For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
-
Soteria I did the same thing. I tell the docs about this site and it amazes me that they have no idea it exists. when they tell me that some side effects are not real, some solutions are not real, i feel like saying...read the threads!0 -
RANT warning. I am so sick of doctors! I finally find an endocrinologist to address my osteoporosis but at a different treatment center. Cancelled the appointment with the ruematologist at my center.
Now, 1 month after I made the appointment they say they have to change it, go to the bone clinic instead and I will see the fellow, who will then talk to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist will then come in and talk to me for a short time. WTF this is a first appointment with this Endocrinologist. I don't want to see some doctor that I will never see again (because they finished their fellowship) and don't know their credentials! They claim this endocrinologist won't have an opening till May and they are doing me the favor of getting me in early by seeing the fellow. I have a call into the supervisor but I doubt she will call me back… ironically this happened because they just received my medical records.0 -
lago do you have health insurance, if so they shouldn't care about what your records say...Welcome to the new healthcare system.0 -
Yes I do. It's not what my records said. It appears they should have always scheduled me for the bone clinic. When they got my records and saw dexta scans they figured out they made a mistake. Not my problem. Had I know I would have to wait till may I would have made an appoitment with someone else.0 -
strange, can you start fresh with a new doc setup?0 -
Lago, why an endocrinologist? I'm just a teeny, tiny, itty bitty bit above osteoporosis and assumed the only issue was just a decision whether to take meds or not (eating calcium rich foods and otherwise holding firm until I know more)? I guess it's more than meets the eye?I'll add that is the next few weeks I have primary care, dermatologist, ENT, dentist, one-year followup with mammo, MRI, and breast surgeon, and twice weekly PT for small muscle tears that I suspect have much to do with arimidex. Adding an endro (or whatever) just doesn't seem that out of the ordinary at this point.
0 -
proudtospin this is a new doctor… the first appointment! That's why I'm so angry. You don't go see the fellow for the first time. If they can't fix this I'm going to find someone new.
An Endocrinologist was recommended by my PCP to treat this.0 -
Sorry to be so dense, but I just don't understand why an endo. Is it specific to your other conditions, or is it something I (and everyone on the verge of osteoporosis) should be pushing for?
0 -
BrooksideVT - I think it would be great to get endocrinologists more involved in this whole process. They are totally focused on hormone-related issues so it seems they'd be the ultimate resource for dealing with the side effects of prematurely and completely depleting our bodies of estrogen. Chances are that if you are diagnosed with osteoporosis after starting hormone therapy you'll end up on a bone-building drug so few of us get sent to a specialist for that. But, if one has other medical issues it might not be that straightforward. I think Lago is fortunate to be able to get an endocrinologist's point of view.....if she ever gets her appointment
0 -
lago, gaids but all this gets so complicated, best of luck with all and you choices, I see you live near Chicago so hoping that is good as am sure there are of good docs there
best of luck0 -
Thank you, TinaT. For some reason, it hadn't hit me that estrogen is a hormone, ergo an endorcrinologist might be a logical new participant in my healthcare. I must admit that I think it might have been helpful for my onc to mention this possibility rather than just bringing up meds without any particular back story. My bff, who is probably osteoporotic, but refuses to be tested, is very much opposed to all the meds they recommend and I'm having a bit of a problem figuring the whole thing out.0 -
lago....grrrrrr!!!
0 -
I just saw an Endo Doctor for my osteoporosis and all my blood tests came back normal which means it is the Arimidex that has caused it. I was sent to the Endo Doctor by my cancer Doctor to be sure there was not another reason for the osteoporosis. Now I will be getting Prolia shot twice a year.. I have my first shot this Thursday.0 -
LAGO-I dont like for you to be upset. You always are a calming, happy factor in this. An Endocronoligist is a way to make sure all your glands are functioning properly after what you have gone through. One sad fact is that there is no ONE DOCTOR for our WHOLE person. Sending you hugs and pleasant thoughts for some calm.------ka2kar0 -
I hear ya lago. when I recently called my onco to discuss my bleeding I wound up talking to his nurse. She is a very nice woman but she is a nurse, not a dr. This is the way it is now and it stinks. When I went to the vascular dr about my varicose veins I spoke to the nurse and saw the dr briefly, When I went to the breast surgeon for my check up I spoke to her resident who relayed what I said to the surgeon. We play telephone with these people who hold our lives in their hands, Even at Sloan, i spent most of the time talking to the nurse. In fact, she "advised" me on which treatment to take. I was very confused. I had no idea that she had the authority to advise me! I kind of blew off what she said and then later I realized that she was acting on behalf of the dr It's a very, very strange system. And they charge dr fees, not nurses fees. I shudder to think where all of this is leading. It won't get any better if the government runs things. They keep talking about holding costs down. I WANT drs who drive Mercedes! I want expensive care. It always reminds me of the old Jack Benny line "Your money or your life." "I'm thinking I'm thinking."
When it comes to health care quality should be priority one,0 -
I also failed to recognize that estrogen is a hormone, duh. How did that skip my awareness?
Also parathyroid hormone can leach calcium from bones.
I hadn't thought of an endocrinologist before but it does make a lot of sense.
But the thought of yet another dr! OMG!
When I called my onco, I first spoke to someone (I have no idea who) and she said that my onco should be told about my bleeding problem. After all he prescribes my meds and he should be aware of whatever condition I'm in. So when I spoke to his nurse I was informed that since I did not have a "cancer" problem there was no reason to call him. lol I'm laughing because it's all so absurd. I'm one person, one body. Anyway I told her I was not aware of the protocol and wasn't sure whether or not I should call him. She said "she" didn't mind talking to me. Huh?0 -
BTW, we once drove all the way from chicago to the Mayo Clinic for a meeting with a top cardiologist. My husband gave blood and was told that the dr could not see him without the results which would not be available for several days so we should just go home!! The definition of chutspah!0 -
I was scheduled to get my first Prolia injection to treat my osteoporosis. Kidney stone acted up and I had a uterer stent put in yesterday. Have a fever so kidney infection prevented further kidney stone surgery, which is postponed for 2 weeks. Looks like Prolia will be delayed now until close to Christmas. Ugh. Trying not to get discouraged. Just real tired of all the health issues.0 -
I see my NP for almost my entire visit when I see my onc. My onc comes in at the end and answers any questions I might have. The NP even does my breast exam. I'm OK with that because this is just a follow up visit. With this Endocrinologist, a specialist, this is the first visit. You don't send in someone else for the first visit. Tomorrow I am calling again and if they don't fix it I'm going to say "fine I'll take the first appointment with the doctor." If they continue to insist that the first appointment isn't till May I will tell them "be sure to let the doctor know then that I have to wait till may since I called you in October… waiting a total of 7 months."
and I will see how soon I can get in someplace else.
kad2kar I'm human. I get pissed plenty. It's just I hate being tossed around when it was their mistake not mine. I will not pay for an expensive first time visit to a specialist only to see a fellow I know nothing about!0 -
Recently I went to my PCP for my check-up .. I do hate going to all these different doctors, but it seems we all have to do this and my MO told me to keep up with my PCP... anyway, I had lots of blood tests and they almost all came back great.. except my thyroid was low.. I was happy about all the other results.. dr said he wasn't going to put me on meds yet for the thyroid -we'll check it again next year... hmmm? I wonder about that... is this a SE of the anastrozole? is this going to contribute to bone loss? Ugh! This is a problem of being treated by different doctors.. one gives meds, one does check-up..??0 -
lago, I totally understand your rant and that has been my frustration for the last couple of years. It seems that almost every doctor I go to, whether it is a first appt or not. I see the NP first, then a fellow or resident who takes down all my info and does a cursory exam, then he/she goes out and tells the doctor their interpretation of what I said. Then when the doctor comes in, he tells me a summary of what he thinks the NP/intern/fellow said. Confusing? Yep. that's about the way it works. I feel it's like whisper down the lane. By the time the Dr gets the information it only has a small resemblance to the condition I really came in to discuss! A few times I have left thinking "what a complete waste of time and money that was!" It is so sad that our healthcare has gotten to this point.0 -
Bren58 I see your point but they made the mistake and this isn't what they typically do. It's just now they don't have an opening till May. So why should I pay to see an experienced MD with great credentials but because of their mistake I have to see the fellow… with less experience, who knows what credentials and probably will not be there the next time I have an appointment. If that's how it is then I'll just have my PCP take care of this… and if this is the future then why do I have to come in. Lets do this over the phone.
UPDATE:
ah the plot thickens. It appears the new slot they gave me isn't a bone patient slot either. It's for her other endo issue patients… they were sneaking me in. So basically I would see this fellow then the Endo would peek her head in in between her "real" endo non-bone issue patients. WTF! I rescheduled for May 29th. She only sees patients with bone issues on Thursday afternoons. They said once my dexta scans came in, if the Endo sees a problem she will see me sooner… yeah right. So that will be 8 months post dexta scans till I see her. Ya think they will order a new scan by then?
In the mean time I will see if I can find another good endo that has less than an 8 month wait. When I do see her I will be sure to let her know how her office screwed up. I am getting tired of support staff mistakes… and just called to see Why they hadn't received my medical records. Medical records said no request was ever sent. Checked to find out support staff at my PCP never sent my form in.
Do we have to double & triple check EVERYTHING!0 -
Wow lago you have the right to be upset!!! I hope you can find a good endo that can get you in sooner.0 -
crog234 - I've had two prolia injections so far with my third in early January and haven't had any problems. The first time you get it they'll want you to hang out for 10-15 minutes to make sure you don't have any reaction to it. After that you'll probably spend more time in the waiting room than you will getting the shot.
Timbuktu - I would be so frustrated if I had to deal with dealing with nurses and residents rather than my doctors too! I have not had that problem at all. We're a small town but only my breast surgeon is local. My PS and MO come to our specialty clinic certain days of the week from their areas of practice 30 to 60 minutes away. None of them has ever shunted me off to a nurse for my questions and information.
lago - grrrrrr - I know I'd be pissed because I don't have TIME to babysit my doctors......I work my ass off 8-10 hours a day and don't have time to be calling and checking and then double-checking and rescheduling appointments!0 -
Speaking of which I'd better get out of these threads and back to my paying job now!0 -
IAmNancy~~I saw my PCP while I was coming to the end of chemo. The only Bloodwork he did then was baseline, because he said, " chemo would throw all the results off." I went back 5 months pfc and had all Bloodwork done. His nurse called the next day to tell me, that he is very happy with my results. No more anemia, thyroid & cholesterol were excellent, and my vitamin D was getting close to where he wanted it.
I had 60% bone loss in my femur in 2 1/2 years. That was before I ever started taking arimidex, even though I was taking D3 plus calcium twice daily. Ive now been taking Fosomax weekly for 3 months.
Paula0 -
Oh, ladies.... hearing all these horror stories makes me so thankful for the medical care I have. You hear terrible stories about Kaiser, yet my BC medical team was awesome - all women except for the PS, and each time I had a doctor's appt, I saw only the doctor, not his or her nurse. And each of them took as much time as they needed to answer all my questions.
My new PCP is young and female. She's exceptionally bright, and one day I was her last patient of the day. We just sat and chatted, as she was eager to hear my experiences of being on the ESD. A doctor who learns from patients - what a concept!
I have seen NPs or PAs for different things - I actually preferred them for routine Dermatology and OB/GYN issues. But whenever I wanted to see the physician, I could, and for as much time as I needed.
And I can get same-day or next-day appts with my PCP, but specialist referrals may take a week or so. Sometimes, though, they call the next day. I am thanking my lucky stars for this treatment, and I sincerely hope nothing changes in the future.0 -
Timbuktu, I have another definition of chutzpah - my mother-in-law, years ago, was a very busy woman - had 2 PhD's and ran a learning center for emotionally disturbed an learning disabled boys. Once she went to the doctor who kept her waiting over an hour before he could see her. She sent him a BILL saying her time was valuable too!0 -
Love that flav! What happened?0 -
YEA MIL!!!!!!!0
