MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Lyndan I just started Anastrozole (generic Arimidex) last week. I don't think I've been on it long enough for any SEs yet. I'll let you know how it goes

Hi Ressie and thanks for writing, let me know if you do get side effects,hope not

Thanks everyone..

Marcia: wow! I know there is an hereditary factor in mine (cancer in each generation), but not like that.

Eli: thanks for sharing, I am gonna try to find that article. My mom got her cancer 8 years earlier than her day and I got mine 12 years before my mom. I'd like to see what my daughter's risk is. 

Going into BC #3 - -

No family history of BC.

#1 in 1996 at age 39, right breast - small 1 cm with 10 out of 20 lymph nodes, ER.  Lumpectomy, chemo (AC) & radiation.

Full hysterectomy in 2001, non-cancer tumor.

#2 in 2005 at age 48, left breast - small 1 cm with sentinel node, ER.  Lumpectomy, chemo (Taxol) & radiation.  At that time, I asked about a double mastectomy with reconstruction - but the surgeon didn't think I should because of previous radiation.  Arimidex almost 3 yrs until I had "enough" of the side effects.

Watching liver spots found in 2009.

Now, 2011, going into #3 at age 54.  Again, cancer found by mammogram & ultrasound.  Seeing new surgeon next week (I "fired" the 2005 surgeon) - - - I'm thinking a double mastectomy, not sure what reconstruction option is available for me now. 

Maybe annette has one from her - it could really be annette's a$$ lol.

sandibj so sorry you are dealing with this a third time.  If you get a good PS you can have reconstruction.  I had a lump and permant nerve damage from rads.  Finished rads late Jan.  I am going to have a MX with reconstruction and I had alot of damage.  I will be having DIEP, PS said I could not have implants because of the rads damage.  But I do have to gain weight as I am thin and not enough belly fat at the moment.  so will continue with my meds until I can gain enough weight.  Then have BMX with diep reconstruction.  I ws 48 at diag and 49 now and don't want to deal with this again in my lifetime.  I know a BMX is no guarantee but those bc cells will have to work hard to survive in this body.

I have been on Arimidex 3.5 years now and SE come and go for me. I recently took a 3 week vacation from it and was so happy to know that all the SE's went away. So, I am looking forward to the time when I can come off of it!

Sherry..I will happily donate some of my belly fat to you...for a good cause of course!   Why do I never have that problem? 

sandi I am so sorry you are having to go through this again.  It is just wrong.  Hugs to you.

Rose6 I am going to start Arimidex in a couple of weeks.  Hoping it goes well for me.

barbe that is so sad about losing so many family members to cancer.  I am so sorry. 

I hope everyone has a great evening!  Hugs to all you brave souls.

OK SAB, Reesie & Juliet62 win the prize today for making me snort liquid from my nose!!

I love this thread!

nancygv55 - I don't know who that rad tech is trying to fool.  I work a full time and I felt the rad fatigue at about 2 1/2 weeks.  I did work all through rads and the fatigue stuck with me for a couple of months after I finished.  My rads were done late in the day - I asked for that time - and then I would go straight home.  A lot of nights I was in bed by 7:00 and slept for 12 hours sometimes.

Nancygv55, we are starting rads the same day!!  I had a simulation on Monday and am having another one Monday, the third.  Then another one Tuesday followed by the first session of rads.  So I guess I am really not starting rads until the fourth.  There is an October rads thread started.  You should sign in on it.  I think there are about 5 others signed up there.  It's so comforting to have others going through (or who went through) the same thing.  Good luck to all of us!

nancy I worked part time during rads because I had quiet a commute to get there and back.  Fatique hit me at about 3 weeks.  I am very active with work and exercise and I do believe that it helped but I still needed my nap when I got home so that I could then get up and cook supper and do my normal evening things.  Sounds like the tech has never had rads!!!!

My BS and I always thought it was the maternal side of my family that was the source of my breast cancer - (mom twice, one of her sister's twice, a first cousin, who never told anyone she had it and I didn't find out until after she had passed away.)

Then, several years after my diagnosis it started showing up on my father's side, BUT only in the daughters of brothers. My father had 3 brothers who had daughters. Of the 4 brothers, 3 have had daughters with BC - all of us were premenopausal at the time of diagnosis. One of my cousin's and I are only daughters - she's had BC twice. Another cousin was diagnosed about 7 years ago. Last year her sister had a biopsy that was negative (thank God). There's only one brother's family that hasn't been diagnosed and there's 3 daughters in that family. We're keeping our fingers crossed. I have real concerns for the next generation. The cousin who had a negative biopsy has 4 daughters The cousin who had BC twice has a daughter in her 40's who is being followed very closely by our shared BS.

Kay - My mother survived BC twice, only to die of Alzheimers. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this with your mother. It's a horrendous disease and one I fear even more than BC.

Nancy - your rad tech doesn't know what the hell she is talking about.  There is fatigue. I think mine hit pretty quick, but I had just finished 4 rounds of chemo, so I was already tired.  Check out  the National Cancer Institute info on fatigue from radiaton http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/radiation-therapy-and-you/page8#SE3  It's pretty straight forward and offers explanations about and suggestions for managing fatigue as well as other side effects of radiation.

Sandy - So sorry you're dealing with this beast for a 3rd time. I hope your new surgeon can give you what you want If he/she can't, have you thought of not doing reconstruction? There is a thread for people who have chosen to go that route, that is very informative. After my diagnosis nearly 17 years ago, I was hell bent on reconstruction. I had one attempt that failed and never tried again. I just had a PMX and have no plans for reconstruction. I'm just happy to have the peace of mind that having the PMX has given me.