I have a problem. I don’t know what my oncologist is talking about and she seems the same about me. We are on different planets forsooth.
I think I had a tumour of about 2cm let’s say 2.1 and one lymph node was next to it in my breast as I have rare intramammary lymph nodes. From this I conclude I may be 2B.
This issue was not discussed today. I just tried to talk to her about the Predict model but it was clear as I said it that I didn’t understand it myself and she thought it was irrelevant as the MDT follows protocols and I am on a protocol that says I should take letrozole for 5 years, two large ADCALD3 tablets a day, and once every six months have an infusion of Bisphonates.
Before I was diagnosed I was eating healthily, including foods that are good for bones, taking load bearing exercise daily, and of course lots of oestrogen was coursing round my veins.
I have been taking letrozole for about two months now. I have had one bisphosphonate treatment.
Since writing the earlier paragraphs I have been taking letrozole for six months. I am still as confused as ever, but now I have been maddened by the AdCal3 instructions on avoiding various foods with fibre for two hours before and after consumption.
I did have another call from my oncologist and she said to ignore these. I was so fed up I said I wasn’t taking any drugs from now on. I like oestrogen, it has many positive aspects especially the older you get, as it helps bone strength and heart function. Well that’s my belief.
I’m afraid that for those of us with hormone receptive breast cancer oestrogen is not a positive and like it or not we have to suppress it with drugs . It’s what keeps us cancer-free
You have a harsh tone and intractable views, it seems. Yes, oestrogen feeds cancer cells. However, oestrogen also keeps many bodily functions working healthily. Without oestrogen, these go wrong. It’s a trade off.
Not all of us have blind faith in oncologists (or feel we are receiving advice tailored to our own specific case) because they do have an agenda. Their raison d’etre is to throw all the drugs they can at cancer to try to slightly improve your chance of survival, but these do not necessarily keep us cancer free. They are tools in the box but they do not carry any guarantee.
These drugs also carry risks of their own (and I’m not talking about the regular side effects, from which some people suffer far more than others). They can cause devastating, permanent damage or other cancers themselves.
There is a good chance that one incidence of a primary cancer is the only brush most of us will have. Obviously, most of these fortunate people would not be posting ad infinitum on cancer forums.
It’s not “pretty simple” as you claimed in another of your posts. Cancer is a highly complex subject. Some of us research issues of particular concern for ourselves and come to different conclusions regarding which risks they find more acceptable. You: "Like it or not … " None of us has to do anything. It is a personal choice, always a very difficult one. It is not about being sensible because there is no obvious silver bullet.
This forum is a welcoming space where people are encouraged to seek help, share experiences, support each other and consider alternative views.
I keep up with posts but am having a rest from active debate for a while. However, your curt delivery and high-handed remarks compelled me to respond to pull you up. Be gentle, please.
I’m sorry if I offended . However over the last five years since I was diagnosed I have seen many posts suggesting that opting out of oestrogen blockers is optional and yes of course it is . However I watched my sister die of secondary breast cancer in her liver only three years after primary treatment and maybe that is why I am so evangelical about listening to the medics . Her cancer was ‘caught early ‘ but she didn’t have chemo and stopped taking Tamoxifen due to the side effects . She died at 51 , what has helped me through all this is the logic and the science of it all so actually I have done the research . I haven’t seen anything suggesting Letrozole is insignificant in fact it’s a key indicator when thinking about long-term survival which is what we all want . I accept I did put things too blintly and I apologise for that however my own experience is that not listening to advice can be a very dangerous thing to do . Hope you make the right decision for you
Your more considered reply is appreciated. Of course we all factor in our own personal, family and friends’ experiences and we all have to try to judge which / whose advice we feel chimes best with our own instinct. Good luck to us all in rolling the dice.