DCIS w/microinvasion

Yes I stopped taking the Tamoxifen as I was one of the not so lucky ones that got slammed with side effects.. I stopped, started, stopped, tried different brands but was really miserable. In my case Tamoxifen reduces the recurrence and contralateral rates but has no impact on overall survival. I see that there is a new study out stating that 5mg may be as effective (or almost) as 20 mg. I wonder if that would make a difference in SE.

On the radiation side of things i would say that so far there is minimal long term impact. The most noticeable is that the skin on my breast does not sweat any more -which is weird-but that's it. i was told that my lungs would have some scarring but I run 3x per week and haven't noticed any difficulty. I was hiking this summer in really high elevations and was just fine. My treated breast is smaller than the other from the surgery and radiation but I don't even think about it any more.

Radiation pretty much goes with lumpectomies. I found it unpleasant but doable- I worked right through 21 sessions. I had a lot of lotions and potions that I used but I honestly can't say if they made any difference. They made me feel like I was doing something-so there is that. Same thing now -I have a bunch of things that I do to prevent recurrence. I hope they have an impact but no guarantees. You have to find your own path with this-I am happy to help in any way.