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11-01-2011, 06:46 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Pittsburgh, PA.
Posts: 260
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When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Okay, so I think I am going crazy now! I have made it through all the chemo side effects and my body is starting to feel normal again except for the dreadful hot flashes I am having!! I had them when I went through chemo and thought they would go away after my last Taxol in June but they are still wreaking havoc on me! They come and go almost every hour of the day and it's really becoming a nuisance. It's embarrassing when I start ripping my clothes off in public! (Little dramatization)
Anyone experiencing hot flashes while on Herceptin or Tamoxifen??
__________________
11/17/10 - Diagnosed with 4.5cm tumor in right breast, IDC, Stage 2, Nuclear grade 2, ER+ PR+ HER2+
12/13/10 - Lymph node biopsy - negative
12/28/10 - Started neo-adjuvant treatment along with clinical trial with 4 rounds of AC chemo every 3 weeks
3/15/11 - Began weekly Taxol/Herceptin infusions along with 750mg of Tykerb taken by mouth daily
6/28/11 - Finished last cycle of Taxol
7/27/11 - Breast MRI shows tumor has dissolved, remarkable reaction to chemo
8/31/11 - Lumpectomy, Sentinel Node biopsy. Node negative, clear margins, 7mm of cancer left over from chemo.
10/05/11 - Started radiation, 5 days a week for 7 weeks.
11/8/11 - Finished radiation
3/21/12 - Last Herceptin!
3/26/12 - Port removed!
Tamoxifen for 5 years
8/4/15 - Hysterectomy & bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Due to large fibroids. No cancer!
8/8/15 - Started Arimidex
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11-01-2011, 06:52 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: El Paso ,Tx
Posts: 436
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Mine stopped about 2 months after finishing Herceptin, I'm still on Tamoxifen. I thought I would have them for the full time I was on Tamoxifen. I asked the Dr about it, as I felt maybe the Tamoxifen wasn't working, but she wasn't worried about it. I guess maybe I am one of the lucky ones.
__________________
 dx: DCIS 6/8/10, HER 2+ 7/26/10; Stage I Age 41
Double mast w reconstruction
6 TCH w 1yr herceptin
Tamox.
25 radiation tx
Removal of expander on L due to infection. Tried to save it had 3 bouts of antibiotics and went to see plastic surgeon 2-3x wk to get drained. Saving it was my idea not his. But lost it anyway.
Reconstruction set for December 21st,2011
Finished chemo 12/2010
Finished Herceptin 8/26/11
Reconstruction 12/21/11
Expanders exchanged for silicon 3/19/12
Nipple reconstruction 5/18/12
Nipple tatooing- 7/9/12- All done yay!
11/22/12-Went back to get scar tissue stretched to even the outside of breast, didn't work due to it being radiated skin.
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11-01-2011, 06:55 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Philly Suburbs
Posts: 1,709
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Jra,
Oh, my sister, I share your pain!
I don't know when your flashes will stop, but I fear mine are here to stay. I am in chemopause...and I'm pretty sure that's going to be forever for me. (actually...I hope so...) I pretty much live in front of a fan these days!
At least winter is coming...so we can step outside to cool off. 
Stay cool!
Denise
__________________
1/11-needle biopsy
2/11-Lumpectomy/axillary node dissection - Stage 3c, ER/PR-14/17 nodes
3/11 - Post-op staph infection,cellulitis, lymphedema,seroma,ARRRGH!
4/12/11-A/C x 4, then T/H x 4, H only,Q3 weeks
8/26/11 finished Taxol!!!
10/7/11 mastectomy/DIEP recon
11/11 radiation x28
1/12/12 1st CANCER-VERSARY!
1/12 Low EF/Herceptin "Holiday" :(
2/12 EF up - Back on Herceptin, heart meds
4/2/1212 surgery to repair separated incision from DIEP recon
6/8/12 Return to work :)
6/17/12 Fall, shatter wrist,surgery to repair/insert plate :(
7/10/12 last Herceptin
7/23/12 Brain Mets %$&#! 3cm and 1cm
8/10/12 Gamma knife surgery, LOTS of steroids;start H/Tykerb
8/23/12 Back to work
12/20/12 Injure back-3 weeks in wheel chair
1/12/13 2nd CANCER-VERSARY!
1/14/13 herniate disk in back - surgery to repair
1/27/13 Radiation necrosis - edema in brain - back on steroids - but not back to work - off balance, poor cordination in right arm
5/3/13 Start Avastin to shrink necrosis
5/10/13 begin weaning steroids
6/18/13 Brain MRI - Avastin seems to be working!
6/20/13 quarterly CT - chest, abdomen, pelvis - All Clear!
7/5/13 finally off steroids!!
7/7/13 joined the ranks of the CHEMO NINJAS I am now Tekuto Ki Ariku cancer assassin!
7/13/13 Symptoms return - back on steroids
7/26/13 Back on Avastin - try again!
8/26/13 Not ready to return to classroom yet :( But I CAN walk without holding onto things! :)
9/9/13 Brain MRI - fingers crossed
“ Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you, and you alone, to decide. ” – Cavett Robert
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11-01-2011, 08:38 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Elizabethton, TN
Posts: 418
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I have what I all "prednisone flashes"....not taking tamoxifen but the steroids have the same effect on me.
__________________
Joni -64 yrs old -
3/01/10: found lump in rt.breast
3/12/10: mammogram/ultrasnd/biopsy-invasive bc & DCIS; 2 tumors (2cm er-/pr-/HER2-& 1.8 cm er-/pr-/HER2+); grade 3;poorly differentiated
3/24/10:sent.node biopsy clear
3/31/10:bi-lateral mx.;atypical ductal hyperplasia-lft side
4/21/10:wound revision-infection/scarring 4/28/10:seromas both sides
5/21/10:port installed,TCH chemo (6 x 3 wks); Herc,-1yr; 33 rad tx after chemo
07/2010: port not working-2nd port didnt'work;3rd port opposite side.
07/2010: 2 weeks after 3rd port surgery, threw 3 pulm. emboli-IVC filter installed; warfarin
08/2010: hospitalizations w/3 of chemos; decision to stop after 4th-on to radiation in Oct 2010;Herc cont.
12/03/2010 - finished 33 rads Hooray!! cont. Herc. every 3 wks
4/2011 - pneumonia ??? Nope-radiation pneumonitis. No more Herc.
5/2011 - NED!!! port out.
8/2011 - clean PET & CT scans.Still NED
7/2012 - Still NED/very blessed.
2/2013 - 6 mos checkup-all clear. CA2729 down frm 13 to 11.
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11-01-2011, 12:36 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: "Love never fails."
Posts: 5,808
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
According this article http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/234082.php(though the focus is on flaxseed), it's 'common' for women going through menopause. And I would think the duration differs by age and other factors. Drinking cold clear juice/water was what I did whenever I was feeling 'warm'.
__________________
Jackie07
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/06/doctors-letter-patient-newly-diagnosed-cancer.html
http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/MultiMedi...=114&trackID=2
NICU 4.4 LB
Erythema Nodosum 85
Life-long Central Neurocytoma 4x5x6.5 cm 23 hrs 62090 semi-coma 10 d PT OT ST 30 d
3 Infertility tmts 99 > 3 u. fibroids > Pills
CN 3 GKRS 52301
IDC 1.2 cm Her2 +++ ER 5% R. Lmptmy SLNB+1 71703 6 FEC 33 R Tamoxifen
Recc IIB 2.5 cm Bi-L Mast 61407 2/9 nds PET
6 TCH Cellulitis - Lymphedema - compression sleeve & glove
H w x 4 MUGA 51 D, J 49 M
Diastasis recti
Tamoxifen B. scan
Irrtbl bowel 1'09
Colonoscopy 313
BRCA1 V1247I
hptc hemangioma
Vertigo
GI - > yogurt
hysterectomy/oophorectomy 011410
Exemestane 25 mg tab 102912 ~ 101016 stopped due to r. hip/l.thigh pain after long walk
DEXA 1/13
1-2016 lesions in liver largest 9mm & 1.3 cm onco. says not cancer.
3-11 Appendectomy - visually O.K., a lot of puss. Final path result - not cancer.
Start Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplement （600mg x2)
10-10 Stopped Exemestane due to r. hip/l.thigh pain OKed by Onco 11-08-2016
7-23-2018 9 mm groundglass nodule within the right lower lobe with indolent behavior. Due to possible adenocarcinoma, Recommend annual surveilence.
7-10-2019 CT to check lung nodule.
1-10-2020 8mm stable nodule on R Lung, two 6mm new ones on L Lung, a possible lymph node involvement in inter fissule.
"I WANT TO BE AN OUTRAGEOUS OLD WOMAN WHO NEVER GETS CALLED AN OLD LADY. I WANT TO GET SHARP EDGED & EARTH COLORED, TILL I FADE AWAY FROM PURE JOY." Irene from Tampa
Advocacy is a passion .. not a pastime - Joe
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11-01-2011, 08:30 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,173
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I was on tomoxifen for a year. Flashes were intense and lasted 15 to 20 min. (I know how crazy feels!) Went into post menopause and started Arimidex. still just as intense, they only last 10min. now and still very frequent.
I just wear layers and peel them off at will. I still get the chills which for me lasts a long time. They are more manageable. I wish I had a cure all for you I would use it too!
__________________
dx 11/12/09 IDCI
Stage 3a
ER 98% PR 80%
Her2 +3
4/12 nodes
6 rounds TCH
Herceptin 12 months 3weeks
Rad. 30 tx
Tamoxifin 6 months stopped
Arimedex stopped 9/12 (side effects)
Aromasin 10/12
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11-05-2011, 04:08 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Doylestown, ohio
Posts: 334
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I don't know! Good question. Will someone please find me a fan? Cute story or maybe I was being just plain stupid, I told my doc (ob) that I thought I was having fevers. He said how long do they last, I said about 2 or 3 minutes several times a day. He said I think you are having hot flashes. Say what? That was before I was diagnosised. I felt pretty stupid but then I had to chuckle at my stupidity. Since chemo and everything I don't have hot flashes I have fire flashes. Someone put out this fire, I am burning up, no wait now I am cold. UGH, please make up my mind. Just another lovely perk of growing older and chemo. God Bless. Darlene
And 1 more thing, I don't think I like being classified as a SENIOR member. Ha Ha
__________________
DX Sept 30 2010 at the age of 49. Oh crap! 1.5 cm idc, stage 1 grade 3 er/pr+, her2+ no lymph nodes, mastectomy Oct/10. Started 6 rounds of TCH Dec/10 and will continue herceptin until Nov /11 and just started femara.
Stray kitten found my lump while I was playing with it. It is now my pet and my dog is not real happy about that.
Mammo good
last herceptin 11/21/11 YAY
reconstruction 12/09/11
Chapter closed 12/10/11, hopefully, fingers crossed
Bone scan, chest xray, clear
04/27/12 Expander removed, implant put in, ahh sigh of relief, much more comfortable
Sept 30, 2014, 4 years NED
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11-05-2011, 05:15 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 2,582
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Hate to discourage anybody but I am a 6 year survivor and the hot flashes are STILL alive and well. VERY alive and well.
My chemo started at age 45. It was then that I was hit with hot flashes with a vengeance. When chemo ended so did the flashes....BUT...only for a time. I would say I'm on round 6 or 7 of them since age 45. I will be 52 this month.
I had my annual GYN appointment this past month and my doctor did a blood test measuring my estrogen level. Last year I was STILL at 203 and this year I am at 33. Menopause is 27. This year has been a bad year for the flashes too, not to mention, I've gained 8 pounds and CRAVE CARBS (and give in and eat them) in a major way. Ugh.  My doctor did tell me that although I am almost to menopause, unfortunately, that doesn't mean the flashes will stop. Some women get them for many, many years ALTHOUGH he did say the severity should lessen.
So, for your sake, I hope the flashes stop soon....for all of us.
Happy day..... 
Mary Jo
__________________
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Dx. 6/24/05 age 45 Right Breast IDC ER/PR. Neg., - Her2+++ RB Mast. - 7/28/05 - 4 cm. tumor Margins clear - 1 microscopic cell 1 sent. node No Vasucular Invasion 4 DD A/C - 4 DD Taxol & Herceptin 1 full year of Herceptin received every 3 weeks 28 rads prophylactic Mast. 3/2/06
17 Years NED
<>< Romans 8:28
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11-10-2011, 11:47 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: I live in the Niagara Region, Canada.
Posts: 41
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Hot flashes not a flash in the pan...this is the only side effect that is bothersome for me through this whole thing. I have just finished my chemo and will start tamoxifen. When I mentioned the intensity of hot flashes, the cold sweat, the wet PJ's, sleeping on a towel my Onc referred me to a specialist at the cancer centre where I am receiving my treatments, however the appointment is not until January. He also told me that the tamoxifen will probably increase the intensity, wonderful! I asked him a question about hair, will the sweat be more tolerable when my head hair and body hair grows back, figuring that the hair would help to absorb the sweat, his response was not likely, I do not believe him and don't want to. There are some anti-depressant meds that are used to reduce the hot flashes available however I am not interested in taking more meds at this point will not say never. It was also suggested that no caffeine or alcohol reduces hot flashes as well, but I have not drank either since May....2011
The towel works to absorb the wetness I found the sheets just got damp and the chills would start....any other tips out there for hot flashes not in the pan would be helpful.
Flashing |
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11-10-2011, 12:26 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ireland
Posts: 3,463
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I had a lot during tx and after my ooph in '06 but since then they have diminshed both in intensity and frquency thankfully, although I always get them again if drinking wine!
At one point my Onc gave me a script for Effoxor which he said was the only safe thing to use as I was highly hormone pos but I did'nt have it filled but know it has helped some women.
Also if you google Chillow for night time it may help you sleep better as my friend loves her's!
__________________
Tricia
Dx July '05 IDC 1.9cm Triple positive 3/9 nodes positive
A/C X 4 ..Taxol/Herceptin x 12 wks then herceptin 1 yr
Rads x 36 ..oophorectomy August '06
Currently taking Arimidex..
June 2011 osteopenia/ zometa x1 yearly- stopped Zometa 2015 as Dexa show normal bone density.
Stopped Arimidex July 2014- Restarted Arimidex 2015 for a further two years on the advice of my Onc.
2014 Normal Dexa scan
2018 Mammo all clear, still NED!
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11-10-2011, 06:48 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 823
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I am 6 1/2 years out and I still have horrid HOT FLASHES. I don't think they will ever go away.
__________________
Vicki
Texas
Biopsy Dx'd 3-23-05 Age 48
MRM 4-5-05 w/ 2 tumor's 5cm, and 6 cm (right side)
IDC (poorly differentiated infiltrating ductual carcinoma)
5+/16 nodes
Stage III A
Grade 3
ER/PR-, Her2/neu ++
Ki67 78%
Begin Chemo 5-2-05 4XAC Dose Dense , 4X Abraxane Dose Dense (ended August 05)
28 Rad's ended October 13 2005
Started Herceptin Weekly August 2005 for one year
Had a Simple mastectomy left side after Mamo showed incresed micro-calcifications. Jan. 17 2006.
Brain MRI Feb.2006--All Clear
August 28, 2006 Last Weekly Herceptin.
October 2006--Colonoscopy, 6 Polyp's removed--all B9
PET Scan July 2007
Abdominal MRI Oct. 2007---2 Right Kidney Cysts
Core Biopsy-- Lump on Scar Line 1-10-08---B9
Brain MRI 6-2008--All Clear
PET/CT Scan 6-2008
Sept. 8 2008, 4CM area removed from mastectomy scar line. Proved to be B9.
PET/CT Scan-- July 2009 --All clear
August 17,2009 ---Had Port Removed
6 Years NED -- April 5,2011
DX'd with Melanoma left arm 10-10-2011
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11-10-2011, 11:08 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 343
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
The hot flashes and mood swings became too much of an issue for me so I started anti-depressants during my treatment when chemopause kicked in. I see a physchiarist who works with cancer patients. I've been on it for about 2 years now and it worked wonders for me. I did talk to the doctor about coming off them to see what happened. I go back to see him soon and he said he thinks we should try. He doesn't want to do it cold turkey, but slowly. However, if the issues return I'll just have to go back on them!
__________________
Vicky
Age 47, TN, Diagnosed 05/09
Her2+, ER/PR-, Stage III, 2 tumors = 1 8cm tumor
Grade 3
Sentinel Node Biopsy-speck present in 1 node
Completed 3 month clinical trial of weekly Herceptin and 1000mg Tykerb daily
Tumor no longer present
Right mastectomy and lymph node removal 09/25/09
No cancer present at time of surgery, none in lymph nodes
Start TCH 10/15, every 3 weeks for 4 months followed by radiation
Finished chemo 01/28/10-YEAH!
Herceptin every 3 wks until end of June
Radiation begins 03/01, 6 1/2 weeks
Radiation complete--Yeah!!
Developed lymphedema after radiation
In hospital for 4 days with pneumonia:(
Herceptin done! 06/24/10
Port Removed 07/08/10
Still in PT for lymphedema and mobility issues
DIEP Reconstruction 05/11
I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it~~Maya Angelou
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11-11-2011, 01:15 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mt. Prospect, IL
Posts: 177
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Finished Herceptin 11/2/11 and I am in my 4th month of Tamoxifen... hot flashes are slowing down a bit. I used to have them throughout the day and ALL NIGHT. Now I have maybe one a day and a couple a night. They also seem to be milder now... at work I can get away with turning my personal fan on me for a few minutes and at night, in bed, I just throw the blankets off of me until I get chilly.
The other day someone at work received a package and it was fleece sheet set - yes fleece, not flannel. Looking at them made me have a hot flash! Prior to BC I was always a snuggy type person, sweatpants and my favorite blanket on the couch... now, not so much.
__________________
10/01/10 - Dx at age 44. Found lump after miscarrying & was told it was "probably a clogged milk duct" not so much:
stage II - invasive ductal carcinoma ER/PR+ HER2+
10/01/10 - BRCA test - Negative
11/3/10 -2.5cm tumor removed via lumpectomy, clear margins. sentinal node biopsy - nodes clear!
12/2/10 - port placement
12/2/10 to 3/17/11 - 6 rounds of taxotere, carboplatin & herceptin every 3rd week.
04/20/11 - 6/6/11 - 33 rounds of radiation
4/6/11 to 11/2/11 - 11 additional rounds of herceptin every 3rd week
7/15/11 - port removal
7/5/11 started my 5 year journey on Tamoxifen
9/4/11 -1 yr Chest MRI - CLEAN!!!!
9/5/12 -2 yr Chest MRI - CLEAN!!!!
8/29/12 - Started spotting after being in chemopause 1.5 years. Ultra sound detected 6cm ovary mass & very thick lining. YIKES! Taken off Tamoxifen
9/6/12 - Full abdominal hysterectomy. Pathology report came back clean... thank you baby Jesus!!
9/28/12 - Started Anastrozole
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11-12-2011, 12:51 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: South East Wisconsin
Posts: 3,431
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Jra seems plagued with perpetual hotness. There are worse afflictions..
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11-12-2011, 05:43 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Mechanicsburg, OH
Posts: 109
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I feel your pain or should I say heat. In all honesty mine have almost stopped. I had them throughout chemo/Herceptin and for about 18 months while on Tamoxifin but for the past several months they have really slowed down and now I go a whole day without having any...yippee! I'm not sure how long it will take for yours to slow down or stop. I asked my onclologist about it several times and he didn't have an answer for me either. Thought of stopping Tamoxifin and trying something else but because of my age he really wanted me to stay on the Tamoxifin longer before switching to something else. Now I'm gald I did. Hope they get better for you. Every time I would feel one starting to come on I would try to remind myself that at least I am here and this is a small price to pay for NED!
__________________
~Anna
DX April 2009 age 40
IDC Triple Positive
7 of 14 nodes positive
Lumpectomy May 2009
Port May 2009
AC done in Sept 2009
T done Dec. 2009
Herceptin (should finish Oct. 2010)
Mastectomy January 2010
Radiaition x 33 done April 2010
Tamoxafin for five years
Herceptin done!
Still clear May 2011
3 years out May 2012, all good!
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11-13-2011, 08:26 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: western ma
Posts: 280
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
hi - i got my first hot flash right in the chemo chair, first chemo. that was 2 yrs ago now. i searched around the web and found a study on Oxybutynin in which 75% of the women were helped by it. it's a med usually prescribed for bladder issues, so it is drying. i guess that's why it works on hot flashes. anyway, i started on it and went from about 30 hot flashes a day to about 3-4. you should drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated if you try it. i've been on it for a year, i guess, and i can't imagine how life would be without it. valerie
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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11-16-2011, 07:07 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Pittsburgh, PA.
Posts: 260
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Thank you for all the posts, it's nice to know that I am not crazy! V-ness, I'm so glad you posted the name of the drug you are taking. I also have a problem going to the bathroom every hour of the night ontop of the hot flashes. I brought this up to my protocol nurse yesterday so they are going to check into that drug for me. I can possibly wipe out two nusiance problems with one zap!!!
Stay cool my fellow sisters
__________________
11/17/10 - Diagnosed with 4.5cm tumor in right breast, IDC, Stage 2, Nuclear grade 2, ER+ PR+ HER2+
12/13/10 - Lymph node biopsy - negative
12/28/10 - Started neo-adjuvant treatment along with clinical trial with 4 rounds of AC chemo every 3 weeks
3/15/11 - Began weekly Taxol/Herceptin infusions along with 750mg of Tykerb taken by mouth daily
6/28/11 - Finished last cycle of Taxol
7/27/11 - Breast MRI shows tumor has dissolved, remarkable reaction to chemo
8/31/11 - Lumpectomy, Sentinel Node biopsy. Node negative, clear margins, 7mm of cancer left over from chemo.
10/05/11 - Started radiation, 5 days a week for 7 weeks.
11/8/11 - Finished radiation
3/21/12 - Last Herceptin!
3/26/12 - Port removed!
Tamoxifen for 5 years
8/4/15 - Hysterectomy & bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Due to large fibroids. No cancer!
8/8/15 - Started Arimidex
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11-16-2011, 11:56 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: western ma
Posts: 280
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
can't hurt to try, that's for sure. the intensity of mine originally were such that i was crying in the onco's office, saying i was quitting tamoxifen. on the other hand, what good is "quality of life" if you don't take something that could possibly extend your life, right? so i researched the hell out of the internet and found this study. my onco had never heard of it relating to hot flashes, but then again, that is more a gyno's area. *now* she is prescribing it to other women facing the same thing and has had much success. it has minimal side effects, too. i can literally tell when i've forgotten to take it. oh, and like you, i had the bathroom at night thing too, and now i am down to just one 4 am visit. sleeping upstairs when the only bathroom is downstairs made bathroom visits in the night even more annoying. for stuff like planes, i got an old-fashioned fan that fits easily in my purse and fan myself. just call me Miss Scarlet. good luck!
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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11-19-2011, 05:51 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 508
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
I had my chemopause at the age of 35, more than twenty eight years ago and I am still having hot flashes. They are plenty uncomfortable but I remind myself that they are a nuisance, not something unliveable. My poor husband says he is not sure he will survive another winter with the bed covers being ripped off in the middle of the night!
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12-15-2011, 01:56 PM
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#20
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 19
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Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
Hi, I am supposed to start chemotherapy *tomorrow* and, in my ceaseless quest to find something else to worry about, I have started worrying about Tamoxifen, which my onc wants to start me on after chemo (probably April-ish) since I am (just barely) premenopausal. I've read some horrible things about Tamoxifen side-effects, yet I notice a lot of people in this group are taking it. Any thoughts? Has anyone had a prophylactic hysterectomy instead of or in addition to taking Tamoxifen?
Thanks,
Jane
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