FEMARA
Comments
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I'm beginning to realize that I have a little brain fog now, probably from the lack of estrogen. Thanksgiving night I put a leftover goat cheese appetizer in the freezer rather than my fridge. My dh found it yesterday. I had looked everywhere and even called my kids to see if they could remember seeing me putting it away.
Now, I'm sure there have been other things, but probably nobody wants to mention them. They're probably whispering behind my back. Jeez!
Lane
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Montreal, I just started having ringing in my ears - and sex life is painful...desire is low and when we do it hurts.
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I've also had the tinnitus (ringing in my ears) a few times to the point of distraction. So far, it's always gone away again.
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I finished my five years of Femara in August. I have started having the ringing in my right ear now, after I have finished tx. Don't sleep as well as when I was on it (took my pill at night) and have headaches more, but...... all in all do feel much better without nearly as much joint pain, almost no hot flashes and finally getting some control over the chubby tummy thing.
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Hi girls! Well after my regular visit to my GP to update him on the latest scans etc that the BS surgeon did six weeks ago, I am actually feeling on top of the world. After I told him that the BS had changed me from Arimidex to Femara and why he asked me how I was feeling on it and I said a whole lot better in general. His comment was, 'I knew something was different as you are back to your bubbly self and not nearly so stiff when you walked into my rooms. Obviously the Femara agrees with you.' Like WOW! I knew I felt better but that good that other people were noticing and commenting? Who knew? Mind you I'm very happy that it's doing it's job and giving me a much better QOL in the process. It's my seven year cancerversary today! YAHOO!!!
ps, the new avatar is me with my two DD's at my birthday lunch on the 12/5.
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chrissyb - CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 7 YEAR CANCERVERSARY.
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I've been on Femara for 1 yr and 3 months - I was getting very sore in the feet, trigger fingers and lots of hot flashes and sweats. I took a month off and felt almost my old self again. I am back on it for 6 weeks and am beginning to have sore feet again and other symptoms coming back as well.
I take lots of glucosamine, MSM, bromelain and turmeric. I have also added 5000 units of Vit D to may regime and feel it is helping a lot. I added gel inserts into my shoes and it makes walking so much nicer. I also drink lots of herbal teas now too - roobois, green and white teas and am keeping my ph level as close to normal as I can.
One other little tip to help the hands - i cut a square of the rubbery drawer liner and use it to help grip lids on all size bottles for easier opening.
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Chrissy -- congratulations on your anniversary and feeling better!
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Will be seeing my onc on Monday morning to talk about starting Femara. Will have lots of questions for you ladies. I am going to try and delay starting until mid January.
Tried Arimidex for 3 weeks and got too nauseated. Don't want to take a chance with SEs over the holidays.
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Thanks Jo and Texas for your good wishes, they were much appreciated. Still feeling better and very glad of the change to the Femara. It's six weeks now and things seem to be just getting better and better. If I could loose some of my excess weight, I would be and extremely happy little lady but I guess we can't have everything, that would just be greedy. So, I will plod along and just be content that I now really know how bad I felt on A....lol
Love n hugs to all. chrissyb
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Texas357 - Where in Texas are you? I live in deep south Texas close to the Mexican border. I am in Donna which is 50 miles north and west of Brownsville as you follow the Rio Grande River.
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One week down. Constipation, warm flashes and problems sleeping have come back just like it was while on Tomixfen for the three months. Hoping week two goes just as great.
Welcome Jo1955.
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KittyDog - Thanks for the welcome. I am 8 days post rads, did not do chemo. Still really fatigued and red in the boost area.
I'm sure I will have lots of questions after Monday.
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Kittydog, do you take the little yellow pill at night? I do and it actually helps me sleep.
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Hello all Femara Friends, Haven't posted for several months; but just had a wonderful visit with my oncologist this week and want to share. Diagnosed in March 09, couldn't get all the cancer because part was attached to an artery. Began taking femara shortly after being diagnosed. I get intensive blood work at every appt.--dr. walks into room and tosses my blood work results on the table and says "your blood work is PERFECT" Thank you Lord, because this lets me know my cancer is GONE!!!! Will continue with the femara, tho, because I feel will have less chance of another recurrence. My two biggest complaints now are the tiredness and the big tummy!! Am having a little trigger thumb; hoping this will go away soon. So, girls, there is hope; this little yellow pill can be a bugger, but if it helps, let's keep on taking it!!!
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Hi gauleyeagle that's fabulous news for you, YAHOO!!!!! Keep those good reports coming! Thanks for sharing!
Love n hugs. chrissy
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I just wanted to second kira1234's question from Dec 4 about some of us not metabolizing the meds as expected. I was first diagnosed in 2006 and after lumpectomy and rads, went on tamoxifen. It didn't work for me. The BC came back on the other side in 2008 and the tumor was ER/PR+. So I had a bilat mastectomy, chemo, more rads, and recon. I started on femara in July 2008. The SE's were noticable in the beginning -- mostly joint pain and hot flashes. Now the joint pain is pretty much gone and I only get an occasional hot flash. Maybe I should just be thankful, but I get concerned that without SE's it could mean the stuff isn't working. Am I overreacting?
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Hi
I started femara in June of 09--like you, I had lots of side effects in the joints, etc. But they have pretty much subsided and I attribute that to exercise, vitamin d and calcium.... once in a while a hot flash--- I wonder if it just means our bodies are adapting--- or that we are adapting to the side effects??? Not sure if there is a test that tells us.
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I do take the little yellow pill and at bedtime. Woke up this morning with the stiff joints and muscles. Hoping it all settles down once my body gets use to it.
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I also take the little yellow pill at night. For some reason I'm still tired in the morning. I am also finding lots of chemo brain memmory problems that are much worse with Femara. I told my DD we were having oatmeal instead of meatloaf for dinner Friday. She had a rather odd look on her face and said oatmeal for dinner?
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Thanks... I'll choose to stay optimistic and assume the best. But I think I'll ask my onc about it at my next checkup. I also have to ask him how long I will be taking the little yellow pill. With the tamoxifen, I understand it actually stops having any benefit after 5 years. But I'm not sure what the story is with the AI's. BTW, I take mine in the morning when I take my vitamin supplements. I've never noticed any fatigue from it.
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Finished rads Dec 3 and saw my onc today. Got my RX for Femara and will be starting it tonight. What SE's should I expect and for how long? I have read through this thread and saw alot about joint pains - what is everyone taking for this? Have hot flashes already - been subsiding since BC - are they going to get worse?
Lot of questions. Would appreciate any help
Jo
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My oc wants me to take E-clast once a year and my gyn started me on actonel once a month and I am going to stick with that but I do have joint pain for a few days after taking it.
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What is E-clast?
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Cataracts, anyone? I've just been told I have the beginnings of a cataract in my right eye. I'm just 53!! I've been on Femara for a year and Tamoxifen for a year before that. Thank you.
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onc told me to stop taking femera for a week to see if the tinnitus stopped...it didn't so she said to go back on and see my GP. The biggest change was I had major issues sleeping. Otherwise, back on it tonight. I'll let you know what my GP says - Onc said she hadn't heard of that SE...
Jo1955 - my experience is the first 5 months are the worst for joint pain, then they seem to change a little. Bloating/weight gain seems to be a pretty consistent issue. The fatigue is pretty gradual and the plus side is you will probably sleep pretty well. For me the hot flashes are getting less often, or less severe. Some of it is you have to set your mind to ignore as many of the SE effects as you can. This can be the hardest part of the cancer tx's because you lose the focus of the people who supported you during surgery and rads. I would say there are weeks when I don't notice that I'm taking anything - and days when I sit in a lonely pity party.
That's why I love this board.0 -
rseaw22 - Thanks for the info. Have started to get out the rad fatigue - will just set my mind to it that I may have it longer with the Femara. That's okay too. I have a great boss and if I have to take a nap in the middle of the day, so be it. I just hope I don't get any nausea like I did on Arimidex. The rest I can manage.
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Jo, just signing on after a few days. I'm in the Houston area. Congrats on finishing rads!
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Has anyone had a rash on their joints and finger tip tingling? I also have cold hands. If anyone has had what remedies work?
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I had neuropathy in my fingertips from chemo that was expected to diminish within a year. Thanks to Femara, it hasn't gotten any better.
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