Hi Mary1,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am glad to hear that you have had your lumpectomy and I hope that you are recovering well. i am sorry to hear that you feel so worried about taking Anastrozole. Many cancers feed on oestrogen, which is why we are given hormone suppressants. All of the hormone suppressants carry side-effects of some sort or other. Many are very similar to one another. I didn't have Anastrozole, but I had Letrozole, which is also an aromatase inhibitor, given to post-menopausal women. Not everyone gets the side-effects and some people sail through treatment without any problems. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of these people and I had a number of the side-effects that you've read about. Ask yourself how you'd feel if you refused this treatment and your cancer recurred - would you then regret not having tried it?

I had 2 bouts of breast cancer within a year of one another. I initially took Tamoxifen for the first year, but changed to Letrozole, when I found the second cancer in the same breast. I took Letrozole for 6½ years. Despite having side-effects, I would do it all again, if I had to. So far, this has afforded me an extra 14 years and I still lead a busy and fulfilling life. Have you had your post-op results yet and do you know if any of your lymph nodes were involved? Have you mentioned how you feel to your consultant or breast care nurse? It is certainly worth doing this. Before you speak to them, write down any questions you have to ensure that you don't miss any important ones.

The decision at the end of the day is yours and I hope that you come up with the right one for you. Please keep in touch and let us know what you decide. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx