Hello everyone, hope you are all well,
im new here. i had breast cancer 6 years ago (neo advacent chemo, surgery, mastectomy, reconstructed surgery, radiation,tamoxifen 5 years, tried zoladex +=didn’t agree on me) and have recently found out have brca gene (breast cancer runs in the family- i only went to discover for my 3 children’s sakes) and advised to get my ovaries & tubes removed. I am 52 and in peri menopause.
Tamoxifen wasn’t too bad, it infact made me feel safe, after the initial hot flashes and stiffness with it, it was manageable. After 5+ years i was asked to change to zoladex and trying two different preventative drugs, which i tried. They really didn’t agree on me, low mood, swelling in fingers and hands, heavy stoic body, aching joints, waking up with numbness several times a night and pretty much feeling like a wreck because of this. So i know when you mess with hormones, life quality can drop very quickly.
Recently I've been highly recommended to have my ovaries and tubes removed and i understand its fairly painless and recovery time is relatively short. My breast surgeon who is normally very cagey about influencing me one way or another especially when he’s not ob-gyn, shocked me by saying: “you should definitely do it, its a silent killer”..not only did he say it once but six times (yes i counted and told him too), as i was on the fence if i should do it or not. What worries me, is the side-effects going straight into menopause and possibly feeling very low in mood.Can anyone tell me what to expect? How was it for you? And what did you do to help with symptoms? How do you feel after a year? After 2-3 + years? Also is there anything i should research or consider otherwise?… i guess if i do end up going for it, i would like it to be as suffering free as possible, throw the suffering to the wind ;)!
I had a call with the Geneology research lady yesterday and she did say that even though historically HRT wasn’t offered especially when your cancer was fed by oestrogen like mine, new research shows that having HRT doesn’t significantly make the risk higher, so if you are having a hard time you might even be able to have some HRT… does anyone have experience on this?
Thank you so much in advance, if you have even a moment to share I would be very grateful 
~life is a roller coaster~, love and joy
Fleur
Hi Fleur and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is an informative and supportive place to be.
I don't have the experience you're looking for but I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet so responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list where it'll be more easily spotted.
While you're waiting for replies it would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
Do come back and let the group know what you decide to do.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
