TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

lago, I have a friend that switched from nastyzole to femara and her pain totally disappeared. I've been on all three the exemestane is slightly better, but still struggle with pain, fogginess, depression. Not willing to try tamoxifen or stop taking it, so trying to live with it. 

I've tried 5 or 6 different antidepressants since this started, they were also supposed to help with pain, neuropathy, hot flashes. All the did was make me more tired and fuzzy headed, messed my sleep up more, constipated me, gave me headaches, gave me eiuch dry mouth that i would wake up choking because I couldn't swallow, and were no help with the depression. Plus they were a bitch to get off of, especially the effexor and cymbalta! I'm weaning off of the last one I plan on taking now! Antidepressants and I don't mix well at all!

Special, replace the TE line with this. "This implant will stay with me" then the last line repeat 3 times.  And it sure can't hurt! 

I am on Arimidex - it will be 2 years in August. Joint aches back aches. No depression but one of the pills I take for IBS is actually an antidepressant.  LOL just counting the days to my TKR. Maybe less joint aches! At least the one leg..... LOL

Much love. 

LindaKR  I'm not on board with taking anti depressants. If the med is causing me to be depressed we know what is causing the problem. Any drug that says "may cause drowsiness" usually puts me to sleep. So while I may not have the sleep issue on it I am not interested in walking around in a haze. 10 years but I can understand why. Large tumor with nodes and I have read that some folks that are more likely to recur years out have a lower grade. Granted I think they were talking grade 1 but being grade 2 maybe there is a concern.

Moon I once tried the anti-depressant for IBS. It's such a low dose that it won't effect your mind. It didn't work for me. I am pretty under control there though. I do it with diet. My issue is high animal fats mostly in meat (including skin on poultry) and high fat cheeses like cheddar (goat/feta seem OK). I am also finding that nut products bloat me so I keep those to a minimum. Sticks cause I love peanut butter. But we'll see. This is a new experiment that I have been trying. Staying off the nuts.

linda505 I took Acetyl-L-Carnitine but I've been reading that you should not take that. The studies showed it made the neuropathy worse, granted they were taking megadoses. at the bottom of this article it mentions a few things you might try: linky I have heard good things about the "B" vitamins they mention in the article

moon - are they planning to do one knee at a time - or just this one and see how it goes?  My MIL had it a few years ago when she was in her 70's and did great with it.  DH was a marathon runner for many years and had an arthro surgery in '07 after a lot of fluid, swelling, and a Baker's cyst.  They expected to find torn cartilage but did not - they found extensive arthritis.  They sanded down the joint but told him to stop running distance because the only other available surgery for him if he has issues again is a TKR.  It took about three months of this diet but I no longer have aching in my knees anymore on Femara.  It was bad enough on Arimidex that they gave me a cortisone injection in my right knee about a year ago.

linda - with my MO's permission I took 30g of L-Glutamine (10g 3xdaily - 1t.) dissolved in a drink, a B-6 capsule, and 1500mg of Acetyl L-Carnitine.  I had finger, bottoms of feet, and tongue tingling that resolved prior to the next infusion until closer to the end, then it did not go away on the feet for about three months.  It didn't really bother me, just felt weird, especially in certain shoes.  I have no problems with it now.  You might want to try wicking pajamas, and one of those cool towels - I have one by RealTowel called Extreme Cooling Towel.  Also, even though we are I the AC here in FL, I found a fan next to the bed helpful.  I had a hyst/ooph about 14 years ago, had miserable hot flashes ever since - even on HRT.  Interestingly on this brand of Femara, which I have not been taking that long, they are diminished. On the other brand of Femara I took first and on Arimidex there was no difference.  Now instead of one an hour, I get a few a day, so maybe yours will slack off when you go on the AI after chemo.  My MO does VIT D testing and my insurance covers it no problem.  He includes it with a number of others tests, so maybe it blends in and is not as noticeable as a stand alone lab - he does CA27/29, CBC, CMP, CEA, Vit D all at the same time.

lago - did you discontinue it, or are you still taking it?  I remember tonlee saying that she talked to someone, a trainer maybe?, who told her that the body can only absorb about 500mg of it anyway.

lago - I just looked at this on Livestrong.  Looks like the doses vary according to the disease or need.  Look at the dose for diabetic nerve damage (neuropathy)!!!  An earlier part of that piece mentioned that you only absorb 63-75% of what is available in food content, and only 14-20% of what is available in an oral supplement, so maybe that is why the large doses - you need that large a dose to get what you need.

Doses for Specific Conditions

If your doctor prescribes L-carnitine for a carnitine deficiency, he will determine both the dosage and the form of the nutrient you receive. Nonprescription dosages in these circumstances can range anywhere from 500 to 2,500 mg per day. Your doctor may also recommend L-carnitine supplements to help treat specific physical ailments, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. For example, people with heart disease may take anywhere from 600 to 1,200 mg twice a day. People with diabetic nerve damage may take 3,000 mg per day. People with chronic fatigue syndrome may take anywhere from 500 to 1,000 mg of L-carnitine three or four times a day. People with chest pain or heart failure may take anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 mg a day.

hi all

Nausea seems to have passed but still feeling light headed. I threw up twice yesterday hubby was great!  Put cold compresses on my head. Couldn't even watch my ny rangers win. Lied on the couch and covered my hair with the blanket. Atleast I heard the win!!

My mouth is starting to get dry now and feeling a bit woozy. Time to pick up my guitar!!!!  I have a few songs that I have started to work on and want to put a dc together about this journey that were all on

I'm also going to be tested for a mutated BRCA gene. My 91 year old mother remembers having cancer "down there" and had a hysterectomy in her 70s. She's so cute!  You mention sex and she covers her face!!  Lol. She also confirmed that we are descendants of Ashkenazi Jews and that my aunt had breast cancer in her 80s. My appt is scheduled for May 20

I keep drinking water and sipping in ginger ale. Funny that the thought if celery makes me want to gag

I had Rice Krispies with bran buds with 2 small slices of all grain toast for breakfast with a banana and a small glass of low acid apple juice. Now what?  I just can't eat veggies!!  Maybe some carrots. 

No one ever told me to take any allergy meds before neulasta so I have nothing. I'll just have to see how it goes

:-)

Footballnut About 80% of the worlds Jews are Ashkenazi. Even a higher amount in the US and probably Canada too. I too was tested but was negative. Typically those who do test positive tend to have these types of cancers (breast, ovarian, etc) early, before menopause, like in your 30s. Also they tend to be triple negative. So you may have a family history and some gene but it might not be the BRCA gene. So I'm hoping you don't have it and there is a good chance you may not.

thanks lago

By the way this is for you!!  :-)

He's saying - how can u not love me?  By the way every good Red Sox player comes to realise that he has to be a Yankee!!  Lol

Linda you need to be sure your vitamin D is in the normal range. There is a connection with breast cancer. I'm sure you can find articles online. My D levels were in the single digits before I was diagnosed! You might be OK living in Florida if you are out in the sun about 15 minutes a day but maybe not. Go to your PCP and get it checked. My MO did test me again and at that time it was high… and told me to discuss with my PCP.

footballnut in true Boston form 

lago love it!!  Tx for the laff. I'll find something as a " back at ya"!!  Lol

man would take a lot more than that to offend me!! but do understand that some might be - just turn that finger into the breast cancer awareness symbol - I bet you are good at photoshopping lago LOL

Lol - I thought that was the case when we were talking about game designing hence my comment

Linda, my PCP hands me the draw request for my vit d and cholesterol. My draws are done by the chemo nurses due to my port. The lab at the medical building sends all port draws up to chemo area! So it all heads down at the same time.

linda, my PCP does it like Ribins. He orders it ahead of time and they draw the blood and run all the tests at the same time. It actually saves the insurance Co money!  Just ask your doc to order the test anytime before the blood draw. You don't even need to see him. He just places an order.