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Artferret
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Kissing goodbye to it all
It's been a while since I've posted anything and this will be my last one...maybe...In 5 days time i kiss goodbye to letrozole... and cross fingers...forever. Yippee! 5 long hard years. I take my hat off to all of those on it for 10 years. For those just starting out, take it one day at at time especially if you are one of the many, like me, hit hard with side effects. Check with your oncologist about taking a drug break, at least 8 weeks worth, cos sure as hell they won't let you know you can unless there's a good reason why you shouldn't. Use pain killers when needed, do heaps of mindfulness exercises if that's your bent and keep up with some form of exercise, it's good for your mental health too. Am i nervous about finishing up? Yes and no. Am i looking forward to not feeling like an 80 yo some days...hell yes! What will my body be/feel like eventually? I don't know. It certainly won't be anything like it was before. In a lot of ways it will be better, definitely healthier and fitter. I think it will take up to a year to settle, what aches will disappear and what will stay due to arthritis and just ageing. What am i looking forward to the most? Less pain, less stiffness. Other things to look forward to...meeting my 5 month old great niece Felicity for the first time next month. They live in England and are coming out for 10 weeks. Having a session with my osteo and both of us being relieved that things are loosening up finally. Going skiing at the end of the month knowing I'm off that drug. Those things just for starters. And generally just being able to take a deep breath and go ahhhh, I'm done. Au revoir and best wishes to you all Cath362Views2likes6CommentsRe: Hormone therapy struggling in 4th year
@Silvergirl I initially lasted 19 months when i first was on the drug until i found out that i could take break. I remember when i got to the end of my first 8 weeks off i had a meltdown about going back on it because i didn't want to feel the same way again. It's never easy going back on it. Now i just do it, doesn't pay to dwell on it. I don't take the full 3 months, the last year and this it's been 10 weeks as I've found that works for me. Being able to say 'next year is my last year' is an amazing feeling, the light at the end of the tunnel. I know my body is not going to be the same as before but I'd like it to be better than what it is now, even though i know arthritis is creeping in of its own accord. Use it or lose it is my motto as well as reminding myself that painkillers are there to be used and not just looked at. I tend to use them as a last resort and then wonder why i don't take them more often as i feel so much better when i do. Ah well we all have our own coping mechanisms, it's a matter of finding what works for you best. Take the 2-3 months off, it'll be worth it and when it comes to going back on it remind yourself that next year you'll be kissing goodbye to it forever. Cath8Views1like0CommentsRe: Hormone therapy struggling in 4th year
Hi Silvergirl Like you i am in my 4th year as well with one to go. Countdown has well and truly begun! I also have copped a fair bit with side effects despite being very active exercise wise. I am currently on my drug break from letrozole and still waiting for a lot of things to ease. Some take longer than others like all the joint and muscle issues. I also have the added problem of low thryoid activity, hereditary, and would explain a lot of what i have experienced in the last 12 months alone. Couldn't figure out why things ramped up 100 fold. When i see my GP this week I'll find out whether i need to be on meds for it and if i do I'm hoping my last 12 months won't be as horrendous. I finish in November next year and would like to be able to take the last 3 months off but i don't know if my body will let me last that long as i usually take it off from June. Think about taking a 2 to 3 month stretch off in your final 12 month peroid. It's more effective than 1 month as it takes round 6 weeks for the drug to exit from your body. It's after that period of time that i see actual improvements in my body movement, sleep habits etc. Best wishes Cath6Views2likes0CommentsRe: DCIS treatments
Ask whether a contrast enhanced mammogram with tomosynthesis is an option. They run a dye through and it is supposed to give clearer results than an MRI particularly if you have dense breast tissue. The Royal Melbourne has been doing it for 12 months or so and Peter Mac are starting it.29Views1like0CommentsRe: Will there ever be another way besides oestrogen suppression?
Can't believe your onco said 'well those things can happen in menopause anyway' ! Despite the knowing nod not appropriate at all because these side effects don't happen anywhere near the same in menopause...i can vouch for that. As nice as some these people may be they just...don't...get it. Best of luck with letrozole.13Views1like0CommentsRe: Will there ever be another way besides oestrogen suppression?
I agree with you all. I wish there was an alternative. Having come off my break in August it's been as if letrozole said, yes! we're back on and it has hit my body harder in a shorter space of time. Hasn't prob helped that mum has been in hospital with breathing issues, no not covid, which they discovered that was due to a fluid build up but that's a whole other story, plus a early stage bowel cancer diagnosis a couple of months ago, mum had stage 3 bowel cancer 9 years ago, no surgery this time due to mum's breathing problems but a repeat colonscopy in December. Her surgeon is quite positive about it as was in a polyp although the pathology couldn't give clear results about margins. Mum is on 19 medications, but no side effects, i feel i shouldn't complain about my one! 2 hours in the garden yesterday and my hands and shoulders are screaming... 2 years to go, 2 years to go... I did read somewhere that with one of the studies done the AIs still worked just as effectively if you did 3 months on 3 months off...you just had a small problem of compliance...funny that. Keep smiling ladies, albeit through gritted teeth at times.14Views2likes0CommentsContrast enhanced mammography
Another year down and happily another clear scan. My surgeon said that from next year Peter Mac are doing contrast enhanced mammograms where they pop an iv in, inject the dye then take the pics. Royal Melbourne has been doing it so PM have decided to try it too. Done in conjuction with tomosynthesis it gives a far clearer picture of any early stage breast cancers that can sometimes be missed particularly if you have dense breast tissue, like me. Also it can lessen the need for further ultrasounds, MRIs and biopsies. Don't know whether anyone here has had one yet? If you want to know more there are several good sites on the net. I looked at www.breastimagingvictoria.com.au It gave a pretty good overview.65Views2likes2CommentsRe: The Choice to walk away from AIs ...... some women are!
I have to admit that so far after two drug breaks each time i am reluctant to go back on letrozole because my body feels so much better being off it. Last year i had a huge emotional episode just before going back on, mainly because my body was in such a bad place and i didn't know what to expect after resuming, this year i was more pragmatic about it. The worst of what i had had never came back thankfully but new stuff took its place but not as intense. I have just over two years left and i am in the low risk catagory. If i had my time over again i think i would be questioning about my need to be on this drug at all. I exercise regularly, eat heathily and alcohol is at a minimum. I don't take numerous supplements just vitamin D preferring to have a varied fruit and veg and meat/fish diet. For this last break i even gave myself an extra two weeks off, for my own sanity. When i am in my final year i will have had June and July drug free...do i just say stuff it and not take the drug for the last 3 months or do i see if i can cope a little longer and have my break starting in August...something to think about when the time comes. I think you have to do what works for you and what gives you that quality of life because being in constant pain and discomfort is a nightmare.44Views4likes0Comments
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Let's talk: vaginas, menopause & me
PRIVATE GROUP. This group is a safe, supportive space to talk about sexual health and emotional wellbeing during and after breast cancer. We discuss topics like menopause, vaginal dryness, pain during sex, UTIs, and changes in libido, and share ideas and products that may help. Whether you're navigating intimacy with a partner or reconnecting with yourself, you're not alone here. This is a place for open, respectful conversations and shared understanding.
