Faslodex

[Betbop]

Good morning ladies. Just a few questions about Faslodex. I've been getting these injections now for over 40 months and now it seems as tho my nurse is running out of viable spots to inject. This past Fri. I got 2 more but 1 was placed very high up and has caused me considerable pain while in bed. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[Zebra2018]

I am getting them for 24 months now. First couple of them was hurtful, but by chance one nurse told me they should’ve administered them very slowly, meaning that, the nurse should take her time to give your shuts. That is why who ever wants to give me shuts I ask her please do it very slowly. You should ask them to do the same

[Barb5]

I had the same thing happen to me 2 months ago on my right side there was a large swollen bump also on left but right worse. I had pain and tingling in my legs. I was going to physical therapy for other reasons but they ended up doing massage and stretching exercises for this. It helped a bit but I stopped going PT because convid was getting worse around here and didn’t want risk exposure. Dr took me off Faslodex and started me on xeloda which is chemo he said I could go back on Faslodex if I ever wanted to because it was working boy do I regret changing I feel awful on xeloda and going to ask him to go back on Faslodex I’d rather deal with the painful shots I did tell him I think they hit a ligament or nerve and I want a scan to see he kept giving me one excuse after another not to do it but I’m going Tuesday and I’m going to insist we have a scan done because Im still in pain.

[Betbop in reply to Barb5]

Thank you Barb 5 I will be speaking to my oncologist at my next appointment and also my nurse. I really don't want to stop the Faslodex for just one bad experience.

[8576]

I am sure by now you have tried a heating pad. I think it does help. I worry about running out of places to inject although I am only on the shots one year. They have never caused me a problem otherwise.

Cheers, June S.

[Arisgram]

There is a late stage 3 trial for "oral faslodex" elacestrant. Ask your doc!

[Barb5 in reply to Arisgram]

Thanks now that you mentioned it he did at some point say they would be coming out with pill form Thankyou I will mention that to him❤️

[Arisgram in reply to Barb5]

I believe Sunny drinking was in that trial. You may want to reach out to her.

[Betbop in reply to Arisgram]

Thank you

[ChrisVict]

Hi, I used to get. I would put weight on other foot to relax muscles in area. Also I hope you have an experienced nurse because the liquid has to go in slowly.Cold packs to area. Best of all I understand pill form is on its way!

[caw517]

I agree with many here. Be sure to ask them to “warm” it up before injecting. If they do this it is easier for them to go slowly ... and I have learned that the slower the better. I’m constantly told by the nurses I’m hard to inject because my butt is toobsmall... if they can say that... I can tell them to warm it up and take their time! It also helps to try and walk after the injections. Hope you get some improvement! Blessings!

[mariootsi in reply to caw517]

I agree. I do these things too plus a heating pad.

[Iwasborntodothis]

40 months! You are my hero - I just started a week ago since Ibrance/Letrozole stopped working...I was glad to have all the advice on here to read about the injection before I had it. If it is intramuscular - is there another muscle they could use?

[Betbop in reply to Iwasborntodothis]

Thank you for your reply and no I don't believe there is another muscle that would be available to use sadly.

[TammyCross]

Ah, I have become an expert on Faslodex injections and was looking for a place to share what I have learned. I have been getting it every month for 18 months, and recently had a bad experience after a nurse injected it incorrectly. My doc wanted to take me off it but it is working so well, and this was my first bad reaction, so I wanted to stay. I found some articles, mostly in nursing journals on how it should be administered, and shared with the oncology nurse practitioner, who said they were useful. Here are the important things.

First, it should be warmed. You can do this yourself (the nurses where I go refused to warm it, said it was room temp, but it was cold and not sufficient). Put it between your thighs for a couple of minutes. The nurse said it was easier to inject. Another article said to put the syringes in your arm pits to warm. It will be less painful.

Second, it must ALWAYS be injected slowly. That is part of the basic instructions. It should take a couple of minutes per injection. Any nurse who does it quickly doesn't know what she is doing.

Third, the only reason you get big painful lumps that last (not little lumps that go away in a few days) is if the nurse pulls out the needle too quickly, doesn't completely empty the syringe. It should not go into the fat, but only into muscle. (I had a harder time in the beginning, when I was underweight from cancer, but it WORKED and now I am normal weight.)

Fourth, it SHOULD be given high up. The old way nurses were trained was to divide each buttock into quadrants and give the injection into the top outer quadrant. That is dorsogluteal. The newer way, supported by many studies, is to give it in the ventrogluteal muscle. This is behind the hip. This is supposed to be less painful, carries lower risk of hitting the sciatic nerve. Instead of the quadrants, they are supposed to put their index finger on the spine and spread out their middle finger to make a triangle and inject in the triangle. Last time, armed with my articles, I happened to have a knowledgeable nurse who said she learned it in nursing school....in Korea. She felt for my hip bone, toward the top, and went in a few inches.

If they do it correctly, there should not be a problem with running out of spots. Done correctly, they can't tell where the previous one was. Another sign that one nurse did it incorrectly, in addition to the hard lumps I have two months later (and none from the recent one correctly done) was that the band aid was very bloody. It is usually, and should be, just one small spot of blood.

[Betbop in reply to TammyCross]

Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information I'll be sure to share with my nurse.

[Buffwright]

My sister is a nurse — also recommends standing pigeon toed!

[Red71]

I learned to ask my nurse what technique they used. If they couldn’t tell me they warmed it up and injected very slowly and put it in the right spot I asked for another nurse. Do not be afraid to advocate for yourself! I had one done wrong before I learned and it took 3 months for the pain to go away. I had no pain when it was done correctly.

[Betbop in reply to Red71]

Thank you for your reply I've had these shots for over 3 1/2 years and have never had such a painful experience 2 wks after and I'm still having a really hard time dealing with this the pain. Your right I've got to advocate for myself. Thank you again.