Thickening of uterus

disneyfan2008
disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
I had posted some time back I had total hysterctomy due to TAMOXIFEN....enlarging my uterus. I have seen others post they have had hysterectomy but for same reason. I never hear anyone mention thickening.

MY oncologist insisted from the get to to have interanl ultra sound each 3-6 mths...my gyno stated he normally doesn't do it as a normal practice but would if onolcogist insisted. HE DID and good thing she insisted..

so just cruious if any others have had this situation?


Denise

Comments

  • Frankie Shannon
    Frankie Shannon Member Posts: 457
    #2
    I have been on Tamoxifen for
    I have been on Tamoxifen for 2 years and have never had a hysterectomy i only see my Dr. once a year for pap smear and check up.I see my onc every 6 months and she didn't say any thing about having ultra sounds,i will have to ask her about that.
    Hugs Frankie
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #3
    Frankie Shannon said:

    I have been on Tamoxifen for
    I have been on Tamoxifen for 2 years and have never had a hysterectomy i only see my Dr. once a year for pap smear and check up.I see my onc every 6 months and she didn't say any thing about having ultra sounds,i will have to ask her about that.
    Hugs Frankie

    wow...soon as I started my
    wow...soon as I started my oncologist said have you had the internal ultra sound (not sure of name of test) I said NO...GYNO never mentioned it...she kept insisting...so I started getting them followed by D & C . @ time. MY gyno did noticed enlargement each time....SO I am happy my oncologist insisted.
    (about 3 1/2 yrs into it I had hystercomty)

    Denise
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #4
    disneyfan2008 said:

    wow...soon as I started my
    wow...soon as I started my oncologist said have you had the internal ultra sound (not sure of name of test) I said NO...GYNO never mentioned it...she kept insisting...so I started getting them followed by D & C . @ time. MY gyno did noticed enlargement each time....SO I am happy my oncologist insisted.
    (about 3 1/2 yrs into it I had hystercomty)

    Denise

    Thanks for posting, Denise
    Really important. I posted on another thread - Tamoxifen is a known risk factor for endometrial cancer, and it isn't always the "garden variety" type like mine was. It can be UPSC which is very aggressive. An ultrasound will show if the lining of your uterus (endometrium) has thickened. This can be due to nothing, complex atypical hyperplasia (precancer), or endometrial cancer.

    Consider an having a transvaginal ultrasound just like a mammogram if you're on Tamoxifen. Discuss this with your oncologist and your gynecologist.

    Just because you're on Tamoxifen does not mean you'll develop endo cancer - it just increases your risks because while it prevents your ovaries from producing estrogen, your uterus reacts to it like it is estrogen and a tumor that likes estrogen finds it especially nice. Both my breast and endometrial cancers were estrogen dependent (I was not on Tamoxifen, just old and overweight).

    Suzanne
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #5
    Double Whammy said:

    Thanks for posting, Denise
    Really important. I posted on another thread - Tamoxifen is a known risk factor for endometrial cancer, and it isn't always the "garden variety" type like mine was. It can be UPSC which is very aggressive. An ultrasound will show if the lining of your uterus (endometrium) has thickened. This can be due to nothing, complex atypical hyperplasia (precancer), or endometrial cancer.

    Consider an having a transvaginal ultrasound just like a mammogram if you're on Tamoxifen. Discuss this with your oncologist and your gynecologist.

    Just because you're on Tamoxifen does not mean you'll develop endo cancer - it just increases your risks because while it prevents your ovaries from producing estrogen, your uterus reacts to it like it is estrogen and a tumor that likes estrogen finds it especially nice. Both my breast and endometrial cancers were estrogen dependent (I was not on Tamoxifen, just old and overweight).

    Suzanne

    I had everything taken
    I had everything taken out..I told my dr you will not get me back in...for other parts so do it all at once..

    Denise
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #6
    Thickening
    Denise,

    I stated this under Janelle's post. I had a ct scan 6 months after starting Tamoxifen in 1995. At that time it was noted that the endometrium (lining) had thicken. I had a D&C in 2001 after several years of bleeding and neither then oncologist or gynecologist seem to know why. I don't have either of this doctors today.

    My ct scan was not see if the endometrium was enlarged. It was to figure out why I had pain which turn out to be a rip in the mesh that I had for a hernia repair. A new repair was done again several years later.

    Best,

    Doris
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #7
    SIROD said:

    Thickening
    Denise,

    I stated this under Janelle's post. I had a ct scan 6 months after starting Tamoxifen in 1995. At that time it was noted that the endometrium (lining) had thicken. I had a D&C in 2001 after several years of bleeding and neither then oncologist or gynecologist seem to know why. I don't have either of this doctors today.

    My ct scan was not see if the endometrium was enlarged. It was to figure out why I had pain which turn out to be a rip in the mesh that I had for a hernia repair. A new repair was done again several years later.

    Best,

    Doris

    Excellent explanation here:
    http://www.wcn.org/articles/treatment/hormone_therapy/estrogen_receptors/

    This site is the Foundation for Women's Cancers. While primarily focused on gynecologic cancer, they also include breast cancer.

    Suzanne
  • debi.18
    debi.18 Member Posts: 850 Member
    #8
    Double Whammy said:

    Excellent explanation here:
    http://www.wcn.org/articles/treatment/hormone_therapy/estrogen_receptors/

    This site is the Foundation for Women's Cancers. While primarily focused on gynecologic cancer, they also include breast cancer.

    Suzanne

    Thank you ladies
    I was told that the Tamoxifen could cause thickening, but they would just monitor it. My docs never mentioned anything about getting an ultrasound. I'm going to ask about it at my next appt.

    Hugs, Debi
  • Faith1122
    Faith1122 Member Posts: 46
    #9
    adenomyosis
    1 year before I was diagnosed I was diagnosed with a condition called adenomyosis. It is like have endometriosis on the inside of your uterus. It is painful & a lot of bleeding each month. My uterus was the size of a woman's uterus that was 4 months pregnant. I got a hysterectomy & had my uterus removed. I had gotten an abdominal MRI to diagnose it.
  • Lynn Smith
    Lynn Smith Member Posts: 1,264 Member
    #10
    Faith1122 said:

    adenomyosis
    1 year before I was diagnosed I was diagnosed with a condition called adenomyosis. It is like have endometriosis on the inside of your uterus. It is painful & a lot of bleeding each month. My uterus was the size of a woman's uterus that was 4 months pregnant. I got a hysterectomy & had my uterus removed. I had gotten an abdominal MRI to diagnose it.

    I agree Denise
    I agree Denise.Take it all the first time.My doctor said after surgery he was glad he did.He said I never want to go in that belly again. The fibroid tumor was bigger than he thought and I am a small person.

    Why I made the deckision?Because a lady I knew passed away.I asked her daughter what happened.She said Female Cancer.I told her "NO" your mom had a hysteretomy.She asid it was years ago and they didn't take the ovaries.Ovarian cancer is very hard to detect and often to late once dx.

    It turned out to be a good decision because now I have no worries about uterine cancer with the tamox I take. My doctors even told me it was a plus.


    Lynn Smith
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #11
    SIROD said:

    Thickening
    Denise,

    I stated this under Janelle's post. I had a ct scan 6 months after starting Tamoxifen in 1995. At that time it was noted that the endometrium (lining) had thicken. I had a D&C in 2001 after several years of bleeding and neither then oncologist or gynecologist seem to know why. I don't have either of this doctors today.

    My ct scan was not see if the endometrium was enlarged. It was to figure out why I had pain which turn out to be a rip in the mesh that I had for a hernia repair. A new repair was done again several years later.

    Best,

    Doris

    Doris:
    wow...sorry you went
    Doris:

    wow...sorry you went through all that..

    I was post meno at time of BC...out of blue about 3 yrs on tamoixfen starting bleeding..they took me off tamox for a bit no help..did surgery...had to have big CUT since so thick..all is well now



    Denise
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #12
    Lynn Smith said:

    I agree Denise
    I agree Denise.Take it all the first time.My doctor said after surgery he was glad he did.He said I never want to go in that belly again. The fibroid tumor was bigger than he thought and I am a small person.

    Why I made the deckision?Because a lady I knew passed away.I asked her daughter what happened.She said Female Cancer.I told her "NO" your mom had a hysteretomy.She asid it was years ago and they didn't take the ovaries.Ovarian cancer is very hard to detect and often to late once dx.

    It turned out to be a good decision because now I have no worries about uterine cancer with the tamox I take. My doctors even told me it was a plus.


    Lynn Smith

    Ironcially my mom had
    Ironcially my mom had hystertomy many years ago..new dr insisted (TOLD US POINT blank ) she had overian cancer. (no cancer ever in her life) we said surgery in past-no records of it..so they opened her up and NO overies...not sure how they could not tell from ultrasound etc..but surgery for no reason......plus had my mom scared to death as well as us..


    Denise..

    But no way I would go back for this surgery..so said TAKE IT ALL I DONT' NEED IT..i WAS 52 at the time.
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #13
    disneyfan2008 said:

    Ironcially my mom had
    Ironcially my mom had hystertomy many years ago..new dr insisted (TOLD US POINT blank ) she had overian cancer. (no cancer ever in her life) we said surgery in past-no records of it..so they opened her up and NO overies...not sure how they could not tell from ultrasound etc..but surgery for no reason......plus had my mom scared to death as well as us..


    Denise..

    But no way I would go back for this surgery..so said TAKE IT ALL I DONT' NEED IT..i WAS 52 at the time.

    Needless Surgery
    Denise,

    I hope this awful doctor didn't bill your mother for the needless surgery. How awful!

    Then the horror of a diagnose that wasn't.

    Doris
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #14
    SIROD said:

    Needless Surgery
    Denise,

    I hope this awful doctor didn't bill your mother for the needless surgery. How awful!

    Then the horror of a diagnose that wasn't.

    Doris

    Doris:
    yes she got

    Doris:

    yes she got billed...sadly...

    she was so so scared..of course...she never had any kind of cancer...but told us point blank she did prior to any tests or surgery...

    YOU"D think from ultrasound etc...they see lack of body parts...

    Denise
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #15
    SIROD said:

    Needless Surgery
    Denise,

    I hope this awful doctor didn't bill your mother for the needless surgery. How awful!

    Then the horror of a diagnose that wasn't.

    Doris

    Doris:
    yes she got

    Doris:

    yes she got billed...sadly...

    she was so so scared..of course...she never had any kind of cancer...but told us point blank she did prior to any tests or surgery...

    YOU"D think from ultrasound etc...they see lack of body parts...

    Denise

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