Hi Beekay, wow what a journey you've been on - sounds as though you're doing really well. I'm not sure whether my experience will be of direct use as I was diagnosed in 2005 with invasive ductal breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy, and then as the margins weren't good a masectomy. Like you my lymph nodes were clear. so i didn't need chemo or radiation
The oncologist offered me Tamoxifen but whlst the improvement to my risk sounded pretty impressive when i asked the risk in absolute terms i think the Tamoxifen made a 2% difference which i didn't think was enough compensation to willingly go through memopause twice. So i declined.
But after 6.5 clear years, it came back in my lung - and the oncologist put me on Femara, which i took for 9 months or so. The side effects can be aching joints (though i took fish oil supplements (metagenics DHA/EHA) so did not experience that. Hot flushes (but i'm menopausal anyway so again this wasn't an issue for me) and it can lead to bone density loss which i was concerned about because i knew my bone denisty wasn't the best. I was taking metagenics Osteoplus.
I recently had my bone denisty checked and it was ok. Personally i'm not a great fan of taking long term medications and prefer to manage through diet/ lifestyle. One great book is "Five to Thrive" by Dr Lise N Alshuler and Karolyn A Gazella.
Hope that helps, take care
HazelB
