Hi everyone! I’m new to this stream. I have stage 4 medistatic breast cancer in the bones. I’m on Ibrance and Letrozole but will be getting Fuervsant on Friday 2-2-24. So I won’t be taking the Letrozole. My oncologist is changing the medicine because my cancer markers are climbing.
Has anyone done the shots they could give me any advice???
Hi I think the name of that shot is Fulvestrant....its also called Faslodex. There are many tips here on how to take it...I'm not on it myself but I remember reading about warming it up for some minutes before administering and asking for it to be injected very slowly.
If you check in the search section with the correct spelling I think some posts will show up that should help...or scroll down to the "related posts" section at the bottom of the page and similar issues will be suggested.
Theres also a stream from a day previously under the title "hip pain from faslodex?" that might have some answers for you.
Wishing you all the best with your treatments.
Zoe
xx
Best advice I could give is if you can, take it standing up, lean on the leg of the side you are not getting the shot on and gently raise your foot and as gently as possible rest your toe on the cheek that is getting the injection, then do the same for the second injection on the other side. This helps keep the side getting each shot to be as relaxed as possible and it will help keep your mind focused on keep that toe gently touching the ground so as not to focus on the shot. A good nurse will know to inject it very....very slowly and make sure it's at room temp to temper the burn you might feel. I was on it for 6 months, no problems taking the shots, and I'm phobic about injections. Best wishes for you!!
I'm a long timer with MBC (1 month shy of 20 years) and have made a point of learning all I can about it. Rising tumor markers do not usually result in oncs changing meds, more likely to just order scans. Sooo, you may want to ask for scans first and/or a second opinion from a bc specialist onc. It can take awhile for tumor markers (TMs) to come down. My own onc didn't test them for 4 or 5 months of tratment with Letrozole. (I got almost 5 years from it and then over 9 years from Fulvestrant. If you are in the US, the top cancer centers are the Comprehensive Cancer Centers, almost all affiliated with medical schools, listed on the website og theNational Cancer Institute. Your onc should help you get a second opinion appt, before you switch meds! Call your onc's office and ask to speak to the nurse who works with them. Let them know you'd like a second opinion before changing meds. Unless you have a rip roaring aggressive cancer waitiing a bit is no big deal! And we have to learn to advocate for ourselves!
I would recommend getting the fulvestrant injections while lying down. The infusion chairs can be reclined all the way back and lying on your side across the chair relaxes all the muscles. Make sure the nurse has taken the shot out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before injecting it. It’s also important to have the injections administered slowly with 2-3 minutes on each side. Fulvestrant that is too cold or injected too fast iften causes pain and lumps.
I agree with everything that Mettavivor said but I would also ice the injection site before and on my way to the hospital. It helps with pain. If you have access to a cannabis dispensary thc patches help as well.
I have found that walking for at .east 20 minutes right after the shots helps reduce the pain felt later. If I get right in the car and drive home ( a half hour plus drive) then the next day the injection sites feel like bad bruises.
Thank you so much for this advice!! We usually drive an hour home so I’ll walk. Any other symptoms?
Other symptoms... mainly moderate fatigue and some joint aching.
Hi
I read the old posts of our brave warriors on this page and I quote their advices:
- Nurse have to warm the injection to body temperature, make sure your muscles are relaxed, get the nurse to inject slowly, massage the injection area well after the shot and if you can apply some heat - I used the heated car seat on the way home!
- Try apply warm compress because Fulvestrant is thick and “oily” so with warm compresses the lumps can melt
- I find walking after the shots helps. Also my heated seats in the car helps. Yes massage help a lot. For me the massage is most effective .
- My best experience with the shot has been by relaxing, warming the shot, having the nurse grab the area where the shot is given and believe it or not she actually measured where to inject the shots! No pain or lump!
I agree with all the above experiences and I can only add that I have excellent nurses in my hospital. They all give me pre-warmed injections very slowly, constantly asking if I feel pain. In that case, they stop and continue even more slowly... So far, we are doing well
I hope these advices will help you.
Hello! I asked the nurse to do exactly as was suggested. I also walked around the parking lot. If it started burning she would slow down on administering the medicine. The first shot was good but the second was so painful. I had a rough night but I’m doing better today. My urine smelled awful!! I’ve been drinking lots and resting. The muscle spasms kicked in at the wee hours but they’re gone now. I’m feeling pretty good.
Thank you to all who sent in their helpful suggestions!! I read some a few times to make sure I was prepared. And thank you for the correction on the spelling of the injection. So glad I found you all!! God bless!!😍
I hope the injection went well for you on Friday.
I’ve been receiving them since June. The first three made my bones hurt nut after I was does Ella Dee the pain went away and my Ca27.29 markers started dropping significantly. They are now down from 380 to 78.
Here is what I do to help ease the injections and possible side effects. First I warm up the bit cheek area with reusable hand warmers and the MA warms up the syringe. Then I lean over the exam table and bend my knees so the weight is mostly off my legs. That keeps me from tightening up my butt muscles. I get them both at the same time, slowly over two minutes. The the MA’s rub the area firmly for two minutes to help the viscous mixture spread out and start to absorbs. Next, I give them some arnica oil which they rub for another 1-2 minutes. Then I put the hand warmers back on (in a sock and between my undies and butt cheeks, over the injection area). When I get home, I rub the areas, then sit on a heating pad. Every hour I rub the area, then sit on the heating pad again. By bedtime I am done and have no lumps, bums or soreness .
The hand warmers I use, I ordered on Amazon and they are rechargeable. Just be sure to put the. In a sock and not directly on your cheeks or it gets too hot and you might burn yourself. It took me about three times to get them in the right place so it is warm ahead of time. The MA has shared my technique with other patients and they say it helps
Blessings
Hi everyone.. here for some support.
Tumor markers 
Good scan results today ! 🙂
Medication for bone mets
