Faslodex Girls

Hi, M360, I had the same side effect from Tamoxifen.  I went for my routine CT-Scan and received the call back at my desk 10 minutes later at work.  I did the shots twice a day as well.  My husband gave me the shots.  I was told that this was a SE of Tamoxifen.  I was not told it is a side effect of Faslodex.  I have been on Faslodex for a little over a year.  Pulmonary Embolism is nothing to fool with.  We were both lucky that it was caught on the scan before the chest pain and breathing got critical.

Sue, sounds to me like you are going to do just fine. Fingers crossed for you.

Teresa

I may be wrong on this, but I think tamoxifen is used for those premenopausal, and arimidex and Aromasin for those post. But don't quote me on that because I'm not too sure. I can guarantee I will be corrected if I'm wrong.

Ladies,  

Thank you all for your support.  I want to say this even though I can't take Faslodex anymore I feel it's one of the best medication for us women out there. It was six months since my last PET Scan and I thought the pain in my shoulder and swelling in right arm was bone mets.  Doctor was aware of the pain and also chest pains for over three weeks, I was told by infusion center and doctor that it was just the tumors and bone mets.  I insisted on having a PET Scan.  Now my lung mets have improved with the Faslodex by 80% in six months.  I find that remarkable.  I believed so much in Faslodex that when I had severe bone and joint pain I asked that Cytoxan be added because in the past it relieved such and it did this time.  I was determined to make Faslodex work for me because not only what I read from all you women but from my own research.  It works for so many of us.  If anyone had some side effects that are livable I'd say to everyone stay on Faslodex.  

What surprised me is I had four heparin flushes on and two TPA's.  The doctors and nurses felt I was clear to go and have PET Scan and to go home, but felt that they should skip chemo and Faslodex because I had been there all day and my blood levels were off.  If I had not asked a week earlier for the PET Scan to see if bone mets had gone to shoulder, I would have never known and don't know if I would be here today.

I truly feel I have a guardian angel!  No one even thought that this could be something other than cancer, I followed my gut and insisted on other testing.  My daughter who goes with me said I was even being rude, but I knew something wasn't right.  I was just off,  I had no other joint pain so why couldn't I raise my arm.  I also live on top of a mountain in which your ears pop like taking off on an airplane when you drive up the road to my house, and I felt pressure driving home a couple of days before. What amazes me is that they sent me home, secondly that nothing more happened with having not one but two large clots I now find out existed.  I cried last night realizing that again how lucky I am and that I must have more to do here on Earth that no matter what exists with my cancer etc., it's just not my time to go.

I wanted just  to make sure that my situation doesn't hinder anyone from taking Faslodex.  It was working for me and like so many other women that it has worked for will say some pain is worth the gain.

Again thank you all for  your care and support.   I truly appreciate all of you.

M360,

Here's one person you don't have to be concerned might stop Faslodex because of your experience. While I'm very sorry about what happened to you, and find your story horrifying and sobering, I also know that blood clots from Faslodex are a very unusual occurence. You had the rotten luck to be among the fewer than 1%! In your case maybe something else was contributing to the clotting tendency as well, but it doesn't matter. Obviously you've got great gut instincts. You need to keep paying attention to how you feel and, when you know something feels wrong, keep singing out!

Tina

I stumbled on this site when I googled weight gain on faslodex, and I'm so glad I did! I joined today and look forward to meeting tons of new friends here.



I feel like I am truly blessed when I read some of the pain people are in. I found a large lump in my breast July 6, 2011, had a biopsy on the 7th, and started on this incredible journey a few days later. Mine was stage IV from the get go, as I have widespread mets in my spine, hips, etc.



I have a wonderful oncologist who started me on Herceptin, Xgeva, and Femara in September of 2011. The nurses at the infusion center are absolutely wonderful, but I believe I was the first patient they ever had there who was prescribed Herceptin alone, with no traditional chemotherapy. Herceptin has been an awesome drug for me, as I am HER 2+. My dose is 357, so I call it my 357 Magnum!



In February of this year, my bone scan showed slightly more activity, so my dr took me off of Femara, and I started getting my loading doses of faslodex in March. Ouchy! I seem to have more side effects from this than anything I've been on, and have experienced a small weight gain - hence stumbling on this website.



Sorry, don't mean to be rambling on for so long - just excited to have found this!

Hi, Granna. Welcome to the Fanny Pack! Read through our posts and you'll see people have a variety of SEs on Faslodex. Weight gain is one of them.

Tina (who has spent several hours today cleaning out closets, trying on clothes that will never fit again--sob!--and packing them up for Goodwill)

Tina, don't throw the clothes out.  Doesn't weight yo-yo?  You'll need those clothes again someday.

I've gained about 2 inches around the waist in the last two months.  But only 5 pounds.  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but Granna, it's not your imagination.

Granna, welcome to the Bottom's Up Club!

I'm always putting on weight and then losing it. I'm short, so 5 pounds puts me into the next size up or down. I have clothes in 5 different sizes--really. I keep them all to be worn when needed!

Tina2, it's just so wrong when clothes that used to be so loyal and supportive start to mock! There'll be someone at Goodwill who'll be glad to have 'em.

Are any of you active with The Stage IV Fitness Club here on BCO? Lots of friendly encouragement and advice from others who know what you're going through. 

• The Mods

Is anyone else having problems with gas?? Is this a se of Faslodex? I'm miserable every time I eat.

Pajim, yes, I'll have to try an anti-gas of some kind. I even wonder if supplements might be the culprits. I take a multivitamin/mineral, calcium, vitamin c, and an eye health supplement. Oh, and I pop ibuprofen a couple of times a day.

Unfortunately, Mary, I have uncontrollable gas at times. I laugh about it, apologize, but I never know when or where or with whom. It's the cancer as it started before I went on any drugs. Or, god forbid, it could be my age.

Teresa

From what I've been able to determine, some drugs intended for intramuscular injection are suspended in a viscous substance so they stay in the body and disperse slowly over a period of time. I assume that is the case with Faslodex.

Tina

M360 I  saw your post and wondered what you think of xeloda. I was dx about the same time(march 13) with stage 4. mets to liver. I do not feel too good, SEs are constipation, terrible taste in the mouth, depression,very little energy, not much appetite, I just got a dosage reduction 2000 a day from 3000 before...hope that helps,. I had abraxene which caused severe neuropathy. let me know

I hope and pray you will do well, as it appears you have already.

thanks