To lj22,
I thought I'd chime in with my so far, so good cancer journey. In July 2020 at the age of 70, I was diagnosed with breast cancer - Stage 1, Grade 1, HR/PR+, Ki67 less than 10 and no lymph node involvement with clear margins after lumpectomy. I had 16 rounds of radiation. Our cancers were very similar. I also have osteopenia. My endocrinologist said to take whatever medicine was best for my cancer, and he would take care of my bones. He said that I would be needing medicine anyway because I was getting older and my osteopenia would progress to osteoporosis. I took anastrozole every other day for a month, every day for 7 weeks, and then stopped. I had severe side effects resulting a very poor quality of life. I decided not to try exemestane against the strong urging of my oncologist, who did not acknowledge the side effects that I reported, as being caused by anastrozole. About a month after stopping anastrozole the side effects had subsided. I walk every day and try to eat a good diet. My osteopenia has not progressed to osteopenia, as my endocrinologist had predicted. It has been nearly 5 years, since I stopped taking anastrozole. I feel well and am enjoying life.
There are some studies that are finding that the current treatment of early stage breast cancer may be overly aggressive in older women. We must each advocate for ourselves and listen to our bodies. It's true that many women tolerate these drugs well, but many do not. Inform yourself as much as you can. This forum is a very good resource for helping us learn about cancer. Thank you to all who post with your wise words and insight. I wish you all well.