), and I did okay.

Sending good vibes and reassurance that yes, what you're describing is a thing.