Hormone therapy and tendon issues

Oooh  Might have to get some of that.  Thanks @Romla  give anything a try.  

@kitkatb I am trying Curcumin which is the refined ingredient in turmeric which is supposed to be a powerful anti inflammatory.Have heard a lot of positives about it here esp for arthritis.

Same as you @Deanne  5 months on femara and last 3 weeks my right hand is getting a lot worse.  First thing in the morning it takes hour to an hour and a half to move my fingers.  No grip on anything.  My thumb is the worst though and clicks in and out at the middle joint and hurts like hell to straighten it.  Am a bit concerned it will literally get stuck there.  Saw GP this morning and she thinks just as @Romla mentioned it attacks the areas with greater usage which is my right hand.  Do any of you ladies take anything for it or just panadol osteo .  Any suggestions as to what you do to help alleviate the pain.  Hoping you all have a great weekend. xo

I am glad it's not only me ,we recently went on our holiday to Queensland in our campervan, I had trouble getting in and out of it, how frustrating that was.my husband couldn't believe how incapacitated ,i was  compared to how I was before my breast cancer.i have been on letrozole since December having changed from Anastrozole.

@Romla my trigger thumb started just after Christmas and at first my GP said it was a strained tendon from some gardening I did before Christmas and to give it time. I wore a support, took ant-inflammatories, did the physio exercises religiously for 5-6 weeks before seeing my oncologist for my scheduled check-up.

If anything the thumb was worse and the ring finger and thumb on the other hand showing early signs of triggering too. My oncologist listened to my explanation and said that it was something they see with some people on AIs.

 I am fortunate that Tamoxifen was an option for me (it will also be better for several other side effects that I was struggling with). The pain, strength and functionality is much improved since stopping the Letrozole. Not sure how much the acupuncture contributed to the improvements.

Will be interesting to hear what your oncologist has to say about your situation. So hard to work out what is just normal wear and tear and what is caused or at least worsened by Letrozole. I found the oncologist more helpful than my GP. I guess they see so many more people on these drugs. I really hope that you can find a way to improve your issue.

Thanks for that @Deanne as my tendon issue came on suddenly with no real initiating factor I could discern after 18 months on Letrozole.I had trouble opening doors , preparing meals and dressing myself - still problematic but not quite as bad or else am used to the pain.

I had 6 weeks of physio which improved things but seems to have slipped back a little possibly as no ultrasound stretching the tendon since.I wear a brace below my elbow on/off during the day and daily do stretching exercises advised by my physio which helps a bit. If it helps you I  have seen stretching exercises online designed for trigger thumb.My physio is a keen golfer who has had golfers elbow some time ago  - he does stretching exercises still to prevent recurrence.

I have heard from many about cortisone injections into the elbow guided by ultrasound but gather it’s basically for pain relief until it heals which is usually around 6 weeks normally  , unfortunately mine has been an ongoing problem since the beginning of the year and I think if the cause is Letrozole it may explain it’s protraction.I will talk to my oncologist about it and also my GP as to find a resolution I need to be sure of it’s cause - ie some sort of repetition strain injury brought on by ageing or induced by Letrozole.That said there does seem to be a lot online suggesting the latter.

You've described it to a 'T', @Deanne - only it is my left hand - the thumb is the worst (it does a double click & won't move from the 2nd click, unless I use my other hand to straighten it) & my middle finger also has 'trigger' (tho right hand ring finger does as well -  but not as much pain.)  
It is the weakness in the hands that is more annoying tho - no strength or grippability at all!!  Tho I DID have some arthritis before going on to the meds - but it was nothing like it is now tho!

@arpie my right thumb was doing exactly what you describe (gets stuck in straight position, bends with pain and then gets stuck in bent position) and my left ring finger and thumb were heading in that direction too. 

I have been off Letrozole since 1 Feb (taken off it by my oncologist who confirmed that tendon issues are a side effect). Started Tamoxifen again in March as advised by my onc. The thumb is a lot better but still triggering at times. The pain is hugely better and I have strength back in my thumb. Can even open ring pull cans again etc. I had acupuncture (4 treatments) which helped I believe. The other thumb and ring finger are fine now but it remains to be seen if the right thumb will ever fully fix itself. But I have little pain and much improved functionality and strength. It was so bad on Letrozole that I could not even sign my name.

These issues developed suddenly after 3 years on Letrozole.

@arpie I'm not sure but I think arthritis issues brought on by AIs (as opposed to joint pain) may be irreversible although I'm hoping that's not true.  I'm planning to ask the oncologist at the next appointment.

Thanks Kate! I am so looking forward to it. I'll be able to prune the roses and do lots of other things with litlle or no discomfort...i hope! My biggest problem might be to not over do it.
@arpie have a good time at Thredbo. We're hoping for another ripper of a season here at Falls Creek.