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Finding support--and the lowdown on supportive garments

By Megan

From The Occasional Hot Flash

In 2006, after a second diagnosis of breast cancer in three years, Barbara Kriss chose to have a bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction. In her quest to find the perfect combination of mastectomy bras and breast forms, she has become the acknowledged expert on such accessories. Some 2,000 people a month visit her website breastfree.org, on which she shares everything she's learned, plus photographs and personal stories of other women who've had mastectomies. On her site, women find a supportive community as well as information about supportive garments.


I'm blogging this week about women who have inspired me. Do you know anyone who was galvanized into action through her experience with cancer?

Posted June 2, 2010.

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after a mastectomy is it necessary to take Arimidex. I was told I would not have to have radiation etc, only if I had a lumpectomy,now I am told about this medication. I understand hormone-receptor-positive and HR positive have to take this. I would like your opinion

— Dolores Mendez

 
The standard of treatment now a day for post-menopausal woman being treated for hormone-receptor-positive, early-stage breast cancer is taking an aromatase inhibitor, i.e. Arimidex, chemical name: anastrozole. This type of treatment is suggested for women who have had either a mastectomy or lumpectomy. The reason being is that Arimidex works by decreasing the amount of estrogen the body makes. It targets, slows down or stops the growth ability of many types of breast cancer cells that need estrogen to grow. It can also prevent the growth of any possible stray cancer. Many clinical studies have proven the effectiveness of Arimidex which:
• increasing the time before the cancer comes back
• reducing the risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body
• reducing the risk of a new cancer developing in the other breast
It appears that even after 5 years of treatment, the benefits of Arimidex continue and even increase.
More specifically After an average of 68 months, women on Arimidex had a 15-percent greater disease-free survival and a 25-percent longer time to disease recurrence than women on tamoxifen. The time it took for the cancer to spread to distant regions of the body was approximately 16-percent longer and the development of new cancers was reduced by more than 50 percent with Arimidex.
Before making your final decision, I suggest, that you do a little research and talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of taking an aromatase inhibitors like Arimidex. You might benefit from talking to one of our trained hot line volunteers and find out what their experiences have been. Give us a call at 212-382-2111.

— Donna

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 clear!