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Re: Changes and ?maybe? loss of estrogen?
It may not be the estrogen, AA.
Since starting the metformin trial, my side effects have been pretty mild--just obvious enough to make clear to me (and to my endocrinologist) that I didn't get the placebo, but not so much that I've been inconvenienced. (Admittedly, the bloat sometimes makes it hard to get motivated, but it passes.)
One not so great effect (for me) is a loss of appetite--I had been eating at least 2100 calories/day (and maintaining my post-chemo weight), but now it's an effort to manage 1500 (and in the last two days, only 1300). I got a little worried about that--I have issues with hypoglycemia--so last night I made one of my favorite dinners--salmon and fettucine alfredo with broccoli. It should've been tasty, but I felt like I was eating cardboard. I did manage to get it all down, but only because I felt I needed the calories.
I love food. Well, I used to love food, but now everything either tastes a little off or it doesn't taste at all. I'm just guessing this is one of the reasons many lose weight while taking metformin. Most people eat pretty mindlessly, but for those who savor their food, the difference would be remarkably apparent.
With that said, estrogen does effect one's taste buds, so that too is possible. It just seems that metformin is a more likely culprit.
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2/6/09 Core needle biopsy: negative; Mammos through 2010: no change
3/30/11 Pea-sized lump in left breast at site of prior biopsy; mammo negative, sonogram not so much
4/14/11 Core needle biopsy: negative for cancer
5/18/11 Excisional biopsy 1.2 cm tumor, LVI, positive margin; ER+60%,PR+20%,HER2/CEP17 5
6/15/11 BMX: Left DCIS & LH; Right ADH; SNB: 2/3 nodes: 1.4 cm and 1 mm; ALND L1&2: 0/10; Stage IIa, Grade 3
7/14/11 CT/Bone scans NED; MUGA 66%
7/19/11 Biweekly dd AC w/Neulasta; done 8/30/11
9/13/11 Transfusion (Hemoglobin 8.6); MUGA 64%
9/20/11 Start Taxol + Herceptin; Taxol done 12/6/2011; continue Herceptin until 9/4/2012
12/27/11 Radiation - 6 weeks; 2/27/2012 - DONE! Yayyyy!
2/29/12 Start Tamoxifen 20 mg/day; continue until 2/28/17
5/16/12 Start five-years Metformin trial
6/19/12 MUGA 61%
8/21/12 Brain MRI NED (head still hurts, brain still fogged)
9/4/12 Herceptin done!
9/6/12 Port out!
7/11/13 Aricept 5mg for cognitive impairment; increased to 10mg as of 8/23/13; back to 5mg 12/2013
5/2014 Add Namenda 7mg
9/2014 Stop Aricept and Namenda; Neuropsychological evaluation
10/24/14 Start cognitive rehabilitation therapy
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