14 Mar 2012

I've been on Femara (Letrozole) for little over a year now (1st post appears below) 12 Mar 2011. First I think the price is absolutely ridiculous when there are so many millions of women with breast cancer! However, My symptoms were horrific when I first started the drug. I was very disappointed and depressed over the side effects & my quality of life was quite diminished, but, gradually, as I recovered from the surgeries, about 6 months, I made some changes, with the help of God, family & friends...I take the Femara at bedtime or late in the evening. This seems to eliminate the worst of the aching/pain of the muscles and bones. I have noticed that the joints of my jaws by my ears crack and pop alot now. Never bothered with that before. Sometimes my mouth doesn't want to close.... Dr. started me on calcium supplement. I also have a sore in my mouth that never healed. Cancer? don't know? Caused by chemo? Maybe. Caused by other meds, maybe. The hot flashes begin about 1 hour after I take Femara. Maybe 2 or 3 a nite. And I notice one or two just before it's time to take it. But am free of them thruout the day. I still have days of muscle and bone pain....but very tolerable and very seldom take any pain medication as the pain is fleeting from one place to another. I have a lot of trouble with my left shoulder, but with pain, have full motion. I Notice more lite headaches occasionally and short term memory is really a mess. I feel like I have alzheimer's sometimes! Still have right sided rib cage pain at times that really is uncomfortable and upper arm pain and upper leg pain and foot pain. I always take my medication with milk and eat something so do not have a problem with nausea. Besides my regular medications, I have added some vitamins. C, Calcium, D3, Lysine, and Fish Oil. When I'm feeling really tired...add B complex as well. Am I cancer free??? No idea. My last CA27-29 was 12.5. It was only 14.3 or so when I had full blown cancer. Expensive test...not very reliable. So stopped having it done also. (By the way, up to 40 is normal for that test)!!!!! I tell everyone "I'm healed 'til I die"! That's my outlook! I refuse to let it get me down. Instead of dwelling on death and dying, I'm dwelling on life and living knowing with satisfaction that God is my refuge. Still no insurance, no personal income,....not seeing oncologist anymore, never did see radiologist, and have had no testing since April of 2011 (one month after 1st posting) when I had DVT (blood clots in groin, very pain ful down in calf of leg and behind knee) in my right leg and am now on warfarin as well. Figure the" rat poisoning: is more dangerous than the femara. Looking back on all of this....I would have chosen a double mastectomy the first time.....as for Femara....wouldn't recommend it...but wouldn't discourage it either now, although the side effects are horrific for the first several months of taking it if you take it in the day time. It's a choice only a person with cancer can make. As cancer patients, we won't live long enough to know if the drug was any good or just a placebo!!! As for my lack of boobs. No big deal. The brain does not recognize they are gone!!! Only my eyes do! If in 5 years the FDA decides, I, as one of the guinea pigs, died from some now unknown side effect, then I pray the people responsible for getting the drug to market ask God for forgiveness before they, too, die! I would have to say the worst part about all of this is....no energy....no full day of feeling really good....and the constant fleeting stabbing pains here and there, but never lasting long, and the short term memory loss! As for insomnia...I have that also "racing thoughts"....my doctor has prescribed Restoril for sleep &.it works great.. But it is very addictive and there are horrible side effects if you run out of medicine. I would try a natural supplement from pharmacist before even thinking about this Resteril, if I knew then what i know now! Many times just getting our mind to quit thinking about the cancer at first is the hardest part of dealing with it. As for aging...I too feel like I've aged 20 years in the past 3. I'd like to blame the Femara...but figure rather it is just the stress which we shouldn't be under!!!!!

—Posted by Debija60

11 Mar 2012

femara has aged me 20 years.no quality of life due to bone and muscle pain and insomnia

—Posted by Anonymous

12 Mar 2011

Is Femara worth it? Have no idea! Does anyone really know? I doubt it! I think you are either lucky and cancer does not return....or you're unlucky and it returns with or without the medication! Personally, Have had worsened hot flashes, chills, night sweats, frontal headaches that last for 4 or 5 days, rib cage pain, requiring muscle relaxers and pain med at times,...right sided from bottom to collar bone area and sometimes thruout back area/shoulders. Most discomfort seems to be in the muscles/tendons, etc., rather than the bones. Leg and foot cramps, mild memory loss or inability to stay focused on tasks, joint pain at knees especially right sided and shoulders, (I'm left handed! Also will add here that I'm post 15 months lumpectomy with return and now post 5 months double mastectomy and 4 months partial nephrectomy (renal cell) (found on pre-op tests for Mast....Seriously considering stopping meds for better quality, possibly shorter life. Also insurance running out & price of medication without insurance....560 dollars for 30 pills!! Only affordable for rich people. And who is rich anymore? Retirement almost gone already! People with cancer...not financially comfortable very long. Cancer surgery runs between 20,000 and 100,000 dollars each!! Chemo 1100 to 11,000 per treatment and radiation 65,000 for 35 treatments! Try finding affordable insurance after you've lost your job due to cancer! Yea....impossible....who cares if it's 10,000 deductible...might as well be 1,000,000 and cost???? 1100-1800 a month for medical insurance! Discouraging? You bet! Worth it???? Not so much! I'm told, tho, that Femara has less side effects than tamoxifen....not much experience with that...had an Aunt on it for 2 years....died of metastasized breast cancer anyway.

—Posted by Debija58