Your Well-Being

Arm yourself with knowledge, and work with your doctor to make a plan of action that may include eating healthier and becoming more active. And while continuing to take your medication is the most important part of your ongoing breast cancer treatment, maintaining a positive attitude and letting yourself enjoy life are important too. Your attitude can have a big effect on your life.

Before making any changes to your diet and exercise, be sure to consult with your doctor on whether the following tips and suggestions are right for you.

Make time to reflect
Remember, you've been through a lot. You shouldn't deny or avoid negative feelings, but rather try to identify their source. Doing so may help you deal with them better.

Consider keeping a journal. It's a private place to examine your feelings, record memories, soothe your soul, and let you be creative. Research has shown that a journal may help to reduce stress and may be a rewarding and helpful tool at this time in your life.

Find ways to relax
There is evidence that some relaxation practices are extremely effective in reducing the anxiety and pain associated with cancer treatment. These practices include meditation, guided imagery, and yoga.

Stay vigilant about your health
It's important to do everything you can to stay healthy and help prevent your breast cancer from coming back. Stay vigilant about your health by continuing to do the following.

  • Eat a healthy diet and find time to exercise
    Nutrition is important, both during and after treatment. There are several benefits to exercising on a regular basis. Physical activity can help you stay fit and add to your overall sense of well-being.
  • Stick to your hormonal treatment plan
    To realize the full benefits of therapy, you should follow your treatment plan as your doctor prescribed. The greatest risk of early breast cancer coming back is within the first 5 years following initial diagnosis. That's why many women continue to take adjuvant hormonal treatment for a full 5 years to help reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
  • Get regular mammograms
    Although mammograms won't reduce your risk of recurrence, it is important to always remain vigilant about early detection — even after you've been diagnosed with breast cancer. Mammography is an important tool to help doctors track your disease. Surprisingly, a recent study showed that by 5 years after treatment, 4 out of every 10 breast cancer survivors were not getting regular mammograms.

Take care of you, not just your body
Having breast cancer doesn't have to mean losing sight of who you are or the things you enjoy. While it's a challenging time, there's more to your life than treatment schedules and doctor's visits. Sometimes it helps to forget about having breast cancer for a little while. Nurturing yourself isn't a luxury; it's a necessity and is something you deserve. Make the time to live in the moment. Do the things that mean the most to you, either alone or with people whose company you enjoy. Work on restoring your sense of wholeness by focusing on all the things you can do. Reach out to your circle of support for reassurance and empathy.

Talk to family and friends
Focus on people who support you and make you feel comfortable.

Renew intimacy
The physical and emotional experience of breast cancer can affect your sexual life in many ways, and is different for every woman. The good news is, research has found that after the first 12 months of adjuvant treatment many women find an improvement in their sexual lives. Learn what you can do to resume — and maintain — a healthy sexual life.

Find hope in spirituality and prayer
People coping with cancer often draw enormous comfort from their spiritual beliefs and practices.

Acknowledge meaningful events
Developing special rituals to mark the stages of your breast cancer experience may help to give you a sense of renewal.

Know that you're not going through breast cancer alone
Learn from other women who have been affected by breast cancer.

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Important Information About ARIMIDEX

ARIMIDEX is approved for adjuvant treatment (treatment following surgery with or without radiation) of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

ARIMIDEX is approved for the initial treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer that has progressed following treatment with tamoxifen. Patients with hormone receptor-negative disease and patients who did not previously respond to tamoxifen therapy rarely responded to ARIMIDEX.

Important Safety Information About ARIMIDEX

  • Prescription ARIMIDEX is only for postmenopausal women. ARIMIDEX should not be taken if you are pregnant because it may harm your unborn child
  • Based on information from a study in patients with early breast cancer, women with a history of blockages in heart arteries (ischemic heart disease) who take ARIMIDEX may have a slight increase in this type of heart disease compared to similar patients who take tamoxifen
  • ARIMIDEX can cause bone softening/weakening (osteoporosis) increasing the chance of fractures. In a clinical study in early breast cancer, there were more fractures (including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist) with ARIMIDEX (10%) than with tamoxifen (7%)
  • In a clinical study in early breast cancer, some patients taking ARIMIDEX had an increase in cholesterol. Skin reactions, allergic reactions, and changes in blood tests of liver function have also been reported
  • In the early breast cancer clinical trial, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, joint symptoms (including arthritis and arthralgia), weakness, mood changes, pain, back pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, rash, depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, fractures, swelling of arms/legs, insomnia, and headache
  • In advanced breast cancer trials, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX versus tamoxifen include hot flashes, nausea, decreased energy and weakness, pain, back pain, headache, bone pain, increased cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and swelling of arms and legs. Joint pain/stiffness has been reported in association with the use of ARIMIDEX
  • ARIMIDEX should not be taken with tamoxifen or estrogen-containing therapies

Please click here for full Prescribing Information.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).