I’m on week four of tamoxifen (with another four years, 48 weeks in front of me if taken as planned). I’m taking just a quarter dose of what’s normally prescribed, and that’s on purpose. I haven’t had good experiences with drugs that interfere with hormones and hoped that a slow ramp up to the full 20 mg would mitigate any side effects.
Unfortunately that’s not what’s going on. This whole thing is further complicated by me starting Prolia 10 days before starting tamoxifen so teasing apart what’s causing what is a little difficult. Both drugs can cause muscle pain, joint pain and bone pain, all of which I have. But those didn’t start until about day 10 of the tamoxifen which is also when I noticed my heart rate getting too high while running (another tamoxifen side effect although apparently not very common) and also started having serious hot flashes.
I didn’t have hot flashes in menopause, I had more what I’d call warm flashes. But these are much more intense—sweat rolls down my face, I’ve soaked my clothes. They’re pretty intense.
But it’s the heart rate issue that concerns me the most because it’s affecting my runs. It’s not safe for me to run at my maximum heart rate for very long (it’s not good for anyone, not just me) and it’s been spiking that high a lot. Sunday’s “run” was mostly walking because my heart rate wouldn’t stay down.
I run because I love it, sure. But running also plays an important role in reducing my risk of this breast cancer recurring. According to this study (summarized in this article), physical activity can reduce the risk of death from breast cancer by about 40%.
But what’s my risk?
I used this online calculator to run my results two different ways. The pathology report from my biopsy said that lymphovascular invasion was present, and the path report from my lumpectomy said it was absent.
Including the LVI, I have an 18% risk of recurrence in the next 15 years. When I reran the test using no LVI present, my risk is 11%.
Here are two more results using a different calculator, one with me taking tamoxifen and one without.
Let’s go with the worst-case scenario. If I have an 18% risk of death specific to breast cancer in the next 15 years, and I continue working out the way I normally do then my risk drops to 10.2%. Sure I could cut that 18% risk by 1/3 by taking tamoxifen but at this rate, I would lose the benefit from exercise.
As I told Kent, I don’t have a death wish, I have a life fully lived wish. I’ve scouted around the forums that have been so helpful to me and magnesium glycinate has helped others with the same sorts of side effects. I got some last night and started taking it. I’ll give the tamoxifen + magnesium at least a week. If things aren’t better, I’ll stop the tamoxifen and continue the magnesium by itself for a couple of weeks and then try again with the tamoxifen.
Unfortunately that’s not what’s going on. This whole thing is further complicated by me starting Prolia 10 days before starting tamoxifen so teasing apart what’s causing what is a little difficult. Both drugs can cause muscle pain, joint pain and bone pain, all of which I have. But those didn’t start until about day 10 of the tamoxifen which is also when I noticed my heart rate getting too high while running (another tamoxifen side effect although apparently not very common) and also started having serious hot flashes.
I didn’t have hot flashes in menopause, I had more what I’d call warm flashes. But these are much more intense—sweat rolls down my face, I’ve soaked my clothes. They’re pretty intense.
But it’s the heart rate issue that concerns me the most because it’s affecting my runs. It’s not safe for me to run at my maximum heart rate for very long (it’s not good for anyone, not just me) and it’s been spiking that high a lot. Sunday’s “run” was mostly walking because my heart rate wouldn’t stay down.
I run because I love it, sure. But running also plays an important role in reducing my risk of this breast cancer recurring. According to this study (summarized in this article), physical activity can reduce the risk of death from breast cancer by about 40%.
But what’s my risk?
I used this online calculator to run my results two different ways. The pathology report from my biopsy said that lymphovascular invasion was present, and the path report from my lumpectomy said it was absent.
Including the LVI, I have an 18% risk of recurrence in the next 15 years. When I reran the test using no LVI present, my risk is 11%.
Here are two more results using a different calculator, one with me taking tamoxifen and one without.
 |
| Taking tamoxifen |
 |
| No tamoxifen |
Let’s go with the worst-case scenario. If I have an 18% risk of death specific to breast cancer in the next 15 years, and I continue working out the way I normally do then my risk drops to 10.2%. Sure I could cut that 18% risk by 1/3 by taking tamoxifen but at this rate, I would lose the benefit from exercise.
As I told Kent, I don’t have a death wish, I have a life fully lived wish. I’ve scouted around the forums that have been so helpful to me and magnesium glycinate has helped others with the same sorts of side effects. I got some last night and started taking it. I’ll give the tamoxifen + magnesium at least a week. If things aren’t better, I’ll stop the tamoxifen and continue the magnesium by itself for a couple of weeks and then try again with the tamoxifen.
2 comments:
the fully lived life wish sounds like a good idea. What's the use of 79 more days if you can't do the things you want to?
Exactly. Without being morbid in the least, death comes to us all. I would far rather meet my death having lived fully than having been laid up and crippled by these side effects. A pox on that.
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