Arimidex - first 6 months
I was terrified of this drug and the side effects and I even posted on here looking for support and info back in Jan. (The tone police intervened and I have stayed away from this site since because I ...
Forum Discussion
@JWrenn yes sounds so familiar! One big opportunity to freak out is the time between surgery and when you commence radiation therapy. Just a whole lot of time to Google up everything because the questions you have won’t have been answered and often, they are only just emerging as questions. I stuck to reputable sites many being from the US and UK, hoping to glean a morsel of information that might have been useful to me, some of it about the most basic things.
I was also amazed how much detailed information post radiation was about brands of moisturising cream but not about fatigue and side effects. Because everyone is different I think that’s why doctors do need to make sure we get to ask questions about us. 🧐
I can’t see the point of further appointments with my rad oncologist because I had very standard right breast treatment and the last follow up appointment was a totally half assed discussion about diet and exercise and...why don't I join an older person’s calisthenics group? 😳😂😂😂😂 He clearly doesn’t know me.
I was also amazed how much detailed information post radiation was about brands of moisturising cream but not about fatigue and side effects. Because everyone is different I think that’s why doctors do need to make sure we get to ask questions about us. 🧐
I can’t see the point of further appointments with my rad oncologist because I had very standard right breast treatment and the last follow up appointment was a totally half assed discussion about diet and exercise and...why don't I join an older person’s calisthenics group? 😳😂😂😂😂 He clearly doesn’t know me.
I felt more fat, more lazy and more demotivated than before I walked in, and gave up walking daily because he scoffed at my efforts as sub par.
Nowadays, “What do I want from this appointment?” is my only perspective (its usually just info) and I do that FIRST up, so the specialist doesn’t get to rush me through or derail the appointment. And so I don’t leave without what I needed. I have brief appointments, courteous enough, and usually underwhelming. And then I get on with life. Yeah surgery👏 Yeah radiation👏 Yeah anastrazole👏 These specialists are not part of my real recovery. They just don’t know it. My sense of equilibrium and wellbeing is what I’ve done for myself. Maybe that is as it should be, but there is a lengthy mythology about their role in care that was never true for me.
Again I’m so glad this hasn’t been a common experience for people. And good care is out there!