Life on aromasin
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Galsal, your diagnosis, treatment and timing is almost identical to mine. I go for my followup mamo and appointment with my surgeon in July and am determined not to worry beforehand.
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Oops, sorry Galsal, I meant to send this to someone else. Love, Jean
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No problem, Jean.
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GalSal. Great News!0 -
Okay here's one for a good laugh. I was looking at this diagnosis and thinking gee this person has the same diagnosis I do with the same timing and the same treatment. Then I looked up and realized the person was me! Chemo brain at work.
Teehee.0 -
LOL Jean!
High five Galsal!
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ZJ hilarious! That is me. I phone my missing mobile phone to locate it....and then I pick it up and see I have a missed call. Wow, who could that be...?
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I have tried Femara and Arimidex - fail fail fail. I don't have joint pain.. rather it's bone pain, from my hips down my bones HURT - I simply cannot walk. My feet ache (throb), burn, and turn bright red on the bottom.
Are the ladies here on Aromasin due to failed Femara and Arimidex? I see my MO in 2 weeks.
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Farnerjo, I am on exemestane because I was in horrible shape on Anastrozole.
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I did better on Exemestane (Aromasin) than I did on Anastrozole (Arimidex). Back pain and neck pain gone. I couldn't even stand up straight after being on Anastrozole for 2.5 years.
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I started with arimidex for about 6 months, switched to letrozole because of the side effects of the arimidex, lasted about 6 weeks on that, everything got worse, then got switched to exemestane which I tolerated for about 5 years, my MO wants me on these nasty things for 10, after which I asked to go back and try arimidex again, so.... that's where I am now, after about 3 months back on the arimidex I'm having issues, but not as bad as they had gotten on the exemestane.
Linda
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I am on exemestane because I was post-meno b/c of chemo, and so that ended my round of tamoxifen. I went from there to arimidex and it was so awful I told me MO I was quitting. She talked me into exemestane, which so far seems to be much better for me, although reading the previous post (10 things I'll do post BC conference--can't remember who posted it on the previous page) made me feel pretty down, since I have high risk ILC and the doc who wrote that seems to think exemestane doesn't treat high risk ILC like Femara/arimidex can.
I throw my hands up in disgust today. I'm nearly to the point of, why bother? I hate those kinds of posts--with no scientific back up. At any rate, I won't switch back to Arimidex, so I guess I'm stuck.
Claire in AZ
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Hi Claire, I would discuss the article with your MO but my guess is that something is better than nothing. I assume you haven't tried Femara yet? Btw, like you I am tolerating exemestane much better than anastrozole.
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Dear Molly? May I ask, did you have Chemo?
Jean and Feelingfeline!! You made me chuckle!! I was the same way with memory issues and foggy brain while on aromasin!! I just went off of it June 6th after being on it for almost 11 years!! I can already see a diference!! Definitely, hang in there 😃😃😃
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Hi Kindergarten, No I didn't have chemo. With my oncotype DX being 13 it was not recommended. 11 years of aromasin? Wow!! Congratulations for finishing.
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kindergarten that's good to hear
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Hi Molly50, I think my MO would not switch me since I'm tolerating aromasin so well. The article is just one in a long line of "this works better, no this does, no, this does" that we all seem to be exposed to anyway. The link to the research seemed like the effectiveness of one over the other was negligible, and at any rate I had such an awful time with arimidex that I'm leery of switching again. I'm just disgusted that every time we read that this is better than that, some other research comes out to disprove it, it feels like. I feel like the pinball in an old pinball machine, banging around with this tx, then that, then this...probably should just stop reading so much on these discussion boards
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I agree claire! I hate those feelings when I read something like Aromasin should be taken after Tamoxifen blah blah blah. Well anastrozole was not going to work for me since I could not tolerate it!
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Molly, so glad you did not have Chemo! Aromasin is a good inhibitor! Side effects were definitely tolerable!! I actually miss taking it everyday!!
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Barb1319,
I just started exemestane. Reluctantly - dislike taking pills. Only Stage 1A Grade 2, had thought maybe I could go with just lumpectomy & radiation, but Oncotype just came back at 26, not far short of high risk, so I think I have to do hormone therapy, halve the risk of distant recurrence.. The tangible side effects one can either cope with, or try a diiferent AI. It's the intangible, ie loss of bone density, that bothers me; one wouldn't know till the damage was done. I don't like the idea of bisphosphonates, they make bones thicker, but maybe more brittle - will try a high-calcium diet, 2500 mg D3, continue an active lifestyle, and add weight-bearing exercises for arms.
I've looked at a lot of studies online since my dx 4 months ago, but I never saw that cute suggestion about taking drug therapy till "life expectancy less 5 years". Thing is, I'm 84. Life expectancy per actuarial charts is 7+ years, ie 91 years for me - so I should stop drugs in 2 years?! But each year longer I live, the later the age at which I can expect (actuarially speaking) to die. Hmm BTW, 84 is the life expectancy for US women at birth. Each year you survive, your expectancy goes up, so check it out at an actuarial website before making plans! Anyone else out there diagnosed in their eighties? Did it affect your therapy plans - or your MO's suggestions?
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Hester I don't know if you have kids but if you do I'm sure they want you around as long as possible if you are feeling OK. My dad is 84. I know I want him (and mom 78) around as long as they feel OK!
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welcome Hester! You can decide as you go if you can tolerate the SE's or not. If you are currently in good health it is certainly worth trying. I am taking a vacation from the exemestane until my surgery on 7/22. I could not get any of my doctors to give me a straight answer and I want to feel as good as possible. Two weeks or so is not going to hurt.
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Hi Hester, my MO has me on exemestane indefinitely and I only just turned 49 but there was never any talk of bisphosphonates. He just has me on the Calcium+Vit D supplement. You can buy these over the counter but because it is prescribed I get given one made by a pharmaceutical company instead of a supplement company.
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feelingfeline I was diagnosed at 49 but turned 50 2 weeks PFC. I didn't start taking bone builders till I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. I had osteopenia before I even started chemo even though I was only peri-menopausal. I do think I should have started about a year earlier.
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How are you doing now Iago?
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Feelingfeline thanks for asking. Well I'm doing fine but I won't know about my spine (osteoporosis) till my bone density in October. It hasn't improved but not really gotten worse. My hips were osteopenic and have improved as of my last bone density. I did my 5 years of AIs and stopped this past May due to bone issues. I walked into my appointment with a boot on my foot this past may…broken metacarpal. We don't know why.
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Yes, for Me both Femara and Arimidex were failures.
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Wow lago. Best wishes for your scan this Autumn.
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lago- what does your dr suggest taking for osteoporosis? I started out with osteopenia in my spine and hips. Hips got a little better but my spine now has osteoporosis. I am 53. I am a 5 year survivor but I am supposed to take AI for 2 more years.(I started it late and had a break for bad side effects) The info I read about bone density drugs is scaring me but I need to decide what to do.
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They started me off on Fosomax but I got reflux. Next would be Reclast (Zometa) but I refused because it's an infusion in the arm. I have LE in one arm and the other is at risk. We had to fight but now on Prolia. Your doctor will discuss which is best for you. The pill route is the least expensive if you can do it.
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