For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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traceyb how long were you on Arimidex? I know my stiffness got much better after 6 months. My muscle pain did get worse. I switched to Exemestane (generic Aromasin) this past April and the muscle pain (and a lot of the other SE) are now gone or very minimal. Ask if you can switch to Exemestane or Aromasin.
BTW I too know someone who progressed to IV while on Tamox. She switched to Arimidex and it was working to shrink her tumors. Who knows if she would or wouldn't have had that new occurrence if she was on Arimidex instead of Tamox. I know my MO seems to hate Tamox. When I was having issues with Anastrozole and asked about Tamox she said "well it's better than nothing" but really wanted me to try Exemestane. Glad I did.
Peggy that fact that he making friends is a very good sign this is a good place. Now we need to be sure you aren't lonely.
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Miminiemi, I haven't been back to Iowa since 1984 - for my mother's 50th high school reunion. She didn't want to go alone. So I know few people anymore. Nice that it's such a small world. Being a clown must be fun!
We are very similar. I turned 69 a month after dx. What a crappy early birthday present.
Being a caregiver is tough work. And until you've actually done it, it is hard to imagine how debilitating it is. You're glad to do it but that doesn't make it easier. Sounds like you had a really difficult time of it with your DH. I've always preferred "caregiver" to "caretaker". The latter term reminds me of taking care of a home's grounds rather than people
Very glad to know you've had no trouble with Arimidex. So far, I haven't either. Not even a hint of a hot flash (which would really be welcome as cold as it is!).
Take care! HUGS!
Lago, I mostly want to be friends with sleep
I have lots of things I want and need to get done around the house that I've neglected the past 4 years. One thing I've done is started going out weekly with a group of girlfriends - I've never done that so it's a ball. Thank you! HUGS to you!0 -
Tracey, I hope you will decide to stay on the med, if one AL is not working for you, do try another, it is too important.
Lago, yeah, my MO did not like T either and said the SE were much worse than that of my AL. I stuck it out. Now that my time on it is over, I still have achies and deal with arthritis in my feet and such.
Hey Peg, nothing like another pizza and wine party tonight! Hope your husband is settled and yeap, we need to be sure you do not get lonely!
Off to gym, later all
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Iris, I sure hope I can get there. While we don't have 5 or 6 feet of snow like Buffalo, we have 4-6" of the stuff and the roads are lousy. Oh well. Pizza tonight for sure! How can I get lonely with all my great friends here at BCO?
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Dang... I missed the pizza party!..I am with justmejanis... just plain old mom n pop pizza with cheese....I usually have milk with my pizza(no laughing ladies),, but I can start with the beer and then use the pizza to soak up some alcohol....lol... and yeah,, thanks for the song,,, I have a hard enough time getting that song outta my head,, now its back..lmao!,, I hope everyone stays warm and healing hugz to all...J
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Peggy I am glad we were here to cheer you during a difficult time. So glad your Chuck had a welcome wagon waiting. My DH is Chuck too.
I would love to have some wine but not in our budget sadly. Your glass looked like my kind. I love white zin.
We ventured out to the store yesterday but the roads are horrible. The local news is all about the bad roads. This is a community with over half a million people. No reason for this to have gone so wrong. More snow expected today and Saturday but it is the inversion that is keeping our temps well below freezing. Our 'highs' still hover in the low 20's. It can always be worse, we could be in Buffalo!
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JustMeJanis, I drink CHEAP wine - Riunite Lambrusco (what I had was the "white" which is pink). So it fits the budget. Chuck is a good name for our DHs!
Our roads are okay. 4-6" of snow yesterday/today. I suspect you're worse off than we are. Our highs about the same as you. And definitely glad I'm not in Buffalo.
Stay warm!!! HUGS!!!
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auro...good to hear you are having good experience with your Al...nice to know it's working.
lago...the german beer drinking video....I'm a beer drinker (when I drink)!
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Tracyb, when I started on Arimidex it made me very sleepy. About an hour after I took it I felt like I wanted to crash and take a nap. So I switched and started taking it at night, that helped a lot. Now that I am on the examestane, I don't have the same problem. I take it in the morning and my head stays clear.
Martha
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PontiacPeggy - you are so right, caregiver is the word I should have been using. No wonder autocorrect kept giving me the devil.
Just me janis and Peggy - find Aldi's. Nice wine and cheap. Reunite Lambrusco is a favorite here too, I like you gals already
Lago and Nash- beer is good too. My HS german teacher taught us german beer drinking songs every Friday. My dog is Peggy O'Neill in honor of the Irish drinking song.
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I missed the pizza party!! Can we have another one? Lol. I start Arimdex in 2 weeks and really worried about SE. Going through Rads right now and finish that on Christmas Eve. Still recovering from chemo.
You guys are so wonderful. So very grateful for each and every one!
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I missed the pizza party, too!! Cheese, frsh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil for me, if we have another.
Justme, what are those adorable goodies you make? Cake pops? Recipe???
Peggy, had same thing with my car. Light came on, thought something was terribly wrong, got out manual and saw it was tire pressure, Drove directly to tire place and asked them to check for nails, etc. Guy calmly explained that it was provavly just the cold weather. All 4 tires were underinflated. With air, liight went out, and they wouldn't charge me anything.
Glad all is going well so far with your DH's transition.
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Miminiemi The funny thing is I don't drink beer, haven't had one since I was 17 and technically never had one when I was legal. Decided at 17 I didn't like it.
Hope50 Pizza party isn't like having a clam bake. We can do it as many times as we want, when every we want. Don't fret too much about the SE. It's not like chemo. You know once you start the SE take forever to go away. If you have a problem you can try other meds, find meds to treat SE and if it's that bad you can always quit…but for most of us the SE aren't anything close to what chemo was.
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Peggy when I get wine we both like Sutter Home White Zinfandel. It is not expensive but not in our budget so it is a rare treat. Oh the cold.....we have not been above freezing in over a week now. Tomorrow we are supposed to get to 38, but unfortunately the forecast calls for freezing rain in the morning turning to snow when it gets warmer. Not good with our lousy roads.
Lago I don't drink beer either, don't like the taste at all. No clam bake for me. I am a rare one that doesn't like any fish or seafood. My friends always laugh and say I am the one who eats nothing that comes out of the water. Want a good laugh? I am originally from San Francisco! My mom loved any and all fish and seafood but not my dad. My sister is the same way. Both my brothers are gone but they both loved it too. Both of my sons do as well, even though they didn't get much growing up. Just the trout they caught themselves.
Mimi you fit in perfectly here. I see more parties in our future!
Wave cake balls is what I call them. I try to create interesting flavors for each occasion. They are not difficult to make but take a little time and practice. I can write it all out if you like and e-mail it to you. I could post it here but it might be a little long. I have to make a lot of comments LOL!
Have a great day everyone. Sending love and healing hugs to all.
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justmejanis I grew up about an hour from Cape Code MA.
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Well, I'm back on arimidex, as of this morning. I was surprised how hesitant I was to take that first pill (well, first /1/2 pill). I took 1/2 today, will take 1/2 tomorrow, then, hopefully, close my eyes, hold my nose, and take the whole thing. I've been on a drug holiday for, I guess, three weeks, and have been enjoying it. Right after rads, I couldn't wait to take that first pill, because I wanted it to get right to work. Now, I'm less focused on the benefits, and more on the known side effects. Not happy. I really hope I'll make it to five years on these things.
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We can have a pizza party EVERY night! sounds fine to me. Although I picked up some really yummy chicken noodle soup that my local grocery makes along with some Italian olive oil bread AND, of course, a big glass of wine. Probably have the same thing tomorrow night, too. Sounds nice and warm. We're expecting freezing rain in the morning, too. Ugh. Where is SUMMER???
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oooh, Peggy.I love any sort of bread, Italian olive bread with wine....sounds great to me
I just spend half the day bonding with the CSR person at my medicare company. Seems my PCD ordered a boat load of tests and medicare does not cover them! But my agent who sold the policy to me found the CSR person and she is working on it now! I am really not into paying $1500 for simple blood tests that were for the fun of it!
I refuse to get stresses but the wine is needed tonight
I got me some eggplant roasting in the oven and gonna make it into an eggplant spread~~
old here but sure not like our friends in Buffalo
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I want in on the pizza & wine party too!! But I want my pizza to be roasted veggie with goat cheese (lactose intolerant) I will drink Guinness or red wine though.
I'm exhausted today, I've been packing up to do an antiques show tomorrow. I'm going to need that pizza & especially something to drink tomorrow night!!
Wish me luck, I haven't done a show for 10+ years. Cheers, Dee0 -
Iris, don't you love all those crappy useless tests? Argh. Hope your guy can get Medicare straightened out. I wouldn't pay either. Like we all have $1500 hanging around. Yeah, right.
Dee, good luck with your show! I have TWO bottles of wine just waiting for you for after the show. You'll do just fine. You haven't forgotten how to throw one. Take a deep breath. Now exhale slowly. See? Don't you feel better???? HUGS
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I'll share a roasted veggie with goat cheese pizza anytime!
BTW had pizza tonight. 1/2 mushroom 1/2 sausage. Guess which half I ate. Mmmm love shrooms
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Lago, it sounds like all of us are sooooo ready to party and don't want to dress up. Come as you are, gorge on pizza, and a little wine/beer/etc and we have a PAJAMA PARTY!!!!
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Hi all. Hopefully this post finds everyone doing well, or at least better. I have been taking Anastrozole in the morning since I started. At first I suffered from insomnia at night (read a lot of books) but then I gradually started sleeping better. My major problem is fatigue. After doing a few things a day I get so fatigued. Always have to explain to friends that taking naps does not work because rest does not help fatigue.
Trying exercise to see if that works. but hard to exercise when you are tired. Still feel like I have the flu most days. Since I have co-morbid chronic medical conditions ( MS, type two diabetes, widespread arthritis) it is hard to tell how much of the fatigue is the medication and how much is everything else. Since I am only four months post-surgery, I am trying to give myself time to heal. All of us need to learn to put ourselves first when necessary. I believe that stress reduction is important as well. I am always stressed even though I am working on it. Yesterday was very bad for me because I have a daughter at FSU. When I heard about the school shooting, I freaked out. Even after I knew she was ok, ( about a half-hour after I found out) I was upset all day. Attended FSU myself and met my husband there. Had to stop watching the wall to wall news coverage, in order to stop crying. Better today but did not need that stress.
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So glad your daughter is fine, MSQueen! What a huge worry.
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Exercise WILL help MSQueen. What a horrible, scary thing for your daughter, you, and all those affiliated with FSU. It is a sad, sad world sometimes.
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I missed the pizza party too! Next time around, I'll have a gluten free one from Domino's with sausage and mushrooms and a nice glass of chardonnay
For those with tire pressure issues, DH had the same issue this past week during the cold. He put air in the tires but the light stayed on so he took it to the dealer. Turns out on his car the tire sensor is also hooked up to the full size spare in the trunk. Dealer said if that tire has lost pressure over the years then the light will come on. The dealer didn't have time to look at it so DH will check it next time he goes to a station with an air pump. So if the sensor is hooked up to your spare, that might be the problem.
Brookside I was on a half does for several months before going to the full dose (with MO's permission). I was ok on a half dose, but the SE's on the full dose eventually caused me to switch to Aromasin.
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Bren, I don't have a full-sized spare tire but that IS interesting. I would never have occurred to me that the spare would be hooked up to the pressure system. Clever.
We welcome all kinds of pizza at our party and I really think we need to have one nightly. Maybe not pizza every night but PARTY!
Glad you're tolerating the Armoasin!
Hugs!
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Have any of you heard of Two Buck Chuck? Now it's called Three Buck Chuck due to inflation. The vineyard is actually Charles Shaw in California. The wine is sold exclusively at Trader Joes and all the snobby wine critics rave about it. I bought a case of it recently but its going fast! I highly recommend the merlot. I also like St. Genevieve Red. Its also an inexpensive wine but not as cheap as TBC.
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Wine Tips! I'll take those. Good to know about 3 buck chuck
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I've heard of it, Blownaway. Haven't tried it though. I buy my White Lambrusco by the case also since it isn't available at my local grocery store (just the regular red, which I also like). Thanks for the suggestions! I'm definitely a red wine person. Can't get into whites. Happy Saturday!
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