Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?

@francine6829
Be cautious with them as they are steroid injections. I had a number of them for my severe stenosis but it resulted in adrenal insufficiency and they will tend to make bones worse. Add in aromatase inhibitors which are also rough on bone structure. I've found walking daily helps with bone pain. I am 68 and have severe stenosis plus spina bifida oculta in my lower spine and stenosis in my neck. Had I known earlier what damage the injections could cause, I would have probably opted not to have them.

@sparklegram - I stopped getting eipidurals and started to take Yoga classes. Same result with no drugs.

@francine6829- Hi Francine, yes I've had several and they did last about that long. However, the last one I had in2016 lasted until now! My conflict now is not being certain if it is stenosis or Arimidex causing the pain. I started taking the Arimidex in January of 2018.

@sparklegram - I have had epidurals for stenosis. The epidurals will make you pain free for about a month

I'm wondering how to tell if the pain in my hip, leg, and knees is caused by my stenosis (L-3 and L-4) or by the Arimidex I've been taking for 15 months. The knee pain is much better after a 3 week episode, but now my hip is hurting. I know Arimidex can cause bone and joint pain, but my spine doctor thinks it's the stenosis and has ordered an epidural.

Thank for the reply.

Thank you, Cindy~ your comments are reassuring~ we live in a rural area where our oncologist is 2 hours away ...so just praying that my follow up care will good! I have 18 aunts and uncles and first cousins whom have had cancer..half of the breast cancer relatives carried the BRCA genes and half did not carry the gene and still had breast cancer...I was negative for the BRCA but have a colon cancer mutation. Anyway, thank you again and blessings on your day!

lauradahl - I'm sure pretty much everyone on this site would agree that during the first months and years after diagnosis and in treatment you worry about, well, just about everything. It's impossible not to do so. Sounds like you were early stage and you opted for the mastectomies (which I did as well) to reduce your risk as much as possible and I suppose I thought also, reducing worry because without breasts, it's quite a lot harder to get breast cancer. In my family, prior to my sister having lung cancer....there was no cancer and my sister and I are still the only cancer people in our entire family, so perhaps there is a genetic component and perhaps there isn't always. That said............your doctors will want to see you frequently in the first two years. My doctors do regular exams of my chest area (I didn't have reconstruction), they do blood tests and I'm due this year for an MRI. I have had ultrasounds as well. The best thing you can do is be very proactive with how you feel, any symptoms you might have and things that feel different (once your body has had a chance to settle in a bit). It took me two years to feel anything like my old self. I had a scar revision surgery after a year and they used some drugs I was allergic to and unfortunately I ended up with some odd symptoms from that for a while. I feel pretty good now but I still let my doctors know about everything that's happening with me so they can check it out.
Hugs

Yes, I have fatigue from the letrozole~ started taking it in the evening, switched to morning, back to evening..just not sure when best time is! Bones are a little achy, but nit too bad...as far as relatives...I feel that their regular physician and their oncologist could have communicated better and more scans done...to make sure their cancer was under control...I don't want to sound negative but being preventative is so important!

hi @lauradahl. I had a low DX too, but did have 1 month of radiation. I was on letrozole for 6 weeks but went off due to joint pain side effects. Now I am on aromosin and starting to feel similiar side effects. Are you having any side effects from letrozole yet? What do you mean that relatives have "fallen between the cracks?