I haven't posted in a while but this caught my eye. I will be five years cancer free (so far) in November this year. I couldn't tolerate any of the pills and I tired them all.........I was first diagnosed with Stage 0 Lobular carcinoma, had lumpectomy and tried Tamoxifen. It gave me terrible pain, headaches and raised my usually low blood pressure to terrible levels. Unfortunately I got Invasive Lobular cancer Stage 1 in two years. If I'd been able to take the pills....would I have avoided that? I'll never know but I had a bi lateral mastectomy and was lucky not to have any lymph node involvement and here I am five years later. I tried all the pills after the mastectomies and they all made me feel truly 100 years old and terrible. I am on my fourth oncologist and he is the only one who said, 'don't take the pills'....go for quality, you're pretty low risk and suggested I do Yoga (ha ha).....I do a little yoga now. You have to follow your gut on this. Doctors jobs are to 'cure' us and follow their protocols for what works for MOST PEOPLE......it isn't everyone. And what caught my eye here was that I also refuse to take a pill to solve the problem caused by the pill the doctors give you for one thing and on it goes. It's a rabbit hole that's never ending.
I recently had a CT scan for my lung health (ex smoker) and my lungs are fine but my heart is showing some mild calcification (narrowing of the arteries). I'm glad to know and want to do all I can to keep my heart healthy of course but.........the 'soon to be my ex doctor' suggested statin drugs (known to have many side effects) to reduce my cholesterol....but I don't have bad cholesterol at all. The statin can cause severe muscle pain (which I already have due to osteoarthritis) and her answer was another drug, Cymbalta for the pain that the statin will cause. I'll find another doctor, try to assess risk, figure out the most natural method of keeping myself healthy and move on.