Too scared to go to bed

hi ang

i have just read your blog. i have been taking arimidex for just over 2 years and have experienced some of the same side effects. I suffer from joint pain and stiffness especially when i get up in the morning. At times i too shuffel along like an old lady. i also sufferred with terrible leg cramps but have found they have decreased over the last 6mths. i also fing that these side effects are cyclicle, sometime im not too bad and other times i am extreamly tired and ache all over. i can no longer climb a ladder and also find that i have a general weakness in my legs. i have discussed this many times with my oncologist and my gp but they cant offer much of a solution and i am told if i change drugs this may bring on a whole new set of problems. at present i perservere with these side effects as both my doctors have told me to absolutly continue with arimidex. i will also tell you that while having chemo i noticed a problem with my legs a general weakness and inability to walk fast or for long periods of time. i am of the opinion that perhaps its not all the arimidex but a combination of both. i have noticed that while i still experience side effects i feel better in myself, after my diagnosis i didnt think i would be here for too long and find myself thinking at times did this really happen to me. my mother died 30 years ago from breast cancer when there was very little that could be done and not many options available. treatment for breast cancer is far better now than it was, and while it still had many problems i am glad these drugs are now available as an option. My oncologist has told me it now best practice to stay on arimidex for 10 years instead of 5 not sure how i feel about this but at present im doing ok i work and do most normal activities perhaps initally the side effects hit some people hard but hopefully you will see a lessening of the symptoms as time goes by. strange that we think the worst is over when we fin ish treatment nobody tells you of the possible problems you can be left with after . best wishes for the future and i hope things improve for you, i suppose it is up to the individual to make the choice as to what is the best option for themselves as everyone has different outcomes.