smee When the research came out on Arimwhatever (see I can't remember names either) it was about two years after I had finished Tamoxifen but my Consultant was recommending it as by then I was deemed postmenopausal (whilst I was on Tamoxifen I had a strange thing where every 18 months or so I would have a really heavy period, my Gynae called them the last desperate shouts! ) However I had to have a bone density scan as bone loss is a side effect and the Osteopenia they found in my hips ruled it out. He was then recommending Rolisomething which has the same preventive effect on bone loss as Tamoxifen but the research was less clear on the benefits and we agreed it was probably marginal whether it was worth it.
On support groups, I never attended a formal one but in the end there were five of us who were put in touch through social networks, three with children at the same school. Meeting the friend who was diagnosed and treated at the same time, same Consultants too, was a huge huge support. We both had similar age children, husbands who struggled with it, and a pretty nasty prognosis. We laughed about it all, rubbished the statistics and had someone with whom to share the thoughts we could not inflict on our loved ones, we always say we went and looked over the cliff together, it become less scary and will always be a bond. The wider group are great too and we still all meet up but then we are all allergic to being pink, a survivor, brave ..... I assume everyone has read the Barbara Ehrenreich article? www.barbaraehrenreich.com/cancerland.htm We loved that!! It was great for our DCs too, the school were good and didn't make a fuss, they just wanted to be normal, but they also enjoyed the chance, especially the older ones, to be with other children who knew what it was like.
I've always thought that support groups were therefore a good thing. I was a bit peeved gigonde that my proper doctor, you know the senior partner you get to see if you ring at dawn weeks in advance, if there is an R in the month, was totally disinterested in a support group at our surgery, or even in putting people in touch with other who have been there, but perhaps expecting that you will relate to a random group of people enough for it to be a positive experience is being a bit optimistic. However I would say that if there is a chance it gives you even some of the support it gave us it's worth a shot.
KurriKurri The prospect of "Chemo brain" was the side effect that most upset me ahead of treatment . I could cope with losing boobs, being bald etc but having coped with Dyslexia all my life I couldn't face having an even worse memory!! Made me quite cross with my Oncy, there you are with all your cleverness and research and you are about to burn what little brain I have up!! So post treatment I threw in the dayjob and went and did an MA (at a proper RG/ 1994 uni esteemed on these threads) just to make sure my brain still worked, and I got a distinction, even in the exams which were always a problem for me, and now I'm on to a PhD. I still can't remember what day it is, but can't say whether that is Dys, chemo or age, but at the higher levels, irrelevant to day to day living, it works just fine 
in spite of heroic levels of procrastination 