Chemopause Belly !!!

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stagefree
stagefree Member Posts: 2,780
edited July 2016 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Dear all,

I have become Sponge Bob! Help!

These Zoladex shots expand my belly each day.. What should I do?

Thanks & hugs

Ebru

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2016

    When you figure out what to do please let me know as I have a stomach that I never used to have :(

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  • Tina2
    Tina2 Member Posts: 2,943
    edited June 2016

    Ebru,

    Many in the Fanny Pack (Faslodex Girls) have expanding bellies, too. If we knew what to do, we'd gladly tell you!

    Tina



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  • Kandy
    Kandy Member Posts: 1,461
    edited June 2016

    Tina, is that where my belly came from? I didn't know that. I thought I must be eating way too much. Now I have an excuse. Thanks.

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  • stagefree
    stagefree Member Posts: 2,780
    edited June 2016

    ugh :

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  • Laurie09
    Laurie09 Member Posts: 313
    edited June 2016

    ugh!

    I'm in surgical menopause and it's freaking impossible to lose weight!!

    I have a belly too and am doing a plant based diet and working out and at least am not gaining weight but can't lose it either

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited June 2016

    I went through menopause naturally prior to bc dx. This pot belly is, affectionately, known as meno-pot. Mine is not too bad, though it was shocking after a lifetime of a flat tummy. I wish I had some helpful suggestions but I'm still mourning the loss of my tiny waistline

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  • Tina2
    Tina2 Member Posts: 2,943
    edited June 2016

    Kandy, that's my contention and I'm sticking to it!

    Seriously, when your body is deprived of estrogen, belly fat happens. Talk about insult added to injury...

    Tina

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  • Lovelife49
    Lovelife49 Member Posts: 59
    edited June 2016

    This is also happening to me. I had a flat stomach when I started Zoladex. In fact, the nurse would comment that I should gain some weight there to make the shots less painful. I guess I took her comment to heart a little too much! Ebru, in my own experience, the only way to keep it from growing bigger is to completely give up simple carbs. If I dare eat a cookie, it goes straight to my stomach and stays there, where I could get away with an occasional cookie or similar item pre-Zoladex and AI. Of course, that is no way to live, so let's just say the 3 to 5 pounds I've gained (all in the tummy) have given the shot nurse a little extra tissue to work with. haha

    We feel your pain!

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  • stagefree
    stagefree Member Posts: 2,780
    edited June 2016

    ugh :(( I remember mu first Zoladex shot. The nurse couldn't stretch my tummy as she prefereed. Now DS prefers my belly to a pillow .. At least it's of some use now..

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  • RonnieKay
    RonnieKay Member Posts: 2,067
    edited June 2016

    That's sweet, Ebru

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  • Fitztwins
    Fitztwins Member Posts: 7,969
    edited June 2016

    I like that analogy Sponge bob belly. I have had one for a few years. UGH.

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  • JFL
    JFL Member Posts: 1,947
    edited June 2016

    The belly thing is so not cool. I have always had a waist one size smaller than the size of my hips. If pants are tight, it was due to my hips not fitting, while the waist would be loose. Now, I noticed that my waist hits my pants before my hips. So depressing. I am trying to up the exercise, particularly weight bearing, to burn the belly fat but it has not worked to date. I am mourning the loss of my former hour glass figure. I feel like I look more and more like my mother every day! However, she is 70+ and had 8 kids so she has a good excuse! :)

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  • Zillsnot4me
    Zillsnot4me Member Posts: 2,687
    edited June 2016

    My belly isn't just a muffin top but is fat up into my ribs like a mans. Guess that means I don't have any estrogen running around. Had my ovaries removed last year and never got that area back in shape.

    I hate the look. It's more pronounced now but beats the alternative. I keep telling myself I have a cushion for the next round of chemo. Well meaning friends say that's a defeatist attitude.

    I'm hoping that walking and eating better makes a difference. Need to add in some light yoga that really worked my core. I need an exercise buddy and someone that will hold me accountable.

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  • stagefree
    stagefree Member Posts: 2,780
    edited July 2016

    sadly MO confirmed it's caused by chemo and chemopause.. Girls, I had such a beautiful belly for years, even after pregnancy.. It's devastating to see my figure is like mom's already:(

    Glad DH enjoyed my previous figure quite a while ;) he is supportive of my new looks.. Interestingly, my face got prettier, no need for botox, gaining a few pounds did the trick haha...

    I'll be starting swimming soon. I hope that helps a bit. I can't walk long anymore, after I fell and my knees got very delicate-so lucky I am there were no fractures.

    Still looking for recipes and other stuff to beat this fat.. Will be updating soon hopefully :)))

    Hugs

    Ebru

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited July 2016

    Oh, yes. It started with tamoxifen, which replaced my waist with a spare tire. It got worse with chemopause and the aromatase inhibitor. It is not necessarily a matter of weight; it is a change in shape. What has helped me feel better is to work with it rather than to fight it. I got this great little book called Style Evolution: How to Create Ageless Personal Style in Your 40s and Beyond by Kendall Farr. This and other books helped me to see that feeling attractive is not necessarily about slimness or youth. I can be stylish, feminine, and even pretty in the body I have now. One key for me is to wear clothes without a defined waist. So shirts worn out rather than tucked in. Dresses with an empire waist or no waist (shift). No clingy fabrics in the midsection. Good grooming, sophistication, quality. I also learned a lot about good lines from HOAX Fashion Formula by Mary Duffy (out of print). If you used to be an A or and X, you may be an H or an O now. Just go with it. It's not fair and it's not our fault. But try to have some fun developing your style and expressing yourself.

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  • JFL
    JFL Member Posts: 1,947
    edited July 2016

    Zills, I feel the same way - muffin top, belly pouch below belly button and then the ambiguous layer over my entire midsection, including my ribs, that makes me feel like a man! The term beefcake comes to mind.

    Shetland, you are so positive and at peace with the situation. I am impressed. I am not there yet but I will check out the books you recommend!

    Stagefree, that is funny about your face looking better. I do think that women look younger when they weigh more - less wrinkles, I guess. One positive about this situation!

    I want to lose my belly but would have to loose extra weight to get there. My weight has essentially been the same for 12 years. I found a weight I was happy with that I can maintain with little effort (other than my healthy eating habits (for the most part) and activity level, which I enjoy and don't consider effort). However, to loose this belly fat, I am probably going to have to lose an extra 5 - 10 pounds which would be really hard to maintain! This sucks and is very unlikely going to happen. I didn't think I would have to deal with this belly while still in my 30s.

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