Life on aromasin

hi everyone,

lots of great information. just a little more background, as far as my pre-existing issues, prior to the cancer.

i have dealt with fibromyalgia for better than 20 yrs, same for carpal tunnel. i also have sciatica, os and ra, 2 types of spinal stenosis and numbing tingling in my hands and feet. currently i take cymbalta, meloxicam and ultram. they pretty much manage my pain if i'm not working full time.

i also supplement with tumeric, chondroitin, glucosomine, msn, and, grape seed extract, vit b, c and d, also a bone supplement.

i tried the arimidex, then the femara, and now the aromasin. the aromasin is the lesser evil of the 3 meds. the arimidex and femara also attacked ALL of my joints, in addition to bad headaches, vision problems and of course the fatigue issues.

i do get out for walks, but they are extremely painful and then exhausting. i am looking into a form of yoga for stretching and toning, but still taking into account all of my physical issues, as far as range of motion, weight bearing, etc.

its tough to find the right balance. would appreciate any ideas, suggestions, etc.

thank you

hi ginger48, yea, a lot going on...... to say the least. for a long time. the aromasin is like the icing on the cake i DIDN'T order.

needless to say, i'm tired. i'd love to find another option to replace the aromasin, the rest, i've learned to live with, unfortunately.

or fortunately, depending on how you look at it. not that i want another person out there to be like me, in this much pain, but maybe someone has some solid suggestions with dealing with a similar situation.

thanks to all.

ashlib- just tonight my family listened kindly while I complained about the ten pounds I've gained since treatment. I'm not one to hold onto weight and have been pretty stable except for pregnancies of course. I'm not sure what else you've experienced besides hormone therapy but bc treatment doesn't do the body good (except to get rid of cancer cells of course!)

After my first year + on Femara I started gaining weight inexorably. I also developed crushing fatigue and then joint pain, at which point I was switched to exemestane. I've finally shed a little bit of the weight but the joint pain's become unreal and the fatigue seems to plateau and then worsen. I'm going back on Femara in hopes that the joint pain will lessen but will be watching the other issues like a hawk.

I exercise a LOT, do strength training and Pilates & yoga. I've found that using resistance bands seems easier on my joints now than free weights - the trick is to get really good bands that provide enough resistance to actually work the muscles. But I haven't really found anything specific that eases the pain or that moderates the weight gain. It all feels pretty random.

I never thought I'd get rid of my drain from ALND, either, HopefulYogi. Of course, I didn't realize that being so active would encourage flow.... I've been on Aromasin for two years now, with just hot flashes as the major side effect. Hope it works out better for you than Femara!

ginger- are you coming up on your 5 year mark of hormone therapy

does anyone else get hot flashes only when you miss your dose of exemestane? My SE's are very minimal on this drug which is night and day from anastrozole but I find if I forgot to take my pill the next day I have hot flashes.

Getting hot flashes randomly but round the clock. Though it's been this way since I started Lupron so it could be that?' Only been on Aromasin since 2/15/17.

Greetings! I am new to this thread and have read back a few pages to get some info. I started Aromasin today. Ha been on Letrozole for about a year - with the usual side effects - stiffness, achey joints, hot flashes and hair thinning. Very recently my hair began to shed significantly - ensuing depression, of course (strictly hair related) My MO took me off Letrozole for two weeks and now I am moving to Aromasin. I'm hoping to get some re-growth and that Aromasin won't make be a bald woman (been there, done that). Can you tell me your experience in the hair category? My impression from the posts I read is that many of you did OK on this drug and managed the side effects reasonably. I can deal with the aches and stiffness, but NOT MY HAIR! Does this seem shallow?

Shelly,

My hair was thin and mousy brown before chemo and Aromasin, and it's thin and mousy brown now. I don't think Aromasin has anything to do with it. Best wishes! Hope Aromasin is kind to you.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's so helpful. Best to all of you. Have a great weekend

Congratulations Doxie

Well, here it is! The answer to our prayers! Hand yoga! You're welcome.

Love this!

Better living through yoga. That's my motto!

Well done Doxie.