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Pity Party (just a short one!!) - Side effect woes.

koponen
koponen
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I'm a glass half full kind of person.  Great love, humor,...

koponen

Sunday, October 19, 2008
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Hi Everybody, It has been a bit of a tough couple of months.   First of all the tamoxifin was a no-go...it made me very sick...running to the bathroom...nausea, diarrhea...kind of sick...so they switched me to arimadex...now I am having major joint pain, headaches...and did I mention the blis...
  1. side effects
    Perla
    Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 10:50 PM

    I started on the Arimidex last October, and what a year it was, bilateral mastectomies, chemo and radiation and then Arimidex.  I had to take off from my business for 9 months and that span of time with full payroll for a small business was a real burden.  I went back to work last October and have been struggling with my desire to do something else with my time now that I was able to get through the 20 firewalks that chemo turned out to be.

    My hair came back curly and now it's thinning from the Arimidex but having lost my hair was not a problem.

    I just visualize complete cure, excellent health and just cope with the depression, insomnia, bone pain and impatience.  What an experience cancer can be!!!.

    Keep on keeping on!!!!take good care.

    Reply
    re: side effects
    koponen
    Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 11:06 PM

    Perla,

    I was just reading your sharepost!!  Sounds like we are feeling very similar things.  I, too, am looking at changing my business "focus".  I have this need now to "make a difference"....very trite! Ha!! 

     

    But I own an advertising/production house...and my heart just isn't in making car commercials right now...I only want to work on things that mean something....I only want to work with people who are ethical, good, nice, caring, givers and not takers....boy, does this sound really stupid!!!  But I feel like life is too short and too precious to waste time with anything else. 

     

    Your post talked about how hard the arimidex is on you....I'm going to talk to my doctor next week at infusion...I'm not sure it's worth it...I feel terrible!!  If nothing else I might go off it for a month and re-challenge later...I need a break!!

     

    Thanks for the support---right back at you!!!!!!!

    Take care,

    Koponen

    Reply
    re: re: side effects
    Perla
    Monday, October 20, 2008 at 10:07 AM

    Hello back at you....I was remembering when I went back to my shop in October and the customers said very solicitously "are you better?" and then "WHERE'S MY STUFF".  I would have closed my doors then and there but fortunately I was able to relax enough to make a sounder decision and wait.  The store has been on the market for 2 years but we live in a rural area and with this "change" in the real estate market, I've not had any offers.

    I only have 53 million seconds left on my lease and making serious plans to pay off my debts and close my doors by then.

    The data supports the effectiveness of Arimidex so I want to be clear that I'm taking it for life affirming reasons not out of fear.  There is a website on Arimidex where women write in their opinion of it.  Very mixed, some women are practically bed ridden so I know that I'm actually probably tolerating it better than others.  It's between the side effects of the medication and the effects of lacking estrogen which my body would really like to have. 

    My focus now is being the moment and finding value in every little ordinary thing of each of my days.  It's hard to explain to anyone how aware I am what has changed for me.  I feel most days like my bra is too tight...just a reminder of my own skin I guess.

    I'm glad we connected and are figuring out how to do meaningful things with our time.

    Have a great day.

    Perla

    Reply
  2. Side affects
    judith watson
    Friday, October 24, 2008 at 06:08 PM

    I lost all my hair after my second dose of chemo.  My hair fell out in one lump while I was having a shower it looked like a wig in my hand WOW what a shock, but it grew back again, and like yours, it was so curly I could not do anything with it

    Now it has gone back to how it was before the chemo STRAIGHT.

    As for the Medication afterwards, they will all have side affects.

    I am on Arimadex, and I have aches and pains, but when I weight it all up, I would rather live with a few extra aches and pains than not live at all

    Just to wake up everyday and have a choice

    Besides whats a few extra aches and pains we will get them sooner or later anyway

     

    Reply
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