Aromatase inhibitors - five years or ten?

That's a bugger, @maggie14  ..... I think we need to be VERY pro-active after reading your story - to go with your 'gut feeling'.   Better to take it & not need it .... it is no skin off their nose ....

Having said that - there are others who HAVE had Tamoxifen (or other AIs) who have also gone on to develop MBC  :(  

I hope yours is under control and not causing you much/any pain.  A friend was also recently diagnosed, 15 years after her surgery - luckily, it is a slow growing one and she is most likely to 'die with it' rather than 'die from it'. 

Take care xx

In 2002 diagnosed early bc ,clear margins  after  surgery  , no lymph nodes were found to be  involved,  had 7 weeks of radiation treatment, after that i wanted tamoxifen  prescribed for  me ( bc runs in my family)   but told didn't need it,  here I am after 14 years metastatic in bones , would it have made a difference  I dont know ,but I stil wish I had been on it.

@AllyJay - Endone does that to me as well!!  I just can't take it without throwing up.  And yes, throwing up can cause ALL sorts of extra problems!  :(   Now, I know to tell them that I can't take it!

@Vangirl - just make sure that post op, you have your 'little pillow' with you to support that side once the anaesthetic has worn off, ear plugs & eye mask to hide the noise & bright lights, lots of magazines and not too many visitors in the first day or so as you'll be dozing off anyway .... and yes, take the pain meds (ones that don't make you throw up!)  ;)  And drink lots of water, to flush the anaesthetic out of you!!  xxx
 

@AllyJay thanks for sharing your experience too.

Nurses and other medical professionals can be a bit too bossy at times, can't they? I think sometimes they forget they're dealing with fellow adults with the right to make our own decisions!

Hi there @Vangirl , I had a bilateral mastectomy just over a year ago. Also felt very little pain, just discomfort when moving around the bed. More of a convoluted juggling act with all the tubes and drains. I finally took some painkillers on the first night to keep the nurse happy. She just would not leave me alone about it..."you don't have to be a hero"..."you'll feel more comfortable"..."nobody will think less of you if you do" and so on, every few minutes. Ended up vomiting from the Endone, which did in fact cause me pain. Lesson learned.

@LMK74 thank you. Good to hear your positive 'review' on the surgery. I'm hoping all is straightforward for mine too.

xxx

@Vangirl, great chemo worked for you and your nearing the end of active treatment. I wish I could've kept my boob, but it wasn't to be. I found the surgery the easiest part. I had no pain whatsoever and was very surprised. I hope the same for you .  :)

Thanks for clarifying @LMK74

I have been lucky as, although I had a big tumour (7cm on MRI), the chemo was very effective. Also a B/C cup. Currently going through radiotherapy and after that will still need a full mastectomy and axillary lymph node removal. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

@Vangirl, I wish lol. I only started the arimadex last December when all my treatment finished.  I had chemo first as my lump was 6 cm in my small b cup breast. Chemo failed for me and had mastectomy and lump had grown to 9 cm.   I want my old body back lol.

Thanks @LMK74
We are almost the same age - I am almost 43 - however I had an early menopause (before the cancer/chemo).

Am I correct in understanding that you have been on Arimidex for almost five years at this point?