bone mets survivors

Pat, did your doctor put you on something as an alternative to the Zometa?

I saw my onc. today; the bone scan report showed no changes as far as the cancer, but he's concerned about some spots on my jaw being either peridontal disease or from the Zometa. I've been on Zometa since April, and no dental work done for at least 10 years, just routine cleanings. I haven't had pain or anything in my teeth or gums either. I saw an oral surgeon in July for xrays, and at that time he said everything was fine.

I have to go back to that same oral surgeon on Monday for a check up. I didn't get my Zometa today; my doctor wants to wait til after he gets the report from the surgeon before proceeding.

I did get my Faslodex injection; and I started getting the same headache I always do after treatment; I have Fioricet I take for the headache. But at least I know now my post treatment headache is due to the Faslodex and not the Zometa; this is the first time I haven't had both on on the same day.

Feeval, how are you feeling now? Did that numbness go away?  

I had my appointment with the oral surgeon yesterday; he took another set of x-rays. He said everything looked fine, he could not see any evidence of dental disease or necrosis. He did tell me what to look out for though as far as signs of necrosis. He said if I start having any pain in my teeth or jaw to call them right away.

Hi Mom2acat,

Sorry I missed your post! It sounds like Good News from the Oral Surgeon and you'll be able to stay on Zometa longer!!! My onc has NO alternative for Zometa now that I am in the ONJ Club. He stated that any other "Bisphosphate" drugs would probably bring it back, too. I dont want to think about future problems, yet, since I cant take Zometa. He also said that it stays in your system for at least a year after stopping the drug. Unfortunately,no MD will diagnose ONJ until you physically have the "exposed Jawbone" even with pain in your tooth and jaw and even after a sore appears. We can all get mouth sores as a side effect from all the different meds we take. My onc treated me with a viral med after jaw pain and the sore appeared. It wasn't until the jawbone poked through the skin that everyone agreed that it was ONJ. The whole process of ONJ diagnosis took about 4-6 months after intermittent pain started. I know this may not be comforting news. We all live day to day with different signs and symptoms  and not knowing what they all mean. It's a wonder we are not all in the "loony bin". I am using the Peridex RX and Biotene mouthwash(over the counter) and I seem to be fine so far. Maybe try the Biotene mouthwash if any pain starts as it definitely helped and I only heard about it after the exposure of the jaw happened. I found it at Walgreens or CVS. Best of Luck to you and you can private message me anytime. Pat