Life on aromasin
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Trish u'r system sounds pretty good to me. It doesn't break u in that way. Meds too.
And I'm so glad to hear u are doing so well on Aromasin--it usually does something to most--but it's good to hear.
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Camillegal, I'm so sorry to hear about your new cancer. I'm praying for you.
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Seabeal thank you but it's not official they just think it--not proven yet and so as far as I'm concerned I don't have it til they prove it hahahaha, only 1 Dr. saw it so not enough for me.
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Still praying, just added "please don't let it be!"
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Thank you Seabeal I'll certainly accept those prayers.
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Ugh. My massages have been with my old therapist. She is fairly light, works on neck and legs and hands... But now I think I should stop. Don't have LE yet and don't want it.
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GM Aromasinians....
Lisa i think she has to be light sll the time LE or not cuz u can get LE at any time and we'd laugh cuz my diagnosis was always right whether I had the sysmtoms of it or or not.. I know cuz I would love a deep massage to tht what breaks up all the muscles and stuff, but alas no more. I even asked my Onc if I could use my arms at all sometime in the future and it was abosolutely not.I did say that seemed awfully biased to me but she rolled her eyes. I got away with no Drs. last week, but this week no such luck. And Aromasin has thrown me off---For over 30 years I had the same GP and I'd cal him and tell hime what I had wrong and he send in a script and even when I had needed an operation for something I'd tell him we'd do tests and I was right and had the operations. Even the first time I had a bad pap I told him this will not be good--sure enough it was no and everything had to go--like one cell of cancer. So he was actually impressed with me cuz I always knew---Now NOTHING--I hurt so much now other things by accident are being found and I blame everything on the aromasin so I'm all thrown off of what my problems are. I was a good diagnostician, now I stink. LOL I didn't even know I had a kidney stone and the Dr. showed it to me and I was still thinking I should have known what that was. So I'm really broken. hahaha
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Camille, you're not broken, you're just where the rest of us always have been! Wow, about knowing your ailments before the tests or dr. confirmed them. Maybe you are psychic. And I am not kidding.
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Oh Yorkie u's so cute--I'm not psychic, I've just always paid attention (as they say) and remembered everything--hahaha Not now. But it sure helps in the worry dept. cuz i never worried about any of this.
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Yep, I think the worry does us in even more than the cancer. Who wants to live whatever time we have left, and NOBODY alive really knows that, in fear and anxiety?
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Yorki that's why I didn't learn all the stuff everyone else does and my Dr. said she thought because I didn't worry I took that stress off of me so I got as good as i could be--Shes said stress is a major factor and I really didn't have it. I know I'm in the minority but i always thouht the less I know the betrer it is for me so I gae all my worries to the Drs. and I was always in a good mood and never cried about it or felt OMG why? Never.I'm not patting myself on the back or trying to say oh look at me--I just mean I was able to be stressfree and did it my own way. Now when I have a sinus attack I call my sister and tell her I've never been so sick in my whole entire life and she laughs and hangs up on me.--It's the little things. hahaha
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Camille - same here, but the issues from the AI, and residual SE's from the other treatments have thrown me way off. Can still diagnose others though
I love Aromasinians!!! Perfect name for us!
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Had my first appt with my MO to discuss tx with an AH after I finish rads (likely sometime in June that I will start the pills as she wants to leave at least 3-4 weeks after rads to make sure the SE's are not from rads if I have any) and even though I am post-meno, she thinks I should start with tamoxifen! I was surprised by that big time but she said that it is the ONLY actual drug that is approved for DCIS and that AI's are prescribed off-label right now. She is not at all against AI's but thinks tamox is the best drug to start on and then switch over to an AI later on.
She also said that she always starts her patients with Aromasin rather than Femara or Arimidex as it has been shown that this has the LEAST amount of SE's of all of the AI's. She does not like the other two drugs for DCIS. She said the steroidal component of Aromasin is precisely why it works.
I have recently lost a lot of weight (on purpose - went on WW) and I have already gained 7 pounds from stress eating alone. I am not looking forward to these drugs as it seems that particularly tamox adds pounds faster than a slot machine takes your money...ugh
Anyway, I am nervous about the SE's of tamox (the big ones like blood clots and cancer) so may just ask her to give me Aromasin right out of the gate. I don't really know what to do!
Hoping that I can tolerate something to cut my odds since I am >95% ER positive!
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I was prescribed Aromasin for DCIS....precisely for the reasons you stated. I had the worst SEs......AND gained back the weight I had recently lost on WW (12lbs). But this is just my experience. Many people have no SEs. I also did not want to try Tamox. The options are so limited. Im not taking anything now...but am told itll be a couple months before I feel like I did pre-AIs.
Wishing you all the best in your decision
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April this is a hard decision, but I'd probably go with what the Dr. says---Personlly I think Aroasin is tough too so whatever u take they'll be some SE's I would imagine. It's still not over is how I think of it. My SE's re miserble at times and I never know when and sometimes it keeps me home so it's almost flip a coin type of thin. That's why I'd listen to the Dr. (maybe) I've ver indecisive. LOL SE
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I've been taking Arimidex since May of 2012 with no side effects but recently have developed severe hip pain in both hips. I'm worried if this is a side effect or mets.
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Pleasant u have to tell u'r Onc. but don't sart worring--I'm sure they'll check it out---but yes it could be a side effect. Joints and bones seem to get hit the hardest in my opinion.
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Pleasant - have you had a dexa scan, I had one as baseline at the beginning of AI, then another at 2 years. i'd definitely tell your MO about the pain!
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Hi all. I started Aromasin a year ago, but the fatigue totally ransacked my work life. I am a pastry chef and it's hard physical work. I was so tired and achy, I couldn't stand it. I saw my oncologist a few weeks ago and she scolded me. Since I've taken the winter off from my pastry job, I agreed to go back on it. I am tired, depressed, have achy leg joints at night, and I'm gaining weight. I guess none of this is unusual. I just wonder if, at 53, it's a matter of quality of life. How likely am I to get BC in my left breast (right was mastectomy and DEIP reconstruction)? Is the discomfort of the meds worth it?
Thanks gals!
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Also, has anyone developed acne on Aromasin? My face is breaking out like mad, after a few years of finally having a clear complexion. :-(
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Char--I have heard of that--but my skin has changed alot but I don't know if it's age, meds, chemo whatever lots of thins are different.
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Char--I have heard of that--but my skin has changed alot but I don't know if it's age, meds, chemo whatever lots of thins are different.
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Charlottesmama, the reason we take Aromasin is not just to prevent a reoccurrence or primary in the other breast, but to keep us from getting distant metastasis. If you cancer was invasive and ER+ these drugs are life savers. I've done fine on Aromasin, but others who have had problems say switching manufacturers can help. Sometimes it is the additives in the drug, not the drug itself, that causes the SEs. Haven't had skin problems, but at 64, I think I'm well past that stage, lol.
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When I was on it......I noticed some major skin changes, but not acne.
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Char - I'd ask your MO about your risk of recurrence - I was triple positve and Stage IIIA, without it my risk of recurrence (i.e. distant metastisis) is "greatly" increased. So, though I am actually on disability now due to residual SE's of treatment and the pain and fatigue from the Aromasin, I choose to stay on it. I'm 57 now, and have been on it for a little over two years. I still have a daughter at home and 14 grandchildren and my plan is to be around for a while. But we all have to weigh our personal risk of recurrence with the quality of life we have on these meds.
Many people do well changing AI's, others have found yoga, vitamin D3, exercise, diet (gluten free), acupuncture, .......... and many other things have helped them. Unfortunately they don't work for me, so I take an opiate to make the pain manageble.
I'm sorry that you're having problems with it
And - the only skin changes I've seen is some premature aging. Sometimes I believe my body thinks that it's 85.
Linda
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I seem to be having some relief with fish. I eat fish every day for lunch. a piece of salmon.
It's hard to say that this is the cause of my relief, however.
Some days are better than others and i can't figure out why.
I do know shoes make a huge difference. But again, some days just seem better than others.
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I have always had clear skin but since starting aromasin I've noticed frequent breakouts, thin skin leading to small skin tears if I wash too briskly, skin is drier and increase in aging and that's just my face. I have noticed increased dryness and loss of elasticity all over. It's hard to determine if it is the med causing the dryness or winter (it is very dry where we live, cold and heat primarily with wood burner) but I don't think the meds have helped.
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I've noticed my skin looks older than before Aromasin. No breakouts on my face although I swear I have little bumps on my scalp that could be acne type stuff. Can't see it but I can feel it - nothing annoying.
I think the whole breast cancer, chemo, radiation thing over the last two years has aged me. I feel more my age than ever before. I always felt younger than my age so I guess it's okay if I live in my age bracket now.
Does anyone find symptoms come and go?
I don't have near the knee pain with Aromasin as I did with Femara but there are days my knees hurt very much. No predictors - I can go weeks with just my usual arthritis pain then suddenly my knees flare up. I find the same things with itching. I get itchy for a few days than it's gone for days. I can't sleep for a few days then it's gone for weeks. I get anxiety for a few days then it's gone for weeks.
I compare this to PMS although I've had a total hyster so that isn't it. But it sure seems like it - there seems to be a cycle to these symptoms. And the symptoms are not on the same cycle so it's always something
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I notice that my pain is transient in nature. Kind of moves around, but never goes away. My PCP likens it to fibromyalgia pain.
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Hello all...I need advice...I just had surgery last week (BMX/reconstruction) and my onologist wants me to start an aromatase inhibitor, she prescribed Aromasin so I got it filled but haven't started it yet due to surgery...I know I need to take it but don't want to complicate the surgical recovery with side effects from the Aromasin...when did you start taking an AI? Were you taking it when/if you had surgery, if not, how soon after surgery (if you had surgery) did you start it? I'll be talking to both my BS and PS about it tomorrow in my post op visit but so far they have deferred that decision to the oncologist and she says I can start it "whenever the surgeons say it is okay to start"...Appreciate any hints, tips, etc. that you can give me, thanks so much:) Maureen
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