I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Morning all!  Loved all the pictures!

We had a nice Christmas ... in spite of my sometimes Grinchy attitude   Yesterday we were 'treated' to some big fluffy snowflakes which looked very pretty and is already melting away.  I'm almost afraid to say it out loud but winter has been very nice to us so far.

Athena ... glad to hear you got some long standing problems moved toward being solved or at least mitigated!

Good luck Bren on the job prospect!   

Hope sinus infections and colds and headaches will go away and quit torturing my friends! 

Now I'm off to start my day and see what kind of trouble I can get into.   

No snow here either, and our neighbours who just returned from spending Christmas with family in Ft. Wayne IN were very happy about snow-free driving!

I haven't wanted to celebrate New Year's for several years now -- it marks the end of 365 days that have gone by way too fast for my liking!  OTOH, it IS an excuse to break open the bubbly! 

I've been offline for awhile, so let's see. A 40ish coworker had a mild heart attack on Christmas Eve. Her father had early heart issues, and she and her husband have been scolded for being overweight. Scary!

I'm on the 2nd week of antibiotics for a kidney infection (no UTI, though! Weird) I haven't been able to lose any weight since I switched from Tamoxifen to Aromasin. And I've been stiff and achy, esp. in my fingers. I have decided I'm taking a 3 month 'vacation' from the Aromasin to see if the SEs stop or at least decrease. I see my primary doc this Friday and my onc. on Jan. 5. He'll probably have a hissy fit, but I don't care. I also want to start taking Zometa. And maybe Metformin instead of the AI. If he won't give them to me, I'll ask my primary doc. She's very cool about patients having an opinion. She may say no, but she'll listen, and then explain why or why not.

I never had a UTI till I started taking Femara. The fist few months I had one after another. I drink lots of cranberry juice now plus take pills. I've been UTI free for 6 months now which I am so glad of!

 We are also having a quiet New years Eve. My new SIL gave us champagne glasses with really pretty decorations on them she painted, so I guess I will have to get some bubbly to celebrate with.

Sunflowers~

I take Sambucol everyday...

Hope it is helping me right now as we had a wonderful family Christmas at my mom's house and it sounds like family is dropping like flies with a stomach bug.  It has hit 2 families so far and my kids are so worried...

I am making chicken soup for dinner. 

Sunflowers, there's evidence that Metformin can reduce BC recurrences. I have pre-diabetes and fatty liver (from the Tamoxifen and Aromasin), and I could take it for that, but you're not supposed to take it if you're taking an AI. I'm wondering if I can kill two birds with one stone, by stopping the Aromasin and reversing the fatty liver and pre-diabetes, while still protecting against a recurrence. Metformin also can help you peel off the extra weight.

She had a bunch of tests before Christmas, and her neck is somewhat better. Fingers crossed!

Oh kira-I'm sorry you don't feel like "you". I'm not taking Femara so I don't have any advice. I'm on Tamoxifen and I told my onc I feel "old". He asked me what I meant, and I said, " My muscles have low grade pain pretty much all of the time, and I have a mustache that I have to shave every couple of days." He asked me if I had either of those before starting Tamox and I told him no. So even though they are not listed as side effects, he said they probably are for me. I'm sure if you asked my family if I was different than I used to be they would tell you yes. I am grateful to be alive, but I wish I had the old me back.

Blue-I hope you're feeling better.

Riley-I hope you're feeling better as well.

Bren-Is your husband a long distance truck driver? Mine is a truck driver, but local. He picks up and delivers fuel.

Mary

kira, welcome to your world without estrogen! It's essentially like you are depressed. I had the same issue with Arimidex. Changed to Femara, and later Aromasin, and did better. Sometimes a switch in drugs is all it takes. I also went on an antidepressant, which boosted me back to being me. I'll never go off it!!

Quality of life is so important. I quit AIs at 4 years the first time, and 2 years the second time. With my oncologist's blessing. I would never advise that without discussing with your doctor, though. It's just what I needed to do for me.

What AnneW said.  Me too.  Being without estrogen IS always being a little (sometimes a LOT) depressed.  Generic SSRi's at Costco are so cheap, cash price is less than my co-pay.  Wouldn't be without it.

Don't know what can be done about the muscle weakness, it's just there.

Happy New year.

Virgil cracks me up!

I saw my primary doc this evening and broached the subject of a vacation from the Aromasin (and I talk to my onc. next Thursday, so I'll discuss it with him, too. I just like to keep both docs in the loop). She said she could understand that, given the SEs I've been having (and also, my body is now one big, stiff ache since starting the Aromasin two months ago). I had said I would give them a try as long as the SEs weren't horrible, and now I'm worrying about diabetes, heart disease and achy joints. It's not worth it anymore.

I showed her the paper from PubMed about Metformin, metabolic syndrome, and breast cancer. She wrote me a script, but asked me not to fill it until I'd discussed it with the onc. I told her he gets pissy whenever I've looked something up online. She was aghast: "Why? You're an intelligent, educated woman working in a medical profession (respiratory therapist) and can sort through reputable vs. disreputable sites online. Everything has pros and cons, and you should decide what you're comfortable with." I really like her! *sniffle*

Hey Barb...................send some of that weather up to Philly........................its gonna be ok today, but next week is going to be a "bear"...................................hate the winter, I want my "sun back, shore house, ocean, and my pool........................boo hoo.......................................take a sun basking for me..............................please..........................

Happy New Years ladies...................................