Decide against aromatase inhibitors?

Thanks for your note. Yes, my wife is lucky that I can research with a medical background. The saddest thing is that people including health care professionals, have forgotten that medicine is still an art as well as a science. We're losing that in this totally 'evidence based' craze. A physician does not have to drain himself emotionally to add a layer of empathy to his care, a little more thought to his recommendations, a little more effort to understand the needs of the individual in front of him. We have wonderful new tools, that have transformed so many aspects of medicine, AI will be wonderful, but we're still human beings with emotions.

Each case is different, so be careful about generalizing. I think a good oncologist and endocrinology, if you find a good team, can hopefully help you with both issues. Ask again if you don't remember the odds, because they are different for different tumor stages. So important to make the right decisions, yet so hard to do so. That's why as I stated in an earlier post I'm traveling to a different city to get another opinion.

I won’t take them either.I am 77 and prior to my lumpectomy and radiation I was on HRT since I was 52 years old. I will continue with the hormones and I will be diligent about my future mammograms, preferring an MRI.

I've already had a compression fracture because of osteopenia. Then came the breast cancer with the lumpectomy and radiation. But you hit on something no one mentions: Age. I'm 86 and all the doctors treat me differently than they did 20-30 years ago. My friends say the same thing. We're herded in and out of doctor's offices and labs like cattle. I feel they look at me as a nuisance and they think she's going to die soon anyway. The trouble is all the doctors who might look at age differently are retired themselves. I would like these younger doctors (meaning 60 and under) to think I'm just as important and care just as much and want to feel better as any younger person. For instance my last overall health record put me as barely ambulatory. They didn't have a clue. I swim 4 days a week for 45 minutes and walk on the treadmill 30 to 35 minutes. I wonder if AI wrote the report instead of the nurse and doctor. Sarcasm intended, but therein lies truth.

Many Blessings to you keep on staying strong!!! The Drs should be ashamed of themselves treating you and others on your age group so differently - life is for the living!!! No matter what age💕

GREETINGS THRIVER WARRIOR. INTERESTING CONNECTION. YES RECENTLY UPPER GI AND COLONOSCOPY. SLIGHT DIVERTICULITIS. SORRY, I HAVE TO LEARN TO TALK MY WALK. THIS IS A PASTE FROM CITY OF HOPE: 9/2021 evaluation of Stage IIB (cT2N1M0) infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the left breast, ER+, PR+, Her2-, G3. grade 3 tumor. 2022- 5/25 TOOK ANASTROZOLE AKA "ZOLE". I CONTRIBUTED MY LACK OF COGNITIVE THINKING, GERD, JOINT AND MUSCLE ACHES, AND CHEMO FEET NEUROPATHY FROM CHEMO AND RADIATION. FINALLY, DR CHANGE ME TO EXEMESTANE 25 MG. 6/15/25. COGNITIVE 90 PERCENT BETTER. HOWEVER, THE ACHES ETC. ARE RETURNING. FINALLY WENT TO SEE MY KINESIOLOGIST|DC, TESTED ME AND GAVE ME A NON-FUNGAL DIET TO FOLLOW. SIMILAR TO THE GI DR'S ADVICE TO DO THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET. WE ARE WARRIORS FIGHT FIGHT, HOWEVER, ONCE I AM TESTED AT 5 YR POINT, NOT SURE IF I WILL CONTINUE. FYI, I SHOULD NOT HAVE DIVERTICULITIS WITH MY LIFESTYLE. MY GUESS IS ALL CONNECTED. WE ARE FRATERNITY SISTERS OF A DIFFERENT KIND. SIS KEEP UP THE FIGHT AND KEEP SEEKING CONSULTATION OUTSIDE THE "THINK TANK" THAT HELPED US.

Hello Fraternity Sis of a different kind. I just turned 71, 36 months thriver. Happy you are sharing. We are not alone. This is my first time with a serious illness. I had to remember what I'd tell my clients, young and young at heart. Plz, look beyond the book cover. I know my body.
No meds until Chemo and now 1 med that keeps my bones talking back,etc. Next time, you go for labs, drs appt, etc. Quickly say to staff, drs,etc. A quick second before we begin. I am a healthy person doing best with what i have. Show them a current picture of swimming, walking, and say, I spend at least an hour and a half daily, I eat well, live as well as possible.
Now, these are my 3-5 questions. I do email my team on "MyChart" hope this helps. Keep up the Fight Sis! Gods blessings!

Does anyone know facts about stopping and recurrence? I know folks who declined and had no recurrence, and others who took and had recurrence. I prayed, researched, and chose my Healing Team for the Fight until Flight.
Since i chose Western vs my Eastern type of lifestyle, aka homeopathic, I decided to stick with my "Team" meds and advice. Will pray, listen, and continue with the side effects of Exemestane, chemo, radiation, mastectomy, and lymphedema until I reach my 5 yr mark. Adding homeopathic remedies, eating to heal, with helping to ease this chase to recovery. Adding a homeopathic or kinesiologist professional to your wellness arsenal will help. Continued Wellness and Godspeed blessings and answers to my Fraternity Family of a different kind. Warriors!

Great insights, unfortunately so true. Age is important for decisions on treatments, all highly individualized. My wife felt absolutely awful on one year of letrozole. At 77 she decided to stop it, against advice, and now feels great one month later. If she were younger she would really have little alternative to AI's but Grade 1 cancer, negative nodes she is not willing to feel like crap at 77.

As a retired doc, way past your 60 y.o.cutoff I know exactly how you feel. I read extensively, but to many of her docs I might as well be a bricklayer for the amount my opinions might be worth. They have been negligent concerning her bone health and we're getting another opinion because of that. The internet is a fabulous way of getting current medical literature. May be hard to understand for non healthcare folks but it's a good start.
I'll raise a glass (of water) to your continued good health and I care about you. Here's to 90

Yes indeed. Humbled, I had within 100 miles each direction for second and third opinions. Once my team was in place, I recently sought a second opinion on reconstruction, etc. With a heavy heart, I went outside my Team and went to the other Cancer center that was my second choice. Happy that the recommendations were the same. However, intrigued by the added informative info about radiation, about entering the same area for a second surgery. I will stay with my Team with peace of mind that outside the main Think Camp, highly rated centers have similar answers. We all walk the Warrior Trek, and yes important that everyone is different. Even if we think the diagnosis is similar, our bodies react differently. Find a Team you trust with mutual admiration and respect.