FEMARA

gardengumby

well done Lassie!!! K

KLJ

lassie11, will keep very positive thoughts for you! Yeah for no more Femara!

gardengumby

Hey, Lassie - come back and let us know how you feel post femara!! 

MsPharoah

Lassie, Kudos!  Can't wait to hear how you do in the coming months.

MsP

canuck46

Continued good health Lassie! 

Hugs, Mar

enjoyevrymoment

Thank you!  I just stepped on the scale because I saw my clothes were not fitting the same and I was having a pulling feeling in my abdomen.  I was aghast- am up almost 10 lbs and taking Femara only 5 months!  

I have been doing myfitnesspal scrupulously and exercising.  OK now I am just getting mad.  It is better than increasing the risk of recurrence but yes, I am going to reduce my calories further and dig my heels in.  

I don't want to gain any more.  I am sorry if that sounds negative but there are lots of things I put up with getting breast cancer, but gaining weight is not one of them.  Nope.

Lassie, wow I am so psyched for you!   I am going to call my onc and make sure there is nothing else he recommends.  Congrats on getting the 5 year hurdle done!

Tammy_M43

Lassie, well done- you lasted the distance!

KLJ, I have nodal arthritis in my hands and now my right thumb is super achy.  The rheumatologist said unfortunately Femara seems to make problem areas more painful....I know that now!  I use a magnesium oil on my thumb and that seems to help....(((hugs)))

Blessings2011

Yay, lassie11!!!!!

May this be the last time you ever have to mention the "F" word, and may any side effects vanish like the wind!!! 

~ ~ ~

Regarding weight gain: in 2012, I lost 60 pounds on a medically-supervised fast. Towards the end of the program I started Arimidex. I stayed on it for a year, despite terrible SEs..... the least of which was weight gain (almost 30 pounds.) I got a two-month reprieve in August 2013, and the weight started to come off. Then I went on Femara for six months and the weight loss stopped. 

My last Femara pill was May 27th, 2014. All of a sudden, it seems that my craving for carbohydrates disappeared. I started losing again. The other factor was the terrible joint pain had made it so hard to exercise... sometimes it was even too painful to walk. There is really no healthy way to lose weight without some form of exercise. For anyone NOT exercising due to pain, I highly recommend water aerobics.... even better if you can find a therapy pool that is heated. Mine is located in a Rehab hospital.

I'm dealing with some injuries right now, but am hopeful that being off the drug for over two months, once I do start exercising again, I can get back to my optimum weight.

As for painful fingers, on Arimidex, I had a horrible, painful trigger finger and thumb, locked in place every morning. (Right hand, middle finger and thumb.) Went off Arimidex, both disappeared completely. Started on Femara - welcome back, trigger finger! It's no longer painful, but it locks almost every time I bend it. Have tried all the conservative approaches; now it may be time for an injection.

Scottiee1

Lassie.....congrats.....I agree, may you never have to say the "F" word again.  I wish you continued good health.....

fizzdon52

Wow counting my blessings, my side effects are minimal.

KLJ

TammyM43 and Blessings20 you have both described exactly what is going on with my hands. And especially my thumbs. Both lock and are hard  and painful to move. I will try the Magnesium Oil and see if that helps. I am a crafter and need my hands!!! Busy hands...happy heart!

Blessings, what kind of injection are you talking about? And who do you go to for it? I see my oncologist in a week and will be talking to him about it. Thanks for the input ladies!

Blessings2011

KLJ - Here is a good description of Trigger Finger... including possible treatments.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trigger-finger/basics/definition/CON-20043819

I may see my PCP first (not sure if she does steroid injections) but I plan on asking for a referral to Orthopedics - to a Hand Specialist.

Treatment starts with NSAIDS (Motrin, Aleve, etc.) if you can tolerate them, and resting the joints. 

I've used a variety of splints, but the ones I used most frequently (and the cheapest) were "Toe Bandages"  - long foam tubes designed to be cut and used on your toes to protect them. I just slipped them on full length. They were tight enough to remain on all night and keep my finger from bending, yet soft enough to allow a bit of movement. You can see it under the metal splint and bandaging in the pic. I found that the toe wrap stayed on by itself, so I did away with the metal and the tape. 

(The thumb was another story. Nothing worked.)

I've also slathered on stuff like Aspercreme on the joints, then wrapped them in gauze, and taped the entire finger. Reduced the pain a bit, but didn't change the locking joints the next morning.

As for injections, the doc should first try a steroid injection to see if he or she can reduce the inflammation in the joint. If that doesn't work, surgery can be a last resort.

I'm going to check out that magnesium oil!

Tammy_M43

Blessngs, I've never tried splinting so thanks for the tip.  I've been trying to avoid the NSAIDS and have been also recommended the steroid injection if things gets worse.  I hope the magnesium oil helps!

KLJ

Thanks Blessings! My triggers are in both of my thumbs...go figure! I've tried the NSAIDS route and saw no change. I am going tomorrow to get some magnesium oil. I need to do something before the end of the year since I don't want to let this fall into another year and pay another deductible. I've already been stuck with a hefty deductible for 2013 and 2014 since I was diagnosed in Dec of 2013. Those deductibles and then the 20% plus what insurance doesn't cover really ads up. Thanks for the advice. I think I will be making an appt. with my PCP next week! What next???

wintersocks

Hello all, 

I am getting a Dexa scan tomorrow. I will have been on Letrozole nearly 2 years. I had a baseline done in 2012 which showed marginal osteopenia as a result of undx Coeliac.  Just wondering if anyone else has a marked loss of bone health as a result of the AI's? 

gardengumby

I had a baseline DEXA done January of 2012 - showed really healthy bones.  I went to a bone clinic earlier this year and they said I had osteopenia (but didn't do a DEXA, just based it on x-rays of my shoulder).  I just had a DEXA done last week - haven't received the results yet.  I'm going to try to remember to call tomorrow to find out what they say....

Blessings2011

I had a DEXA many years ago, showing osteopenia. 

After a year and a half on the AIs, I had another one. 

I think the most recent results were actually better than the first, maybe because I was so determined to take calcium and magnesium instead of one of the bisphosphonates my former PCP wanted me to take in the beginning.

KiwiCatMom

Thanks for the finger advice.  I'll definitely try the toe bandage.  It's mostly my middle finger, right hand.  When I get up in the morning, I can barely hold my toothbrush.  Going in search of magnesium oil too. I went off ibupropen because my tummy was wrecked.  My GP gave me prescription strength Alieve and it worked a charm for a month.  Then stopped touching the pain altogether.  So back to ibupropen, which allows me to function.  Saw my GP last week and he has me taking Tramadol at night.  It's a synthetic opiate.  Lets me sleep a bit.  My knees and finger tend to wake me up, also my hips, shoulders, and spine, and sometimes my foot.  Feel like my Grandma!

I see my MO next week.  I had blood tests done yesterday, so will get the results then.  If I'm stable, I may ask him if I can go on Tamoxifin for a few months and take a Femera break and get my joints back to ok.  It was bad enough when my left (arthritic) knee was sore.  Then I twisted my right knee a bit (getting out of the car - quite graceful!) and I can barely walk.  Lovely as we're moving this weekend.  I'm awaiting the GP getting me an appointment to get a cortisone shot in my left knee.  I've had a couple and they make a world of difference.  

Ok...I'm done whining.    I shouldn't complain, I'm still working full time.  I'm mostly sore because I was standing outside in the cold for six hours yesterday, walking on very uneven ground in heavy steel toed boots, and just being generally uncomfortable.  I was really sore at the end of the day.  Only had to do it for about 2 hours today, so I'm feeling better.

Take care all, and thanks again for the advice!

Terre

chrissyb

I had one done at the beginning of my journey in 2009 and the bones were all good.  Had the next done in Des. 2012 and I was osteopenic with one vertibrae osteoporotic.  I am due for my next one at the end of the year so we shall see what happens.

Momine

Chrissyb, that is where I am, one vertebra is -2.9. What did your doc advise?

chrissyb

Momine I have just been doing the Vit D, magnesium, calcium, zinc mix but I have to be careful with the calcium as I often have too much circulating so have to stop supplementing.  My GP keeps a fairly close eye on me with bloods so the calcium never gets too high.  That regime may change if the bones have again deteriorated when I have the next one due in Dec.  

I have a problem taking bisphophinates orally and I'm not prepared to go down the infusion line just yet so we shall see.

Hope you and your doc can work out what works for you to keep those bones as strong as possible.

Love n hugs.   Chrissy

kkuziel

KiwiCatMom, I too have had issues with my middle finger on my right hand (did I over use it in my youth) since taking femara. But for me it only lasts a few days and then I'm fine for a few weeks. Once I get going in the morning and gently stretch it out I can usually move on. When I mentioned it to my MO he said it was an expected side effect and really didn't offer me any real advice. It might be because I don't really like taking medications and he knows that. Or perhaps they just don't have a a lot of info to share. I think if it gets worse I will try and see someone with PT expertise. But to add another medical person into my life, which is already crowded with them since cancer diagnoses, might be more trouble than it's worth. Hopefully your issue will come and go, and perhaps not return. 

lassie11

My bone density was shown to have gone down and now I take once a week Actonel.

I couldn't have the test as scheduled because I was in the hospital - because I fell, broke my shoulder and caused a blood clot in my lung. So I couldn't have the test to see if I might break a bone because I broke a bone. Later the test showed mild osteo something.

chrissyb

Lol Lassie.....your excuse for not having the DEXA just seems a little ironic and, sorry, made me laugh......just my warped sense of humor....... but girl you sure did have a pretty drastic way of finding out your bones were running a bit thin.  Sure hope it's all mended now and you are back on top again.

Momine

Chrissy, thanks.

lassie11

Yes Chrissy - all mended and in working order. Even at the time I thought it was funny too - didn't really think I needed a test to see if I could break a bone. Turns out the reason was to decide if the weekly pill was necessary.

When my shoulder was being diagnosed I said to the doctor (who was barely out of his teens, it seemed). "I'm 65 years old and I've never broken a bone." He said, "You are 65 years old". Brat!

KiwiCatMom

Thanks kkuziel. I did consider youthful over-use as a cause as well.

peaches12

Blessings-  I also have bone scans every few years.  My last one showed a great improvement!  I asked why and they laughed. The parameters of the scoring system were changed awhile back and something on the test no longer counted as much and the overall test scores rose.  Of course maybe what are taking now might have helped, too.  

Blessings2011

peaches12 - I was thinking it was more like when I had the first one done, my scores weren't so great compared with women my age.

But then when I had the second one done, I was older, and maybe the numbers just looked better for my age group!

Of course, there's always scoring changes..... kind of like thinking you've lost a ton of weight when really it's the manufacturer that puts a smaller size tag on the item of clothing you are wearing! 

Tammy_M43

Blessing, nothing wrong with creative clothing sizing