If you had radiation, when did you start hormone therapy?

Reading some info from NIH that delay for starting AI’s is so that cellular effects from radiation won’t be diminished. This information from Dr Google, not my oncologist.

I was diagnosed in 2004 with ER+ PR- Her2+, invasive ductal carcinoma, grade 3. A lot of the tests available now were not available then, herceptin was for relapsed patients only, and radiation has come a long way since then as well.
I am grateful that most of the people I talk to on connect have an easier time of it, but I hope that doesn’t mean they lose sight of the monster they are treating.
Are you comfortable sharing your treatment path so far?

I started about 3 weeks after radiation was complete.

Not at all. If my journey and plan helps others, That’s what matters.
Love to hear there is hope for all of us. Today medicine really work and more to come. There are so many scientists doing research they will find a cure for this disease. I have faith.

Agree! I’m still in radiation but really do not want to take either. My onc says it’s better than cancer…stroke from the tamoxifen or heart damage from the Letrozole doesn’t sound fun either.

Thank you for sharing. This gives me hope. Did you take AI or tamoxifen etc?

Pretty sure taking HRT for too long had something to do w/ cancer—& mine is estrogen &progesterone +, just like my HRT.

Oh, I took both, lol. 5 yrs. of Tamoxifen, followed by 10 years of anastrozole. Even after they removed my ovaries.
I was given a baby aspirin when I took Tamoxifen to help avoid stroke or other blood clot complications.
I understand not wanting treatments, but I was young and I did everything they said to avoid recurrence.

@brighterdays
I started on Letrozole 2 weeks after I finished my final, 37th, radiation treatment. I remember my oncologist saying let's give your body a break before we start the meds then surprised when just two weeks after radiation the break was over.

At the end of my radiation treatment I was so fatigued I could hardly walk across the room and my skin was pretty thrashed - open wounds 8" x 12" area at that point using silvadene burn cream. Although I had improved in the two weeks before I started Letrozole, I remember my skin was not healed yet. I can't remember exactly how I felt after the two week break as that was 2/2021. Then I started Kisqali one week after the Letrozole. My oncologist gave me both meds at once, but I separated the meds by a week so I would know if one med caused any serious reactions. I've been taking both meds for 2.5 years now and plan to continue as long as they keeping working. Best of luck with the meds.

Silvadine saved my poor skin from rads burns amazing ointment