Hi there

Sorry to hear about your mums diagnosis.

I am due to start Letrozole after my mastectomy next week.

I have heard lots of negative things about Letrozole but bearing in mind most of us won’t get all the symptoms or if we do they will be bearable.

Its a worry I know,I’m really fit and healthy at 57 and think oh no taking tablets for years do I want to but then if it gives me some more years cancer free then it’s worth trying.

I had my first cancer in 1991 and didn’t take tamoxifen as there was no proof then that at my young age it wouldnt help me and I didn’t want to have an early menopause, and wanted to have children which luckily I did.This cancer isn’t linked to that one just unlucky again I guess.

I hope all goes well with your mum, and if letroxole isn’t right for her there are other drugs out there,I think the key thing is not to suffer and let the medical team know.

x

Hello there, thankyou for responding back and i hope your operation goes without hitches, yes it is a worry all these meds as mum has never taken anything before....not even a painkiller and she has always been fit and healthy, she is starting the tablet tomorrow morning after her breakfast and is being postive minded, we are al being very supportive and just want to give this cancer a good run for it's money now!! 

Mum is not having a masectomy or chemo as the oncologists want mum to have the tablets and some radiation to reduce the mass and control it.

Just getting use to all the medical appointments and endless blood tests now.

Good luck for next week and keep in touch-would love to know how you get along with the meds.xxx

Hi Michelle,

I'm sorry to hear about your Mum, I started taking Letrozole in February when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. There is a long list of possible side effects but I have not suffered from any of them. I take mine first thing in the morning as it then gives me the rest of the day if I forget. I have taken it with and without food and found this makes no difference. 

Hope this helps xx

Hi there nanasue thankyou and sorry to hear of your diagnosis too, i really do hope it is going aswell as expected for you, thankyou very encouraging words from you and i am happy you are managing the letrozole, mum has taken her 1st tablet this morning after breakfast as she thought if she did have any little hitches then she could plod along through them instead of her bedtime and loosing more sleep.

Thankyou and postive thinking.xx

Lovely to hear from you, nanasue how is the radiotherapy going? Mums Oncologist is holding back on the radiation a little -he wants to see how mum is responding to letrozole, are you having sympton-itchy skin, soreness, pain? Do you go once a week? Hope you are ok to talk about it? 

Mum has taken her 2nd tablet today and no probs so far but early days.xx

Hello rmichelle, good to hear your Mum has not had any problems yet with the tablets. The radiotherapy is going well. I was advised by a friend who had gone through this to moisturise 2-3 times a day before starting the sessions and I think this has helped. I get a little bit of itchy ness and that’s about it so far. I’ve found Aveena moisturiser to be very good. I am having 15 sessions in total, Monday to Fridays and the appointment takes about 10 mins (most of that getting me in the right position). However, from leaving the house to getting home can take about 2.5 hours as the hospital is about 20 miles away and is huge! 

Have they said how many sessions your mum will need? xx

Hi there, thankyou for sharing your experience, this is great info about the moisturising and glad you are coping well with your sessions. The oncologist did mention briefly that he will be using radiation at a later stage and just said a few sessions 3 times a week but he did not expand any further, that 1st appointment was very hard going as everything is very new still and a learning curb for us but i dare say we will get to grips with everything 

I know what you mean about the travelling for us it is the same around a 12 mil journey but we always stop off at one of the garden centre's on the way back for a well deserved cuppa.

Have a good evening Nanasue.x

Good Luck with the treatments girls hopefully they all go smoothly.

My radiotherapy many years ago was 20 sessions, and I was fine all the way through didn’t feel any of the symptoms they warned me about.

Only “problem “was later on when I was breast feeding, the  cancer boob was tiny as it didn’t produce any milk and the non cancer was twice the size compensating for the other it was a strange look !

I will follow with interest all your letrozole findings and let you know how I get on .

Look after yourselves x

Hiya Pug07

Thankyou for joining in more the plenty eh, thats really encouraging that your sessions went really well and all them years ago to, i am showing my mum these conversations as it gives so much hope and positivity that you can live with cancer. 

Loved the little story about your breastfeeding thats lovely that you shared that with me.

We are so blessed to have found this forum.xx