Anyone use an injection instead of AI pills.

I had no idea there was some sort of injection. Sorry I can't help, but hopefully someone else here will come along. Personally, I think I'd be wary of an injection. What if you react to it? It's not like a pill that you can just stop right away. I imagine whatever they inject would last awhile. I'd do some serious research first, if it were me.

Hi, pabbie. Was it perhaps Faslodex/fulvestrant your oncologist recommended? My oncologist says, and I found it to be true, that Faslodex has the fewest side effects of all the hormonal therapies. Really! I would not be afraid of giving it a try. If it is Faslodex, I will give you the run-down on how to ease the actual injections. Let me know before your appointment.

(I have been on tamoxifen, the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, and Faslodex.)

Faslodex injections are given in the dorsogluteal muscles (because that is a big muscle), one on each side. So it is on the derrière, high and out toward the side. Most women seem to do fine with just remembering to warm the syringes, but since I had a few episodes of injection site pain and leg pain that were more troublesome, I developed a plan to make it better. Here is a quick run-down based on my experience and research, and others' input as well: Take an ibuprofen a half hour before your injections. Warm up your cheeks with warm packs in your back pockets. Warm up the syringes in a warm blanket or your hands. Whether lying on stomach or sitting, completely relax the cheek that is getting injected and point your toes inward (pigeon-toed). Remind the nurse to inject in the UPPER OUTER quadrant to avoid the sciatic nerve. Have the nurse inject very slowly, at least ten minutes per side; longer if that is better for you. (Don't care if the instructions say two minutes!) Have her pause if it starts to ache. Use warm packs and walk for maybe twenty minutes afterward to prevent the syrup pooling and making a painful lump. Then switch to ice packs for a couple hours, to reduce inflammation. Take another ibuprofen later that day, also to reduce inflammation. Tell yourself congratulations, you are good for four weeks. (There is an extra dose at two weeks, just the first month.)

I don't see why it would interfere with colostomy care, but tell your doctor your concern and I bet you will be reassured. Once you get past the actual injections, which ought to cause only mild soreness for a couple days, I doubt you will notice any side effects other than maybe hot flashes. Faslodex is a SERD, selective estrogen receptor degrader, more similar to tamoxifen which is a SERM, selective estrogen receptor modulator. It is not as similar to aromatase inhibitors.

(All this won't apply if your doctor has a different drug in mind. But I can't think of another.)

I don't know about cost since mine is paid for by the sponsor of my clinical trial. (The Fas is not the drug being be tested; it is part of a three-drug combo,). There is probably someone at your oncologist's office who can help with payment resources.