Life on aromasin
Comments
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Corky, you just triggered my memory! My mom gave us whiskey, not brandy, and honey. It's Aromasin's fault I had that brain freeze, lol!0 -
yeap, when I get a cold I go to the liquor store for the flask of brandy or anything!
tea, honey and a big shot and I am out like a light....waking up just as good and happier than if I ran for cold med, cheaper too0 -
Proud more enjoyable too--see what I mean--my dad drank wine every day I can remember and lived to be 96, and loads of grapes, cherries and figs--like crazy0
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My grandmother made hot toddy's for my mom, she made them for me and I also made them for my kids.
Booze
Tea
Honey
Lemon
Works every time.0 -
Camille, yeap so much nicer, my liquor store buy knows what brandy I like and the size and when I tell him it is my cold cure.....he just shakes his head and laughs
course I am just off of a massive nasty sinus infection that produced sinus polyps that the tody reciept just did not work on!!! ended up with antibiotics and now precne to get it done.
but tonight, a hot tody0 -
I'm sorry proud, but we did bring back memories about how we were raised--Oh and one more thing the lady next dorr used to make her own blackberry brandy and whenever I got my period she's make sure I had plenty for a couple of days and my mom was fine with that. Made my period fine then. It's funny everyone I know in the older age group who were allowed liquor at a young age does not have a drinking problem as they got older. I wonder about that.0
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My main side effect is joint pain. It continues to get worse not better. Almost two years on Aromasin. Now BS tells me my bone density levels are way down. So brittle bones or switch to Tamoxifen. and run risk of uterine cancer. What a choice!?0 -
Camille, interesting point on those who had liquer young do not have a problem, I agree with that
hey, the dang meds have killed the dang sinus stuff so hip hip horray0 -
cammi fresh my memory. What's the site for seeing the humorous side of things, we connected on before?0 -
Eve I can't remember exactly--but have been on the drinking one and STFU I think it was one of those 20
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Eve, just wanted to jump in and say "What About Drinking?" thread is hilarious. Those gals should be on stage! I haven't read the STFU thread yet.0 -
Eve I think that's where u came to--cuz I just spoke to u and everyone was welcoming u and I didn't cuz I just talked to u. LOL BTW those women on there are so much fun (not me) but they are hilarious and very caring, so we all try to make the best out of a bad situation.And Eve STFU is another one different people but again caring and funny women and 1 man and we're all trying to laugh at what scares us the most too. U have to be on somethings that are silly cuz u can't be 24/7 serious about this I still remember the funniest line said to me cuz my typing is so bad and so is my spelling, she said for the longest time she thought I was an immigrant, cuz of my use of the language. I thought that was hysterical.0
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Actually some immigrants really take to the English language. I came over at the age of 11 and at age 14 was the second-best speller in my class. My brother too, learned fast, but he was more into Science and Math and didn't care about spelling. My mom already knew English.0 -
That is hysterical! That ts the place Camill! Geez, I can't remember ANYTHING! I loved Laughing again.
Initially, I blamed the memory loss on chemo, as it is well documented. But as it got worse and worse, I started thinking it was the Aromasin, which I just stopped taking Btw. I found the SEs to be crippling, plus my Onco wanted me off them due to spine deterioration. I've been having back pain that's gotten worse so I'm to have a Pet Scan, oh joy.
So now I'm starting to freak out imagining it's Metastisized to my spine and brain, thus the brain fog and no memory. Can't figure out if I'm overreacting or getting myself prepared for bad news.
Feel like I'm on a merrygoround and can't get off. This disease sucks! Sorry, I needed to vent. No one can understand unless they've been there or are living it. On to happier thoughts.
Dogs, that's an awesome story! What is your country of origin? How,long ago were you 14 years old?0 -
Eve I had a full body scan not to long ago too cuz my lower spine and 2 discs have deteriorated of course u think the worst but it was just a crippling chronic back horror--funny how other things don't bother u so much, plus my onc, is watching something??? on my ribs which is probably nothing so I think meds do a lot of damage to some of us to keep cancer at bay--in the mean time u just suffer with the consequences I think for some this just is ongoing and that's why people think well u'r done with Chemo so everything is OK. But a lot of other things enter the picture and most of it has pain involved. LOL0
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I really can't complain---but have had a lot of breaks probably due to my osteoporosis - but the ones that hurt the most were 3 cracked vertebraes in my back. I thought at first it was a pulled muscle, then got x-rays. Since then I don't dare lift anything over 20 lbs ---0 -
Well it has been six weeks since I started Aromasin and until this past week I had no symptoms to amount to much. I now have trigger thumb and it is painful. I type on the computer all day for a living. (Ouch!!). My knees have been gradually getting more and more stiff and now it hurts when I bend them for any reason. I am beginning to feel like I did when I was on Arimidex. Like a 90 year old woman. Don't know how much longer I can put up with this.0 -
So sorry---maybe Femara would work for you. I know a woman who is doing great on it.0 -
When I went back for my 3 month checkup I saw my MO. My pain improved greatly over the 3 month period. She asked what I contributed the change to and I couldn't think of anything. She said maybe it was just time. It was so significant that I even wondered is this in my mind because I'm scared to stop aromasin but you ladies who suffer on this know you can't psych yourself out of it. At my previous visit the nurse practitioner wanted to switch me to tamoxifen. I had read that it's not as effective for stage lll which I guess that all depends but that is what was in my mind.
I got to thinking, in Aug, the nurse practitioner told me to take calcium 3 times a day because I can only absorb 500 mg at a time. My calcium didn't have the vitamin d with it so I was taking it separately which was 5000mg. When I went to my regular doctor, he checked my vitamin d and it was up to 81 from 33. My mom's vitamin d was 27 and they gave her a prescription. My hip still feels like a much older lady's hip when I get up after sitting awhile but I need to start exercising. I couldn't imagine doing that before even knowing how much I needed to.
Has anyone else had vitamin d make a difference? My oncologist doesn't check mine unless I ask but my medical doctor tells me it's very important.0 -
Fondak, my doctor checks Vit D every three months and I have never been deficient. Don't understand why, if you were deficient (were you?), he's not doing routine checks. Vit D is very important to prevent recurrence.0 -
Yorkiemom, My MO wasn't checking my vitamin D levels until I asked and they called and said it was normal. My family doctor asked about my vitamin D and he also checked and the nurse called said it was normal as well. That time I asked what it was and she said 33 and 30 to 60 is normal. I knew my mom's was 27. We have the same MO. They checked my moms but must have forgotten to check mine so I don't know what mine was before I originally started taking the calcium and vitamin d and I didn't know how important it was for recurrence I just thought it may help with pain and bone loss.0 -
I've read that the normal range is 30 - 100 and we should have Vit D levels above 60. Several of my tests had come back below 60 so I doubled my Vit D and got mine into the high 90s. Really didn't imagine that was possible.
Now whether it has made a difference or not, my recent DEXA showed my bone density has remained steady after 1.5 years on AIs. Only the femur is edging towards osteoporosis, but only a minor change over 5 years. I also do weight bearing exercise regularly.
Vit D as a cancer prevention is just a plus if it is really the case. I'm sure mine was low for years before I was first checked. Not sure how low 30 though.0 -
Doxie, great news on your bone density! I have to ask, does osteoporosis run in your family? It does in mine and I fear that the AI will cause it to appear sooner rather than later despite my efforts with vitamins, minerals, diet and exercise.
I really agree about Vitamin D. For years I had bone pain and finally my neurologist tested for Vitamin D. It was only 19 so after a 12-week course of 50,000 units per week it rose to 30. I've since gotten it to 60 with 1,000 IU per day in the summer and 2,000 per day in the winter.0 -
I'm thankful that the arthritis in my hands is far less on Aromasin than on Femara. Unfortunately, had a terrible flare of Rheumatoid on Femara and now have a moderate flare of Rheumatoid on Aromasin. Onc wants me to put up with it for as very long as possible. Rheum realizes I'm not even two years into an AI so has upped that med from Plaquenil to Sulfasalazine. It's helping a bit, not wonderfully but some. May well wind up on low dose Methotrexate for better results.
We all realize that having zero estrogen is likely impacting the Rheumatoid. Hopefully this was my last Lupron injection this month.0 -
corky,
My grandmother and her sisters had really bad osteoporosis. It severely impacted the quality of their lives. My mother has done everything she can, has osteoporosis and continues to lose bone mass yearly. They don't know what to do to help her now. She has her hopes on a drug available in Europe that is pending approval in the US. Can't remember what is it.
I'm really surprised that my bones have been stable. I do jog, walk, kayak and lift weights. Maybe this has helped too.0 -
I have been on Aromasin for a little over a year. Had no problems at all for 6 mos, other than hot flashes, and then have developed hand and wrist pain and pain in my feet, along with just general stiffness and myalgia.
My oncologist initially told me to take Vitamin D3, Chondroitin, and to exercise in the pool three times a week, and to take Black Cohosh for the hot flashes (which I have found to be very helpful). I did this very well for the first 4 months.
Then several circumstances arose which pulled me away from the exercise, I quite taking the D3 and Chondroitin (just due to being neglectful and focusing on issues occurring at the time), and two months later, I began having the foot and hand pain.
If you google aromatase inibitor induced arthralgias, there are some good articles on the research that has been done relative to these types of problems. Evidently, Vitamin D3, chondroitin and exercise all appear to help alleviate these symptoms. Initial studies indicate that some of the pain is due to an increase of fluid in the sheath which surrounds tendons.
So, I am now back on my regimen of supplements and exercise (just starting) and so will see if this makes a difference!0 -
Prm, oh, how those other issues can mess up out routines! I have an old, sick doggie I am caring for who takes 5 different kinds of meds several times a day (one of these will end in a week). Anyway, with all her stuff going on I have to fight my brain to remember my vitamins, meds and exercise! Don't think I could function at all if I weren't retired.0 -
Ladies, I've been on Aromisin about 5 weeks and in the last week I've been having a lot of anxiety. I tried reading this board but with over 2,000 posts can't read all of them. Anybody else? Also having more back pain than usual. I have a call in to my gp asking if she can give me something or if I should call my onc dr. I guess I'm wondering if I should go on something beside Lexapro that I've been on for about 4 years (before that Prozac). Has anyone else had an issue with anxiety? Actually had a few anxiety attacks that passed after a crying spell and deep breaths. Thank you. What a roller coaster. Blessings to all.0 -
I was born in Denmark and am 77 now---sorry to be so late answering your questions---0 -
Pjham: I did not have anxiety attacks, but very bad depression. Not sure if lack of estrogen causes anxiety attacks - maybe someone else knows.0
