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Life on aromasin

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Comments

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    OH Tim u have to keep us posted, cuz I'm kinda following u. But I thought someone on this thread said somethin about hearing, and I was thinking about u. nd of course like u if it's possible it will happen to us. LOL Good Luck--Oh Tim I know I shouldn't complain, but I'm tired of all hese meds and still feeling rotten and tired and everything hurts--Oh well we all have these problems--the outside world just doesn't know.

  • shayne
    shayne Member Posts: 524
    edited May 2013

    I also had my eye doctor told me she saw some big changes with my eyes from my last appt a year previous.  I attributed it to the amount of radition i was exposed to (internal rads, mri, ct scans etc etc)  I read that online somewhere

  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 1,032
    edited May 2013

    Good luck Tim! Got everything crossed for you to have a tolerable go with the Arimidex!

  • Timbuktu
    Timbuktu Member Posts: 1,423
    edited May 2013

    If you can't complain here where can you?  Please don't feel bad about opening up.

  • Galsal
    Galsal Member Posts: 754
    edited May 2013

    a coworker has said how my hearing has gotten horrible lately

  • MaryD911
    MaryD911 Member Posts: 32
    edited May 2013

    Shayne,  with my first diagnosis, almost 12 years ago, my oncologist suggested I have an eye exam before starting tamoxifen as there would probably be some changes from the med.  Just one more thing these dreadful meds cause.  Today I had a visit with my family doctor and I mentioned to him that I hadn't taken the exemestane for one month and that I had stopped it on my own without consulting the oncologist.  Since I don't see the oncologist until mid-June he wants me to call him at once and see what he has to say.  I will do that tomorrow.

  • shayne
    shayne Member Posts: 524
    edited May 2013

    i wouldnt rush the phone call.

    I had an eye exam 9months before - no issues regarding the health of my eyes.  The next time I could see the shock on her face that I had black marks - cateracts - on my eyes.  She mentioned something about exposing my eyes to the sun - Ive been wearing Rx sunglasses since age 25 and my eyes are incredibly light sensitive, I dont even get the mail without sunglasses on......

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited May 2013

    Camillegal - my husband is a hearing aid specialist and he always says that if you have rapid hearing loss you need to see your doctor immediately!!!!  Preferrably get in to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist!

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    Oh Linda thank u for asking u'r DH and thank him--Now I'll look into it. I just digured whatever.

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited May 2013

    You're welcome, and please let us know what you find out.  Some of the meds they give you for chemo are ototoxic.  I had some hearing loss during and after carboplatin, but it's gotten some better, but not back to what it was before.  Nice to have a hearing tester in the family Wink

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    LindaSmile

  • Timbuktu
    Timbuktu Member Posts: 1,423
    edited May 2013

    Sure hope it's nothing Cami.  Keep us posted.

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    I'm calling Tuesday--just taking it easy this weekend--well  party tomorrow (Sat) and maybe Sunday, but the weather's not great--a little chilly--we'll see.

  • seabeal
    seabeal Member Posts: 108
    edited May 2013

    Here is another one of my petty questions, has anyone notice their eye lashes falling out or extreme thinning. I never had those thick long lashes everyone drools over but I use to have my fair share but now I don't even have enough to put mascara on. Thinking of eye lash extensions.

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    Seabeal I did have nice eylashes but no more--I can't get them in a curling thingy to make them look longer--it's strange but I did buy lash extensions that u put on u'r mascare a first then u immediately put on this stuff and put another coat of mascara and they look a little longer---hen all dries I curl them--better than nothing.

  • seabeal
    seabeal Member Posts: 108
    edited May 2013

    Thanks Cami. I may get some lashes and play around with them. If all else fails I'll go to a salon and send the bill to the insurance company hahahah

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited May 2013

    My eyelashes and eyebrows did not grow back to what they were before BC - thinner, shorter, etc....

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    Actually what I use is Ready to wear and u do it u'rself it comes with instructions (easy and that the name of the brand--It's a good brand.

  • rmlulu
    rmlulu Member Posts: 1,501
    edited May 2013

    Hi y'all



    Well I've had a month vacation from tx...finished rads 4 weeks ago and now it's time for the PILL!

    MO said my choice AI or Tamoxifen ...suggested 2.5 yrs on AI first and RX is for generic Aromasin. Strokes on both sides of family so AI 1st.

    Bought a pill box and tomorrow the 1st gulp pill goes down!

    I planned to cut in half and ease into HT, but I've never ever seen such a small white pill so cutting in half is not going to be an option.

    Any advice? AM or PM? Guess I just jump right in!

    Walking walking pounding those bones...gulp here I go!

    Cindy



  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited May 2013

    Cindy they are the smallest pill I take and i think what can this possibly do?  HaHa I found out LOL  I've been taking them every other day, and zi'll talk to my Onc, about changing.

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited May 2013

    Cindy - I take mine in the morning, it says to take them with a food, at least mine does, as some people have issues with nausea, I never have, so I just take it with all of my early morning pills - thyroid, HCTZ & gabapentin, I don't have any issues with when I take it or if I take it with food.  I do have pain issues with it, but most women have little to no pain issues, so don't worry.  Why would he put you on tamoxifen at all if you can take AI's?

    Linda

  • rmlulu
    rmlulu Member Posts: 1,501
    edited June 2013

    Linda - there have been some studies about benefit of switching HT ... So I had choice which one to start with tamoxifen or AI. I'm concern with bone pain and loss, but then stroke risk & uterine cancer with tamoxifen. Rads & AI hard on heart too.

    Good to hear you're doing well on AI:)

    Thanks for encouragement.

    Cindy

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited June 2013

    Well if you can call constant pain ok, then I guess I am. 

  • rmlulu
    rmlulu Member Posts: 1,501
    edited June 2013

    Yikes LindaKR - Sorry constant pain:(((

    Guess that is why I begged for a month off from tx to think. MO knows I don't want to take either AI or tamoxifen, but study said 2.5 yrs of AI = 5 on tamoxifen ...thought u would try. Cancer math does not show much benefit only a few months difference ...gonna try.

  • LindaKR
    LindaKR Member Posts: 1,304
    edited June 2013

    Sounds good RMlulu.  I talked to an oncologist, not mine, but he had seen my records, up at the teaching hospital in Portland, OR.  He said he would like to see all of his patients take AI's because the studies that he is seeing show that it is much more effective than Tamox in preventing recurrence, especially with my stage and type of cancer.  That compounded with my mom having clotting issues, and that he told me that the chances of me having less pain if I switched were probably non-existent, makes me stay on the AI and deal with pain Smile

  • lisa2012
    lisa2012 Member Posts: 288
    edited June 2013

    Yes. I had a wonderful massage yesterday and felt so loose and great after, shoulders and hips and hands and neck, thought- wow! maybe part of my aches and pains are tension or whatever. Well, woke up this morning hurting all over. I didn't want to move my body, but I knew I would feel better once I moved around some and I did. WHY? I felt so good yesterday after the massage, I hoped if I could just afford more massage I could get on top of this. My onc asked last time- can you tolerate it?

    I was 3 mos on Arimidex, now 7 mos on Aromasin. I think the effects are similar. I was just so shocked by the SEs on Arimidex my doc changed me. Think Femara would be different? I'm thinking all three of them may cause the same problems as they suck up my estrogen. Anyone consider Tamoxifen? He said it was an alternative. And what if you go off- and still feel this funky?

  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 15,711
    edited June 2013

    Lisa I'm no expert but it seems to me that alomost all of them are the same SE's on each one of us. There are a lot of women whi get minimal SE's on these meds and as u know some who hit the wall with them. So another crapshoot--cuz I was caught off guard with all these SE's too. I thought I was going to sail thru these meds. Oh well

  • rmlulu
    rmlulu Member Posts: 1,501
    edited June 2013

    Lisa&Camillegal - sometimes our bodies respond to the fillers in the generic...if you try and have issues you may ask MO to write no generic and see if that helps.

    This site has a list of common SEs...the AI have the least and work the best if post menop



    Best Wishes with HT:)

  • shayne
    shayne Member Posts: 524
    edited June 2013

    Im a massage therapist and hurting the next day after massage is common.  The therapist should tell you to drink a lot of water.  In massage, toxins are released from the muscles/ligaments in to the blood stream - so you need to flush out.  You can always take an epsom salt bath to relieve muscle ache......

  • Trisha-Anne
    Trisha-Anne Member Posts: 1,661
    edited June 2013

    Lisa I took Arimidex for 14 months and couldn't tolerate it at all, se's were horrible.  If I only had the choice of Arimidex and nothing, I'd take nothing and risk the cancer coming back. 

    I switched to Aromasin in July last year and I have very few se's at all.  I was really hesitant about taking it, but it's been great.  I have a few minor se's but nothing bad at all - I could stay on it another 10 years if I had to.

    You might find that Femera is the one for you - it's certainly worth giving it a try.  I think there's also another AI, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is ... yes one of my se's is a terrible memory lol - but that might just be age catching up with me too :-)

    Trish

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