Thankful to be OFF Letrozole!

 Well, it's almost Thanksgiving! Wow, how time flies when you're having fun.

For those who have been asking how I am:

I've been off the Letrozole now for two weeks this past Wednesday and this morning was the FIRST day I've put my feet on the ground in the morning and not felt unbearable pain. My feet are still sore on the bottoms, but I'd say they were 50% better this morning. This is encouraging. Both hand felt like footballs, and my left thumb is still VERY painful, but I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel and feeling I made the right decision to quit that nasty drug. 

On Facebook, I belong to two groups of women who are taking Letrozole. I would say 90% of us are reporting the same horrendous side effects. At some point, I feel I had to choose between quality of life and quantity. With my type of cancer, the success in shrinking my tumor, the successful double mastectomy, and the research I've done telling me that honestly, this horrible drug may not give me more than a few extra months of miserable painful living, I'm perfectly happy with my decision to quit it.

I'm now on more of a plant based diet, but not totally. I'd say it's more Paleo. I am staying away from wheat grown in the USA and limiting my intake of meat. I ordered Italian wheat, and am making sourdough bread, but limiting how much I eat.  I'm having a "many-fruit-smoothie" with fresh fruit in the mornings, a giant salad for lunch, and whatever the hell I want for dinner!  I've cut back to one cup of coffee in the mornings, and I am putting a spoon of sugar in it as the erythritol and xylitol were giving me diarrhea and that tells ME that my body did not like them.  

I am listening to my body.

I bought a rebounder and I'm using it every day. My mother isn't happy to have it in the living room, but tough bananas! It's staying!

I'm also doing healing meditations in the evenings.

I have a lipoma growing to the left of my spine near my neck. I feel it pressing on my spine and it aches. I believe it is what is causing my left arm to constantly go numb. I have a doctor's appointment in December and will do my best to get him to send me to have it removed.  I have had it looked at before, and had it injected in Mexico one year, but it's continuing to grow. It could be what is causing the nerve damage which is causing the pain in my thumb, though I think THAT is from the Letrozole. 

Emotionally, I'm feeling better. Happier. More positive. My mother and I seem to be reaching a place where we can at least get along. She is doing much more for herself now. My only complaint is that there seems to ALWAYS be someplace to go or something to do and I'd love just to have some days to myself. I will be pet sitting for my son for 3 blessed weeks in December and look forward to having some days to myself then.

I've been cleaning out a lot of my art supplies and selling them. I got rid of knitting supplies, polymere clay supplies, and several tins of colored pencils, just keeping what I think I'll use. I'd love to find someone to teach how to upcycle the Bratz dolls as I have many hundreds of dollars invested in that and have two bins full of dolls I really don't want to just give away. 

Camino-wise, we are still waiting to see if our group will be able to fly. Waiting, waiting. My ex's flight from Georgia to Oregon for Thanksgiving was cancelled this past week, so I'm not too hopeful. But we're holding out until we know for sure, keeping our reservations until the last minute.

Life is good!

I'm alive!

I'm grateful for each day and looking forward to living to be 100!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Annie