74 year old feller here, had right mastectomy and lymph node clearance Feb 2nd 2022. Started chemo 18th May but withdrew from programme after two cycles due to severe side effects which saw me in A&E both times and now on blood thinners. Just had my 3rd Herceptin injection and all seems ok at the moment. Will be on this for approx 12 months in total.
Following on from Herc will be 5 years of daily Tamoxifen !
Research indicates that Tamo may not be an easy ride. I have a few Q's :-
1/ Are there any men on here who have experience of using it, if so how did/do you find it?
2/ What is the purpose of it exactly?
3/ If I agree to using Tamo I will be 80 years old by the end of the course, is it worth it if it is going to be rough ride?
I am a big believer in quality of life rather than quantity.
Some facts about my particular circumstances to consider are :-
Longstanding lump in my right armpit saw me off to the G.P. which led to an Ultrasound appointment. Biopsy revealed secondary cancer cells 'most likely of breast origin'. Breast biopsy X2 revealed no sign of primary cells in the breast tissue. C T scan found nothing neither did follow-up PET C T scan. The Surgeon told me 'there is no sign of cancer elsewhere in the body'.
I was advised by the Surgeon to have surgery because cancer cells can be diffused throughout the tissue and only visible via a microscope. The post surgery laboratory report indicated no primaries visible, the sample was sent out of county for a second opinion but the result was the same.
Bearing in mind that when I was at home in agony 9 days after chemo and in need of of urgent medical attention, a 999 call revealed that it would be at least 2 hours before anyone could get to me. My wife had to drive me to hospital where eventually C T scan (3.30am) following day they found a Pulmonary Embolism hence the blood thinners.
Please feel free to comment or advise, I would appreciate any input.
I've had BC three times. Pause for the round of applause!
Tamoxifen the first time 20 years ago was by far the worst thing. The joint pain, hot flushes were horrific. I couldn't remember my own name half the time. After five years I had a breakdown and only then did I realize it was the side effects of tamoxifen. They sold it to me telling me it would give me a 17 % better chance of not getting it again.
The second time they prescribed it again. By this time I was well past menopausal so I thought I'd try. Horrific again. Joint pain left me weeping on the edge of the bed desperate for the loo in the middle of the night. I asked them to crunch the numbers. That time I was putting myself through it for just 1%. Naturally I told them to stick it.
This time it's triple negative so I doubt it will be suggested. I urge anyone who is offered it to check the numbers. There has to be a point where quality of life out weighs the possible protection.
Wishing you all the best tamoxifen free.
Three times! What did I do?
