I was switched to aromasin from femara to see if it would help with joint pain. It hasn't as the main cause is arthritis and I am looking at a probable hip replacement soon. My rehab doc at Sloan Kettering recommended cucurmin to help with inflammation. It hasn't made much difference to date. I am done with active treatment at this point so don't need to worry about interactions with chemo or herceptin / perjeta infusions. Love, Jean

I go to Hopkins Minday as a follow up for my pain and stiffness. Who makes the tea? Is it supposed to help the pain? I never heard of it.

Windingshores

I bet it was dehydration and stress. Take it easy. I take Letrozole and Ibrance and I have to get my aortic valve replaced with in a year due to stenosis. I'm 59. My MO and Cardiologist periodically discuss my case and they have never been concerned about Letrozole. I had another echocardiogram and a stress test yesterday and I did ok till they had me almost jogging uphill.

So, stay hydrated and like my cardio told me, pay attention to how you are feeling. Dial it back when you start to notice tightness and the shortness of breath pain or whatever you felt before you ended up on that bench. The paying attention part is good advice. How are you feeling now?

Ellen

Elle lou thanks for answering. I am sorry you are dealing with heart issues as well as breast cancer. I sent you a private message I had to fly out to care for one of my kids who was sick 3,000 miles away from home, and also did not drink much. I have another plane ride to get home and need to move the next day and then will be able to go back to Tai Chi and walks on the beach and paying attention to how I am feeling. In the meantime, have calcium channel blocker on hand and will do a benzo preventatively before the plane- and will drink water!! Thank you!! Relieved at your opinion about Femara. In my situation it makes sense to look at other factors

Elle Lou, just this year there is a new procedure for AS, it is call TAVR, you can search. No need to do open heart surgery if you qualify - they go up the vein in your leg. FYI

Elle Lou, I don't know except I might need one in 10 years. Last year he said five years. It's not progressing so he changed to 10 years, anything can happen by then. AS is due to calcification just like the breast cancer. I found two tablespoons apple cidar vinegar in warm water is supposed to break up the calification but who knows - there are so many remedies out there. It doesn't hurt and it helps my stiffness. You can search read at livestrong.

I get the tea online at the Balitimore Tea Co. It doesn't help with pain, etc, just aids with the prevention on recurrence.

By the time the cider vinegar is absorbed by the stomach lining almost NONE of it will be in the bloodstream to reach and clear blocked arteries (assuming it CAN even do that). You'll probably have urinated it out by then. (Or have given yourself reflux). I know we grasp at straws wanting to be as natural, holistic and noninvasive as possible, as well as to flip the bird at both Big Pharma and the medico-surgical complex; but our forebears used natural remedies and died younger than our generation, especially from cardiovascular disease.

What does arterial stenosis have to do with stiffness or heaviness? The cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems are two "different animals.” (Unless by “AS” you meant “acetabular syndrome.” But still, anatomically and biochemically, by what mechanism does ingesting some form or another of acetic acid relieve soft tissue injury)?

That's right Elle Lou, I read at livestrong that it was good for dissolving calcifications, and there are a lot of ailments (long list) it's good for, so I tried it and it helped my stiffness and pain.

How long have you been on the Femara? Sometimes the sides grow less after a few months....

Just a thought here--over in the stage IV bone mets thread that I usually am on, there has been discussion about the different generic brands of Femara. I've had SunPharma and Teva. Several people thought Teva had fewer side effects, so when I get mine refilled I ask for Teva and I have very mild se. If that discussion was actually in this thread, then oops.

The "fillers" are not mandated, only the actual drug, so different companies can use different "filler" ingredients. Some people can have stronger reactions to some fillers than to others.

So is this the same polyethylene glycol that is under scrutiny for being in cosmetics? Warnings against applying it to broken skin, and yet ok to keep ingesting it daily for 5 or more years? Huh.

Dangers of PEG Compounds in Cosmetics: Women at Increased Breast Cancer Risk? http://www.phend.co.za/health/Chemical5.htm

Dirty Dozen Cosmetic Chemicals to Avoid http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/t...

Chemicals in Your Cosmetics PEG Compounds and their Contaminants http://davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxic...

I'm sure the pharmaceutical argument is going to be, "it's a minute amount" but then, the amount in cosmetics isn't a lot, either, and nobody's swallowing their cosmetics...

Again. Huh.

Over in a different thread there is a great discussion going on being sick of pink, sexualization of bc, and one thing discussed is carcinogenic substances in cosmetics. Someone there might know about the inactive ingredients. Check it out:

All Topics → Forum: Relationships, Emotional Crises, Anxiety, and Depression → Topic: Pinktober Revolution

Topic: Pinktober Revolution

Forum: Relationships, Emotional Crises, Anxiety, and Depression — Meet and support others who are affected by these issues around breast cancer fears, diagnosis and treatment.