Breast cancer, menopause and possible MS symptoms?

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hi all

I was diagnosed with breast cancer 2.5 years ago and have been on hormone therapy ever since (zoladex and letrozole).

Since about Oct last year I’ve been having a few odd symptoms. Tingling in my left arm (the side where I had breast cancer). It seems to be intermittent, on and off throughout the days and weeks and moving from tingling in hand to tingling in for arm and sometimes pain in shoulder and upper arm. This goes on for about 3 months then disappears for a couple of months before it comes back. The past two times I’ve had this I’ve noticed tingling in other parts of my body. Namely my face - both cheeks but mostly left side. I’ve also noticed my vulva is tingling also. Both face and vulva symptoms are also on and off.

The treatment I’m on can cause tingling and so too can the menopause (which I’m in due to my treatment) so I’m really at a loss as to what this might be!

I feel too scared to go to the doctors as I have such bad health anxiety since my cancer diagnosis. Just feel like my body is hell bent on failing me.

What I wanted to ask those of you with MS or who thought you had MS but it’s turned out not to be - is tingling caused my MS constant and in one part of the body or can it come and go within mins, hours and days and move?

Thanks in advance x

2

Hi, sorry about your breast cancer…but glad it is kept under control.

Now if this was me I would think the tingling is due to the cancer treatment and think the best person to consult is the GP or consultant.

MS does have tingling, pins and needles type symptoms.
But please dont jump to something as big as MS before asking your docs.

Boudsx

3

Magnesium deficiency - very common with menopause - certainly causes tingling. And tingling won’t be just isolated to one area with that.

4

The increased risk of breast cancer resulting from hormone replacement therapy received by menopausal women persists for over a decade after treatment ends. So it is possible that cancer has not been fully cured or remission has occurred. Look at the mc38 cell line behavior and see what is going on. Do the tests again. During menopause, a woman may experience brief episodes of hot flashes all over her body, which may also occur at night and lead to increased sweating and tingling. Hormones in pills are often prescribed. If women took estrogen and progestogen every day for five years, breast cancer occurred in 8 out of 10 cases after taking hormones.