Last chemo.

[Gittelarter]

Hello everyone hope you are all well. I had my 6th and last chemo last Tuesday and feeling rougher that all the other sessions??? Good thing tho no more 😊😊

I start 15 sessions of radio 22nd August and have also just picked up my tamoxifen which they want me to start immediately, I just wished I felt a little better before starting them as the side affects don't sound very pleasant? I now have a few questions for you lovely ladies:

I'm terified of piling on the weight, do any of you have a good diet/exercise programme to get me started?

When is the best time of day to take the tablet?

any tips I can follow?

Any advise appreciated xxxxxxxxxx

[carolinenailsea]

Hi Gittelarter

Well done on sticking the course, chemo is tough and it gets harder as you go so hopefully, now its finished, 'the only way is up'. For me chemo was worth it as it got rid of my cancer, I hope you have a similar successful result. Your treatment is well organised if you already have dates for the radiotherapy. I finished chemo at the end of May, had my surgery at the end of June and still waiting for radiotherapy dates. Every one says radiotherapy is a breeze compared with chemo so hopefully within a week or so you will be past the worst. Lots of luck as your treatment goes forwards. Caroline xx

[Gittelarter in reply to carolinenailsea]

Hi Caroline

You are right my journey has been so organised. I found my lump just before Christmas and after numerous tests 4 lumps were found. Had left mastectomy 3rd Feb and after traces were found in the first lymph I had them cleared 3rd marc. Chemo started shortly after and now just finished, I have all my dates for the radio starting this month. I cannot fault Maidstone hospital at all. I am not worried about the radio as like you said that's a stroll in the park compare to the chemo 😉 I do however worry about the tamoxifen and its side effects 😢 I hope you get your dates through soon xxxxxxxx Gitte

[Wildeone1234 in reply to Gittelarter]

Hello fellow Kent girl,

I had tamoxifen for a year which I found better to take at night. After having overies taken that pushed me full blast into menopause. I now take anastrozole which gives me painful joints but I now take devils claw a root based natural capsole for Holland and barratt. I feel a little eased of joint pain so now can walk a little further all the best

[Lainey66 in reply to Wildeone1234]

I'm on Anastrozole too and yep joints are awfully sore especially my right wrist and hips. Thanks For the tip I'm going to holland and barrats tomorrow now x

[Wildeone1234 in reply to Lainey66]

I have one in the morning and one at teatime it's helping me hope all goes well Lainey x

[carolinenailsea in reply to Gittelarter]

thanks and good luck - my dates have now come through for the end of Aug. xxxx

[Lainey66]

I am on a similar tablet as a trial. I take it in the morning. I am also doing the juice plus diet as I have put some weight on. I get a lot of bone pain so I advise ibuprofen too. All the best c

[Gittelarter in reply to Lainey66]

Thanks for your reply I will google the juice diet and also follow slimming world 😀 once this chemo gets out of my system I also need to excersise lol I am already getting bone pain and thought it might be better to take the tamoxifen before bed? All the best Gitte xxxx

[Nixh]

Hi Gittelarter,

Well done for finishing chemo, my last one hit hard but is such a relief it being the last! Radio was OK, does get tiring travelling every day but is a breeze compared to chemo...

Tamoxifen is OK, I take mine just before bed, I get a couple of hot flushes in the night, but they're not huge ones, I just get very hot very quickly so quilt off then back on type of thing... have between 6 and 10 in the day not huge ones, caffeine makes them worse and stress also makes them more intense...

Yes I've put on weight, especially around my middle, I eat about a third less than I did before and try to be good, I have a glass of wine every now and then no more though as alcohol makes me incredibly dizzy with tamoxifen... don't miss it though.. the aches are the worst but tbh. I play netball twice a week and sometimes it's a struggle to get going, but have to say the more I do the better I feel (although mornings after exercise are a bit painful as Lainey says Ibuprofen helps so does Tonic water, I drink a bottle a day most days and have noticed a difference.

Good luck, hope all goes well for you,

Nix x

[Hidden]

Hi there , I think sometimes there is confusion over the side effects of the tablet and the actual effect of lower oestrogen in your body , I take mine in a morning along with evening primrose oil (okayed by the oncologist) and do suffer from hot flushes but these have eased since the evening primrose oil has kicked in , but hot sweats at night still continue although not as much. - but maybe they would have settled anyway , who knows ! I am doing slimming world and have lost almost half a stone in four weeks , can't blame the Tamoxifen for the weight gain , just me overeating during my treatment! My last blood tests my oestrogen was very low which is great , the tablets are doing their job - also would say I know a lot of people who have had Tamoxifen and no side effects , people often only come on sites such as this if they have a problem and most of the people I know who had breast cancer would never have gone on any kind of forum, so in all likelihood you will be fine , but the menopausal symptoms are pretty much a given , but there are ways of controlling them.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment

Jo xx

[EW03-03]

Hi

Well done.......not easy at all. I remember the relief I felt when I finished my final chemo. I am also on Tamoxifen and find taking it at night is better. I originally started taking it in the morning and seriously battled with the painful and stiff joints etc. Was advised to take it at night, and works well. As for the weight, I think just be sensible. We certainly can't go on crazy diets etc, but eating in moderation and properly does work. I also started walking once I finished my chemo - slowly and short distances initially, and just built up my strength gradually.

Good luck xx

[Debs1962]

Well done for how far you have come, I take my tablet at night, don't get too many side effects, I walk as much as I can, was never very big, but do find I put weight on easily, so I just watch what I eat, sensible diet plenty of fresh fruit and vey etc, I don't eat meat or diary now, I do eat fish, I do feel much better for it, I have plenty of energy etc.

I have noticed my hair has got thinner, that's probably result of lower estrogen etc.

Good luck with your next treatment xx

[moseypowell]

Great that you have finished your chemo.........the worst is over!! I am on Letrozole to mop up my oestrogen and have switched from morning to 10pm to take the dreaded pill. My side affects are much less because you sleep through the worst bits of the treatment. Also, I recently gave up alcohol and have noticed a big difference .........no headaches, more energy and not as ratty with my poor husband. Letrozole and alcohol do not mix. Wishing you all the best on your next journey. Marina xxx

[Maz1965]

Hi. Gittelarter

Well done on getting through surgey and now chemo. I had herceptin, 19 sessions of r/t and now on tamoxifen. Side effects from r/t were minimal... what you to remember is that your body has gone thru a major trauma and it will take time recover. I tried taking tamoxifen at night but now take in mornings. chemo brought on the menopause and find the sweats are worse when i am tired.

Good luck with the r/t - its like bad sunburn so if you find skin itchy or anything tell the nurses and they will give you cream

Xx

[Debster2016]

Hi Gitte and again well done on coming thro the beastly chemo. I've had 15 radiotherapy sessions too and started taking tamoxifen on day one of the radiotherapy. I actually forgot to take it a couple of times in the morning so switched to bedtime as the tablet packet is on display on my bedside table so it an instant reminder to take it when I get into bed!

I have hot flushes but not many and nowhere near as bad as the night sweats with the citalopram (an SSRI anti depressant) I was taking 20 years ago when I needed to wash my bedding every day for a couple of months til it settled! So, tolerable hot flushes if they don't get worse.

I have developed a sore right hip this has gradually got more painful, but not enough for painkillers (yet...).

I do believe in walking as the best exercise cos U can build up or not do it if you don't want to. I have a 10, 30 or 60 minute walk from my front door, depending on how I feel tho lethargic is how I've been feeling since radiotherapy began! It is also gentle exercise and does so much good in many ways and I would even consider driving somewhere to go on a walk in the country maybe in a pretty village or to visit a pub or cafe or even a church or garden centre. Walking can help the battle against fatigue too.

As a postie I averaged 5/6 miles a day pre surgery....and have so far gone up 2 dress sizes 😂. I think getting a dog would help me walk more......all in good time.

I also had a free session with a nutritionalist via The Haven recently and found it useful but mostly encouraging and I think doable. For me it was easier to absorb the detail than on some websites I found. Double my veg intake, halve the carbs, bit more protein, and wine whenever I want it - I usually want one small glass an evening. Dark chocolate as a treat. Ive been aiming for 2 red meat dishes per week, 2 white, 2 vegetarian and the final one unplanned! I understand that alcohol and caffeine can make hot flushes worse so have been caffeine free since starting tamoxifen. Oh and I've been organic dairy for a few years now.

Sincerely hope this helps, and good luck with the radio - I got tired and a bit tearful in week 2 but that's all. And don't forget to treat yourself! I've learned to celebrate every milestone thro this period of recovery!

Xx

[Lainey66]

I am on a similar tablet as tamoxifen as a trial as I am triple negative. Your bones do hurt I am sorry to say. Weight also piles on but I am keeping mine on an even keel. I am on the juice plus diet and have taken up walking on a treadmill - it kills me to be honest as I was never a lover of walking. I also go for a swim too. I need to lose about 4 stone as I have booked a holiday for next Feb, I have never worn a bikini before and I would love to be able to, even though I don't have boobs 😂 I would gladly go topless showing off my amazing art work but people can be funny about that 🙄

[brianna29]

I have been taking tamoxifen for just over a year now. I take mine at night. I have found that my hot flushes have got worse. Can have up to 5 a night and during the day. I have tried many things but nothing seems to work so I just let them pass. I have found that I have not put weight on but I have done slimming world for 5 years and try to still stick to the slimming world diet.

[Linkj]

Hi All,

I had to immediately stop HRT and had dreadful hot flushes but as a physio and accredited acupunturist I have used acupunture and little non skin piercing studs on low immune days. There is variable evidence for use in hot flushes but may be worth trying and is certainly helping me., let's see how I do when I start Arimidex!. Make sure your acupunturist is accredited, a physio who specialises in women's Heath or a member BMAS.

I have just completed 5/6 of FEC-T, with a short delay due to a uninary tract infection and just can't wait to finish 6. Well done Gitterlater, a major milestone and wishing you soon better

Lin x

[Linkj in reply to Linkj]

Sorry or member British Acupupuncture Association. Lin

[Samthingnice]

Start taking a good multivitamin with calcium and vit D to help with bone density and prevent osteoporosis. Eat less carbs. Excercise every day even if it's a quick walk around the block. Do sit-ups every day, it's the waistline that will go first. Once the weight is on, it's really hard to get off, have plenty of your favourite fruit for snacking, eat cake sparingly- I have a small piece but take my time eating it! I play tennis do exercise classes at the gym, and have just started ceroc classes, which I thoroughly recommend- such fun! Well done on finishing Chemo, mine was horrendous, radiotherapy was a walk in the park in comparison! My treatment was in 2013/14 My body has changed despite my efforts, but I think if I didn't do all I do I would be huge! Good luck, the worst bit is over! Keep active Sam x

[Biddyoneil]

I agree with with the excercise tip, I swim to be fair I feel it takes the pressure off of the body as it's such a low impact activity as sometimes Tamoxifen can and I stress this is just in some people it can cause some. muscle soreness. I feel the walking tip is also something where you can not only get fitter but it really does allow youbtobear your thought processes always remember you've probably had a lot of people lovingly around you and health professionals see this as an opportunity to gather your thoughts, re-evaluate think how you can live your new life and for me it was about not wasting one single second as for me this was an episode on my life that gave me a life changing jolt...my priorities changed very quickly and I am so happy that I've made life changing decisions. A little tip for the Radiotherapy put E45 cream in the fridge put it on your breast and surrounding area abhoosb1 hours before session and immediately after Radiotherapy apply it again around the breast. This was a fabulous help to me and a brilliant tip from my healthcare professionals and massively prevented me getting sore Therw are also cooking gel pads that you van ask for and theses are also really helpful ulibloterally put them on the fridge and I would say Uluru will possibly want to start using them at around week 2 of the Radiotherapy ... honestly it really will be fine anything in comparissin to Chemotherapy is so much easier. Just be mindful as the days go on you will get a pint In the day when you will feel really really exhausted don't fight it, get the duvet out and have an hour, your body is telling g you that's what's required , do r fight it and think oh it's daytime I won't sleep tonight, believe me this is a siesta you definitely irked need. I would go from feeling fab to immediately feeling I could literally fall asleep where I was standing. Congratulations joy really do Jan Ethel finishing line in site. I hope my comment ta have been helpful I'm fully aware this is only my experience and we are all. very different I hope your journey is a smooth transition and as positive as mine. Very best wishes for your. new life through a new perspective