Lottemarine, are you on IV zometa or oral? That could make a huge difference whether it causes heartburn. FWIW, I'm on another AI and on IV Zometa (1 every 6 months for 2 or 3 years - can't recall which right now). I haven't had any issues with it. Zometa & Prolia are both thought to decrease the risk of bone metastasis as well as osteoporosis, so it's worth trying to find an approach that works for you. Good luck.

My MO mentioned at my last visit that Prolia has shown to prevent cancer but insurance will only cover it if I showed signs of osteoporosis so he requested a bone density baseline.

Bagsharon - I got my first Prolia shot today (every 6 months). I do not have osteoporosis and my bone density has held steady for 4.5 years on Exemestane. I'm getting it for prevention of bone mets. The triage nurse mentioned that some insurances won't cover it for that reason and that isso sad to me that some business person would tell a patient that they can't have a drug that might prevent bone metastasis despite what the science shows.

Joining in here. Started Arimidex (generic) on 4/4/17, so 1 month into this phase of the BC journey. Prolia mentioned at 1 month post-rad followup with RO's Nurse Practitioner. 1st MO followup is on 5/12/17, so not sure when further discussion of Prolia will occur. Dexascan done in Nov 2016 prior to BC Diagnosis showed spine density headed towards osteopenia. Interesting to hear about Prolia and bone mets.

Lottemarine - it's interesting that even the IV zometa causes reflux for you. I wonder how it interacts in the body to create that response? Maybe I'll quiz the nurse the next time I have the infusion...

Medicare Part B’s guidelines for Prolia eligibility are: ER+ bc dx; postmenopausal; dx of osteopenia; and taking an AI. I hit all the bases. Before that, I kept getting denied, so my first treatment was Zometa I.V. (GERD made Fosamax or Boniva a no-go). Took 5 stabs to find a good vein, spiked a high fever and felt like I had flu for nearly a week. Thank goodness my approval for Prolia came through. Next tx is Sep., next DEXA is Nov. Will tell how badly the letrozole treated my bones and how well (if at all) the Prolia & Zometa ameliorated that damage.

Glad I clicked on this thread - I knew nothing about Prolia. Waiting for the authorization for my baseline bone density scan. I'll ask about Prolia when I see the MO in July (after my rads).

MJ

FYI - was back at my dentist for a teeth cleaning and discussed the Prolia with my hygienist. She has never seen, in my dentist's practice, someone needing a tooth extraction while on Prolia, but she seem to indicate head and neck radiation would create the same issues. Not stating the "solution" would equally apply to a Prolia dental situation, but she said they sent him to a cancer patient who had had head neck radiation to a hyperbaric therapy before the extraction as mitigation.

Was on arimadex almost 5 years. At the start, was beginning osteopenia. Now have full osteoporosis. Won't do Fosomax because of se. Discussed Prolia with MO last visit. He confirmed the bad interactions with chemo should that become necessary. Tough choices. We are all so different, discuss with your MO and ask questions.

It's been my experience that the Medicare guidelines are not as rigid as the "hit list" that Sandy mentioned. I am NOT ER+ I don't take an Al, but the chemo drugs took my bone density back past osteopenia into mild osteoperosis.

Special K is right. Prolia is not a bisphosphonate. But I'll go for my 3rd injection next month (one every 6 months). Do be sure to have all dental issues taken care of before starting these drugs.

SpecialK but if you take Tamoxifen, isnt; one of the SE higher risk of blood clots? There are benefits and risk to all I guess,

SpecialK I have been on the Arimidex. My issue is my fear of osteoporosis, which runs in my family. I always thought I'd have trouble with that, not breast cancer. THanks for the info.

If ever I were hesitant about starting bone drug treatments, whether oral or IV bisphosphonate or biologic, my resolve to continue has been cemented (no pun intended) this week. Yesterday, a dear friend of mine died at almost 71 after battling back from a broken hip (and severe COPD) a year and a half ago—she had been osteoporotic (she was Latina & Asian, petite and small-framed) for a long, long time before she fell out of her pulmonary-rehab-center bed and broke her hip. She was never weightbearing again—she managed to work her way up to a non-wheeled walker but her arms were so frail that she no longer had the upper body strength to locomote with the walker (in her 50s she'd still kickboxed) and spent the rest of her conscious life using a wheelchair (her DH was her “chauffeur” when her caregiver would finish for the day). We'd last hung out together at brunch the week after Easter. Last week she developed a lung infection she couldn’t shake, had to go on a vent & dialysis (brittle type 2 diabetic) and then her heart failed over the weekend.

My husband is a cardiologist (a colleague of her DH who is a retinologist at the same hospitals). He told me that if pneumonia is “the old man’s friend,” a broken hip for women >65 can be the beginning of the end, setting off a cascade of disaster that is often fatal within a year or two. So I will pop that calcium, D3, mag. & K2, take those Prolia shots faithfully, and do any kind of exercise that strengthens (or at least protects) my long bones. I miss my friend beyond words, but I don’t want to follow her down the same path.

Butterfly and others,

I may be joining you on the Prolia bandwagon. I just had a dexascan on Friday, and my results show that I have osteoporosis and am at high risk for a fracture! Thanks, Aromasin. Let us know how it goes, Butterfly.

Butterfly - the only reason my MO is giving me Prolia is to prevent bone metastasis. My slight osteopenia in my lumbar has not progressed since on Exemestane for 4.5 years. I've had one shot thus far with no SEs.