Hi Ladies
I was dx in early Dec with 3cm high grade DCIS. I had to wait until 16/2 for mx/recon which found an area of invasive grade 2 cancer in amongst the DCIS (was this due to the delay in surgery - I will never know!). As I am HER2 neg and ER pos I have been told I will not need chemo but will have Zoladex injections as I am pre-menopausal and daily Arimidex tablets. I can’t have Tamoxifen as I had this 13yrs ago with a previous breast cancer on the same side (no family history). What experiences do you all have of these therapies.
Take care
Lemoncake
x
Hi Lemoncake
I was on these therapies last year, but not for that long.
My experience of Arimidex was that it gave me painful joints, especially hands and feet. Once I’d got going I was ok, but if I then sat down for any length of time, they would seize up again. They were worse first thing in the morning.
The Zoladex was fine, dont remember any side effects from it. The worse thing really was the anticipation of the injection. I did find sitting up to have it was better than lying down.
Hope it goes well for you
Love Jane
Hello Lemoncake,
I am on a similar combination - Zoladex and Letrozole, which as you probably know is just another AI.
The combination has been ok. I also take daily calcium and glucosamine. I get sore hands especially in t the morning, they feel creaky and stiff and swollen. It gets better during the day. Like Jane I am stiffer overall than before.
I have not had problems with hot flushes, or at least nothing that is a problem for me. But I do think my memory has been slightly impaired - I forget things I would never have forgotten before. But then that could also be down to the major stress of having had 2 BCs in less than a year, and the long process of rebuilding mental stamina again.
I hope it works ok for you. There have been quite a few threads on Zoladex recently.
C2010
hi lemoncake,
pre menapausal women can take arimidex as well then, i hadnt heard about this until last week.
Thanks for your comments ladies. Did you use cream before the Zoladex? If so what is it called, I read about it on a thread but I don’t know where to find it now.
Tommyticklemouse - I presume its because I will have the Zoladex injections which will bring on the menopause (I think).
Take care
Lemoncake
x
Lemoncake - the cream is Emla cream - I haven’t used it because I don’t find the injection painful, but a lot of women on that thread earlier this month recommended it.
Tommyticklemouse - as Lemoncake says, you can have Arimidex if you have not had your menopause if you take the Zoladex as well which shuts down ovarian function ie makes you post menopausal. I don’t think it is the first line of treatment in pre menopausal women because there are a lot of downsides to a premature menopause. In my case it is because Tamoxifen was not effective and I had a new primary 6 months after a mastectomy.
C2010
Thanks Claire2010. I asked my doctor to prescribe it but she said that at my surgery they do a local aneasetic injection instead.
Take care
Lemoncake
x