It's Letrozole For Me

Hi there @Zoffiel ...The Peter  Principle in its purest  form...

After 12 months of medical certificates, I got called in for an interview with Centrelink. That was fun. This guy has started by slapping the certificates on the table and asking me why they all say the same thing. That's easy to answer; because I still have the same problems. 
Then we move on to my previously having work which has dried up. Yes, I was working 10 -15 hours a week, as the certificates suggest I can, then I lost the job. I havent been able to find another. He has an 'Ah ha " moment, 'so you are able to work? ' Yes, as stated, limited hours. 
Back to the certificates. When will I get better? Probably when I stop taking the drug that is crippling me. When will that be? 
10 years or death, which ever happens first. Or I could stop taking them if I'm willing to risk my disease progressing. Then, this is perfect, he says 'So you can stop taking them if you want to? Then you'd be able to go back to work?'
So, we move on to me getting my notebook out and asking him to spell his name and asking who his direct supervisor is. Then there was a discussion about his medical qualifications and his capacity to suggest I should stop/start/modify my medications. This seemed to make him nervous, and he suddenly decided I needed to see a social worker. Excellent save, Andy, handball the problem to someone else.
4 hours and anpther 2 interviews later, they've decided that the 'job active' program is not suitable for me, and that I should be transfered to a disability employment service. And I should get out more to avoid the social isolation unemployment can bring to the over 50s. The last woman I spoke to asked me what sort of job I thought I could do, ''Yours".
This is your taxes at work.

@kezmusc and @kmakm no problems with venting - go for it - just trying to help you both hang in there and  get thru it to a more comfortable spot.

Understand where you are coming from @kezmusc as describes me on statins 3 years ago which I stopped opting for diet , low dose aspirin. I was very scared as I thought I had dementia but lifted rapidly when I stopped them.

Maybe a change of HT might work if brain fog , memory etc are the key issues as none of those issues have I had on Letrozole.But I am only one person - might be worth opening up a conversation on the blog to see if anyone has had those issues on an Aromatase Inhibitor . 

Whinge away @kmakm   Stinking HT.  Blah.  :D :D

I had zero ankle pain before Letrozole. There was no change in my activity from before I took it to after. My ankles started hurting three days after I started taking it. I've never had bone or joint pain before. My pain level seems unrelated to my activity. So far whether I walk or not, do my exercise class or not, it neither triggers or lessens it. At this stage anyway. It's only been three weeks. It's just weird to me that the night before the pain was low level, but last night it was bordering on excruciating. Same temp, shorter walk. The osteo paracetemol helped.

There's no choice here so I'll just have to ride it out and hope that it settles. But I reserve the right to whinge!

Hey @melclarity and @iserbrown. No, I don't take it as a lecture at all :)

@Romla thank you for that.  I've put up a number of posts whinging and whining about my concerns and just generally being pissed off with the whole thing at times. 

As far as stopping and starting the meds my onc says it's better than not taking it at ll which is precisely what's going to happen If I can't sort it out. 

  I can switch meds if I want, however, he is of the opinion that if I am having this many issues on the Tamoxifen (apparently the lesser of two evils) the other may be worse and at least I know that I can reverse the side effects pretty much on the Tamoxifen.  I can live with the bone aches and stopping for two to three weeks is not long enough for them to go but they do start to ease by the end of week 3. 

What I find difficult to live with is the cognitive issues and the anxiety that creeps in after a while.  There are days when I don't even trust myself to drive as my reflexes are slow sometimes and my vision is blurry at times. These are definitely from the Tamoxifen as they disappear within about 4 days of stopping.  Right now I am back to normal. No fog, memory is good, no anxiety and Yay I can string a sentence together.  I have little pain during the day while I am moving it's night time that's an issue and that interferes greatly with sleep. 

Bone density is good, bloods are all good. I have dropped 9 kgs in 6months and my cholesterol has halved. (One good thing about Tamoxifen)

Anyhoo.....on a good note.  Each time I go off then back on something settles a little and takes longer to get really bad.  I did 14 weeks on this time instead of twelve and my aim is to only stay off for two weeks then give it another crack. I will keep trying my best to tame this thing.  

Thank you ladies for your insight and thoughts.  It means a lot.

xoxoxo

@kezmusc 
I have to agree with the comment @melclarity "As wouldn't it interfere with its consistency? And effectiveness?"

If you are having that much trouble then perhaps you need to insist on being put on a different medication and/or ask for a referral to a Dietitian and Exercise Physiologist so that you can work your intake to work best for you to trigger your metabolism, improve your well being, without spending monies on pills that may not be as effective.  

As to Letrozole, and or Tamoxifen for that matter, I don't know how long we have to take them before the side effects are defined as being from the medication.  As noted in a comment earlier the weather plays havoc for some with joint pain and if you are starting from a low base with bone density, cholesterol, fitness et cetera no doubt that all plays into effect on self!

I have changed to Letrozole as I had Tamoxifen induced gynaecology problems.  I have been taking Letrozole for 35 days now and the side effects are the aching bones, joint pain, (which I had on Tamoxifen) but that doesn't necessarily mean that is how it will affect you or others as we all metabolise foods and meds uniquely.  I have a good base for cholesterol and bone density but my fitness is at the lowest it has been for a very long time and I am in the process of improving that.

I hope you don't see this as a lecture as that isn't the intent; just hoping that you can think about how to work Tamoxifen into your every day.

I do hope you can find the happy medium where your body adjusts and you settle into routine.

Take care

@Romla haha!! life is still good with side effects...I've just learned to adjust, ohh the vision grrr!!! I need to go and  have mine rechecked again, terrible! Having said that, yes there are days where it builds up and I am human and had a gutful!!! sick of it over it big time!!! but I figure too you know what? most people don't struggle through what we are?? and then there are some that struggle so much more. It's all relative for each of us, striving to find that magic thing that stops pain. x

Bit anxious in case I trip as my vision isn’t great and definitely not fit but off on my first walk !

And you’re a bloody marvel @melclarity! Life is still good even with side effects.