Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Hello. New member of the club, here. Stage 1 lobular on the left, LCIS right. Lumpectomy surgery couple weeks ago. The surgeon says radiation for a month and Arimidex for 5 years. I’m 68 and wondering if I should just do the radiation and screw the hormone stuff. Former smoker with mild COPD, currently on BP and cholesterol meds that are doing fine. The internet research of Arimidex is the reason I’m here. … and … frankly, you’ve all terrified me. Quality of life on this drug sounds like an absolute nightmare.

samy - Once you're settled in with your other treatments, give the Arimidex a try. You could be the person who has few if any side effects and yet you'll get the upside of lowering your recurrence. You don't know until you try. I wasn't able to use any of them BUT I'm allergic to many things (antibiotics is a big one) and I can't take ibuprofen anymore either (bleeding)......so I'm just not a 'pill girl'. I take no prescription meds at all and my doctors look terrified when they have to give me one, ha ha! Give them a try because you can always quit or change meds if you're having problems.
FYI - I was Stage 1 lobular on my right and LCIS on my left----we're like twins (only opposite?).
Hugs

How do you convince your doctor or doctors to run the blood tests or mri!
I am so sick of the scare tactics!
Well, in the beginning your chances of recurrence was 12%. Now with radiation it is 7-10% having a hysterectomy it is 3 to 9 %. But take the meds and you go to 3-5% recurrence...
So, I followed orders except for the meds side effects were way too much.
So next appt doctor gets pissy and says,"Well, now you are at 20% because you won't take your meds and the cancer will return in your bones or lungs get ready!"
We see a new oncologist Monday! Bad thing there: they are good friends! OMG

How do you convince your doctor or doctors to run the blood tests or mri!
I am so sick of the scare tactics!
Well, in the beginning your chances of recurrence was 12%. Now with radiation it is 7-10% having a hysterectomy it is 3 to 9 %. But take the meds and you go to 3-5% recurrence...
So, I followed orders except for the meds side effects were way too much.
So next appt doctor gets pissy and says,"Well, now you are at 20% because you won't take your meds and the cancer will return in your bones or lungs get ready!"
We see a new oncologist Monday! Bad thing there: they are good friends! OMG

Samy and francine6829 - When you hear those words 'cancer' it's a horrifying moment. Cancer has this mystery surrounding it because the truth is, the doctors don't really know how to 'cure' it. You make it through the shock, then the treatments, whether that's surgery (often and likely in breast cancer) and then possibly radiation and chemo and immunotherapy and targeted therapy and.............the AI drugs. It feels like the onslaught of bad news and feeling bad will never stop. I lost seven pounds before I ever had surgery (stress) and then another 20 after surgery. I'm not complaining about the weight loss, I needed to drop those pounds (and that's the only good thing that I got from cancer so far).

It does get better!!!!! It's never a happy, unicorns dancing in a field of flowers near a golden rainbow thing...but it does get better. But it takes time. I had to wrap my head around 'why me', 'will it come back', 'will I feel awful like this forever',

I had complications during surgery and complications after surgery and lymphedema (which was corrected with revision surgery). That was all in the first 1 1/2 ...but now, 3 1/2 years in, I still worry, things are different for me, but I don't think about it all the time anymore.

I am settled with my decision not to get reconstruction and with not taking the AI's but it took a long time to process and accept my decisions. I didn't want to compromise my day to day well being but I also don't want to die from cancer. The choice is very, very tough.

Two things to consider: It's not an 'all or nothing' decision. You can try the AI's and see how you react. You can try 3 or 4 of them (I did) to see how they affect you and what you can manage and live with. And you can work with your doctor and other survivors to manage side effects or process your decision not to take them. The hardest part is having to make the decision between two sometimes bad choices. And.............breast cancer is one of the cancers with good outcomes for many. I prefer this to a cancer where the 'part' cannot be easily removed .....pancreas, liver, bones, blood.........We can remove our breasts or parts of them and still live normal lives, not so much our small intestine, say..... Those are the last words my surgeon told me as we went into surgery (I was very nervous).......she said, 'just be glad I'm not removing your pancreas'....ha ha.....it stuck with me
Keeping breast cancer from spreading to your bones or brain or lung or liver or..........that's a strong consideration for being as aggressive as you can be without ruining your day to day life.

And finally, the survivor rate of 5 and 10 years for breast cancer patients is very high. Don't forget to read those posts and articles as well. It helps to find glimmers of hope wherever you can.

Hugs..........the decisions are really tough. This Mayo site has been a real blessing for me....from the moderators to all the wonderful people here who are quick to lend and ear and share.