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Faslodex injections

Barb5 profile image
19 Replies

I was just coming on site to see if anyone was having problems with their faslodex injections My lower back hip bone right below where injection site is swells and is painfull my legs get weak and tingling I feel it is because the Faslodex shot is supposed to be set out for 30 minutes to get room temperature before giving shot and it should take 1-3 minutes to slowly give shot also very important they are injecting in correct location very few nurses follow this routine in my experience. My last shot she took the Faslodex injections out of fridge and wrapped in towel for no longer than 5 minutes and also injected like any other injection not taking the 1-3 minutes suggested

Now I’m suffering because of it. if the injection isn’t done

room temperature it does not go thru your body the way it should because it is thick when not room temperature I will be talking to my dr about this at next visit

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Barb5
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19 Replies

Dear Barb5: I am so sorry you are suffering. I have had similar problems. I ask the nurse how long has the Faslodex been out of the refrigerator? I ask to feel the vials. If they are cool or cold, I ask if I can warm them while they tend to other patients. I put one under each arm pit to warm them. Then I say please take 3 minutes to slowly inject each shot. It starts hurting durning the injection if they go too fast. I say please slow down it’s hurting. And they do. I also ask them to avoid the knots/scar tissue.

On my PET-CT scan this week it showed the swelling & scar tissue I have built up from 2.5 years of Faslodex shots. I can’t wait until the oral SERDs are available so I can end these shots.

I hope this helps!

🙏❤️🙏

Barb5 profile image
Barb5 in reply to hopenowandtomorrow

Thankyou I keep looking to see if the oral Faslodex is out can’t wait either

marianne88 profile image
marianne88 in reply to hopenowandtomorrow

Hi. Can you share with me where the swelling was. For the first time in 4 years I have pain in the inside of my thigh and my bone scan showed inflammation and wondering if it’s from the faslodex shots. Thanks so much.

hopenowandtomorrow profile image
hopenowandtomorrow in reply to marianne88

My swelling is on the upper (even with the top of my butt crack) & outermost side of each butt or glut muscle. 🙏❤️🙏

Barb5 profile image
Barb5 in reply to marianne88

My pain is in the back hip bone and swollen just below that I’m assuming the swollen is the meds injected incorrectly too cold and too fast I never had it on inside of thigh but maybe the way it was injected I don’t really know. Wish you the best

kearnan profile image
kearnan

They nurse usually gives them to me out of the fridge and I put them under my arm for like five minutes. Usually no more. I never really have pain and I can sit afterwards but I did have a big butt with padding so that may be the reason why.

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo

I would refuse the injection if it is not warmed up. I think it usually takes about 30 minutes at room temperature. You may have to tell them to inject slowly and don’t be afraid to tell them your preferred location within the bounds of where the site is. We have to be our own advocates. I pretty much directed most of my shots, although they were always warmed first without me saying anything. Sometimes the oncologist rarely knows about what actually goes on in the lab or infusion center. Tell the nurses directly for better results. Good luck to you!

Breeze54 profile image
Breeze54

Definitely let your doctor know what happened to you during your last injection. I talk to the nurse who is giving me mine every time. I make sure it's done correctly. I had no problems with bone issues or issues or injection site problems.

Andibo profile image
Andibo

My nurse brings me the vials at the start of my appointment each month and I hold them in my hands while I meet with my doc. Nurse then gives me the shots at the end of the appointment and they are nice and warm. Where they inject really is very important too and never feel bad about telling them to slow down. Makes a huge difference. I had to kind of train one nurse and now she is amazing at it!

Puppy_love profile image
Puppy_love

I am sorry to hear this. It takes a special nurse and technique to perform the injection correctly. Every time I find someone good they leave. I struggle also with this, but you make sure you speak up. It seems that the person is injecting too fast and not in the correct spot. It seemsMaybe too close midline and May have hit a nerve. Ask for someone else if this person isn’t with good technique. Best of luck

TammyCross profile image
TammyCross

Makes me angry that you are having this experience. I was getting Fulvestrant injections for two years, and learned the nurses don't like to give them because they are difficult and take a while and they don't give them often enough to retain skills.

I looked up how intramuscular injections are supposed to be given, and printed out some articles. I told my oncologist == I have nothing to do with the infusion center, she said. Told her nurse practitioner, and she copied the articles and told me who did run the infusion center. (The nurse in charge at the center wouldn't listen to me, so I went over her head.) That nurse said they train and train, but they keep forgetting. It should not be in the butt, but in the hip. It sounds like you are getting that, at least. I found that the nurses trained outside the US (Korea, Philippines) did it better than the US trained nurses.

They did keep it out for a half hour, so I had to wait, but it was still too cold. I learned from this site to put them between my thighs (or under arms) and it went in more easily. Also, if they do it too fast, it is not getting in where it is supposed to, just spills out and makes a lump. I stopped 6 months ago and still have lumps from nurses who injected in the wrong place and too fast.

This is no joke. I realize not everyone is as aggressive as I am, but I now have a reputation for being the patient who changed the practice. The nurses are afraid of me. Unfortunately, there is turn over so the newer ones don't know to listen to me!

Barb5 profile image
Barb5

Thankyou everyone for confirming my thoughts on this injection and I will definitely speak up I’m thinking of calling infusion center before I go and telling them to take out the Faslodex so it will be ready before I get there

13plus profile image
13plus in reply to Barb5

Ask to hold it in your own hands for a few minutes, that helps. Afterwards a warm pad and massage it! Don't be afraid to rub it to help the dispersion. I also learnt to find my voice and (kindly) say something if they are going too fast

RLN-overcomer profile image
RLN-overcomer

Greetings Sister/warrior. I am sorry to hear you are in substantial pain from your recent treatment injection.😐 You are your best advocate. These nurses need to be trained on how to give these injections properly.😑. No one fighting this disease needs to have to experience additional unnecessary discomfort. because a nurse is not trained , or chooses not to adhere to the injection protocol. I hope/pray you will feel better, and that you will have a more caring nurse who will give you your injections in the future.😇

SeattleMom profile image
SeattleMom

Barb!

You are absolutely correct; and should definitely discuss this with your oncologist. The Faslodex serum should be room temperature and should be injected slowly. It's also VERY IMPORTANT that the nurse doesn't accidentally hit a sciatic nerve during the procedure. I found it very helpful to lay down on my side for the procedure and that the nurse knew the EXACT spot for the needle to be inserted!!

God bless you!! XXOO

LadyCapricorn profile image
LadyCapricorn

Hello Barb. I had Faslodex injections every month for 2 years at CTCA (Cancer Treatment Centers of America) in Georgia with no problems. The nurses always made sure the meds were thoroughly warm and they pushed really slowly. I still fly down, but now only every 3 months for follow up scans to make sure my MBC isn't active. I also get an Xgeva shot as my disease went straight into the bones in my ribs, spine and pelvis.

Insist the meds be really warmed and yelp when they push too fast to slow them down. For the last 5 years I was only on Arimidex, but tried Ibrance 100 mg on the suggestion of a new doc. I came off that med after 19 days and I'm staying off! when I came off my entire system seemed to dry up, regardless of how much water I drank. I had a horrible weekend of severe constipation relieved only by eating a can of Spanish peanuts. I try natural remedies before meds. Normally too much peanuts or cashews send me to the little room too frequently, but this time it just eased me back to normalcy. After that episode I've decided to keep some Nabisco fig bars on hand too just to be safe.

Barb5 profile image
Barb5 in reply to LadyCapricorn

Thankyou and fig bars great idea

Likes profile image
Likes

This is a late response. I hope you are feeling better.My faslodex causes neuropathy and extreme hot flashes and chills.

Does anyone have these symptoms?

Barb5 profile image
Barb5 in reply to Likes

Yes I do and pain and lumps on outer top thigh and back hip bones it really is getting bad also pin and needles sensations in my legs I wish they would tell me what I can do to help with this because the Faslodex is working for cancer🤷‍♀️

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