Arimidex - Coping with the SE's
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Notself - I've decided I'm going to be just like you and the switch to Aromason will be good for me lol
Trish
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Claire...aren't you concerned about stomach bleeding taking so many aspirins?
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Just a note to say - no one should be taking aspirin, or large doses of supplements or vitamins without checking with your onc or PCP.
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In my own research I have read that generally it is low dose aspirin every day or regular about two to three times a week but it probably depends on your own requirements. I take aspirin periodically anyway for general aches and pains or the occasional headache if I drink any kind of alcohol. (I seem to have some kind of allergy to alcohol but I don't always let that stop me from having a glass of wine or martini).
I will be taking regular about two or three times a week since if I take it more often it makes my blood too thin and a small cut will bleed more profusely.
Well today is the day I am starting the Arimidex. Cover me, I'm going in.....
Kathy
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Kathy...we've got your back! Good luck...my first few months were uneventful.
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Thanks for the reminder Sandy. I did check with my oncologist prior to starting, and not until after I was done with chemo. It's all on my online medical record too. But an important thing to note. Both my parents tolerated aspirin well so minimally concerned that way. What I don't tolerate well are cold meds or antihistamines, so no Claritin.
Good luck Kathy! I can tell you from where I am now that five years isn't the eternity it seems when you take that first tablet.
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kathy
we gotcha covered
there's a "work around" for almost every SE we've had! GOOD LUCK!
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kathy, Good luck with Arimidex. Wishing you a side-effect free experience.
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Thanks to all of you for your support. So glad to have someone to chat with who knows the turf. Sure makes it easier to face all this stuff. Just sorry any of us has to..
Kathy
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chatsworthgirl - Since you're "paranoid"
I thought I'd throw this in: Arimidex doesn't block breast cells from using estrogen in the bloodstream. Tamoxifen does and that's why it's recommended for pre-menopausal women. Arimidex works essentially by shutting down production of estrogen by "minor" sites after menopause. The ovaries still kick out a bit, but the adrenals and fat cells are also sources of estrogen. So Arimidex does not block estrogen that gets into the bloodstream from medications, foods, etc. Welcome to the "A" team! Remember that we are here asking questions and commenting about side effects, but there are many, many women out there who find no need to be here because they are doing just fine on Arimidex.
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Hang in there, Kathy. Here's to no se's!
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Kathy, as it was explained to me, our body needs the enzyme aromatase to create estrogen from what our ovaries, adrenals, and fat cells generate that is turned into estrogen - so no aromatase ( AI stands for aromatase inhibitor) no estrogen, except, as said, what we CONSUME..
btw, I'm near the end of year 5, and am pushing my doc to let me continue taking it.
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Well, I am way past menopause. I am 70. In fact, when I had some blood taken halfway through rads I asked my med onc to check my circulating levels of estriodol. I am basically at pre-pubescent levels. Not much hanging around.
I did check the web regarding the use of Estring and how much estrogen gets into the bloodstream. Even on this site the resident doctors said it is the safest for women with breast cancer. So, anyhoo, I took my Arimidex, put in the Estring. Saddled up and ready to ride out. Oh give me land lots of land 'neath the starry skies above, don't fence me in.....
Kathy
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chatsworthgirl - Wahoo!
You're officially in the club...My point was that the Arimidex will not "protect" you from estrogen in the bloodstream as Tamoxifen would because they work in different ways. Some docs are OK with creams, tablets, etc. that release some estrogen and some aren't. Sure wish there was a consensus on some of these issues!
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I can't get a straight answer on whether it's save to eat soy products-some say no issue, others say no way. arghhh.
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spunkyboobster - My MO says that some soy is OK as part of a healthy balanced diet. Her suggestion is to avoid supplements or products that are concentrated soy, but the occasional tofu dish, splash of soy sauce, or edamame is fine. Just don't consume every day and/or not in concentrated form (as in a supplement that has soy as one of the main ingredients). I also spoke with a dietician at my hospital's cancer resource center and she basically said the same thing.
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spunkybooster
my docs at Fana Farber in Boston say basically what TinaT is posting. My docs, knowing me very well, also use the word
MODERATION - that was after menitioning I ate tofu, endame almost every day...alas...no more
Kathy - is your avatar is a picture of a 70 year (young) woman - I wanna do what ever YOU'RE doing
I'd guess you were 40. 0 -
Spunky - I agree on the moderation. . . . This is the same thing I am hearing from my MO....
Kathy / chatsworth girl ---- welcome to the a team! I think this forum has been a life saver for my sanity . . . . These women are so supportive.....
Claire - you are killing me with the tour and food descriptions!
Beautiful FL skies with the rain behind us. . . . Playing hookey and boating on Friday!
Take care all - kelleyod0 -
Kathy, I'm on Arimidex and have an Estring. My MO said it raises estrogen levels slightly for about 2 days when first inserted, then is just local. It sure makes a heck of a difference. I also got the same message about soy: moderation. No soy supplements, but ok in food if not daily.
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208sandy,
Good luck with your change in meds.
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ok here's some stuff on soy -- ????? now it's ok? so confusing!
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Sunflowers - I took that pic of myself in my bathroom mirror the day before I was having my breasts lopped off. September 15, 2011. I was having my head buzzed that afternoon and wanted to preserve the memory of my hair. My line was that I was smiling because my breasts were trying to kill me but I got to them first.
I cannot tell a lie. When I was 55 I had my jaw line tightened and had the fat pads removed from under my eyes so no bags or jowls. It has served me well and lasted a long time. And not to be boastful at all, I have always looked somewhat younger than my actual age which genes I inherited from my mother. Not sure how others see me but I am certain I don't look 40 - I wish!! That was a good pic.
Wren I used to eat soy products. Soy milk in my coffee or sometimes in cereal. Occasionally tofu. I also sometimes had protein shakes that were soy protein. I never took soy supplements but I have beaten myself up over all the soy stuff. Don't know if the soy protein powders were as potent as a supplement. I also was on hormone replacement for four years prior to the bc diagnosis. I have beaten myself up over all of this stuff. Maybe it was none of them. I will never know. But I no longer have any soy stuff. I use almond milk now.
Believe me, I will be very happy if the Estring takes the pressure off. I have been so tense and fearful of having sex because it hurts. Tried coconut oil and it helps but still difficult. My poor husband who is somewhat younger than I am has been so very kind and patient. I would like for us to have some relaxed encounters like we used to. Besides, I read that orgasms are actually very good for the immune system. A bonus! LOL
Kathy
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This is on a Stage IV thread, but might be of interest:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topic/776318?page=17#idx_495
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My onc said the same as Tina T also.. so I listen hahaha.
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Kathy, I also beat myself up a bit too, because prior to b.c. I was having a smoothie every morning with a soy protein powder and adding tofu to it! so who knows, it is what it is...
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The way I see it, many BC patients were/are total pure vegans and exercise religiously and STILL they get it! As it is often said, it's the luck of the draw...am sure it's no one thing!
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Or you could live like I did - no HRT, no soy, lots of exercise, then got bc - then found out after second chemo that my birth mother had died of bc when she was 40 - gotta love closed adoption records (Quebec) - they had lost my file - I had been looking for health records for 35 years - so you see it is the luck of the draw.
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I think most of the cancer today has a contributing factor of exposure to toxins. Those of us over 60 have had especially heavy exposure. I used to run behind the fogger trucks that sprayed for mosquitoes. The fog was DDT. I lived for several years in towns that had polluted ground water from manufacturing plants.
In college chemistry lab, we distilled benzene and the experiment took two weeks. Benzene is one of the strongest cancer inducing chemicals around. This type of experiment is no longer done. Both my mother and DH were chain smokers and of course I spent most of my life exposed to second hand smoke. I used to drink a couple of glasses of wine every night as self medication for a stressful job.
I am not surprised that I have cancer. I don't blame myself or anyone else. Stuff just happens.
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208 sandy
hope you don't feel too much like a "test subject" but I'm really watching
- as my 5 years on Arimidex are soon up, and I'm thinking of going to Aromasin for the next stage. Fear "different" SE's - but like the idea of the slightly different way it works. 0 -
Hey Sandy...I too was adopted in Quebec and I HAVE NO RECORDS at all...it was a private adoption. I had a helleva time getting a passport. First time they accepted my baptismal certificate. After that one expired, thru my local MP I got a birth certificate of sorts. Then they changed them too...I finally have a permanent one and how they got that thru I have no idea but I am not about to ask any questions. My adopted parents wouldn't tell me anything so to this day, I have no clue about my background or any pertinent medical problems. I did inherit a blood gene that both daughters and granddaughter inherited as well. I often wonder about BC as well.
Notself...I hear ya....I did the same thing every summer at the cottage...they fogged every night almost. I was also living in Europe when Chernobyl happened. I also used to accompany my Mother to the expensive shoe store where they had an Xray machine where you stuck your feet in and hit the button. You could watch your toes wiggle and we did that for minutes on end. No one ever said a word to us to stop. Jeez how stupid were we as kids? I am surprised I didn't get BC before 68. I also wonder about wearing clothing that has been drycleaned. Just sayin'.
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