It's Letrozole For Me

I was very lucky to have the top  radiographer pick up my lobular lesion deep on my breast bone.Have been told many times since many others would have missed it .Stay safe @ arpie - glad you’ve got a great gp looking after you. xo 

PS You should be able to request that copies of reports go to your gp at your radiology centre if not it’s wise to ask the treating specialist to ensure it’s done as they must have the full story.

Thanks, @Romla

My Bone density appears to be OK - tho my GP wasn't given a copy of the report, so I've requested one.  (I DID ask for a printout of the test tho, so at least I have that - and will add the report once my GP gets it!)

Yes, i have a lot of faith in my GP .... she is very good & was the one who picked up my very small tumours before they showed on MG or US!  My Rad/Onc has me lined up for another US/MG towards the end of the year too.

I will definitely be asking for the core biopsy of the lesion, given my history.
 
I really don't have much faith in the Mammograms so my GP has asked for an Ultrasound with '+/- Mammogram' ..... so they may well do both - tho I reckon an ultrasound would be better as I have dense tissue/lumpy breasts & the mammograms have never picked up any lesions so far - so a waste of time & $$ as far as I am concerned ...... I'll ask for the US first - and then suggest no point having the MG!  The MG on the same day (within minutes) of the US in early Dec last year - didn't show the cancer, even tho the GP had pinpointed the exact spot (as she has done again this time!)  

I have a buddy's daughter who is a young 'Up & Coming' Radiographer - and when I said I had NO FAITH in mammograms, she sent me THIS ...... so it is important to note that Mammograms ARE still 'good to do' .... but just not very useful for those of us who have dense breast tissue!!  :(  

(NOT too sure about the 'computer program plus radiologist tho'!   :(  )

QUOTE:
I have worked at Breastscreen and in private radiology clinics and all mammograms are independently double read by either two specialist radiologists, or a computer program plus a radiologist. 

Only certain types of breast cancer are detectable on mammogram (fortunately, it is the most common one which is detected) - mammograms look for tiny microcalcifications which are only seen in a few types of breast cancer. 

Ultrasound will also only detect certain types of breast cancer, and again MRI will only detect certain types of breast cancer. 

 Essentially, I do agree that there needs to be more awareness about the limitations of mammograms in people with dense breast tissue (the other issue is cancer is white on mammogram as is dense breast tissue white - so dense breast tissue hides it!). 

 I really don't want you to discourage people from having mammograms - they absolutely have their use, but again, have their limitations as they are only a screening test not a diagnostic test.

UNQUOTE

Sounds like a needle biopsy of that lesion might be an idea @ arpie. The ultrasound/ mammogram should be able to set your mind at rest - I too had a suspicious lesion last year and they did a needle biopsy to be sure it wasn’t anything nasty.It’s a worrying time every time the next round of tests/check up occurs - Mine came early last year as I had an inverted nipple but turned out to be a radiotherapy side effect.

@arpie glad to hear it’s being checked thoroughly.It may help to have ibuprofen 1 hour beforehand if you think discomfort may be an issue for the mammogram . I have a few sore spots mainly in the ribs but think that’s radiotherapy plus I have had an osteoporotic fracture of a rib. My next mammogram is August and am going to ask for a bone density too just to make sure Prolia doing it’s job.Are you ok just seeing your gp ? My breast surgeon runs it all for me with back up from my local practice.

@Romla   @Brenda5
I am not long back from the GP and will be having another Ultrasound & Mammogram done in Port Macq on 9th July as it is now over 6 months since the UltraSound that found my original tumours in early Dec.  

The GP also found 'another small lesion' in the left boob that she thought worth checking out (that I hadn't found) - as she hadn't made a note of it back in Nov when she found the suspicious lump in the other boob.  She didn't think the ones I HAD found were anything to worry about as she noted that I did have lumpy boobs at the time .... but I'll be getting both boobs checked out again to be sure, to be sure.

She's also advised me to check them myself both every month to see if I notice any difference in size/new lumps as well.

SO ... if you are checking your boobs in the shower - always soap up your hands beforehand - and I think it makes it a lot more 'sensitive' (and have your elbow pointing to the ceiling!)

That's it isn't it @Romla Im pretty much like you as you know with the osteoporosis and treatment, I had bone thinning and clearly was brought on by chemo and 4yrs on tamoxifen yet its not listed. Of course now am 2.5yrs on Arimidex and Aromasin and that causes bone thinning, I also have Prolia injections 6th monthly and my 2yr scan has shown a marked improvement :) though I yet have to see the Onc to confirm in a months time. So Im happy with how its all going and my Vit D level came back at 114 which apparently is normal range, so will continue my daily take of that :) 

I think my eye deterioration was Tamoxifen and chemo combined. Chemo to be honest is the culprit for majority of side effects and ongoing problems that I never had previously. Considering Chemo was preventative, like the Onc said, its a gamble have it dont have it, they dont know if I needed it or not. Hmmm. So we do what we feel is right I guess, at the time. Im wiser now though to all of it. x

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs/about-herbs

Think this will will get you to info about the app @arpie

Sorry @arpie the app is called About Herbs and there has been a lot of posts about it on here under the heading Herbs recently 

Hi @ arpie D3 is the sunshine vitamin and recommended for osteoporosis- quite a few people these days are deficient ( the slip slop slap campaign is said to be a partial contributor) esp in winter and get d3 injections.My son used to get shocking cramps last year as he used a protein shake heavily and was put on Magnesium by the GP which resolved his problem ( as well as being advised to reconsider the amount of protein shake he consumed) . I was also put on Magnesium when I was pregnant because of cramps.

Here is a site to read up about them both in case you haven’t seen it - the site is recommended by BCNA , used by many doctors and is from a major NYC hospital that specialises in cancer treatment - they research supplements like vitamins, minerals and herbs.I find the site both thorough and informative .Well worth the time having a look at it.
www.mskcc.org/cancer/patient-education/herbal-remedies-and-treatment ;

It is also easy to read for nonmedical people both the patient and professional areas.You can also download it as an app - it’s called Herbs but is way more than that.I recently discovered I could also search by health issue and they then review all the vitamin,mineral and herbal options debunking what doesn’t help and also providing cautions when they conflict with conventional pharmaceuticals.

Re Femara/Letrozole- the drug is Letrozole which is available as a generic which I take or Femara is a brand name for a nongeneric.The differenceis the pill coating and price . I gather some people have less difficulties with the coating of Femara than the generic version of the drug.I will say I found side effects tough in the first few months but have kept moving and seem to be thru the worst of it.Am still however concerned about my bone density as Letrozole causes bone thinning which is a problem when I started osteoporotic with an existing fracture plus the spike in cholesterol I had - more than doubling - how that’s going I’ll only know at annual check ups.PS I was put on 6 monthly Prolia injections to counter bone thinning.

Fingers crossed for Wednesday as it is a worry and glad you are getting things checked.Will be thinking of you. xo

Thanks for that @Brenda5  - I am Mildly concerned about the lumps ..... they are pretty obvious & unlikely not to have been there in late Nov when the BC was found in the right boob.... but will get checked, to be sure, to be sure! 

I 'dress up' on the water in winter - I have warm leggings under my trousers & wear 3 long sleeved tops (so I can remove one if I get too warm as there is nothing worse than being too cold!!)  I also have waterproof pants, jacket & socks, so even if it does rain, I shouldn't get wet or cold.

So D3 is a part of bit D?    Hubby takes magnesium - maybe I should pinch some of his.