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Cancer and induced menopause.

ThirdParty75
  • 3 replies
  • 43 subscribers
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Hi. 

I've had a mastectomy and chemotherapy for breast cancer and now I've been put on hormone therapy with induced menopause drugs. I am 47.

I've been given postrap injection and letrozole tablets. 

After a 2 months, the Letrozole has caused 2 episodes of UTIs and pain in my hip today. I also have Systemic Lupus with AVN of the knee and osteoporosis.

There seems to be a lot of adverts at the moment on menopause and my query or concern is, these adverts are based on putting the oestrogen back into your body to help relieve your symptoms, so going forward, what happens to people like me, who are chemically having it taken out? Will I end up with ongoing symptoms that can't be OTC treated, or is there an alternative with people who have oestrogen led breast cancer.

Thanks, Ruby 

  • Dear ThirdParty75,

    Welcome to the Online Community here at Macmillan. I hope you find it a helpful place to access support and ask questions. My name is Fiona and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists.

    I’m sorry to hear that you’ve needed to have treatment for breast cancer and are struggling with the side effects of your hormone therapy.

    Your cancer will have been shown to be oestrogen-receptor (ER) positive. Since some breast cancers can thrive on your body’s oestrogen, giving a drug to block this can significantly reduce your risk of recurrence. Your consultant may have discussed why hormone therapy would be part of your treatment plan. Everyone is affected differently by the severity of the side effects. Breast Cancer Now suggest these strategies on managing side effects which you may find worth considering.

    Some people find complementary therapies such as mindfulness or relaxation exercises can help them cope with side effects of treatments better. Your local Macmillan Information and Support Service may provide some of these free of charge or signpost you to a qualified therapist with cancer experience.

    If side effects don’t decrease and are having an impact on your quality of life please do have a discussion with your Breast Care Nurse or GP, as it is might be helpful to move to an alternative hormone therapy drug.

    If you are considering trying some over the counter supplements it is important to discuss this with either your Consultant or Breast Care Nurse first as some supplements can affect the way cancer treatments work.

    Due to a technical problem I’m unable to see if you’ve joined our forum, but these are are helpful and supportive spaces to find out others’ experiences.

    Being diagnosed with a cancer can be unsettling. I hope this information is useful. Please do not hesitate to contact us again. You may also find it helpful to speak to one of our Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the support line who would be able to discuss this with you in more detail.

    With Best wishes,

    Fiona S – Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

    Ref: FS/HK

    (Posted on behalf of Fiona by the Community team)

  • in reply to Moderator - Macmillan Community

    Hi. I have joined the forum. My cancer was (ER) negative, clear lymphodes and the whole treatment was preventative as opposed to life threatening. 

    It's the UTIs that I don't want reoccurring over the next 5 years. There's no effective herbal remedies or mind relaxing treatment to fix those effectively, other than antibiotics. 

    They're not something I take willy nilly because of my Lupus and too many of them cause Thrush, just another problem. 

    Is there another effective alternative to antibiotics? I do everything you're supposed to do. Plenty water, no caffeine/acidic drinks, going to the toilet properly etc...can't afford to keep having outbreaks, just because of preventative treatment, if you see what I mean. 

  • in reply to ThirdParty75

    Hi ThirdParty75

    Thanks for getting back in touch with us. My name’s Simon and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.

    It does sound as if these UTI are troublesome for you. Here is some information on UTI which includes some preventative advice and tips on their management. Some women have reported use of daily cranberry tablets to help manage symptoms of recurrent UTI. This isn’t suitable for everyone though, so you should check it out with your GP or treatment team. Otherwise, anti-biotics do remain the main treatment, although it is understandable that you prefer not to take them due to your Lupus.

    We would suggest you speak with your nurse specialist or treatment team about the UTI occurrence. Prostap and Letrozole are commonly used treatments for ER positive breast cancers. You suggest that your cancer was ER negative, so it would be worth clarifying this point with your treatment team. If the UTI symptoms persist they may be able to consider different medication options for you  

     

    I hope this information is of some help.

    Best wishes

    Simon Morgan-Jones:  Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

    Ref/SMJ/ SMG

     

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