Cancer Treatments - Tamoxifen

Hello everyone,

This post is dedicated to Anna, a very lovely and brave lady currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Her Instragram posts are among my favourites because they are always so positive, even when she isn't feeling it. I hope you have a lovely Christmas with your famiy, Anna, and I hope 2017 brings you better health and lots of happiness.

What is Tamoxifen?

Tamoxifen is a hormone therapy used to treat breast cancer both before and after the menopause. It can also be used to treat other cancer types but the research I looked into focused on breast cancer, as with this post.

How It Works:

Many types of breast cancer are hormone sensitive and are stimulated by oestrogen and progesterone and Tamoxifen is usually prescribed for women with these types of breast cancer as their cancer cells have oestrogen recepters. The receptor is part of the breast cancer cell and the oestrogen attaches itself to this and stimulates the cell, causing it to divide and grow. Tamoxifen blocks this receptor. It also lowers the risk of the cancer returning after surgery as well as lowers the risk of the cancer developing in the other breast.

Male breast cancer is rare but it can also be treated with Tamoxifen if the same receptors are found.

Treatment with Tamoxifen:

Tamoxifen can either be prescribed as a liquid or tablet and is taken daily.

Common Side Effects:

*Hot Flushes and Sweats – these affect around 45% of women taking Tamoxifen

*Period Changes – If you take Tamoxifen before entering the menopause then you may find your periods become irregular or stop altogether. They suaully restart around six to twelve months after you finish your course of Tamoxifen, unless you are nearing the menopause.

*Fatigue – around 25% of women taking Tamoxifen suffer from tiredness and fatigue.

*Pain in Joints- Around 25% of women taking Tamoxifen suffer from painful joints

*Sickness – Around 20% of women taking Tamoxifen suffer from sickness but this can usually be treated with anti sickness tablets.

TAMOXIFEN IS NOT A CONTRACEPTIVE AND IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO BECOME PREGNANT WHILST TAKING IT SO PLEASE SEEK ADVICE ON CONTRACEPTION FROM YOUR DOCTOR. TAMOXIFEN MAY HAVE A HARMFUL EFFECT ON A DEVELOPING FOETUS.

Occasional Side Effects:

*Vaginal Discharge or Vaginal Dryness

*Fluid Retention or Weight Gain

*Headaches

*Depression

*Hair Thinning

Rare Side Effects:

*Tumour Flare – If you have cancer that has spread to your bones then you may suffer from increased pain whilst taking Tamoxifen.

*Thrombosis – Your risk of blood clots can be slightly increased whilst taking Tamoxifen.

*Liver Changes – This are usually very mild and your liver will normally go back to nromla after treatment. Liver function tests may be needed.

*Eye Problems – Your eyesight may change but this should be checked out

*A Skin Rash may occur

*Womb Cancer – Your risk of developing womb cancer increases very slightly whilst taking Tamoxifen

Additional Benefits:

A recent study has indicated that breast cancer is less likely to reoccur in women that have taken Tamoxifen for ten years rather then the previously recommended five years. It is estimated that taking the drug for ten years reduces breast cancer deaths by a third for the first ten years and by half after that.

I hope you found this blog post informative. Please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org for more information. I would be very interested to hear from any women that have taken Tamoxifen in the past or are currently taking it so please do get in touch if you have/are!

xxx

Cheer All Through The Year 2017!

Following on from the amazing success of Christmas Cheer 2016, I have decided to create a whole year of cheer for 2017. This is partly inspired by my friends, Luke and Faye, who do amazing fundraising events all year around for The Veronica Claxton Memorial Fund.

So, every month we will fundraise for one or two causes. Sometimes these causes will be linked to a specific campaign or awareness month, and sometimes they will just be because someone has suggested them or they are in the news. We will have fundraising pages open during that month and will aim to raise as much money as possible for those causes. The aim is to raise 5,000GBP by the end of the year for these causes combined and really make a difference to some deserving people in 2017.

As previously mentioned, 2016 has been a crazy year for the World. I know many people are feeling disheartened and worried about what lies ahead for us all. I was inspired to do some fundraising as a way to show people there is still good in the world and that the power does not lie with the people in charge, but it lies with us, the general public. Citizens. If we show kindness and understanding to each other then we can make the world a nicer, safer place for people around us. Little by little.

I firmly believe in volunteering. I was twenty one when I started and it changed my life. It gave me an outlet for my creativity. It developed my compassion and made me realise how fortunate I am. It gave me a circle of friends who share my interests and inspire me on a daily basis. It helps me make a real difference to the world around me.

I realise people have very busy lives and do not always have time to donate, so the idea of this is there is not much time required, I will do the work required! We will have raffles, events etc…. Or sometimes I will simply ask for donations.

If you have a cause you would like to include in this then please let me know, via email (pennyschristofi@gmail.com) or by the contact form on this site. If you have an event planned, or are taking part in an event next year and would like to be part of the team, please also let me know!

More Information to Follow Soon!! 

:) xx

Christmas Cheer 2016

2016 has been a crazy year for the World. I know many people are feeling disheartened and worried about what lies ahead for us all. I was inspired to do some fundraising as a way to show people there is still good in the world and that the power does not lie with the people in charge, but it lies with us, the general public. Citizens. If we show kindness and understanding to each other then we can make the world a nicer, safer place for people around us. Little by little.

I firmly believe in volunteering. I was twenty one when I started and it changed my life. It gave me an outlet for my creativity. It developed my compassion and made me realise how fortunate I am. It gave me a circle of friends who share my interests and inspire me on a daily basis. It helps me make a real difference to the world around me.

I am currently in the middle of my latest voluntary project – Christmas Cheer 2016.

I became an auntie for the first time in February this year and I immeadiately became obsessed with my niece, Mia Ariana. Since she came into my life I have become more aware of the fact that she is blessed to be able to grow up in a safe, loving environment. As a family we are able to provide her with material things as well as love. Many children do not have the same upbringing and I wanted to do something to change this in a small way. In honour of my niece, and to start teaching her from a young age to give back and do something to help others.

I decided to split the money between Cyprus and the UK as these are my home countries. My Stepdad works for the Metropolitan Police and takes part in their annual present appeal so I decided to support this cause. I was given a list of fifteen children, their gender and their age, to buy presents for. I also decided to help Crisis with their annual appeal to help the homeless. We will use some of the money to buy food and supplies to help them this winter. In Cyprus I decided to help the Pancyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council with their “Adopt a Family” drive. So we will use some of the money to buy food and presents for the underprivileged families in Cyprus.

My friends and family were very supportive and in total we raised an amazing GBP618.34/EUR723.85. This weekend we will be going out to start getting our supplies ready for delivery. I couldn't be more excited. Somehow it makes Christmas more special knowing we have helped lots of other families have a nicer one. I will post photos of our supplies when we have bought them!

Let me know if you will be doing something similar this Christmas!

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/christmascheer2016

Neuroendocrine Tumours

Hello :)

This post is dedicated to a fellow Cancer Campaigns Ambassador, Andy Norris. Andy has suffered from this cancer type for eleven years. He is a very passionate campaigner and I hope this post helps him raise awareness of a cancer type not many people are aware of. This type of cancer comes under the category of “rare cancers” and not much information is available on them. However, I will share everything I have learnt about them with you today.

The Neuroendocrine System:

The Neuroendocrine system is a combination of nerve and gland cells and it makes hormones before releasing them into the blood stream. Basically neuro means nerve and endocrine means the cells of the endocrine system. It is also known as the hormone system as the neuroendocrine system is a network of glands and organs producing hormones within our bodies. Hormones are hugely important as they control how our bodies function, including growth, development, reaction to stress and a wide range of other things.

You will find neuroendocrine cells in many organs including the lungs, pancreas, liver, stomach, both bowels and the oesrophagus as well as the appendix. These cells have different functions depending on where they are with the body. For example, neuroendocrine cells found within the lungs release hormones that control the flow of air and blood in the lungs.

Neuroendocrine Tumours:

NETs are very rare tumours and they develop within the cells of the neuroendocrine system. There are different types of these tumours and these depend on what body part is affected. These tumours usually take years to develop and do not cause any obvious symptoms at first. It is not uncommon for sufferers of this cancer type to discover the cancer has already spread to another part of the body by the time they are diagnosed.

There are some types of benign (non cancerous) neuroendocrine tumours, as well as malignant (cancerous) ones. Usually the benign tumours are more slow growing then the malignant ones.

There are other names for this cancer type:

*Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP NETs) – found in the gut or pancreas

*Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) – found in the pancreas

*Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (GI NETs) – found in the bowel, stomach or oesophagus

*Functioning neuroendocrine tumours (F-NETs)

*Non functioning neuroendocrine tumours (NF-NETs)

*Carcinoid tumour

Treatment for this cancer type, as with most cancer types, will be dependent on the type of tumour, the stage and grading and whether it has spread to another body part. Treatment can include surgery, chemotherapy or drug therapy.Some of these tumours can also develop outside the pancreas. For example, gastrinomas have been reported in the medical literature to develop in the ovaries, kidneys, stomach and liver, and not just in the pancreas and small bowel area. NETs that develop in the lung are usually carcinoid tumours.

Causes of neuroendocrine tumours:

Not much is known about the causes of this cancer type at present. However, sufferers of rare family syndromes or gene mutations have a higher risk. These include Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) and Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL). Research also shows that if one of your parents has suffered from this cancer time then your risk of developing it is slightly increased. However, this cancer is very rare so your risk is still very slight even if you have a higher risk.

I hope this blog is informative, and helps Andy raise awareness. Please contact CRUK if you wish to have further information

xxx

Christmas Fundraising 2016

Hello! 

2016 has been a year of bad news. The media is filled with it and many of my friends and family have had some real hard times this year. I think many people will be happy to see the year go. I want to inject some positivity into 2016 as it comes to an end.

Usually my voluntary work is in memory of the relatives I have lost but this time it is inspired by a very special person.

My niece, Mia Ariana, was born in February this year and has become the apple of my eye. Mia is able to grow up in a safe and loving environment, filled with people who will protect and encourage her. Many children do not get to grow up in the same way. 

This Christmas we will be collecting funds to buy presents and supplies to help children and young people who otherwise won't enjoy the festive period like my niece will.

Half the money raised will be used to buy food and presents for families in Cyprus that will not be able to afford them otherwise. They will be taken to food banks to be distributed to those that need it.

The other half of the money will be used to buy supplies to donate to Crisis and The Metropolitan Police Christmas Present Appeal. Crisis will distribute their supplies to homeless people and The police will distribute presents to children who may not otherwise get them. The supplies for Crisis will include warm gloves, hats and scarves as well as snack bars, toiletries and other things to help the homeless. My stepdad, David, works for the Met and will be one of the officers delivering the presents.

I will be spending time with Mia in the UK between 2-5th December and we will go and buy our supplies and donate them that weekend. 

My good friends, Luke and Faye, will also be collecting to donate presents to children in the UK spending Christmas in hospital - https://www.justgiving.com/teams/target250k

Please donate anything you can spare, it's very much appreciate! We will keep you updated with our progress!

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/christmascheer2016 

Lots of love xxx