FEMARA

flat13good

Yes that is what I take I have Letrozole  same thing.

GrandmaV

peacestrength, yes, I take that dosage 2.5mg.  I have heard that some women can't tolerate that much so they take half or take it every other day. 

micheleboots

Hello everyone.   Where are you...

chrissyb

Hi Micheleboots still here, for the moment anyway......lol.......get to see the doc tomorrow and finally, hopefully, get some answers as to what this lump in my neck is and with a bit more luck get told that it's nada and I can stay on the Femara............maybe that's wishful thinking but here's hoping.  Femara has been so good to me both treatment wise and SE wise.

Hoping all are managing their SE well.

Love n hugs.    Chrissy

MsPharoah

ChrissyB, we are all thinking about you and praying for the best outcome.    Femara has been a good friend and we don't won't you breaking up with him!

Love, MsP

Blessings2011

Helloooo Femara Sisters!

Hope everyone in the nasty weather zone is keeping warm and safe.

The good news: I just had Xrays for my new, strange, recurrent back pain that keeps me from doing my "gentle" stretching and strengthening exercises. There are NO "suspicious" areas... i.e., mets.

The bad news: I have anterolisthesis at L3/L4, meaning a disk has tipped forward into my spinal cord and is impinging on something. Don't think I can blame this one on the drug!!! (LOL) I've had degenerative changes in my spine for the past ten years. 

Awaiting further instructions from the PCP. See the Acupuncturist on Wednesday.

At least this is taking my mind off all those MINOR SEs!!!! 

Stay safe, everyone!

BayouBabe

Yay!  No mets!  Do we have a dancing smiley?  Back issues, not so good, but doable, have been suffering through mine for years.  Silly, we can still be happy over bad news, because it's not the worst news!

Momine

Blessings, YAY! Your spine is a train wreck, how great is that?  

peacestrength

Blessings- so glad for you.

Chrissy- thinking of you.

I'm 6 days out from ooph and healing pretty well.  Had to run in to the doctor quickly today since IV vein area puffed up after putting hand lotion on.  Apparently, when I was applying lotion, the rubbing caused the IV area to open up under the skin and bleed - not fun but ice has helped.

I saw the Gynecologist nurse prac. for this and she didn't know that I had just went through bc treatment.  She said to me, "you're too young to have went through bc."  I started to cry right there - I'm 43 and I hate the fact that this has happened to me and my family.  I wanted to scream at her, "No Sh@$! and damn mammograms failed me and my dense breasts."

Thanks for letting me vent.

On my 6th day of taking Femara

BayouBabe

Sending you hugs Peacestrength.  I was 44.  I had a nurse tell me when I had to give my birthdate, "Why you are just a baby!"  Took all I could do not to raise a scene at her expense right then and there.  BC is an undiscriminating beast.

kim40

Hello ladies   its been a while since I have posted on here but I do have a question .  My 5 years with Femata will be coming up this summer.  Is anyone staying ln this for a longer period of time or switching to something else?  Thank yoj

MsPharoah

Peacestrength.  {{{{Hugs}}}}}

It's weird what makes us cry, right?  You are entitled to be angry and sad that you have this disease and have to deal with this crap as a young woman.   I'm an old lady and I don't deserve to have breast cancer but it makes more sense to me than beautiful young women having it.   It pi$$es me off, really.

MsP

micheleboots

Peacestrength.  Big hugs for you.

Kim, I am a lifer...yah me.

Blessings, at least it isn't cancer.  one good thing.  Sending hugs your way too.

Eph3_12

Kim40, I am done in November!  I've already told my onc that unless she can provide unequivocal proof that I need to stay on it, I'll be saying "Bye-Bye" to the pill on Nov 16!

Gracers55

Kim 40 and Eph 3 12,

Congratulations to you both! I just started and can't wait to be off. I've had issues with AI's and would rather not switch to Tamox--which they are often now prescribing for 10 years. I personally don't want to be on any drug longer than I have to. Good to hear from ladies on the other end of this horrid roadtrip! Love and best to you all.

flat13good

My doctor also told me that they say 5 years but he said they are looking at keeping us on it for 10 years and I really am not looking forward to that.  Congrats on the 5years I have 4 more to go.  None of this is fair no matter how old we are. BC SUCKS.

luvmygoats

Didn't talk to MO in December about length of time. Will be 2 years in June (just looked thought it was May oh well). I can't get docs to measure cholesterol, BP up I think, due for Dexa scan in April. Guess by looking at results of bone scan done this summer it will not be pretty. Do the Frankenstein walk when getting up from sitting. Did have terrible foot pains for a few months in 2012 but that's better. General aches/pains but I am 61 and never have been "active". All in all not too bad and certainly not enough for me to give it up. I would have difficult time getting Aromasin from insurance and see no need to go try Arimidex. I went thru the osteoporosis drugs again on insurance and it looks like Boniva or Fosamax will have to be it until I "fail" on one of them. I have GERD out the wazoo - need to lose weight. Fear that getting worse more than most other things. I know the Zantac is not helping bones, B12 absorption, iron status. PCP had me switch from Omeprazole to Zantac because I think of effect on bones - memory like a sieve - can't remember squat. Is that effect of Femara???? Unfor. I don't think the Zantac works as well so about midday I'm digging into the Tums.

Joni - what ER+ % are you? Being 90% ER+ I don't know what I would do if MO says 3 more years. Shuffle off to my recliner??? When my mom was my age she kept our DD for a week (kindergartener). Geesh - no way could I do that. DH had me out pulling wild vines out of fenceline this weekend and I thought I was gonna die.

Momine

Goats, what the heck do you mean that the docs won't measure cholesterol? They HAVE to when you are on femara! I mean, it is not a law or anything, but that sounds irresponsible.

peacestrength

Momine - how often do you have your cholesterol checked?

luvmygoats

My PCP says it was good when last checked (Presurgery 2012 - at least that was his line last year) and MO is an a**. I really need to change, I dread going to him. Hopefully I can talk PCP into checking it in March with physical visit. I may need to find a community health fair to have it done. My MO/PCP like to pass responsibility back/forth. My MO says he will call me with abnormal labs - CBC which was on my checkout report and chem. panel (mostly liver func. tests). I said I will call your nurse after the New Year and get a copy sent to the desk. Hah - don't trust him. My PCP doesn't do any lab work since I bring my latest from MO. Maybe this year I will "forget".

chrissyb

well girls I will be with you for a while longer........all tests came back neg for progression of BC but positive for progression of arthritis.......yay!!!!  Lungs are clear of mets but there is chronic inflammation in the central lobe that needs to be gone into a little more but otherwise okay ........at least that explains why I get short of breath.

Take care all 

Love n hugs.   Chrissy

MusicLover

Chrissy,

That's great news! (I was worried for you, you thought you felt a lump somewhere too.)

I hope that the arthritis gets better, is it an se of the femara?  xoxoxo

PS - Do you ever sleep?

luvmygoats

Yay Chrissy Yay. Love arthritis (well versus progression yes).

Eph3_12

such a relief my friend

Momine

Chrissy, BRAVA! 

Peace, I get a full blood panel before each visit with my team, which was 3-4 times a year, now going to 2-3 times. They check cholesterol, liver function, calcium levels, tumor markers etc. The cholesterol is specifically to monitor how I am dealing with femara. As far as I remember, increase in cholesterol is the most common SE of the drug, other than joint pain.

peacestrength

Chrissy - so glad for you!

Momine - thanks for your response.

sgreenarch

Chrissy, happy for you. I like your posts and was happy to hear. Love that arthritis!

MsPharoah

Chrissy, our prayers were answered!

MsP

Blessings2011

Oh, POOP. Had a big long post written and poof! It was gone!

Hugs to all who need them, congratulations to all who got good news. 

Loved Momine's comment to me a while back after I had Xrays "It's not mets - your back is a train wreck - YAY!!!" Which is exactly how I felt.

Had my first session with new acupuncturist yesterday. Started out as a referral from my MO for joint and muscle pain associated with SEs from Femara. (It's a covered Kaiser benefit.)

Turns out the doc - who used to work in Kaiser - now has her own Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic.

That had to be the WEIRDEST treatment I've ever gotten. First: moxibustion/cupping. She lights a fire in a glass cup and turns it over and whacks it on whatever part of your body is tight. Immediately it creates suction, and the skin (and underlying blood, and lymph) is sucked up into the cup. This improves the blood and lymph flow and gets rid of stagnated areas. It felt like a giant octopus on my back. This morning I have seven giant purple hickeys on my back. (Trust me, it was NOT pleasurable.)

The good news is that I had to lie on my stomach (for the first time since BMX in 2011 and Exchange in 2012) and my saline implants did not explode.

Then she stuck needles down the top of my head, straight down the middle. Needles on bone... yikes!

After that was done, she told me to go home, take it easy, massage the top of my head, and drink warm water - no ice water.

I see her again next week!!! 

gale1525

Just started to Femara last week, I was wondering if this affects your bones does it also affect your teeth. Does anyone have problems with their teeth?