Arimidex

Hi Ruth, Hope all is well and the fatty lump is exactly that.  I think we're all once bitten, twice shy, and expect the worst.  Sorry to hear about the loss of your mother to this same rotten disease, that would have made it doubly hard for you, not having your Mum to talk to about it all;  who knows the stress of losing her might have contributed to your diagnosis.  I'm at a loss as to what the risk factors are, but I believe stress and heredity play huge roles.  I lost my brother (aged 54) to prostate cancer 12 months b4 my diagnosis, I was his primary carer, and I do believe that contributed;  and cancer is all through my family.  Enough of that...re the Arimidex/Femara ...I have just done all I could to improve my survival chances, and if that means taking Femara  every day for five years I will do it.  I do have stiff joints etc, but I think that is age-related (i'm 58) and down to arthritis, certainly don't have the pain that I had on Arimidex.  I do have trouble losing weight;  and my GP doesn't seem to understand or believe that Femara might have something to do with it.  Nor do a  lot of people for that matter.  I do have hot flushes too, quite severe at times, but the frequency seems to be diminishing;  and I seem to run at a higher temperature all the time;  that causes a few arguments at work re the air conditioning.  When I start getting too cranky about all that, I just try to stop and say to myself "well at least you're here, and doing pretty well".  I generally try to stay positive.  My heart goes out to each and every one of you (us); and as the old saying goes "a problem shared is a problem halved." 

Bella x