FEMARA
Comments
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In theory I agree on women as docs, except that my male surgeon's evil assistant (I call her the mountain troll) is both stupid, unpleasant and entirely incapable of multi-tasking. I bumped into her as I was checking in to the hospital for my hyster and she asked why I was there. I told her. Then she looked all befuddled and said "but why? you are ER-" Uhmmm, no, I am actually ER+. It is cool if she doesn't remember, but then she should really keep her trap shut.
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I don't think genitalia is a determining factor for me. My Onc is a wonderful and brilliant "personal Einstein" that has taken complete care of me. My BS also did a great job and my PS too.
Comfortability, compassion, learning and attentiveness comes in both male and female form.0 -
I agree - the first breast surgeon (who kept pressuring me) was a woman, and she was no great shakes. I found the breast surgeon I have now, but my oncologist was just the luck of the draw. I like her quite well, though she talks so fast that I sometimes (often
) have to ask her to slow down or repeat herself. I prefer women doctors not as much for me as for my husband, as I feel that he is more relaxed when I am seeing a woman. Anyway, I went and got a massage this week. I couldn't believe how painful it was - and I'm someone who has usually said to my massage therapist to do deeper massage. Anyway, afterwards I had a TREMENDOUS headache, so bad that I took a tylenol and just went to bed (even though I drank a TON of water after the massage). The next, though I felt so much better. Much less aching in my legs and arms. I think I'm going to try to get one every week....
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Saw the doc and had labs today. 4 weeks since I've started letrozole and my WBC dropped to 2.3. It was lower today, 5 weeks after last chemo (Xeloda), than it was last month, 1 week after chemo. Ha! When I saw on the femara website that some women experience a temporary drop in WBC I knew I would be one of them.
Wintersocks, where are you? Is this happening to you as well?
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ForestDweller- is the doc worried about the WBC? doing anything about it or waiting to see? i'm just wondering.....
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Lumpynme: He wasn't concerned. Said it would go back up.
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forest-that's good! always nice to hear a positive!
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Hi ladies. I need some answers and I'm getting kind of desparate. I had my surgery beginning of June with tissue expander put in. Due to serious complications - a major hematoma that put me back in the hospital for 2 emergency surgeries with 11 units of blood -- then after getting over that having the entire scar open up and being told it had to reclose on its own which is where I'm at now. It has closed on the inside but still waiting for the outside to close. I only mention this because one of the side effects is depression but maybe it's just reality, not the Femara. Anyway, since on the F, over 2 months, I am horribly depressed but worse is mood swings I have. I get so angry, especially at my loved ones (Hubby, sister, son, daughter), I want to punch them or kill them lol, usually for trivialities that would have previously gotten me slightly peeved only.... I scream like a shrew which is something not in my personality usually. Then I end up crying like a baby. I cry for every little thing now. Even worse, I have insomnia that's horrible. I fall asleep with no trouble, even on the couch before going to bed but I wake up after about an hour, have to get up for water or the bathroom, stay up, go back to sleep than wake after an hour or two... Go through this most of the night then when I'm finally sleeping, I toss and turn and hubby says I moan and groan, to the point that he has to get up because i wake him. I am vaguely aware of it. I am just so uncomfortable in my own skin. So sorry I made this so long. I just do not know if I can handle this indefinitely. Has anyone experienced similar feelings? Doctor gave me something called trazadone but so far, no help. Perhaps I need a higher dose.
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Hi Bevg49.....I'm taking Letrozole and went through the same experience as you, and I believe many of us do on the "pill"....I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to see my GP....He put me on an anti-depressant plus an anti-anxiety med.....changed my life
Feel so much better plus I'm eating again. Very rarely have to take the anti-anxiety med now as the anti-depressant has kicked in, but just knowing I have them seems to stave off any anxiety I used to have, plus the crying , the anger etc. Hope this helps.0 -
Hi Bev, so sorry you are having such a rotten time of it. The reason you are feeling the way you do is because the Femara in doing its job and stopping estrogen production in your body. It's the lack of estrogen that makes you scream on minute and cry the next and the insomnia is part if it too.
If you can hang out a bit longer you may find that your symptoms may settle but if they get worse (and that is always a possibility) you may need to speak to your doc about trying one of the other AI, Arimadex or Aromasin.
It's really unfortunate that a woman's body relys on estrogen to function at its peak but if you are ER/PR + it becomes our enemy. We do adjust to the lack of but boy can it take a toll on us and everyone around us.
Maybe to help a bit with the adjustment an anti depressant and a sleeping aid might be a good idea.
Love n hugs. Chrissy0 -
Hi bev, the lack of sleep is probably making the side effects more extreme. I was also having trouble sleeping due to pain and hot flashes. I have been taking trazodone 100 mg at bedtime and I am finally getting some sleep. I have been on it for about 3 weeks. I have been on letrozole for 10 months. I take it at night.
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Bevg- I wanted to tell you that you are not alone in your experience with femara. Reading your post made me see i am not alone because this is exactly how I have experienced femara. I am on my 5th month and my side effects have calmed down some. It was rough though and interfered with my sleep so badly, and caused so much pain it was really interfering terribly with my life and my quality of life. It's either better now or I'm just used to it. Or maybe its just like dealing with anything else that sucks. Once you accept it, it doesn't suck so bad. BC is worse and in my situation,stage III with high risk of recurrence status, I am not going to walk away from the femara anytime soon. I hope you have some restful night soon. it does improve the daytime when you do. Ativan and melatonin at bedtime has helped me often.
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bevg49: I also have insomnia. I'm in my second month of this drug and the insomnia is getting a bit worse every week. My sleep went from 7-8 hours per night to tossing and turning, restless sleep for 4-5 hours.
My oncologist warned of mood swings as one of the bigger symptoms but that hasn't happened for me. It seems that other people's stress stresses me out too, so I tend to avoid stressed out people. it's a strange feeling in my chest when I'm around stress....an anxiety feeling.
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Hi Day, May warier sister! I think I need to try melatonin as well-thanks for the suggestion.
I'm wondering if anyone has been dealing with rashes? I've had a rash on my upper chest off and on for a few months (and it's crazy itchy!).
I forgot to mention it to my onc and am wondering if it could be Femara related?0 -
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Hi,
About rash,
When I was on Femara last year, I got rash first on the elbow of lumpectomy site, later shoulder, back and chest. My PCP considered as a reaction from Femara and being exposed to the sun. A high dose of Claritine and an ointment from the chemist helped and in one week I was cured.
Best
Usha
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Bev - I've been on femara for a year now (well a year in two more weeks....). Anyway, at first my moods were really weird and I had some anger problems. Depression has been my "friend" for some time, and visited me often during the first few months on this medicine. It did (as Chrissy suggested) even out over time. I also had insomnia which has lessened as well - for the most part I've gone to the other extreme and want to go to bed early and sleep in late.
The drug is not fun at all, and I have a lot of body aches, and rather extreme headaches, but I keep telling myself that the good it does outweighs the bad. I will be REALLY happy when the 5 years are up, though.....
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No this drug is not fun for the side effects it gives us. But the benefits can be life-saving.
I don't want to get out of bed in the mornings, just don't want to start the day, but once I do, I'm ok. It's a weird feeling of dread and gloom and doom: like if I stay under the covers, nothing bad can happen - cocoon.
My joints ache, I have osteoarthritis in my hands, knees, elbows, and hips, bad migraines, get frustrated easily which swiftly turns to anger. Don't sleep well, no matter what pill I have tried...oh, and now 3 discs in my back have prolapsed as the calcium is leeched out of my body and I take the maximum of calcium supplements I can every day and eat/drink calcium too.
But, I am alive, so off I am to enjoy this day.
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Wanted to report that I saw my doc yesterday. I told him that I had seen that the dyspnea (which I had a bad bout of it in summer) was listed as an SE of the femara. He told me he was really dubious, because in all his year of practice he has never seen this as an SE. He thought it was a bad reaction from all the treatment I had been through.
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For those of you with pain from femara...how long had you been taking the drug when the pain started?
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Forest, for me it was almost immediate, as in the first week or two. According to my doc that is impossible, but what can I say? For me, it was pain in the feet. Doc says it usually takes 6-8 weeks for SEs to hit.
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Forestdweller, about 6 months for me.
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About 6 weeks for me for joint pain to show up. So bad I took a one month vacation from Femara right off the bat! It hasn't let up any since, so I take 1/2 a pill a day now.
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Started feeling pain and stiffness in knees after 4 months, now at 6 months it has begun to subside some. I'm thinking it was changing from Mylan laboratories letrozole pink pills to breckenridge tan pills. Breckenridge has less fillers.
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My oncologist put me on a antidepressant called Efexor for my severe hot flushes and it realy works!
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GrandmaV, that's interesting. I noticed that my new refill is Breckenridge now, hope I have the same result!
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Thanks for your input about the rash ladies! Left a message with my onc and he thinks it's an allergic reaction to something else (laundry detergent, etc.). Nope! I really think it's the Femara.
Re: SE, mine hit within the first month, followed by lots of pain in the ankles and thumbs. It seems to have subsided after a year. The fatigue is awful, however! And it's nice to know
that I'm not the only one feeling anger, sadness, anxiety, and stress. Am hoping my PCP can give me something to help take the edge off. It feels like ongoing PMS - yuk! I find prioritizing quiet time every day really helps. So does exercise, which I can't seem to muster up the oomph to do it.I just hope and pray this medicine really does keep us C-free!
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Mine started by 6-8 weeks with feet, hands and hips being all cramped up. Had the most trouble with the Mylan pink ones. Pharmacy switched to the Sun yellow ones and it got much better. Was still having terrible pain at night and hands going numb, cramping and swelling. Onc just called to say he wants me to take a 10 week vacation off the meds and see him after Christmas. I am curious if I will feel differently? I am pretty used to being in pain...
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