Life After Hormone Repacement Therapy

Kalypso2005

I am 62 years old and started taking HRT (hormone replacement therapy) about 10 years ago, shortly after I went into menopause.  I started because I was noticing that my knees and walking ability were hurting.  My husband and I are avid walkers and I wanted to keep this up without pain.  Well, a long story short, I developed breast cancer, stage 1, grade 1 or low 2, and quit immediately.  This was in September of last year, 2014.  I had a lumpectomy on my left breast and 3 lymph nodes removed with no cancer present.  My oncotype was 17 so I did not need chemo,  I did have 7 weeks of radiation.  After the radiation, which had slowed me down considerably, the oncologist put me on Femara.  I was on it for about two months and had progressively worse muscle pain (plus my kidneys shut down and I almost never peed)!  Weird!  The doctor took me off Femara and gave me a vacation therapy free for 3 months.  The plan was to start Tomaxifem.  As time would have it we were going to Greece for 2 months and extended my vacation! Yay!  During this time I have been attending the Livestrong program at the YMCA and have really gotten into exercising.  Other than a few aches and pains, I was MUCH better.  Now that I am in Greece I am only walking. I walk from 2 to 5 miles a day.  Every muscle in my body hurts, again!  Why?  I am wondering if it the change in weather?  Is it that it has only been 5 months since I finished radiation?  Are the marble floors just too hard?  Will this ever get less painful???  ANY insight anyone can give me will be GREATLY appreciated.  The pain is in my neck, back (upper and lower), hips, arms, knees, ankles and feet.  The song "head, shoulders, knees and toes"  comes to mind.  I am taking Glucosamine/Chondritin/MSM which does seem to help.  The only thing that helps is Ibuprofin but I am concerned about taking too much.  Thanks!!!

farmerlucy

My joints feel much like yours. I went to the knee doc and he said to take Alleve indefinitely. I'm taking one per day and it does help. I'm also taking magnesium and Effexor to help w Femara SE. After two months of being on it the SE seem to be easing. Have fun in Greece!