Calcium levels while on Anastrozole

Jojo0529

Hi ladies,

I am curious if any of you have fluctuations in calcium levels. Mine are in normal range; however, the levels change. Prior to oopherectomy 9.3 - 1 year later 9.7... I read they should stay the same? does that mean stay at exactly 9.3 every time?

SpecialK

jojo - my calcium levels have moved around a bit, including high enough that my oncologist did test for issues with my parathyroid about a year ago. Make sure you are not dehydrated on the day of the test - this can have an effect on the number that reports out. I went and looked my calcium values since 2010 on my oncology portal, it allows me to graph them. Only once in those 7 years was it the same two times in a row, it fluctuated between 9.1 and 10.5 and I had 29 results that were graphed over that time. I don't think when saying "stays the same" they mean exactly the same number to the decimal - just that it stays in the "normal range" which for an adult is anywhere in the 9's.

Jojo0529

thank you! Could tell me why the switch from femera to anastrozole and back

SpecialK

My oncologist started me on Femara (actually generic letrozole) which I took for 6 months. I developed a trigger thumb on my dominant hand, so he suggested I switch to Arimidex (generic anastrazole) to see if it went away. It did within a few months, and I continued for about another 18 months before developing a trigger thumb, finger, and ankle over the final 6 months. Then I bumped a trailer hitch with my knee it swelled far more than it should have and I needed a cortisone injection. I decided if I was having this happen I should switch back to letrozole, because my oncologist prefers it. When I switched back I tried a different brand and did not have any further issues, other than the usual achy joints/hot flashes which I expect, lol!

Jojo0529

thank you. Anastrozole is rough. And thank you for the calcium response .. looking up increased serum calcium had my anxiety off of the charts. Before breast cancer I had no clue what my calcium level was.

SpecialK

I think it is pretty common not to have a good handle on pre-diagnosis labs, unless you were monitoring something specific - you are not alone there. I am glad that my oncologist does lots of labs because it offers an opportunity to check anything unusual out in a timely fashion. I also like that I can check history on the portal - I can even see the first labs that were done while I had active cancer, but had not yet had surgery or chemo. My onc jumped on the parathyroid test the first time I showed above the range for calcium, and when combined with low vitamin D - which I always have - it almost always means a parathyroid issue. I apparently fall into the very small percentage for whom that is not true - this is one instance where I like being a medical mystery, lol! I'm glad your lab result is within the normal range - fluctuatin within the 9's is ok!