davisfamily70

I had terrible wrist and finger pain with both arimidex and aromison. The pain went away after I stopped taking them. I have read that some of these meds deplete your body of needed minerals such as magnesium-my nurse recommended multi vitamins.

I also remember reading on this web site years ago that you could accomplish the same results by running 5 miles a day-that your body would naturally diminish the production of estrogen and of course you would have far less body fat to store it in, I bounced it off my doctor and he was not interested. I have never been a runner but I am considering trying.

I am actually having a procedure on the wednesday before Thanksgiving. I had a bilateral mast with expanders two years ago, had the exchange surgery in July, but my breasts do not look full. There is a real indentation where my cleavage should be. So I am having lypo and then having the fat injected into my breasts. I don't think that it is the stem cells-but I am going to ask. I am also having the nipples put on-I was looking forward to it being my last surgery.

Jules,

I had a similar diagnosis. I had a bilat in 2006 at 45 years old-I was blessed to be a patient at a cancer institute and they found a tumor on my ovary during one of my cat scans-

They were 98% sure that it was benign, which it was, but I went ahead and had the hysterectomy anyway, right after my chemo was over.  After I had the hysterectomy my onc put me on first arimidex and then aromison (how do you spell it?) I felt horrible on both of them. I felt like a 90 year old, had problems walking, had no small motor control, all the while my onc was telling me that those were not documented side effects of the drugs.  I stuck it out for around 3 months until I could not move my hands and my doctor was talking about carpel tunnel surgery!!!! Can you imagine that they would suggest surgery rather than admit that this drug has some wicked side effects- No wonder health care costs so much in this country-

Anyway I insisted on quitting  the AIs and went back on the Tamox-

It took at least 3 months but I got full movement back in my hands. 

I have been pretty lucky my side effects have been manageable, but recently at 47 years old I was diagnosed with Glaucoma.

Again I was told that there was no documented visual side effects of tamox- well the difference between anecdotal evidence and documented evidence requires doctors to believe that some of the problems their patients are having are indeed due to the medicines.

In answer to your question though, I had a full vaginal hysterectomy, I was still bald and a little weak from chemo, I stayed one night in the hospital and felt actually great after 10 days. There were three little scars and that was it, a walk in the park.

Good luck on your decision.

Julie

Remember that a lot of health insurance plans cover at least one bra a year for people who have had breast surgeries.  When I first had my mastectomy I went to a great store in the Buffalo area and was fitted for a bra and a form, just to make me look even.  My insurance covered most of it.

Here is a link to the store they are great and they cater specifically to breast cancer survivors.

http://www.aunaturelboutique.com/

Hi,

I too had terrible hand and finger pain when I was on the AIs. It was so bad that I would actually cry.  I told the oncologist about it and he immediatly said that I had carpel tunnel-it seemed reasonable to him that it occurred in both hands at the same time even though I wasn't working at the time and that when I did work, prior to breast cancer -  I worked on computers all day every day with no symptoms of carpel tunnel. hmmmm me thinks that the drug companies really don't want to know about every freaking side effect- I am not a doctor but I have read up on this topic-AIs are effective, they are a miracle drug for advanced stage estrogen sensitive cancers, there are also studies that find them to be effective in keeping early stage cancer survivors alive longer.

They are also very expensive, a lucrative product for drug companies.  My oncologist is brilliant, and dedicated- and kind, I am sure that he has saved many lives.  But as my nurse practitioner always says "doctors treat the disease, not the patient" his job is to eradicate the disease, he really doesn't care that I cannot lift up a coffee cup. 

Lucky for me, my general practioner thought that the idea of me having carpel tunnel was far fetched. He sent me back to my oncologist and had me insist on going back on Tamoxofin-which I did.  Voila-hand pain GONE!!!!! It did take about 5 or 6 weeks. Tamox gives me wicked heel pain, but it goes away if I move around.  Also I still have that "old lady" hesitation when I stand up-I am sure that it is a SE.

My oncologist now admits that I was right, and he has to submit a report of the side effects.

Also Kay-

I had serious arm and shoulder pain from the Neulasta-it went away after chemo was over-

I think it really drives home the idea of quality of life, only you know what your limitations are. 

I had my exchange done outpatient at a cancer institute. They gave me a scolpomine patch a couple of hours prior to surgery and I had no nausea at all. I had one prior to my hysterectomy too, no nausea then either.  I did not have one prior to my mastecomy and I was sicker than a dog. 

Hi Trudie,

I just wanted to add my two cents-I had a bilat mast with expanders in Oct. 2006. I had to wait to build up some more sick time so I delayed the exchange surgery until july 9th of this year.  I am thrilled with the results-I felt everything you did and more, since I actually developed an infection in one side and had to have the expander removed and replaced.  YUCK.  But let me tell you, since the exchange, I actually think of other things besides "breast cancer" during the day.

My PS nurse practitioner,(bless her heart), says that after the exchange people start to feel "whole" again. I know exactly what she means, those expanders made me feel like I was wearing my mother's bra and I had filled it with rocks. 

So hang in there kid, there is an end in sight. 

I had a very good friend that had stage 4 breast cancer for about 5 years-

her husband never gave her a moments rest from the day she was diagnosed.

He too was planning for her death-she would get up every morning and go to work, through chemo, through radiation, through every step forward or every step back. If she wasn't in the hospital she was at work. She was exhausted, but she would not confront him or pass any judgement on him for being so selfish.  That is what it was too-selfishness and do you know what? They are not entitled.

Don't feel as if you cannot confront someone who is behaving improperly-

I attended my friends funeral, and her husband gave her eulogy-I wished I had the strength to throw rotten tomatoes at him-he was selfish up to the end telling the whole congregation about how her cancer affected HIM!!!

I am coming up on two years in October and I still miss my breasts-

I miss that feeling when I hugged my children tight and they would sink in to me-

now I catch the suprise on their face after a quick hug-I still have expanders and they are hard as rock-it makes me yearn for the "normal" times-

The other day I was at a party and the people started talking about wet t- shirt contests when we were young-

I felt like you used to feel when every one was talking about a party that you weren't invited to. 

I never participated in a wet t- shirt contest, never wanted to, never even saw one, but those were my choice-now it is out of the question-

Stupid things like that still get to me...

Maryanne,

My PS told me the same thing-I had a bi lat mast in Oct 2006-and had the expanders put in -I wound up having them removed due to infection and then reinplanted in July of last year-and they have been in ever since.  I stopped having fills in October of 2007 - since then I have tolerated them, but I just made an appt w/ the PS because the time has come for the transfer.  I am noticing that I have a strange and constant pulling sensation, and the implants appear to have shifted.  They are hard as rock and have been since day 1-although there does seem to be a little softening around the edges.

The surgeon told me that the longer you keep the expanders in the better, because they form a pocket that will hold the implant better.

But I have to say that there is no way that I could tolerate these as the permanent reconstruction. There has been no time in the last 18 months that I have not known that they are there and not been uncomfortable.