Re: Breast cancer, a-fib, and calcium tablets

Good grief! I have gotten no food guidelines. (from anyone.)

Will check that out. Then your
vitamin C drops which you need to protect you from cancer.

It’s all so darn confusing. You are at the very beginning of your breast cancer journey and it’s a VERY STEEP learning curve. Take a breath and know that none of this knowing or not knowing will harm you today… it’s an ongoing strategy that gets tweaked as you come into knowledge, question it, and then decide how it fits into your life with guidance from your health care team.

As you just started Letrozole it’s very highly unlikely ( impossible really) that a DEXA will be affected immediately. As your body adjusts to the drop in estrogen ( Letrozole inhibits estradiol from converting to estrogen) it “could” cause some bone loss. It’s not the med directly it’s the lack of estrogen . bones shed and rebuild best when estrogen is on board.

Sounds like you are getting good calcium from food although you may need to up it a tad. Sardines with bone intact is a very good source also.

This is a journey but not a sprint… you had surgery, radiation and on estrogen blocker … YOU ARE DOING GREAT ON THE BIG TICKET ITEMS ☀️

Now, as you settle into the journey this is a great place for information and questions. You will learn so much to consider and before long you will be answering questions for future participants who find their way here.

Blessings on the path 🌸

You were getting too much calcium from your supplements and it can end up in the lining of your blood vessels, according to docs. Not saying it has, just that that is the reasoning. But your docs should explain!

I cannot believe that after fractures you have not had DEXA's. In my experience the biggest drop in bone density while on letrozole was in the first year so I hope you are able to take Reclast or whatever else you can tolerate.

Sorry you are going through all this. I feel sure your oncologist will protect your bones and letrozole also helps prevent cancer recurrence, according to some studies cited by Dr. McCormick in his book.

Well, if you have osteoporosis, or any bone density problems any type of Arimadex will not be helpful. However, you can ask your doctor to put you on Tamoxifen instead. This medication actually 'helps' your bones.

@heydon2023 many of us cancer patients with osteoporosis take aromatase inhibitors like anastrozole (Arimidex) and letrozole. Docs generally prescribe Reclast along with them.

I am concerned with Tamoxifen causing uterine cancer in some people.

Yes, that's true, but it's apparently quite rare. My two cousins have been taking Tamoxifen for many years and have had no problems. It seems like they all have downsides. The Arimidex can cause heart problems among other things for instance. I've started taking that, but only for Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I will do that for about a month or two to see if I can tolerate it. Then if I find I'm doing ok, I can add the additional two days and take the weekend off, like you do with the radiation treatment. Some doctor on the panel did recommend that for when you start taking it. So, I'm giving it a chance. However, I still have to have the DEXA scan to see how my fairly old bones (I'm 79) are doing? Good luck on your journey - keep your spirits up!

Sardine is good

I’ll face the same situation soon since my chemo just finished and they will give me AI. I’ll pressure them to give me tamoxifen instead. As to calcium, sardine has lots of it. Hope you find a better way to deal with osteoporosis and qualify of life. Watching how my mom suffered from osteoporosis, I can’t let it happen to me. Good luck!

Thanks for all that good information. I'm lactose intolerant which is odd for an Irish person like me? But I take the Lactose Free milk. I'm bad at taking the leafy greens - my husband loves those and now I will have to get going on eating some of what you mentioned. Not sure where I'd get Uncle Matts OJ, but we have our own orange tree while in season, easy in California. I will remind my husband about the oxalates in Spinach as he loves that stuff and has gotten gout several times. And Parmesan cheese I can take in moderation, as its low in lactose from what I understand. Thanks again and good luck on your onward journey to great health.