Hi,
I was on Arimidex 1/2016-12/2017 till it stopped working. I was switched to Faslodex 1/2018 and Ibrance 4/2018. Tried Xgeva 4/2017 but had jaw/ ear pain the first night, was a bad ear infection. Switched to Zometa for 2 months but it gave me a high fever for a week each time. Went to the oral surgeon 7/2017 and it turned out I had cracked my left back top tooth in half (probably the 1st night of Xgeva due to clenching my teeth). The oral surgeon wouldn't pull it because of the zometa/ Xgeva, so I had a root canal and he cut the tooth below the gum line. Started Xgeva again 10/2017 for 2 months. The tooth started to push its way out, and was cut back again in January 2018. I had a root canal on the top right back tooth at the same time and it was also cut below the gum line. Went back on Xgeva in April 2018, May 2018, and then every 3 months, last dose December 2018.
Well the tooth on the left was bothering me last month so I went back to the oral surgeon. Turns out that the jaw bone was exposed around that tooth. He spoke to my ONC and they decided that I will not have anymore Xgeva, Zometa or any other types of these drugs.
He then sent me to another doctor that is dual certified as a MD and oral surgeon. This DR specializes in jaw reconstruction. He was the chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the hospital for 15 years. This Dr pulled the tooth that was bothering me, put me on antibiotics and prescription mouth wash. I will see him for a follow up next week to see how it is healing. He says that in about a month he wants to do a debridement of the dead bone probably in the operating room at the hospital. Scary. The girls in his office say that they see this a lot with these drugs. They say it is a double edged sword.
Here I am all focused on my PET scans and tumor markers ( which have been stable, Thank God) and now I get hit with this. Crazy.
sorry for the rant,
Lisa