Faslodex Girls Thread
Comments
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I have had to take several breaks from Kisqali when taking antibiotics, most recently for two months. Never had to stop the injections. The decision to give the injections is based upon your labs. Did the nurse comment on them? Can you see them on mychart? I have no medical background, but I would think it has something to do with liver or kidney numbers. Can you call MO?
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@irishlove - I have nothing I can relay about your situation, but just want you to know I'm thinking of you and hope all turns out well. (I just went for my shots last week and they were stopped due to progression. I think yours has more to do with the UTI and antibiotics which I wouldn't know anything medical about.) Hug.
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Irishlove. I would check with my oncologist. I have had ibrance stoped for various reasons but never the hormone med.
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Hi all and thank you for the caring responses. Actually I asked the nurse and front desk and all they could tell me was doctor notes said no shots till Feb. I'm not signed up for portal (well I was but somehow I can no longer access it) so no answer. Well I guess it'll remain a mystery till next month.
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Irishlove. I just read your original diagnosis. The wors micropapillary caught my attention. When I was diagnosed in 2015 they made a big deal out of that type of cancer. Nothing they said was correct. I was told it had a high rater of return and it probably would be back in a year or two in my breast. It was 7.5 years before it returned in the pleura of my lung. Did the drs think it was a concern for you?
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I imagine the doctor just wants you to take a break for awhile due to the UTI and antibiotics, i.e. doesn't want you too overloaded with drugs; giving you some time to tackle the infection properly. (Just a guess on my part, but seems reasonable.)
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To all of my fellow injectees who suffer along with me each month - Wish I could faint until it was over and then have someone wake me and send me on my way!
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I encountered a nurse once at my clinic who strongly resembles the one in the cartoon. She wasn't a regular, but just helping out for the day. She had a forceful demeanor and I thought she looked like she could beat me up, so I was initially nervous. She turned out to be really nice, though😊. I can't remember though, if she gave me my shots. It would have gone fine if she did. You stirred a memory, Eleanora.
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Being relaxed after passing out is not such a bad thing. Sometimes it is really hard to relax. This month wasn't so bad. Last month I felt edgy on shot day and the shots hurt more.
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Gee ladies, I'm sorry to hear you don't like getting those shots. I was on faslodex for 8 years and it really only hurt 1 or 2 times. I far preferred the shots to taking pills everyday. Side effects with the femara was too much. None with the faslodex. I'm actually on anastrozole now with the same bad side effects and hoping to go back to the faslodex soon.
I hope you all can relax your butt cheeks for pain free and long effective treatments.
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Gailmary. The shots really aren't that bad. The discomfort is momentary. I just don't like shots. I will take the shot over the side effects from anastrozol/letrozole. Whennit comes to side effect fulvesterant is so much easier. It was because of side effects and quality of life that I am on the shots.
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How lucky you were that the shots weren't painful. Reading the comments on this thread makes me think you're in the minority. I've been on faslodex injections for almost 4 years - always during the injection and sometimes longer if the painful lumps take a while to dissolve. I have picked up various "tips" from the nurses who do the injections and the most recent one is really helpful during the injection itself: once the needle is in, ask the nurse to lightly tap around the injection site.
How are you doing with your new treatment? Are you still on faslodex as well as Xeloda? Hope the fatigue is improving. Switched to a new primary care and she's wonderful. I also have fatigue even though I believe that I get enough sleep. Suggested a sleep study to see if the quality of my sleep is poor. That won't be scheduled until next month, but I will let you know if they have useful recommendations.
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galmary: You mentioned you were on faslidex for 8 years ? That is super, why you had to move to anastrozole ? And now back to Faslodex ? I am on Faslodex for 4 years and NED so far..
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Because I got Triple negative breast cancer and addressed them both with chemotherapy. When that was done went back to anastrozole but it interferes with falling asleep. Lifelong insomnia is greatly worse. More aches and pains too.
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Happy Valentine's Day to all of you !
I am on year 7 of faslodex shots and have not experienced pain or lumps from the injections .One time it may have hit a nerve but it wasn't painful for long . I think I've had over 80 of these shots (160 if you count 2 per visit !) . I feel like those of us who don't experience side effects don't post about it, if that makes sense . Not sure of the % of patients that experience pain / lumps from the injections but I am sorry for those who experience pain from this injection . I think they should allow patients to try and oral serd if the shots cause pain. Currently , I think you need to have acquired a mutation to take the oral version .
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Aprilgirl, I love your tag line. It helps to remember it’s all part of the dance. I feel calm inside afterwards
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During my routine follow up today my MO mentioned that 2 oral Serds are launched ? No name was discussed as I am doing good on Faslodex. Anyone has any update on oral serf ? Thanks
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Medicare approved me restarting faslodex. 1st loading shots next Wednesday.
I liked the new Onc fine. Another Locum (temporary) that makes my 6th since 2008 with first dx. My concern is always if they are up to date. Glad he brought up my bones. I haven't had a dexa scan since 2017 cause I was on xgeva thn developed sore jaws. Anyone else on Xgeva? For how long? What are your dexa scans saying?
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I like foslodex better than aromatase inhibitors. Except that they require shots. I do glute exercises before and after. I have very few side effects.
Glad you like your current onco. I am on my 7th. My last one I liked but she retired. My new one is am very impressed by. She is strictly breast cancer and keeps up to date.
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Glad that you like the new MO. I've been on Xgeva since 2022. Last fall changed frequency to every 8 weeks instead of every 4. My 2024 DEXA showed that I had improved from osteoporosis to osteopenia. My next scan will be summer, 2026, as Medicare only allows one every two years.
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Hi everyone, I have a question about Faslodex copay.
I have Blue Shield of California PPO, and I’m currently being billed around $4,000 per month, with about $1,300 as my copay. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any open copay assistance programs or charities right now.
Has anyone here contacted AstraZeneca directly for help with Faslodex costs? If so, what was the process like?
I’d really appreciate any guidance or experiences. Thank you.1 -
I have been on faslodex for about 3 months. Hadn’t had any side effects excepting one hardened injection site which lasted a couple of weeks….until….
My last shots seemed perfectly normal until a full 4 days later when I began a journey of pain and internal bleeding. I’m on lovenox since I had a DVT, so it appears that the teeniest vein had been nicked. Enough that in concert with the lovenox, I began several days of very painful swelling and bleeding.
Evidently nothing can be done about this except soldiering through this extremely painful experience and it may last upwards of a week!!!
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TThat Sounds uncomfortable. Make sure you let the nurses know at you next shot to move slightly to the right or left. Some areas seem to cause more problems then others. I know my nurses like to check for blood vessels but every now and the the hit a spot that bleeds.
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Hi all! I’m new to this thread. I am very happy to see some lovely ladies here who I have been lucky enough to have connected with before or learned from in other threads @threetree @eleanora @gailmary to name a few 👋. I am now a Faslodex girl after being on Letrozole & Kisqali for the past year a half. Progression in my pluera and 2 spots in my brain have brought me to my second treatment line since de novo diag Jan 2025. I will probably be starting Verzenio at month’s end but, for now, I am only on Faslodex while I recover from rads SRS last week. The rads were fine and my RO does not believe today’s reaction is due to them.
I had my second set of shots yesterday (my 1st set was 2 weeks ago and I did not have this).
Good news - I tolerate the shots themselves no problem. Special shout out to Eleanora who gave me step by step instructions 😘 Little to no pain during or after. However….Last night I had 2 dizzy spells that took me by surprise. Today, I am plagued with lightheadedness, serious fatigue and dizziness. It is worse this afternoon. I was able to shower and make my dermatologist appt this morning. But after doing some more errands with DH ♥️, I came home and gave into the fatigue.
I am a tough cookie and not an alarmist and tend to minimize any health issue because I am sure it will just get better or disappear with time. I fully expect to wake up fine tomorrow or at least much better. I know that after this month’s ramp up, the shots will be once a month.
Has anyone felt this reaction and believe it is from Faslodex? Since it is the only thing I am on right now, I am wondering if I will have this reaction after every set of shots. As long as I am prepared, I can handle anything.
Thank you ahead of time for any input! Wishing everyone a calm easy Wednesday! Go Knicks!! 🥳🏀 xo juliana0 -
Hi Eddiej glad the fuvesterant shots went well. I would reach out to your MOir could be a reaction to foslodex. You sound like me toward the end of radiation 10 years ago. I was so tired and dizzy. MO said not from radiation but RO said some people are more sensitive then others.
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Anyone have such dry skin from Faslodex and ibrance treatment ? Also my thumbs or fingers sometimes just ache they are so painful.
What has anyone found that works for the dryness? I went to the dermatologist and she gave me creams with steroids, told me to use
Vaseline with gloves. I have tried all that but nothing works.
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Hi sweetie. So glad the shots are tolerable for you and happy to have helped. Hope you're waking up to a better day. I had a reaction to the shots once last year, but it started almost immediately (as I was walking to the parking lot). Lightheadedness, dizziness, uncontrollable shaking and cold sweats. Like you, I assume that most things will just go away, but I had to recline the seat and lay in the car for about 30 minutes before I felt at least minimally capable of driving 20 minutes to home. Slept a lot when I got there and started to feel better the next day. Contacted my MO, who suggested Pepcid AC to the Claritin I was already taking the day before and morning of the injections. Haven't had a repeat incident.
If you weren't awake to see the last few minutes of last night's game, you will enjoy the replays this morning. Go Knicks indeed!
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Welcome, @patti47 and @gramtype ! We're glad you've found the community, although we're sorry for the reasons that brought you here.
@gramtype , for the dry skin and treatment-related skin changes you mentioned, you may find these resources helpful:
Video:
Article:
We're here with you as you navigate treatment side effects, and we hope other members will jump in to share what has helped them as well.
Please keep us posted on how you're doing!
The Mods
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Gramtype. Both my feet and thumb joints hurt. According to my bone scan I have severe degenerative joint disease. This has become worse since I started getting cramps in my hands and feet from another med. That med was stopped 2 months ago but it left me with painful thumbs and feet. I havenonly tried tylenol but my body decided it didn't like using it daily abd I developed side effects. I am thinking about seeing a palative care dr.
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Hi all, Very happy to report that the bad reaction I had yesterday from the F shots was a one day occurrence! I feel back to normal today. Now I will plan for a quiet day after each time. @eleanora I will try the Claritin with my daily Prilosec before the shots next time to see if that helps the reaction. Thanks for the tip!! Speaking of tip 🤣🏀 the tip into the basket that Anunoby did with 1.5 seconds remaining was f@#$ing amazing!! I was awake - the game was riveting!
I laughed, I cried, I screamed… you name it 🤪 KNICKS IN 5!!
Hi @gramtype I was on Letrozole and Kisqali for a year so not same drugs but I had the worst dry skin from the combo. I’d slather on CeraVe everywhere - body face neck hands feet - whenever I could. I found it helps to keep dryness and itchiness under control. An annoying thing is my IPad can’t read my fingerprint anymore - my skin is too dry. I also have trouble sometimes with my phone - the touchscreen sometimes doesn’t work. I have to rub my hands together or clap a few times to get the blood flowing to my fingertips to be able to type. First world problems so I am not complaining!! I hope you find something to help you real soon!! 🤞🤞🤞DH and I made our first visit to the beach today! Summer 2026 has begun! My wish is that we all have a fun, comfortable and healthy summer ahead!
xo juliana
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