Postpone Femara?

alessia
alessia Member Posts: 40
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello, what if I postpone Femara to after rads?
Has anyone of you ladies done this?
THNX
«1

Comments

  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    Hi Alessia. I don't know if
    Hi Alessia. I don't know if you can or not. That would be up to your oncologist, radiation oncologist and yourself. I am not on Femara, so, I don't know. Good luck to you!

    Leeza
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    jnl said:

    Hi Alessia. I don't know if
    Hi Alessia. I don't know if you can or not. That would be up to your oncologist, radiation oncologist and yourself. I am not on Femara, so, I don't know. Good luck to you!

    Leeza

    hi

    thanks for your reply. my med oncologist is a drag and answered "do what you want"!
    that i surely did not need to hear. how rude.
    i'll check with my radiation oncologist once i begin my rads - he's a nice guy.
    by the way, your photo is the cutest :)
    hugs, alessia
  • Derbygirl
    Derbygirl Member Posts: 198
    Not sure why you want to
    Not sure why you want to postpone Femara, but I would think it's due to side effects. Please remember there are minimal s/e from rads (most common complaints are burns and fatigue). I took Femara during Rads and it took about one month before s/e started. Everyone reacts differently to meds and it's a matter of choice as to when and if you start Femara. Good luck with your decision.
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    Derbygirl said:

    Not sure why you want to
    Not sure why you want to postpone Femara, but I would think it's due to side effects. Please remember there are minimal s/e from rads (most common complaints are burns and fatigue). I took Femara during Rads and it took about one month before s/e started. Everyone reacts differently to meds and it's a matter of choice as to when and if you start Femara. Good luck with your decision.

    Not sure why you want to


    hi, cute dog there :) i have a long haired chihuahua who is the doggie of my eye!
    thanks so much for your reply. i suppose after all the researching, talking to
    ladies, discussion boards i really should consider taking the femara like right now.
    although i am aware that side effects differ from patient to patient, can you tell me about your femara side effects and for how long you've been taking it.
    i would really appreciate hearing from you.
    warm hugs, alessia
  • arbojenn
    arbojenn Member Posts: 118
    alessia said:

    Not sure why you want to


    hi, cute dog there :) i have a long haired chihuahua who is the doggie of my eye!
    thanks so much for your reply. i suppose after all the researching, talking to
    ladies, discussion boards i really should consider taking the femara like right now.
    although i am aware that side effects differ from patient to patient, can you tell me about your femara side effects and for how long you've been taking it.
    i would really appreciate hearing from you.
    warm hugs, alessia

    Hey, alessia!
    I start rads

    Hey, alessia!

    I start rads next week and I am going to continue with Femara throughout. I was on it prior to surgery so I already know my s/e from the Femara are minimal: hot flashes and insomnia. I had recurrent breast cancer and was able to SEE my tumors on my reconstructed breast. I also got to WATCH THEM SHRINK when I started the Femara. So, I am DEFINITELY going to continue with the Femara. (Didn't take it with the original cancer as it wasn't widely used then.) Best of luck!
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    arbojenn said:

    Hey, alessia!
    I start rads

    Hey, alessia!

    I start rads next week and I am going to continue with Femara throughout. I was on it prior to surgery so I already know my s/e from the Femara are minimal: hot flashes and insomnia. I had recurrent breast cancer and was able to SEE my tumors on my reconstructed breast. I also got to WATCH THEM SHRINK when I started the Femara. So, I am DEFINITELY going to continue with the Femara. (Didn't take it with the original cancer as it wasn't widely used then.) Best of luck!

    Femara
    Arbojenn, thanks for posting that you were able to actually see the Femara working with your tumors. When it was discovered that my cancer has mets to bone in 3 areas, the dr started me on Femara. Because I never have felt "bad", and have had no bone pain, I couldn't help wondering if or how much it was working to shrink the tumors. Sharing your experience has given me a great deal of comfort. I expect to begin rads very soon. The doctor has not said anything about stopping the Femara. However, if he says it's up to me...I know for certain I will be continuing with it. Hugs to you. Gracie
  • AMP47
    AMP47 Member Posts: 1
    Postpone Femara
    THNX - the standard in my area is to wait until surgery heals to start rads and wait until rads are complete to start Femara.
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    AMP47 said:

    Postpone Femara
    THNX - the standard in my area is to wait until surgery heals to start rads and wait until rads are complete to start Femara.

    Postpone Femara


    hi, thanks so much for your reply.
    can you tell me where you are located since you wrote in "my area".
    very interested.
    also, have you had surgery, done rads and then femara?
    warm hugs, alessia
  • sgamtd
    sgamtd Member Posts: 124
    alessia said:

    Postpone Femara


    hi, thanks so much for your reply.
    can you tell me where you are located since you wrote in "my area".
    very interested.
    also, have you had surgery, done rads and then femara?
    warm hugs, alessia

    FEMARA
    Hi, every time I see a post about Femara I read it because it is in my future to take for 5 years. I had lumpectomy in July, started radiation in Sept, will finish rads early Nov, and am scheduled to start femara when done with rads. So I suppose in my area, Texas, it's done that way, or it could be other factors, tumors size, the % of ER positive the tumor was, I really don't know. My pathology report for the estrogen receptor test shows the results as: 95% of tumor cells with 3+ nuclear stain intensity.
    Alessia, sorry I could not be any help on this subject.
    sgamtd
  • dmc_emmy
    dmc_emmy Member Posts: 549
    alessia said:

    Postpone Femara


    hi, thanks so much for your reply.
    can you tell me where you are located since you wrote in "my area".
    very interested.
    also, have you had surgery, done rads and then femara?
    warm hugs, alessia

    alessia-same here...
    the meds, regardless as to whether it is tamoxifin, femara,... start after rads. However, I have found that every dr treat this BC differenty. Odd as it may seem, one would think that there would be some consistency--maybe it's because every case is so different?
    dmc
  • Tux
    Tux Member Posts: 544
    dmc_emmy said:

    alessia-same here...
    the meds, regardless as to whether it is tamoxifin, femara,... start after rads. However, I have found that every dr treat this BC differenty. Odd as it may seem, one would think that there would be some consistency--maybe it's because every case is so different?
    dmc

    The standard in my area
    The standard in my area (Midwest) seems to be surgery, rads, then meds like femera, tamoxifen, or arimedex (sp?). This was my sequence - did not need chemo--I have only been on tamoxifen for 5 days, but have had no side effects (yet).
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    Tux said:

    The standard in my area
    The standard in my area (Midwest) seems to be surgery, rads, then meds like femera, tamoxifen, or arimedex (sp?). This was my sequence - did not need chemo--I have only been on tamoxifen for 5 days, but have had no side effects (yet).

    Postpone Femara


    good morning ladies :)
    have received so much information from all of you - thanks so very much.
    ok now, i have decided (finally). will begin femara after rads.
    come on now, what could possibly happen? recurrence in 2 months?
    doubt that since the rads will be doing the job to keep me safe enough.
    love all of you, alessia
  • sgamtd
    sgamtd Member Posts: 124
    alessia said:

    Postpone Femara


    good morning ladies :)
    have received so much information from all of you - thanks so very much.
    ok now, i have decided (finally). will begin femara after rads.
    come on now, what could possibly happen? recurrence in 2 months?
    doubt that since the rads will be doing the job to keep me safe enough.
    love all of you, alessia

    Femara
    Alessia, I think thats a good plan for anyone, my reasoning is this: (some do say I am a little daffy, lol)
    The radiation is doing one job-destroying cancer cells. so let it do it's job.
    Then after rads, take the femara so no potential new cancer cells can feed off the estrogen that is in our bodies. So one treatment at a time is what I was told for my situation. Each treatment has side effects for some of us, and dealing with one at a time seems reasonable.
    Good luck
    sgamtd
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    sgamtd said:

    Femara
    Alessia, I think thats a good plan for anyone, my reasoning is this: (some do say I am a little daffy, lol)
    The radiation is doing one job-destroying cancer cells. so let it do it's job.
    Then after rads, take the femara so no potential new cancer cells can feed off the estrogen that is in our bodies. So one treatment at a time is what I was told for my situation. Each treatment has side effects for some of us, and dealing with one at a time seems reasonable.
    Good luck
    sgamtd

    Femara


    hi, thanks for your feed back. geez, everyone has been
    insisting i.e. family, friends! turning the whole thing
    into a nightmare. truly, who else but me knows how i'm
    feeling and the importance of comfort level that needs to be
    reached before making a decision re meds? come on people,
    thank the good lord that i'm stage 1, no nodule involvement,
    no metastasis so what's the big rush? allow me the time
    to decide please.
    much love, alessia
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143
    Alessia,
    I am not on hormonals, but I wanted to add a few things. Aside from the issue of what is standard of care, I would be careful about postponing only because of potential side effects. If your doctors think that beginning Femera concurrently with radiation might give you an advantage, then look closely at that. You may have no side effects or very mild ones. Weigh the potential risk of side effects against the potential advantage.

    Another thing: it is your oncologist's job to inform you of your options, answer your questions and concerns, and advise you on the right course given your type of breast cancer and your personal preferences. Saying, "do what you want" sounds defensive and unhelpful. You are not being a pest; you are a patient who needs and deserves to be heard and respected, no matter what. Please speak to him or her about this. This is a long-term relationship and you want to be sure you're with the right person. Good luck!

    Mimi
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    mimivac said:

    Alessia,
    I am not on hormonals, but I wanted to add a few things. Aside from the issue of what is standard of care, I would be careful about postponing only because of potential side effects. If your doctors think that beginning Femera concurrently with radiation might give you an advantage, then look closely at that. You may have no side effects or very mild ones. Weigh the potential risk of side effects against the potential advantage.

    Another thing: it is your oncologist's job to inform you of your options, answer your questions and concerns, and advise you on the right course given your type of breast cancer and your personal preferences. Saying, "do what you want" sounds defensive and unhelpful. You are not being a pest; you are a patient who needs and deserves to be heard and respected, no matter what. Please speak to him or her about this. This is a long-term relationship and you want to be sure you're with the right person. Good luck!

    Mimi

    Mimi


    Thanks so much for your post and concern. I am on this
    roller coaster ride - femara yes now/femara not now but
    after rads. It's pretty awful.
    Getting in touch with the meds onc is pratically impossible
    and she's so awful. She gives the cure and no if, ands and buts!
    Thinking seriously of taking the femara now since my cousin
    who works at Columbia U. Neurological/Cancer institute is saying
    that doing both rads and femara concurrently is a must.
    Trying to figure myself out - why am I hesitating?
    Warm hugs, Alessia
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143
    alessia said:

    Mimi


    Thanks so much for your post and concern. I am on this
    roller coaster ride - femara yes now/femara not now but
    after rads. It's pretty awful.
    Getting in touch with the meds onc is pratically impossible
    and she's so awful. She gives the cure and no if, ands and buts!
    Thinking seriously of taking the femara now since my cousin
    who works at Columbia U. Neurological/Cancer institute is saying
    that doing both rads and femara concurrently is a must.
    Trying to figure myself out - why am I hesitating?
    Warm hugs, Alessia

    Rollar coaster
    Yes, the rollar coaster aspect is familiar. These are not easy decisions or unemotional ones. I would suggest two things: 1) get a second opinion from another oncologist. Maybe your cousin could recommend someone. Write down all your questions and ask them at the meeting. Maybe you will even come away with a new permanent doctor; 2) make a list of pros and cons of taking Femera now versus after radiation. Make a decision based on this and the opinions of your medical team and discuss your decision and the reasons with your oncologist. Let go of the idea that there is one right answer. There's only a considered choice given what you know and how you feel. You're doing your best. No one knows what is 100% right. Good luck, and let us know.

    Mimi
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    mimivac said:

    Rollar coaster
    Yes, the rollar coaster aspect is familiar. These are not easy decisions or unemotional ones. I would suggest two things: 1) get a second opinion from another oncologist. Maybe your cousin could recommend someone. Write down all your questions and ask them at the meeting. Maybe you will even come away with a new permanent doctor; 2) make a list of pros and cons of taking Femera now versus after radiation. Make a decision based on this and the opinions of your medical team and discuss your decision and the reasons with your oncologist. Let go of the idea that there is one right answer. There's only a considered choice given what you know and how you feel. You're doing your best. No one knows what is 100% right. Good luck, and let us know.

    Mimi

    Rollar coaster


    Point being is that I live in Rome, Italy (ex-pat) and the doctors here
    "walk on water"! Further, the NHS is in place. Inasmuch as complete
    coverage it's great but you don't get personalized
    care. In other words, a team is in place but rotates. You may or may
    not get to see the original meds onc next time you go in or if
    you want, you can wait a month or so to see that very doctor!
    I've discovered that the approach
    to cancer patients is beginning to up-date to the american system
    which has had far better results doctor/patient relationship.
    Until they do that well I have no choice but to follow what they
    offer right now!
    Pretty difficult over here. I'm planning to talk to the rads onc
    once I begin my rads treatment OR just start taking the Femara
    and hope for the least side effects.
    Another thing, getting to the institute every single day comports
    a 4 hour r/t, public transportation from where I live! This is why
    I am concerned about doing both treatments concurrently.
    Really stuck, Alessia
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143
    alessia said:

    Rollar coaster


    Point being is that I live in Rome, Italy (ex-pat) and the doctors here
    "walk on water"! Further, the NHS is in place. Inasmuch as complete
    coverage it's great but you don't get personalized
    care. In other words, a team is in place but rotates. You may or may
    not get to see the original meds onc next time you go in or if
    you want, you can wait a month or so to see that very doctor!
    I've discovered that the approach
    to cancer patients is beginning to up-date to the american system
    which has had far better results doctor/patient relationship.
    Until they do that well I have no choice but to follow what they
    offer right now!
    Pretty difficult over here. I'm planning to talk to the rads onc
    once I begin my rads treatment OR just start taking the Femara
    and hope for the least side effects.
    Another thing, getting to the institute every single day comports
    a 4 hour r/t, public transportation from where I live! This is why
    I am concerned about doing both treatments concurrently.
    Really stuck, Alessia

    I see
    You do have a difficult situation, Alessia. Still, I would keep talking to the doctors, even if they are different ones each time. Make them see you as a human being. As you said, the doctor/patient relationship in Europeon countries is transforming. You may land upon one that treats you differently/better at some point. As for the difficulties of taking both radiation and Femera at the same time -- well, Femera is taken orally, so you wouldn't exactly have to go in for treatments. Plus if you start it now, you can talk to your radiation oncologist about the side effects. And remember you may not have any. If you do, you can always experiment with a different drug until you hit upon the right one. I know it seems like an uphill battle, but you will figure it out.

    Mimi
  • alessia
    alessia Member Posts: 40
    mimivac said:

    I see
    You do have a difficult situation, Alessia. Still, I would keep talking to the doctors, even if they are different ones each time. Make them see you as a human being. As you said, the doctor/patient relationship in Europeon countries is transforming. You may land upon one that treats you differently/better at some point. As for the difficulties of taking both radiation and Femera at the same time -- well, Femera is taken orally, so you wouldn't exactly have to go in for treatments. Plus if you start it now, you can talk to your radiation oncologist about the side effects. And remember you may not have any. If you do, you can always experiment with a different drug until you hit upon the right one. I know it seems like an uphill battle, but you will figure it out.

    Mimi

    Hello

    I just finished reading your profile story. You are truly a lovely lady and I
    am sorry for your troubles. Hang in there it's not over until we say over!
    Your story inspired me to write my own profile story and I invite you to read it.
    Thanks so much for your support Mimi and I hope that I can be just as supportive
    for you.
    Will keep you posted and again thank you for all the good advice.
    Warm hugs, Alessia