Arimidex - Coping with the SE's
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A friend of mine was on steroids for an arthritic condition and she absolutely sailed through chemo. Of course, steriods are serious drugs too, but I thought that was interesting.
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I noticed that too...my nightly pain (due to herniated discs in my neck) completely disappeared while taking chemo due to the steroids. That for me was a great plus!
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I wonder if those of us with extra aches and pains from AI's are suffering from general body inflammation, to start with? I know this has been an ongoing problem for me, based on my CRP bloodwork and bouts with shoulder tendonitis. Ofcourse, inflammation is also a setup for cancer. I am seriously going to approach an anti-inflammatory diet, which means more fruits and vegetables than I already eat and staying totally away from the bad actors, which I mostly do, but I want to change that to ALWAYS DO. It also means exercise exercise and losing weight. My Vitamix should arrive this week and I plan to use it to get more kale, etc. into my diet via creamy soups and smoothies. Everything like this has to help, right?
The trigger finger came back, but with it, a sore tendon in my hand, and this is only night 2 with this new SE. Luckily, I have my first PT appointment (directly realted to AI SE's) this Friday, so can ask him about the affects of letting these symptoms happen (I can live with it, but I don't want to cause damage).
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My inflammation markers are normal, and taking anti-inflammatories has not helped my pain, but I know if I've been eating "inflammatory" foods my pain goes up.
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What foods are inflammatory foods?
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What foods are inflammatory foods?
+1
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There are a couple good food/diet books for breast cancer...I'll have to post the titles later, but this article sums up the inflammatory foods:
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Thanks junif - that is a good list. I might add something I've just discovered about green tea. There is a green tea product, Macha, that is ground up green tea leaves - a powder. It is much more potent than just having a serving of green tea. It's the thing Starbucks uses to make it's green tea smoothies--you get a much higher dose in one serving and for some reason, it doesn't have the usual amount of a cafeinne as a cup of green tea would have. I ordered it at Amazon (and the cheaper version, not the ceremonial version, has better medicinal properties).
I don't get the sense that inflammation is cured overnight with diet, but exercise and ideal body weight also can help and maybe it is a process. Definitely, as Linda says, if I eat inflammatory foods, I feel worse right away, so it just makes sense to stay away from those.
Another thing I'm experiencing with this Exemestane is my hands are swelling up on long walks. Could be some heart damage from chemo? My guess it is the exemestane, as I didn't have this during chemo...this swelling is certainlly NOT helping the joint issues, if not the cause.
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Kam--thanks for the heads up on the green tea--going over to Amazon to order it. I also found out that broccoli sprouts are super potent but they can be harder to find in stores.
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DoMatcha DoMatcha Organic 2nd Harvest Matcha, 2.82-Ounce
^^ This is the one I ordered. Most people seem to prefer the flavor of this brand.
Would it be easy enough to sprout your own (brocolli)?
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Kam--just ordered the green tea. I don't know about the sprouts. We will be moving to FL in the late spring and I intend to have a garden so I guess I'll be experimenting...have to google it. I'm stuck in Michigan right now.
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Junif....if you have a health food store near you, you will get the sprouts there.
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Junif and Kam-thanks for the info. I had seen the macha once, but couldn't figure out what the difference was between the different types-now that I do I'll be ordering. Thanks again.
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Kam - could the swelling of your hands during long walks be lymphedema - if you have that the swinging of your hands can cause swelling.
- spunky - I have a great book that lists foods by inflammation factors, they use serveral criteria to come up with whether or not a food is inflammatory or anti-inflammatory - the book is The Inflammation Free Diet Plan
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Linda - I had a SNB and they only took one node. I did have cording, but that was resolved by PT. The swelling is in both hands...wouldn't LE just be on one side?
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Kam, just because the swelling is in both hands doesn't necessarily mean its not LE. Im fairly sure Binney over in the LE thread had only one node out and she has LE on both sides. She is one of the ladies on the LE Forum that knows HEAPS. A little while ago in dialog with her she gave me some links to recent studies which confirm that the "good" arm is still at risk. If youre interested, let me know and I'll post up the links. At the very least, you should be checked out for LE.
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I agree with Musical - and binney has tons of info
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Yes Binney is AMAZING and she has a passion about this because she wasn't told beforehand. We are extremely fortunate that she has stuck around to help others.
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Wow - something that I hadn't thought of. I'll need to research it as I don't even know what the symptoms are for LE. I had my BMX in January 2012. Could it happen this far down the line? I do know that all of these other symptoms (numb and stiff hands, aches, hot flashes, etc.) have started since Exemestane. Thank you
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I met two women during my Reach to Recovery training that both had their first symptoms of LE 20 years post MX. It can happen anytime, it's often hard to pin point what triggers it too. My LE hand can swell alot if I don't wear something or keep it from swinging/hanging when I walk, even a little bit. I only have it in one hand, but you had a BMX and any messing with that area and/or the lymph in theory can cause it. Sorry Kam. It's just another one of those things they don't tell you about. I believe the goal is to get rid of the cancer, then come what may, we'll deal with the rest when and if it happens. One of the reasons I wish I had a comprehensive cancer center that included cancer rehab
oops - started ranting.Linda
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Kam, once we've had lymph nodes out we are always at risk for the rest of our lives. Now, having said that, there is a chance you may never get it. Either way, it is a very wise person who gets knowledgeable about LE for it can absolutely devastate your life, but if you get it early things can go a lot better for you. There are many things you can do to be preventative. I would encourage you to head over to the LE Forum and do some perusing. Were you not advised at all about it pre op? I find that amazing. You dont have a sig so I don't know if your BMX was prophy or what, but even prophys can inadvertantly include a few lymph nodes.
Heres just a few tips, off of my Arimidex addled brain. Generally if you notice ANY swelling aching and burning pain, act sooner rather than later. You should never have needles or BP taken on the side where nodes have been taken, unless in a life and death situation. You should always act immediately there is any bite graze cut or similar, with antibiotic cream and watch like a hawk for any signs of cellulitiss. Keep well hydrated, and keep your skin moisturized. LE is a serious issue. It can turn VERY nasty.
HTHs
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A few more tips: wear sunscreen because you don't want to make your lymph system work harder dealing with a burn, wear gloves when gardening and doing yard work, bug spray when you are being in a buggy area, and it is a good idea to get a medical alert bracelet saying 'No blood pressure, needles etc." (I know a website with beautiful medical alert bracelets if anyone is interested), don't wear tight binding clothes, rings or jewelry on that side. Wash cuts etc. with soap and water & slap a bandage om them right away to keep out germs. Lifting light weights (started slowly and working up gradually) can also improve the workings of the lymph system. If you think you do have an infection in the affected arm, go to the doctor right away instead of waiting to see what will happen. It all sounds like quite a hassle, but after awhile you pretty naturally incorporate the precautions into your life.
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Also, wear gloves when using cleaning supplies, my first "biggish" flair was after I used bathtub cleaner. No surgeries on that arm without prep with a LE therapist, even for people with Stage 0 (latent) LE it's recommended that you wear a compression sleeve for air travel. Vacationing in a warm and/or humid climate can trigger a flair. These are all reasons that every person treated for BC should at least have an introductory appointment with a LE-T, very informative, they can give you an amazing amount of info, what and what not to do, what to watch for. It also helps to know the basics of the lymph system, it really helps understand the principles behind lymph massage. I was blindsided recently, I had to have a punch biopsy near my sternum, by MX scar, didn't even think about lymph - seems like a pretty innocuous place - but no, within 1 hour my arm and hand were swelling and it's the largest amount of swelling I've had so far, my LE-T said that she's seen people almost cut off their finger and no swelling, but a tiny misquito bite on your chest can cause a huge problem.
Let me know if you have any questions, between us all, we'll be able to point you in the right direction to find the answers. Also, the LE forums are great!!
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Ruthbru and Linda, excellent advice.
A few more tips.... I also wear gloves anything to do with gardening. Careful about those dang hangnails. Ive found Arimidex has dried my skin more than normal and especially on the fingers where you get those annoying little snags. Anyone who hasn't had surgery yet should get a baseline measurement prior to surgery. If I had have known at the time I most certainly would have done this.
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Every time I have blood drawn the phlebotomist looks at me like I'm crazy and they have no idea what to do. Why don't they trian medical personnel about LE? With BC being basically an epidemic, they're going to run it to it more and more.
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spunky...would be good if they educated the MOs as well as the surgeons. Neither one even mentioned the possibility of LE...just my luck.
So far, it has been under control...I don't even wear my sleeve anymore. My MO said not to baby that arm and to use it as I always had. I have to admit, so far it has been working, although I do keep an eye on it!
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Oh my...ofcourse I've seen LE talk around here, but am wondering now. I do avoid blood draws and BP on my left side, "just in case," but perhaps I need to get more serious about this topic, just in case, this hand swelling is related (again, so much is happenning with this AI, I just automatically attributed it to that). I should have learned my lesson when I got complacent about my mammos, after I passed the age of my mother and her 2 sisters, who all had BC. Wham, you have it too, but 5 years later.
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Kam...be aware but don't panic. Signs are...swelling, burning, itching and heaviness. Measure your arm at 3 points and compare with your "good" arm. There are many exercises to do...basically massage. If you are at all suspicious, ask someone who would know.
It never hurts to use the good arm for BP, blood draws etc. Sure can't hurt and can be helpful at avoiding a LE problem. It can occur at any time and apparently anywhere. Not to scare you, just be aware.
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I have been attributing the pain in my upper arm to my shoulder tendonitis. My arm doesn't look any bigger than the other one. The shoulder is from trying to use the zip line at GS elementary school. They are definitely not going to do BP on my bad side. For some reason they tighten it as tight as it will go without cutting off my arm. I have high blood pressure, but they don't need to do it that tight.
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Schatzi - those were helpful tips. My gut says not LE, though given I have new swelling in hands, I'm not going to ignore it...it just might be. It seems like BC comes wtih lots of surprises - and generally not good ones.
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