HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Tamoxofen

AlaskaAngel · 01-25-2008, 03:24 PM

Quite an interesting monniker you have there, seahag!

I am 5 years out, did CAFx6 then tamoxifen for just under 2 years. No further treatment other than rads. My liver function tests bobbed around in the mildly elevated range for several years. I had abdominal ultrasounds that showed likely hemangioma or cyst for years. Because of being HER2 and having vague discomfort on the liver side, my PCP also did a CT at about 2 years out and then again 2 years later, both of which were fine and did nothing to improve the discomfort to me or my wallet. I also saw a gastrodoc who said the same thing, and encouraged me to eat fruits and veggies and lose weight (The truth can be painful too. I lost 15 more pounds since then.) As time goes by, that side is still uncomfortable and when pressure is pushed on it (from lying on my side in bed, for example) it hurts more. It feels to me like the liver is getting too big to fit in there and is pushing out against the ribs.

Fatty liver is a fairly common diagnosis for middle-aged people and is just a guess unless it is diagnosed by liver biopsy, and since liver biopsies have risks to them the docs prefer to guess.

I do worry about it being cancer of course. (Gee whiz, I was always so darn healthy before diagnosis!) But by the time one gets to 5 years out one has to start counting the vast amount of radiation received along the way. I am now only scheduled for annual exams and labs, and I don't think that is going to be good enough so I am seeing my PCP to try to get at least labs every 6 months including markers and LFTs so at least those could provide some info to me about the liver and any changes happening in there.

All the common diseases of adults are harder to handle after a cancer diagnosis. I don't necessarily attribute the fatty liver to the tamoxifen in my case because it is so common in general with middle age anyhow.

Sympathetically,

AlaskaAngel

01-25-2008, 03:24 PM	#2
AlaskaAngel Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Alaska Posts: 2,018	Fatty liver Quite an interesting monniker you have there, seahag! I am 5 years out, did CAFx6 then tamoxifen for just under 2 years. No further treatment other than rads. My liver function tests bobbed around in the mildly elevated range for several years. I had abdominal ultrasounds that showed likely hemangioma or cyst for years. Because of being HER2 and having vague discomfort on the liver side, my PCP also did a CT at about 2 years out and then again 2 years later, both of which were fine and did nothing to improve the discomfort to me or my wallet. I also saw a gastrodoc who said the same thing, and encouraged me to eat fruits and veggies and lose weight (The truth can be painful too. I lost 15 more pounds since then.) As time goes by, that side is still uncomfortable and when pressure is pushed on it (from lying on my side in bed, for example) it hurts more. It feels to me like the liver is getting too big to fit in there and is pushing out against the ribs. Fatty liver is a fairly common diagnosis for middle-aged people and is just a guess unless it is diagnosed by liver biopsy, and since liver biopsies have risks to them the docs prefer to guess. I do worry about it being cancer of course. (Gee whiz, I was always so darn healthy before diagnosis!) But by the time one gets to 5 years out one has to start counting the vast amount of radiation received along the way. I am now only scheduled for annual exams and labs, and I don't think that is going to be good enough so I am seeing my PCP to try to get at least labs every 6 months including markers and LFTs so at least those could provide some info to me about the liver and any changes happening in there. All the common diseases of adults are harder to handle after a cancer diagnosis. I don't necessarily attribute the fatty liver to the tamoxifen in my case because it is so common in general with middle age anyhow. Sympathetically, AlaskaAngel