Hot flashes...yikes

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chessie
chessie Member Posts: 40
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi everyone. I have to say this board has been an immense help to me. This fall I am coming up to one year since dx. I am several months out of surgery (mast- several nodes positive) chemo,rads and now on Tamox. I have had pain since being on Taxol as it inflammed nerves under my arm. The chemo also caused me to start with 'flashing'. My question is, when I have these hot flashes, the pain is intense for about 20 seconds, before it passes. I also have chills before the hot flash. Mostly they occur in the morning and evenings. Does anyone have this symptom, and how long can I expect this problem to continue?

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  • jamjar62
    jamjar62 Member Posts: 135
    #2
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    Hi...I too have hot flashes and I've been told as long as I'm on the Tamoxifen, I will have them. Right before my hot flash (and this mostly happens during the night), I have this really weird sensation that "crawls" through my body. It makes me feel like tearing around the house like my cat when she gets the crazies.

    My GYN suggested taking evening primrose oil and black cohosh to help the hot flashes. I didn't like the way I felt on the black cohosh but I take the evening primrose oil and it seems to help without causing me to feel any side effects.

    Its amazing how I can go from cool to drenched in sweat in a few short seconds. I have actually had salt in my eyebrows at the end of the day from breaking a sweat from the hot flashes! First time I felt it I was like "whats this in my eyebrows?" Felt like sand but I hadn't been to the beach! Dang if it wasn't salt! Or at least salty residue.

    I will tell you that the longer I'm on Tamoxifen (it was a year in August), the less the hot flashes seem to affect me. And it seems like I have them less often. But maybe thats the evening primrose oil.

    Karen
  • chessie
    chessie Member Posts: 40
    #3
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    jamjar62 said:

    Hi...I too have hot flashes and I've been told as long as I'm on the Tamoxifen, I will have them. Right before my hot flash (and this mostly happens during the night), I have this really weird sensation that "crawls" through my body. It makes me feel like tearing around the house like my cat when she gets the crazies.

    My GYN suggested taking evening primrose oil and black cohosh to help the hot flashes. I didn't like the way I felt on the black cohosh but I take the evening primrose oil and it seems to help without causing me to feel any side effects.

    Its amazing how I can go from cool to drenched in sweat in a few short seconds. I have actually had salt in my eyebrows at the end of the day from breaking a sweat from the hot flashes! First time I felt it I was like "whats this in my eyebrows?" Felt like sand but I hadn't been to the beach! Dang if it wasn't salt! Or at least salty residue.

    I will tell you that the longer I'm on Tamoxifen (it was a year in August), the less the hot flashes seem to affect me. And it seems like I have them less often. But maybe thats the evening primrose oil.

    Karen

    Thanks for the reply - yes, I know that crawly feeling! Very weird - and at the end I get pins and needles all along my arms and legs. I'm glad it only lasts less than a minute. I will look for the evening primrose oil - I think my doctor also mentioned trying that too.
  • marysun
    marysun Member Posts: 39 Member
    #4
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    chessie said:

    Thanks for the reply - yes, I know that crawly feeling! Very weird - and at the end I get pins and needles all along my arms and legs. I'm glad it only lasts less than a minute. I will look for the evening primrose oil - I think my doctor also mentioned trying that too.

    I have had it all -- the crawly feeling, the needles in my arms. but I am going to caution you and anyone else about herbal supplements that mimic estrogen. My tumor was ER+PR+ so that cuts out all the estrogen imitators like black cohash, evening primrose, soy supplements, etc. My doc has me on 800IU vitamin E per day. I am taking arimidex after 1) 30 lbs weight gain and constant hot flashes with tamoxifen, and 2) bone pain and fluid retention from the femara. Still getting flashes, guess I just have to live with them. I have an extensive collection of fans -- one in my purse, one at every turn -- next to the tv, next to my reading chair, on the dining table, one in the car, etc etc etc.
    Try to stay cool and hope for an early winter!
  • seeknpeace
    seeknpeace Member Posts: 259
    #5
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    marysun said:

    I have had it all -- the crawly feeling, the needles in my arms. but I am going to caution you and anyone else about herbal supplements that mimic estrogen. My tumor was ER+PR+ so that cuts out all the estrogen imitators like black cohash, evening primrose, soy supplements, etc. My doc has me on 800IU vitamin E per day. I am taking arimidex after 1) 30 lbs weight gain and constant hot flashes with tamoxifen, and 2) bone pain and fluid retention from the femara. Still getting flashes, guess I just have to live with them. I have an extensive collection of fans -- one in my purse, one at every turn -- next to the tv, next to my reading chair, on the dining table, one in the car, etc etc etc.
    Try to stay cool and hope for an early winter!

    Yes, Lord, the fans. I have them everywhere. My asthma inhaler and my fan. I do not go anywhere without them. I was shopping at the mall this past weekend and ran into a friend from long ago. As we were talking, I began to have a hot flash, so I jerk the fan out of my purse and turn it on and stand there with it whirring and she just stops and stares at me. haha. My hot flashes are not chemo induced, I had a total hysterectomy a year before my dx, Dec 2002. I had been on estrogen until my dx in Jan 2004 and then they took me off of it. While I am est/pr negative, the onc says I am still at high risk if I take estrogen, so I am dying here. I have a fear that I will be one of those women who never get over hot flashes, who have them their entire life. Sometimes it smells like my hair is on fire..haha.

    Jan
  • jamjar62
    jamjar62 Member Posts: 135
    #6
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    marysun said:

    I have had it all -- the crawly feeling, the needles in my arms. but I am going to caution you and anyone else about herbal supplements that mimic estrogen. My tumor was ER+PR+ so that cuts out all the estrogen imitators like black cohash, evening primrose, soy supplements, etc. My doc has me on 800IU vitamin E per day. I am taking arimidex after 1) 30 lbs weight gain and constant hot flashes with tamoxifen, and 2) bone pain and fluid retention from the femara. Still getting flashes, guess I just have to live with them. I have an extensive collection of fans -- one in my purse, one at every turn -- next to the tv, next to my reading chair, on the dining table, one in the car, etc etc etc.
    Try to stay cool and hope for an early winter!

    I don't think evening primrose oil is an estrogen imitator unlike the soy supplements. I am also ER/PR+ and was told by my onc and my GYN that it was okay to take.

    Karen
  • jamjar62
    jamjar62 Member Posts: 135
    #7
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    jamjar62 said:

    I don't think evening primrose oil is an estrogen imitator unlike the soy supplements. I am also ER/PR+ and was told by my onc and my GYN that it was okay to take.

    Karen

    I found this on the ACS website.

    http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Evening_Primrose.asp?sitearea=ETO

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