Finished Treatment 1 yr. ago -?

Rachel1

Can you ladies please help me with this? I see my onc. next month. What do I need to ask him about ???

 Zometa? 

Metformin?

Can anyone explain the benefits of zometa and metformin to me? When I asked my onc. about zometa 6 months ago he said no.  There was a risk of jaw necrosis.   

I had IDC 4.5 cm, +nodes, grade 3, BRCA2+ and ER+. I've had a hysterectomy and bilateral mastectomy with diep.  

Thanks for any help. I always seem to freeze when I'm around doctors lately.  

Rachel 

Racy

I assume you are on hormonal treatment so tell him how you are feeling on that and any side effects you have that are bothering you.

Also tell him if you have any other pains, sensations etc that you think might be related to BC.

Ask him what his follow up plan is going forward in terms of how frequently you will see him and other specialists and what tests, if any, he will arrange.

Ask him what you should do if you have any concerns that arise between scheduled appointments?

Are there any particular potential symptoms that you should be on the lookout for?

Are there any clinical trials that might be relevant for you and how will you find out about clinical trials (if you are interested)?

Does he have any other lifestyle related advice or wisdom to offer you?

Gitane

Since you had a hyst and are probably on anti-hormonals you are at risk for bone loss.  Perhaps if you asked him/her the question differently, for example, how might bisphosphonates benefit me at this time?  What is the best one to use? What criteria do you use to decide for/against using them beside the side effect of ONJ ?  At least these might get you more information than just yes or no. The same strategy might work with metformin.  Worth a try. I have an oncologist who doesn't volunteer a lot of information.  However, he was the one who suggested zometa, and was O.K. with my taking metformin, too.

Racy

Rachel, also find out ahead of time how long is scheduled for your appointment, so that you can manage the time to get all your questions asked.  Be assertive and let the doctor know that you have a list of questions and work through them one by one.

ma111

Write everything down so that when you freeze you will still get your questions answered! Are you on Tamoxifen? Usually about 5 years of it for the ER+. Do you need any treatment besides the ER+ aspect of your cancer.  Side effects and how to treat it.

Most importantly, write it down or have someone go with you who will write down the doctors responses.

clariceak

When I was first prescribed Zometa, it was becaused I broached the topic with my onc and then failed my bone density scan.  She wasn't a big supporter of Zometa initially but is more enthusiastic now.  Yes, there is a risk of jaw necrosis and it may be higher for bc patients.  I consider the risk of death from bc to be higher and am hopeful that Zometa will be shown to significantly reduce our risk of reoccurance as the studies continue.

She will not prescribe Metformin, so I decided to pursue it myself.  Many primary providers will prescribe with metformin little or no resistance.

sbaaronson

Hi,

Can you explain the reasoning for Metformin? It controls blood sugar, what's the BC connection?

Thanks

Stacey

clariceak

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/73/topic/765092?page=1#idx_30

This thread has information on Metformin and also the experiences of women who are currently participating in the trial or have decided to take it on their own.