Anastrozole

I was worried about hormone therapy.A friend told me her best friend chose natural therapies and was dead within 3 months which brought my reluctance into sharp focus - I have taken Letrozole for 8 months and will continue for the 5 years as I believe it’s my best chance of avoiding recurrence. Ihave had side effects but seem to be managing them ok .A breast cancer diagnosis changes our lives that is true and we need to accept that but life is still good and much better than the alternative. 

@Lallaby For stats there is a software tool oncologists use to measure likelihood of recurrence which inputs your own individual data and assesses risk based on current research - might be wise to have that done for your own circumstances. I think we have to rely on the guidance of experts in this field .

Hi Everyone, This has been a very interesting discussion to read as I will have to make decisions about hormone therapy in a little while. I wonder if anyone has just gone against the recommendations and never taken hormones. Does anyone know what the statistics are on recurrence with or without hormone therapy

@dbelle i was put on tamoxifen in 2011 but i was pre menopausal and no probs. In 2015 i had a recurrence and had chemo then put on Arimidex but now changed to Aromasin .My hot flushes appeared during chemo being thrown into menopause. The AI never caused it for me. Menopause is a shocker most Oncologist recommend Effexor but i couldn't take it. Haven't tried acupuncture and haven't found anything in 2yrs that's helped really. All the best x

Medication definitely shouldnt cause a swollen white tongue. 

So, has anyone had a swollen white tongue from this medication??

Hello Ladies, I have been on AI for nearly 2 years plus Herceptin/Pereta; I am only 45 but most days I felt like what I imagine an 80 year old feels like.  It has taken me 12 months but I think I have found what works for me - weight bearing exercise (check out ZUU) and a good Magnesium powder.  I really notice it if I skip a few days of magnesium.  

Very interested in any answers about this @dbelle. I will be on this dreaded med soon and have heard mixed things.

Hello ladies, have any of you had any success with acupuncture to treat severe hot flushes bought on by Anastrozole (Aromatase Inhibitor) treatment?

Oh dear, fret not!! I was only standing up for the aged as I rapidly head in that direction! Too true, we all end up having to become our own "experts" in spite of the lack of qualifications. We do want the real experts to say, definitively, this is good and this is bad. Problem is most treatments are not that precise, or not for everyone. Sometimes not predictable. Sometimes weird! For what it's worth and with the notable exception of this site, I gave up most other sites and all blogs years ago. People who are scared, unhappy and possibly aggrieved are likely to participate, looking for help, sympathy. People who are doing fine mainly don't. So at very least, you can get a skewed impression. Would you take the advice of a patient over a highly regarded neurosurgeon if you are having brain surgery? Medicos don't get it all right, they are human. I may have been lucky but mine respond well to rational questions and don't mind lots of them. They are also able to say if they don't know. My oncologist warned of bone density impact, has been monitoring it and has already said my next test will be a major factor in whether he recommends another five years or stopping. I know he is good on latest research but doesn't act till he sees it replicated. Not a fad surfer! But yes, it's my choice. I have no idea why I sailed through (mostly!) chemo and others are sick and fatigued. I have never heard a rational argument put forward. No, attitude isn't everything. Like getting cancer in the first place, at least some of it is just bad luck. Perhaps that's the hard one for some - you didn't do anything (wrong or unwise), providence is not chastising you, it just happened. My belief system, such as it is, lies mainly in the glorious chaos of a potentially random universe, so it doesn't bug me as much as others!! Take care and take some time out from worry if you can. None of us actually knows how long we have in this life, so it makes sense to enjoy what we have for as long as we can. Best wishes.

Oh dear, @Afraser, please forgive me, I didn't mean to imply you are an old crone. Sorry, sorry. Actually you are a real inspiration, you seem to have come through everything so well. And yes, everyone is different and responds differently. I guess I am still early on in this process and am constantly surprised that there isn't more definitively known about why these differences exist, and what will happen in any particular case. People say over and again that you have to make your own decisions and trust your own instincts but how do you know what to base those decisions on? When speaking to my onco for the first time he mentioned side effects from AI therapy but implied these were rare and other than bone loss would not have any great impact on my health or everyday life. He spoke about it as a simple drug with great results. As he is a highly recognised researcher and well-known in the field, I of course took this at face value. Only after I started reading story after story on blog after blog and forum after forum about the ghastly condition so many women were in did I ask more questions about it. I feel I understand it now (hence the long rave above, for which I apologise) but I still want to know why some women sail through it and others are virtually crippled. In my case, because my cancer was already so advanced and so close to potential mets, it is clear that if I don't take AI therapy I will be in major trouble. This has thrown me into a state of obsession again and I can't stop thinking about it, even though I desperately want something else in my life. Sorry if I overstate things sometimes but I guess I just can't believe half of what I am finding out!