On 5/15/2009
ykwas54 wrote:
I had a lumpectomy in March 2006, and was immeadiately put on Aromasin as it was hormone positive. I also had 33 full breast radiation treatments, and have been cancer free since. I have had two more surgeries on the same breast due to seromas and nodules, all negative.
I am having all the side effects associated with Aromasin. I can't seem to find what the percentage plus is for taking it. Can anyone help me?
Hi! My name is Maddie and I was diagnosed with ER positive breast cancer in Nov. 2004. I chose a different path than you and had a bilateral masectomy, which eliminated the need for chemo, radiation, and never ending biopsies. I was put on Arimidex and after one year, I decided to stop taking it. My major side effect was irregular heart beat, called SVT's, which would cause me to pass out. This is not a usual side effect of this drug, however, I really believe every drug put in your body has an adverse affect on your cells. Your question should be discussed with an oncologist, but he will just give you statistics. The docs can tell you what the increase in incidents will be with and without the drugs. My five year stat showed with Arimidex, a 8% chance of recurrence but without Arimidex it went up to 17%. So far, I am fine without the drugs. I go for a CT/PET scan regularly and it still shows no breast cancer. The interesting thing, however, is that the CT picked up a separate cancer -non small cell lung carcinoma. The way I view this scenario is that my decisions about breast cancer allowed me to find a lung cancer at an extremely early stage. It is interesting to note also that I eat totally organic food - lots of veggies and fruits, little organic meat, cook with Corning glass, not teflon or aluminum, never smoked, have not had alcohol in 30 years, exercise almost every day and here I am at 66 years of age with 2 separate cancers. What I have realized with my journey is you must read everything you can find regarding cancer. Five years ago, my doc dismissed my feeling that something was wrong in my right breast. Since my mammo was clean, she did not take me seriously. I changed docs and pushed for an MRI, which showed a tumor. It is the same with me pushing for the regular CT scan - both times I found the cancer, not the doctors. I read years ago that mammograms miss many small tumors and we should push for MRI's. That is why I am alive today. Everyone is different and your choice should take into account the amount of bone loss you face with Arimidex. I hope you are aware of this and are taking some meds to offset this loss. One year on Arimidex and I had significant bone loss. Take care of yourself and read everything you can on breast cancer. If you live near a cancer center, such as MD Anderson in Houston, that is your best chance to get current data. In fact they have a web site and you can register for e-mails. Never give up and be your own advocate.