ladies..hormone therapy

elizabethgd
elizabethgd Member Posts: 145
in Colorectal Cancer #1
i read that estrogen hormone therapy can help prevent recurrence colorectal but i have also read that it may encourage breast cancer? would like to hear opinions thanx for anything you can share.

Comments

  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #2
    I had a complete
    I had a complete hysterectomy when the tumor was removed and have been used a FemRing ever since (2009). The pros seem to be worth the cons, at least for me. My thought tho, was not for reoccurance--don't know if the science is strong enough yet on this claim--but for healthy bones, etc. since it put me into surgical menopause.
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #3
    tommycat said:

    I had a complete
    I had a complete hysterectomy when the tumor was removed and have been used a FemRing ever since (2009). The pros seem to be worth the cons, at least for me. My thought tho, was not for reoccurance--don't know if the science is strong enough yet on this claim--but for healthy bones, etc. since it put me into surgical menopause.

    I'm glad to know this
    I'm glad to know this because I have been trying to figure out what to do. I am older than you but was also put into surgical and radiation induced menopause. I will be seeing a gynecologist next week, first time since surgery, and wanted to address the issue of hormones.

    Thanks, Laura
  • dmdwins
    dmdwins Member Posts: 454 Member
    #4
    lauragb said:

    I'm glad to know this
    I'm glad to know this because I have been trying to figure out what to do. I am older than you but was also put into surgical and radiation induced menopause. I will be seeing a gynecologist next week, first time since surgery, and wanted to address the issue of hormones.

    Thanks, Laura

    Many opinions
    There are many opinions out there. My gynecologist says yes for heart protection. A cardiologist said not neccessary and wouldnt because of the cancer history. My oncologist said up to you. no strong opinion one way or the other.....so I decided on no as Im hesitant to put anything extra into my body(though gyne says it is naturally derived which is supposedly true) AND I was not suffering too badly from post-surgical menopause symptoms. There are some women who have such bad symptoms that it interfers with daily life and it helps them immensely. Seems to be no clear cut decision to me....just a personal choice.

    Smiles,
    Dawn
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #5
    hormone therapy
    Hi girls, (and boys if you're lurking - lol)
    I don't have much to share on the topic but am interested in other's experiences and knowledge. I'm probably younger then most. I'm 41 years old and have been in chemo induced menopause for about 8 months now. I've been told by my onc. that if my period didn't come back within a years time, that I would be officially in menopause. I too may have to start looking into estrogen hormone therapy,along with its pros and cons.
    Karen
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #6
    Estrogen
    My radiologist prescribed something vaginally (with estrogen) because of radiation closing up the vagina and he said use it sparingly as it can cause other cancers. So instead of using that to widen the vagina I bought a dilator. Good luck.

    Kim
  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #7
    Lot of conflicting info out there-
    I just had a hysterectomy, so need to think about what I want to do as well. My gyn/onc surgeon said she thinks doing just estrogen alone for a few years is fine, that the greatest risk of breast cancer is in older women who have been taking progesterone/estrogen for many years. But I know someone else with colon cancer whose doc said absolutely no HRT, that it would increase her risk of breast cancer a lot. My naturopath, and another friend, thinks bio-identicals are the way to go. So I have no clue what the right answer is...for the moment, I'm just trying to adjust to getting blasted with a flame thrower 3 or 4 times a night, and collapsing in a puddle of tears every few days. Let us know what you decide-it's helpful to hear about the choices other people make. Ann
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #8
    lauragb said:

    I'm glad to know this
    I'm glad to know this because I have been trying to figure out what to do. I am older than you but was also put into surgical and radiation induced menopause. I will be seeing a gynecologist next week, first time since surgery, and wanted to address the issue of hormones.

    Thanks, Laura

    Hi Laura
    A different surgical team took out my ovaries and uterus while I was under for the resection and temporary ilestomy (stage 3 rectal). When a member of that team came to check on me during the hospital stay, he recommended the FemRing, a device you put in and leave in for three months, sort of like the old Sponge contraceptive.
    When I felt better and saw my regular ob/gyn I asked her opinion and she said that absolutely I should start on the FemRing immediately. She said she uses it and recommends it to her patients who are interested in HRT. Since she is in her 60s, a no-nonsense, salty former Navy surgeon--and she helped me deliver my twins vaginally in 2005--I trusted her and haven't looked back. No period, no mood swings, no hot flashes.
  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #9
    Mayo Clinic has this to say on the subject...
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hormone-therapy/WO00046.

    Sorry it's not clickable-not sure how to do that! But it does mention studies that show protection against CRC, and supports what my surgeon thought about short-term, estrogen-only usage being ok.
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #10
    Hormone therapy???
    Hey all,
    Wow,there's a lot to think about. The risks associated with HRT scare me. I'm really just hoping that I'll get my period back. I don't think that I'd be a good candidate for HRT, as breast cancer,stroke,blood clots,and heart disease all run in my family. (but crc doesn't???-I just had to be different lol)

    Kim-I'm not really sure if I'll have to make use of a dilator,as I've been single for a while now. I was really hoping that if that were the case that my gyno. could take care of business. Any idea?

    Ann-The period at the end of your link needed to be removed for it to be functional-informative article-thanks.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hormone-therapy/WO00046
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #11
    karen40 said:

    Hormone therapy???
    Hey all,
    Wow,there's a lot to think about. The risks associated with HRT scare me. I'm really just hoping that I'll get my period back. I don't think that I'd be a good candidate for HRT, as breast cancer,stroke,blood clots,and heart disease all run in my family. (but crc doesn't???-I just had to be different lol)

    Kim-I'm not really sure if I'll have to make use of a dilator,as I've been single for a while now. I was really hoping that if that were the case that my gyno. could take care of business. Any idea?

    Ann-The period at the end of your link needed to be removed for it to be functional-informative article-thanks.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hormone-therapy/WO00046

    Dilator
    My vagina closed up so bad and never noticed it until about 4 months after surgery when hubby and I were going to make love for the first time in almost 6 months because of the chemo and radiation. When we tried it was terrible. It broke the entrance to the vagina and bleed so bad we couldn't finish - it hurt like heck too. It would be like giving birth to a baby and 10 mintues later wanting to make love. The dilator was the only thing that helped and bought that on the internet. It's graduated so you start out with a small one and work your way up to a bigger and bigger one. My regular doctor never mentioned it to me, it was my radiologist when I told him I couldn't make love anymore. Most doctors won't tell you as they don't know you have the problem. I had a hard time getting a pap smear - even that hurt. Good luck and ask away if you have anymore questions.

    Happy New Year! Kim
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #12
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Dilator
    My vagina closed up so bad and never noticed it until about 4 months after surgery when hubby and I were going to make love for the first time in almost 6 months because of the chemo and radiation. When we tried it was terrible. It broke the entrance to the vagina and bleed so bad we couldn't finish - it hurt like heck too. It would be like giving birth to a baby and 10 mintues later wanting to make love. The dilator was the only thing that helped and bought that on the internet. It's graduated so you start out with a small one and work your way up to a bigger and bigger one. My regular doctor never mentioned it to me, it was my radiologist when I told him I couldn't make love anymore. Most doctors won't tell you as they don't know you have the problem. I had a hard time getting a pap smear - even that hurt. Good luck and ask away if you have anymore questions.

    Happy New Year! Kim

    I had a lot of vaginal
    I had a lot of vaginal bleeding and a period during radiation. Exams given during that time were extremely painful. My regular gynecologist recommended dilators which I did try to use to some success but not so much that I could have comfortable relations with my husband. When I went to see the gynecologist who would be doing my hysterectomy during the rectal cancer surgery, he told me the radiation had already caused atrophy and that I would need some sort of estrogen, whether it be cream or systemic estrogen to help remedy the problem, that the dilators alone will not work for me but would be helpful with some estrogen. I am 6 weeks post surgery so am going for post-op appointments next week. I had to bring up the issue of vaginal wall damage to my doctors back in the fall too. Luckily, I read about it on the internet and that's how I found out about the dilators. Hopefully, we can come up with a solution that everyone agrees on. Right now, the doctors don't even agree on my post-surgery treatment. But that's another can of worms.
    I really appreciate being able to hear others opinions about this topic. Again, it's a very personal subject and most people have no idea that this is part of our struggle.

    To a healthy 2012,
    Laura
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #13
    lauragb said:

    I had a lot of vaginal
    I had a lot of vaginal bleeding and a period during radiation. Exams given during that time were extremely painful. My regular gynecologist recommended dilators which I did try to use to some success but not so much that I could have comfortable relations with my husband. When I went to see the gynecologist who would be doing my hysterectomy during the rectal cancer surgery, he told me the radiation had already caused atrophy and that I would need some sort of estrogen, whether it be cream or systemic estrogen to help remedy the problem, that the dilators alone will not work for me but would be helpful with some estrogen. I am 6 weeks post surgery so am going for post-op appointments next week. I had to bring up the issue of vaginal wall damage to my doctors back in the fall too. Luckily, I read about it on the internet and that's how I found out about the dilators. Hopefully, we can come up with a solution that everyone agrees on. Right now, the doctors don't even agree on my post-surgery treatment. But that's another can of worms.
    I really appreciate being able to hear others opinions about this topic. Again, it's a very personal subject and most people have no idea that this is part of our struggle.

    To a healthy 2012,
    Laura

    Radiation
    Radiation can do some damaging things even those you don't think about. It took me almost a year of using those on and off (and that was painful also) but it was gradual. It helped me tremendously. I'm thankful that my husband was so patient with me.

    Happy New Year! Kim
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #14
    Hard to say
    It seems to be such a hard decision! I personally wouldn't take it, but I don't think I could say what would be right for you. Good luck with your decision making!

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #15
    Hormone therapy
    Just wanted to chime in that you might want to ask your gyn about natural herbs instead of the prescription hormone supplements. I went through menopause and pre-menopause many years ago, and I don't envy anyone the hot flashes, but, I never did the hormone therapy and my gyn said she could give me a list of natural herbs that would help rather then the hormone therapy. I chose neither, instead I kept a 64 ounce SpeedWay insulated mug next to my bed filled with ice water!! LOL.
    I have no knowledge about which is best for you, my Mom lived until 90 and she took hormone pills for well over half those 90 years and they didn't affect her in any way, but I just am not a pill taker and that's why I chose not to do it.
    Hope you find what is right for you, I feel for you, I surely did drink a massive amount of ice water during those years.
    Winter Marie
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #16
    herdizziness said:

    Hormone therapy
    Just wanted to chime in that you might want to ask your gyn about natural herbs instead of the prescription hormone supplements. I went through menopause and pre-menopause many years ago, and I don't envy anyone the hot flashes, but, I never did the hormone therapy and my gyn said she could give me a list of natural herbs that would help rather then the hormone therapy. I chose neither, instead I kept a 64 ounce SpeedWay insulated mug next to my bed filled with ice water!! LOL.
    I have no knowledge about which is best for you, my Mom lived until 90 and she took hormone pills for well over half those 90 years and they didn't affect her in any way, but I just am not a pill taker and that's why I chose not to do it.
    Hope you find what is right for you, I feel for you, I surely did drink a massive amount of ice water during those years.
    Winter Marie

    I don't really know how to
    I don't really know how to word this....but with breast cancer, you can get bone mets...anyhow, there is a shot to, I suppose, prevent osteoporisis, and it seems to prevent bone loss associated with bone mets. If you are meniposal from surgery from colon cancer, I wonder if getting this shot could prevent bone mets?? Anyone get the shots to prevent bone loss?? Here is a snippit of what I read, this is relating to breast cancer (but??) In addition, zoledronic acid not only decreased the frequency of bone metastases but also of distant metastasis to other sites, as well as loco-regional and contralateral relapses. This suggests that part of its antitumor effect may arise from subtle changes in the bone marrow microenvironment, including the vascular niche, where dormant tumor stem cells may survive for an extended period in a quiescent state.88 This interdependence of tumor cells on the microenvironment and stem cells fuels the "seed-and-soil" hypothesis....ANYHOW, any thoughts?? (sheesh, I wish I could put my thoughts down in writing the way Craig does!!!)
  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #17
    smokeyjoe said:

    I don't really know how to
    I don't really know how to word this....but with breast cancer, you can get bone mets...anyhow, there is a shot to, I suppose, prevent osteoporisis, and it seems to prevent bone loss associated with bone mets. If you are meniposal from surgery from colon cancer, I wonder if getting this shot could prevent bone mets?? Anyone get the shots to prevent bone loss?? Here is a snippit of what I read, this is relating to breast cancer (but??) In addition, zoledronic acid not only decreased the frequency of bone metastases but also of distant metastasis to other sites, as well as loco-regional and contralateral relapses. This suggests that part of its antitumor effect may arise from subtle changes in the bone marrow microenvironment, including the vascular niche, where dormant tumor stem cells may survive for an extended period in a quiescent state.88 This interdependence of tumor cells on the microenvironment and stem cells fuels the "seed-and-soil" hypothesis....ANYHOW, any thoughts?? (sheesh, I wish I could put my thoughts down in writing the way Craig does!!!)

    Link?
    Do you have the link for this article, Smokeyjoe? I'd like to look at it if you do. Thanks!
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #18
    annalexandria said:

    Link?
    Do you have the link for this article, Smokeyjoe? I'd like to look at it if you do. Thanks!

    I looked at a bunch...but
    I looked at a bunch...but there is one on You tube with a video....Cancer: Zoledronate/Zoledronic acid (Zometa ) Mechanism of Action. If you just google zolendronic acid and cancer a bunch of stuff will pop up.

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