tips for better mammogram?

[szsz]

You are doing more than trying hard enough!

[redrhodie]

Started taking Tamoxifen this week, and so far, so good. I took most of the week off from riding, just commuted to work one day, and that pretty good. After last week, I obviously needed a break. Still a bit of fatigue, but nothing a nap doesn't help with.

My skin is healing way faster than I expected. Not much color or peeling. My breast feels and looks normal. Very happy.

[OakLeaf]

One more step. So glad you're doing well.

[marni]

yay for red hoodie!

good that the tamoxifen is going so easily.

marni

[redrhodie]

I finally discovered the true meaning of fatigue. It hit hard again after my last bike ride, which was last Sun. It was only 20 miles, and not windy, but it basically took me 3 days to recover. Talk about SLEEP! I feel like a Grimm character. I think I'm over the hump now, only taking one nap after work today.

So far, I haven't had the typical SEs from tamoxifen, although I have lost interest in food. It's weird. I don't even want cake. Haven't had a hot flash yet. Haven't gained weight.

I'm planning on commuting to work on Sat. I have to accept that riding needs to be easy easy. It's really hard not to try to put some effort into it and ride normally, but I know that I don't have the energy to expend. It's challenging to accept limitations.

Edit, actually, my problem isn't accepting limitations, it's identifying them. I just don't know how much I can/should do.

[marni]

since I have been on tamoxifen, I have decidely become an afternoon napper. It seems to make little difference whether I have ridden, worked out at the gym or just spent the morning weaving. come 1;30 -2:00 PM my head grows weary and my eyes grow dim. I tuck myself for a 2 hour snooze and then walk the dogs which wakes me up enough to cook dinner and pull myself together for the evening.

I suspect its a combination of the continuous 2 am hot flashes and tamoxifen andtraining hard plus a little mental laziness. I tell the SAG guy that it is because I spent 20 years getting up at 5 AM to get three kids ready for the school bus at 7 am, not to mention the continual stress of conscientiously parenting three smart kids to a responsible adulthood.

I swear every time I ride or I go into the gym promising myself to be gentle it backfires and before I know it I have done an extra 20 miles or and extra hour at high cardio rate.

That's my excuse and I am sticking to it.

marni

[redrhodie]

Time for an update. My tamoxifen side effects seem to be mild depression, decreased appetite, and weight loss. No hot flashes yet. Now here's the funny (not so funny) part, as I'm concerned about the weight loss- yesterday some jerk yells "fat b!tch" at me out a car window. I'm 5'5", 120 so yeah. Fat.

I think about how devastating that could have been to so many women, and I hope he never does it to anyone else. Lucky for him my chasing mojo isn't back yet. Soon.

My nurse said that most of the side effects usually go away in a few months, so I'm not really worried. Actually things seem a little better already. I'm almost back to regular weekly miles on the bike. Much slower, but not wiped out after, like I was.