FEMARA

Five months and no side effects. I've also been able to loose weight with clean eating and just walking for exercise. I had so many fears after reading responses to chatrooms. I was more afraid of Femara than radiation. I know things can change but I'm optimistic the benefits to my health will outweigh side effects.

Ok ladies, so I started taking a new supplement to help with my memory and focus issues. It has caused all kinds of painful GI upset to the point that I didn’t take any of my meds the last 2 nights as I just couldn’t get them down. Well I woke up this morning with both hands aching, stiff and in a semi-balled up state that was excruciating to break. My feet and ankles and knees hurt, my neck started to hurt last night too. I guess the curcumin was actually mitigating a lot of pain and stiffness from the femara. I took last night’s pills with breakfast this morning and within the hour I was painfree again except for that slight stiffness in the left pointer finger to thumb area that I’ve always had since starting femara and curcumin. If you’re currently experiencing pain and stiffness and you’re not already taking curcumin that’s formulated for fast absorption/action and high bioavailability I encourage you to give it a whirl. I won’t be skipping mine ever again! This is the brand I use if anyone is interested:

Good luck on our surgery Lanne.

I will meet with my MO tmrw to start AI. Not sure what she will give me, yet.

Interesting article, especially this part - they don’t know why it comes back.....

Length of Treatment With Aromatase Inhibitors

While it was recommended that people continue tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years in the past, newer data suggest that taking these medications for 10 years further reduces the risk of recurrence. It's fairly well known that breast cancer may recur many years or even decades after the primary tumor is treated, and this risk is particularly high in women who have had estrogen receptor-positive tumors. We don't know why some breast cancer come back after years or decades, but we know this happens too often.

Both tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors appear to continue working after they are discontinued, though some researchers believe that continuing hormone therapy may be extended to even longer than 10 years in the future. That said, the possible benefits need to be weighed against the risks.

Aromatase Inhibitors for Preventing Recurrence

https://www.verywellhealth.com/aromatase-inhibitor...

Did you read it gkbuser? There’s also a link on Femara and Zometa. I’ll get it for you. It’s not a guess btw

yes I did I think it explained things very well

I started Tamo 3 days ago. So far no SE but taking Tumeric, lemon, Ginger shots 3-4 times a week when I go to a juice store or Wholefoods. I put black pepper in it at home and drink it with a straw to not stain my teeth. It is giving me extra energy and no wrist pain that i had before. Left index finger still stiff in the mornings. I asked my MO about it but they won't give you an answer b/c there is not scientific evidence/research according to her. She only said take Vitamin D, Calcium, multivitamins. No comment on Tumeric, etc.

clynnejohn505- the Curcumin helps with the stiffness and joint pain. It was the newest supplement I had added to my pills that was for focus & memory but it caused bad GI issues so I stopped it. I’ll try a different one and let you all know when I find one that works

it is an anti-inflammatory and can thin the blood however relatively it’s less than aspirin does.

Lula, I’m having good luck with this curcumin:

https://www.amazon.com/Me-First-Living-Curcuminoid...

Lanne

WAY overdue post here. I'm so sorry. "Life" has prevented my checking into this site for a while. I see that Lanne2389, gkbuser, and moodyblues asked why I said there could be evidence that calcium supplements may not be helpful and possibly even harmful. Now it's been long enough that I forget which source I had read when I posted that. (Yikes! Cognitive effects of letrozole?) JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) did publish an article in December 2017, finding there was not much evidence for supplementation, to help decrease bone loss; however, they did not study people with breast cancer! Tonight, I found this lengthy article from 2013, also from a good source, but I don't think there is any reason for anyone to stop their supplements of calcium or vitamin D based on it! It's tedious to read through too! Of interest to our group might be items #8, 9, and 10. Maybe not, either! I saw that calcium can raise risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the number 1 cause of death in women with breast cancer (breast cancer is #2); also high doses can cause kidney stones. It does not appear to lower bone loss much in women being treated with AI's. : ( Still, I think our MO's likely know best in advocating for both calcium and vitamin D, and I'm very sorry for any confusion or doubts that I caused! Mea culpa.

https://www.croh-online.com/article/S1040-8428(13)00152-2/fulltext

Mielli

Mielli - I spent some time trying to research CBD dosages and what dosages to take. Most of what is published online that I saw were articles by CBD manufacturers but I did find a few from (what I think were) medical sources. I didn't save the sites but the consensus seems to be to start at 25 mg, see how that works, and slowly increase if needed. I tried gummy bear type chews (tasted bad) and think I'd go with under the tongue drops if I decide to try again after my upcoming surgery.

As far as brands - since CBD is legal where I live (Oregon), I had a long conversation about it with the manager who stocks it at (gasp!) my local market. He recommended some brands over others (I wasn't buying then so didn't pay attention). If you can get up the nerve, CBD products are also sold at marijuana dispensaries, and the folks there are very knowledgeable about the products they sell and can make recommendations specifically for joint pain, and different formulations - some with a small amount of THC, if that would be right for you.

My MO mentioned medical marijuana in passing once but I blew it off - all before I knew anything about CBD. I've just emailed him to ask what he thinks of it or what the hospital's stance is - will pass along what I find out. I've decided I'm not going to downplay my SEs anymore - we really should be getting more support for these problems. The thought of 5 years or more of this pain and discomfort is sobering!

Lanne

Hi Mielli - got an email back from the nurse. She said “Dr is fine with you taking below but also comments that we don't know a lot about CBD in conjunction with oncology meds due to lack of research.“ I also asked if the hospital pharmacy had any opinions and she reported “Pharmacy finds no interactions with CBD oil, curcummin and cymbalta. As with all cannabis products, not enough research has been done to know all the effects. Please make sure you obtain all cannabis products from a reputable dispensary." I guess for now we're kind of on our own. I have read a few things that said CBD and tamoxifen don't mix well but CBD and Letrozole so far are ok.

Here are links to 2 sites that have interesting info - one is a CBD oil maker that has a great FAQ and the other is a publication that reviews CBD products and gave its top picks for 2018. I have no affiliation with either - and your guess is as good as mine about how truthful the info is.

https://www.marijuanabreak.com/best-cbd-oils-pain-...

https://purekana.com/blogs/news/cbd-faq-and-guide/

Lanne

Lanne! Thank you SO much for all the time you spent and for the excellent information. I have researched a fair amount, but mostly came up with ad sites. I appreciate both of these articles! Thank you again, and I will let you know if it helps! Best to you!

2 fun I would be interested as well. Thanks to ball that have shared information. I don't want to be on pain pills my whole life. If I can try an alternate way that works as well i will give it a shot. Ca it is legal for me 🙊