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any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
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02-28-2010, 09:19 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 22
Hysterectomy: January 28th, 2010
Surgery Type: DvH
Ovaries: Removed both
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any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
Hi sisters! I was just put into surgical menopause (hysterectomy four weeks ago). Went from being premenopausal to postmenopausal in one day! OMG, I'm up all night every night because I have one hot flash after another. I have one like every five or ten minutes and they last a few minutes, so there isn't much time in between. I spend most of the night walking around the house naked. I know most of the herbs cause an increase in hormones even without ovaries (like from the adrenal glands) so I can't take them. Does anyone know of herbs to reduce hot flashes that don't increase hormones? Or maybe even herbs to help with sleep? Any breast cancer survivors who went through surgical menopause with tips? Thanks sisters!
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03-01-2010, 10:45 AM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 621
Hysterectomy: January 3rd, 2008
Surgery Type: TAH
Ovaries: Removed both
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Re: any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
Hi! I have not had breast cancer but just wanted to ask if you have talked with your Dr. about an SSRI anti depressant. Some have been shown to really help with the hot flashes and some of the other issues that are common when we are going through estrogen withdrawal. I also bought a Chillow from this site and that did help a lot when I was early post op and trying to go without HRT.
Good luck!
Teresa
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03-01-2010, 09:02 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 22
Hysterectomy: January 28th, 2010
Surgery Type: DvH
Ovaries: Removed both
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Re: any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
Thanks Teresa! My doc had mentioned the anti-depressants, but when I asked how long I'd be on them she seemed to evade the question. I've never been depressed so I don't want to take medication that messes with that part of me. I'd be afraid to be someone else when I got off of them. My mood is good. I just have zillions of hot flashes non-stop, which I heard is common with surgical menopause. I'm wondering if there are herbs which might help with sleep or something. Is it possible to sleep through hot flashes? I'll check out the chillow. Thanks!
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03-01-2010, 09:33 PM
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Posts: 30,771
Hysterectomy: February 4th, 2002
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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Re: any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
Hi Azalea09 I did it in the reverse order... had the hyst/BSO and went into surgical menopause first, then was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years later. However, I did not try to manage without HRT. I started on HRT immediately after the hyst/BSO having no clue that I would ever have breast cancer (obviously I had it then, it was just too small to see on mammograms yet) and no family history of female cancers.
After I was diagnosed the first time, two years after the hysterectomy/BSO, I briefly tried halving my HRT dose and going on Tamoxifen. I lasted less than a week until my DRs told me to get off the Tamoxifen and go back to my original dose of HRT. My quality of life was so severely affected that I could not function in even the most basic of ways. I had severe bone pain, migraines that had me vomiting, very high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia like I've never experienced before, and much more.
My doctors have been supportive of my staying on my HRTs, which are transdermal bio-identicals (mainly the Vivelle-dot patch and natural progesterone cream). There are no conclusive data showing that bio-identical estradiol or natural progesterone cause cancer; they can encourage its growth if, as mine were, the cancers are ER+/PR+. My doctors and I attribute my cancer to several years of depo Provera use in the 1990s (about the right timeframe, too).
If you are absolutely committed to trying to go without any estrogen, your DRs can prescribe Arimidex or another prescription aromatase inhibitor. I take DIM (diindolylmethane), available over the counter, which has been shown to influence the metabolism of estrones (the estrogens produced in belly fat cells) away from the more dangerous metabolites towards the healthier ones.
For symptom relief ideas, you might want to browse through our forum for women who do not use HRT:
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/forumdisplay.php?f=34
There are the SSRIs, and other options like belladonna and clonidine, which are helpful for some women. If you truly want to stay away from all things estrogenic, avoid all the products containing soy, black cohosh, red clover, etc - all phytoestrogens.
I hope this helps!
s,
-Linda
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06-14-2010, 11:43 AM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 20
Hysterectomy: April 17th, 2008
Surgery Type: TLH
Ovaries: Kept 1 or both
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Re: any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
I am a two-time breast cancer survivor, having had my non-invasive hyst April 2008. My health has been good since then, but just within the past month or so, I have been sleepless, tremendous hot flashes, etc. I've been advised against both bio-identical and natural hormones. I'm searching for relief, but at present I am trying estroven with soy and black cohosh.
I would like relief instantly, but for the time being, this is it.
Good luck in your search also.
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07-24-2010, 07:32 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 50
Hysterectomy: June 2nd, 2010
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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Re: any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
Hi
I had a TVH/BSO on 6/2/2010 and a mastectomy on 6/28. My treatment is at Mayo and I was offered a single injection of Depo-Provera. There is a recent study comparing effectiveness of Depo with Effexor (an antidepressant). My PCP wanted me to try Effexor but it has too many long term SEs and changes brain chemistry.
I had the Depo shot on 7/23 my hot flashes are still coming, but hoping they decrease over time. You only get ONE injection....so SEs are limited to that one injection.
Here's some links for the information
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,156735,00.html
http://komen.healthology.com/breast-...rticle3470.htm
This is the original article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology
http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/reprint/24/9/1409
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07-24-2010, 09:21 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 20
Hysterectomy: April 17th, 2008
Surgery Type: TLH
Ovaries: Kept 1 or both
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Re: any breast cancer survivors put into surgical menopause?
Thank you so much for your information, and Take Care.
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