Faslodex Girls

poopy naniam, but ofcourse I will see you on the other threads!  I've decided to join all you gals here on the ol" faslodex thread.  I have been on hiatus for awhile.  So had my loading shots, geez that hurt!  I have no butt fat anymore! I have to say no se's except for just being tired.  My back not to good.  Stupid Onc forgot to include the bisphosphonate and I did not remind him. Oh well I guess I will tell him next shot.  I heard though that I will feel like crap. Lol That all I have to say for now, really should call it a night.  And naniam I hated getting that stupid port. :l

I started Fasoldex approximately three weeks ago -- recently I've been having extreme hip pain, as well as back pain.  Has anyone else experienced this?  It's really painful!

Hello. rosasmommy and welcome to the thread!

I'll be going (in June) for my seventh round of the Faslodex/Zometa combo.  I think my arthritis pain is triggered by the injections, my fatigue has been building for a while and I do get some hip and thigh pain.  It comes and goes, seems to follow no set pattern.  Luckily, it is not long lasting but, can pack a punch for a short while.  I take three Advil for the pain.  I have the hydrocodone on hand, if I need it but, it makes me so groggy I don't like to use it.

I'm sorry you're going through this--cancer sucks.  I sure hope the med starts kicking cancer's butt!

Rosamommy and Susan, you can't imagine how grateful I am to find these particular posts just now. It's 2:57 a.m. and my hip and back pain and a slight touch of nausea have awakened me again. I've seen two orthopedists and on Tuesday had a cortisone shot in the hip for arthritis. I am hoping the pain is taking its last gasp and will diminish in a few days when the cortisone takes better effect, but I am discouraged, to say the least. Tomorrow is Month Eleven for Faslodex and I am sitting here thinking that each injection is crippling me further. BTW, neither orthopedist reacted when I told them my theory that Faslodex is exacerbating my arthritis. It's as if they do not hear me. Perhaps they just don't know or they're thinking, "So what, it's saving your life," but it would be nice to be acknowledged.

Thank you for reminding me to drink water pre-blood draws, Susan. I'm doing so now. Ah, the cat just came out to the kitchen to see what was up. Sweet. Maybe I'll go back to bed and try to lose myself in the latest Hilary Mantell, "Bring Up the Bodies," which I recommend to anyone who liked "Wolf Hall."

Onward,

Tina

Haven"t been here in quite a long while...been on Faslodex for 2 1/2 yrs (only one shot)  Seems like most take 2 shots?  I tried 2 about a yr ago and thought I was going to die!!! Went back to one and so far things are okay, I guess.   Had my recent shot on May 21 with usual SE of not feeling really good for 4 days.  This week I have had constipation that turns into diarrhea...CRAZY.   Has anyone had this happen after being on Faslodex for over 2 yrs?  My mind goes crazy when I think about what new sypmtoms can mean.

 Thanks alot, Kay

Susan, I try to push my bone mets dx way to the back of my mind but, when it's time for my shots (and Zometa infusion), it's hard to ignore the facts.  Like you, I get those swirling thoughts and the anxiety really builds.

 MKL, I've had the constipation that turns to diarrhea. (Only 6 shots, so far). I discovered that if I stick to a very starchy diet, for four or five days I don't get the diarrhea.

dinamarca, I understand about the worrying.  It's hard not to assume that every little ache and pain means cancer.  Blah.  I get my first PET scan next Tuesday.  I'm trying not to over think it, but can't help wondering if "it" is lurking somewhere else.

Thank goodness for the girls on this forum!

Welcome to our small group. I hope that the Faslodex does for you what it has done for me.

*susan* 

Hi ladies,

I hope you all are doing good. Reesie I hope you do well on Faslodex. I'm new to it also as I've had only 2 loading doses this month. I have to admit that reading hip and thigh pain are side effects of Faslodex was disappointing. My mets are in the bone marrow of my hips, pelvis, lumbar spine, sacrum and thigh. I'm hoping I will be able to tell when my mets are getting better. As I'm reducing the Prednisone I've been alot more tired which I dont understand. I'm hoping Faslodex works. I'm grateful to have something other than chemo to treat this with. If this works as well as Aromasin did for 5 yrs I will be happy. HUgs, Mazy

Smiley, I went straight to Faslodex. It's my only treatment for now because there is no evidence of mets anywhere but my lungs. Many years ago I had mastectomies and reconstructions of both breasts, almost exactly ten years apart, for Stage I primary tumors. I was node negative in the first instance and they didn't even take the nodes in the second. No adjuvant therapy was thought necessary either time.

I went on my merry way until last summer, when ongoing lung issues led to tests and procedures that revealed active breast cancer metastases in my lung. Interestingly, I learned from a reliable source that the interventional radiologist who biopsied my lung and the pathologist who read the result were "blown away" by the breast cancer diagnosis. Apparently it was the last thing they expected because of the length of time that had passed--16 years--since my last mastectomy.

Naturally I am hoping that this long interval of living with a disease I did not know I still had indicates I have a very indolent form of cancer that can be easily discouraged by treatment, if not knocked out entirely!

Tina,

I would definitely say it sounds like you have a very laid back and slow growing cancer after 16 years of being NEDd! WOW! That is crazy! 

 How are you handling the Faslodex?  Too bad that is not in pill form instead of shots in the bum! 

Cancer is a sneaky devil--so random and unpredictable.  I thought I was cancer free for eight years (five of those on Arimidex). It sucks but, thank Heaven for the new drugs that keep coming along to keep us stable.

Welcome to the group, Reesie!  I'm sending positive thoughts that Faslodex will do the job for you. 

I get the Zometa infusion and then one injection in each butt cheeck.  I had my 7th treatment, yesterday and I feel good today, except for some slight soreness at the injection sites.  My mets are in my spine--in the middle and lower vertebrae and the bone marrow.

I had a PET scan (from neck to mid thigh) on Monday.  Thankfully, it showed no new abnormalities and that my mets are still stable!  Whew--I feel so relieved!

How often does your doctor do CEA markers?  I am assuming this is a blood test similar to CA-125 or whatever looks for cancer?  My onc never mentions any kind of blood work.  I don't even think he is testing for anything other than kidney and liver function once a month before I take zometa.  I don't know how reliable blood work is for me though.  When I was diagnosed with stage 4....my blood work that day was normal?!  WTF!?

My onc never mentioned the CA27.29 until I asked if he did any. Turns out he did but I never knew. He told me that he does it it watch the trends.



When I got radiation I had to go to Labcorp weekly for bloodwork. They had an online system for me to get my results if I wanted. Turns out when I signed up that my onc uses them for the additional blood work CBC and CA27.29 so now I get those results too.

So is there less weight gain with Faslodex than the other AI's?

I have been on faslodex for 2 months and have lost 7lbs

Mx