HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Questions about Anastrozole and Neuropathy (as separate issues)

Lucy · 11-30-2014, 10:11 AM

Thanks ladies for the good information.

Yes Debbie, my levels were low (7%). I was told that up to a year ago the drug was given to those with 10% or greater. Less than that it was considered unnecessary. I asked my doctor about this when she prescribed it and she said that it was true but that new guidelines indicated that anyone with any hormone levels should take it, so she was recommending it to me.

I don't want to miss any opportunity offered to keep a recurrence or spread of the cancer away but I also don't want to experience long term side effects if I can avoid it. My tests were initially done at my local hospital but then transferred to MD Anderson in Houston. I do know that they did their own independent tests to confirm HER2+ but I have no idea if they confirmed the hormone levels. Guess that's another question for Wednesday.

As for the muscle weakness, I never in a million years thought it was chemo related but I told the nurse about is so that they would know everything going on with my body. She was like "yeah, that's the chemo". When I asked her why this wasn't in the possible side effects she said they waited to see if the patients mentioned them. I really went off on her because I had had eye surgery a week before I started chemo (with all my doctor's knowledge and consent) and no one had thought it was important to mention that the chemo can mess with your vision . . . I'd thought the surgery had gone wrong, until they told me it was chemo related. Normally I would feel bad about going off on someone like I did but this was the same nurse who told me she didn't feel my vomiting was chemo related . . . it was probably just stress. (picture me rolling my eyes here)

11-30-2014, 10:11 AM	#6
Lucy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 293	Re: Questions about Anastrozole and Neuropathy (as separate issues) Thanks ladies for the good information. Yes Debbie, my levels were low (7%). I was told that up to a year ago the drug was given to those with 10% or greater. Less than that it was considered unnecessary. I asked my doctor about this when she prescribed it and she said that it was true but that new guidelines indicated that anyone with any hormone levels should take it, so she was recommending it to me. I don't want to miss any opportunity offered to keep a recurrence or spread of the cancer away but I also don't want to experience long term side effects if I can avoid it. My tests were initially done at my local hospital but then transferred to MD Anderson in Houston. I do know that they did their own independent tests to confirm HER2+ but I have no idea if they confirmed the hormone levels. Guess that's another question for Wednesday. As for the muscle weakness, I never in a million years thought it was chemo related but I told the nurse about is so that they would know everything going on with my body. She was like "yeah, that's the chemo". When I asked her why this wasn't in the possible side effects she said they waited to see if the patients mentioned them. I really went off on her because I had had eye surgery a week before I started chemo (with all my doctor's knowledge and consent) and no one had thought it was important to mention that the chemo can mess with your vision . . . I'd thought the surgery had gone wrong, until they told me it was chemo related. Normally I would feel bad about going off on someone like I did but this was the same nurse who told me she didn't feel my vomiting was chemo related . . . it was probably just stress. (picture me rolling my eyes here)