Abmeciclib

I finished over a month ago. All I have really noticed are positive things such as eyebrows and eyelashes still on! Negatives, gosh my body aches, legs mostly and hip. I must admit to feeling hyper vigilant to any changes too. Good luck with everything. 

I finished 2 weeks ago and feel same as you.  I think if it was offered I would have continued with it as some sort of security.  I did have more towards to end but then my last month on it I was fine again x

My body aches too. I have been trying to go to the gym x 3 every week, but omg my body just hurts.  They say exercise is good for the body, well it doesn't feel like that to me lol.x

Hello and good luck with aches and pains. I’m on leterozole and stiff already. About to start Verzenios. Did you loose your hair ? Mine has just grown back after chemo

thanks 

Gwen 

I didn't lose any hair but eyebrows thinned out and eyelashes very small.  My finger nails have been awful too.  I think it is the Letrozole that makes me stiff and painful too x

Ah thanks for your reply - loosing hair again would be depressing !  

Hi, I finished my 2 years in August, so nearly 4 months. It's so good not to be suffering from chronic fatigue anymore, I was really struggling.

My tummy is also nearly back to normal & i am back on a normal diet again. My hair thickening. My nails are still a bit rubbish.

I'm glad that phase of treatment is behind me & hopefully it will help prevent a recurrence. I've one last zoldronic acid to have & 7 years of Exemestance. 

Being able to get back to a more normal life is great.

Best wishes x

I'm almost a year in on the Abemicilib. The exhaustion and pain in my body is ridiculous. I'm also a year into induced menopause so I'm not sure if my symptoms are from the abemiciclib or menopause. It's exhausting when people ask how I'm doing and all I can say is just plodding on. When I know what they want to hear is I'm doing great. It feels like it's never ending. I'm sure my husband thinks I'm making it up half the time. I'm on gabapentin for the pain in my feet and the pins and needles that come and go in my hands. I stupidly thought that when the initial cancer treatment was over that I'd feel so much better and life would just go back to normal but I feel further from normal than ever before. I hope you go from strength to strength now that your treatment is completed. Sending you lots of positive thoughts.

Hello and sorry to hear that you are having a hard time.  
I agree it is a shock to have 2 more years of treatment and particularly if it’s difficult. I teach in a primary school and worry that I’ll be tired and prone to catching stuff.

i also relate to the husband reaction. Mine is supportive but feel like the aches and stiffness from hormonal treatment is worse so far. I’m 47 and feel old when I’m so stiff getting off the sofa etc !! 
Staying positive and trying to enjoy life as much as poss.  Good to have a moan here though
All the best 

Gwen 

Hi Emmylou,

I’ve been taking Letrazole since Dec 2023 and Abemaciclib since late April 2024. I wasn’t feeling that much from the letrazole apart from a revisitation from hot flushes before I  started the abemaciclib but now that they’ve both had time to settle in I can’t work out what’s due to what!

Abemaciclib started dramatically, but the diarrhoea and abdominal pain settled in about 6 weeks and I had a 5 day break in June while taking antibiotics for a UTI, then 10 days off in early August for a Covid infection. Meanwhile blood tests have been pretty good and I’ve stayed with 150mg dose. 
Anyway now I’ve got numbness/pins and needles in hands, brittle nails, neuropathy a bit in one big toe, hair thinning, all over tingly itching when I get hot and really dry itchy skin particularly on my face, shoulders and  chest. I’m using a lot of moisturiser particularly now in cold weather and coconut oil in shower when I’m still damp. The oil helped a lot when I was having the radiotherapy.

Ive decided that the symptoms that are most like the paclitaxel chemo are the abemaciclib and I wouldn’t bother too much about which is which as with a grade 3 100% oestrogen loving cancer I’m committed to continuing with both, but will be on the letrazole for a few more years than the abemaciclib to discourage a comeback from any tiny dormant bits. Hopefully I’ll settle a bit more in 17 months time when I’m just on the letrazole. I’m trying to rationalise also that all the chemo was last May- November, node clearance throughout March so that some things could still be working through from those.                                                       I’d like really like my nails to be ok again and my hair to normalise as it had begun to.  I’ll keep on taking the opportunity to walk fast up stairs, slopes etc to make myself a bit out of breath and keep the plain chocolate consumption under control  ((for the good of my iron levels- along with green veg of course!)                             All the very best to you!