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Is anyone taking Zoladex injection and Letrozole tablet?

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  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi iserbrown,

    What is your situation now? Is the tumor gone or still remain ther?
    What is your tumor marker level now after the 2 years+ Zoladex injection and tablet.
    How long did it take before you get the response from this treatment?
    I just ordered the kit, hopefully will receive it soon. Many thanks


  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi Zoffiel,

    Thanks for your sharing and explanation, it make me more understand about the situation and the treatment theory.
    How long have you been on your treatment? Are the tumors gone or under control now?
    I'm 41 now, sound like that I will need to continue the Zoladex for my next 10-15 years unless I remove my ovaries.





  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi pacwood, My oncologist didn't give specific reason for not to use chemo, he simply say not suitable.
    He say that he is hoping the hormonal therapy to keep my tumors under control but not cure.

  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi Cate64, How is your situation after you changed from hormonal therapy to oral chemo? Is this better in control the tumors? what are the different in term of the side effect?


  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi Iserbrown, I don't have a breast care nurse, I only see my oncologist for about 30mins monthly, and a nurse give me injection, nothing else. That's why I don't know much apart from my diagnosed figure.
    Where can I get the Breast care nurse service?
  • iserbrown
    iserbrown Member Posts: 5,552 ✭
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    http://http//www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/OurMission/OurNurses/FindANurse.aspx

    https://www.bcna.org.au/metastatic-breast-cancer/metastatic-breast-cancer-telephone-counselling/


  • Ann-Marie
    Ann-Marie Member Posts: 1,142 ✭
    edited March 2017
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    @LinLin I have just sent you a message about our free telephone service that BCNA offers.  This may also help to answer some of the questions you may have. As @iserbrown has listed above these links will take you to sites to find a breast care nurse and our telephone support service.
  • Cate64
    Cate64 Member Posts: 446 ✭
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    @LinLin it is too early to tell, I have only just started the 2nd cycle of it...
  • Anne94
    Anne94 Member Posts: 162 ✭
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    Hi @LinLin

    I was diagnosed September 2016 with stage 4. I am oestrogen & progesterone +ve receptors, her2 negative with bone mets only(numerous places)
    I have been having zolodex injections for the past 7 months & I'm only going to have one more. I've been booked into surgery for a hysterectomy & ovary removal in 5 weeks.
    My oncologist had my hormone levels checked to make sure I was going through menopause. Unfortunately, my ovaries don't want to switch off, which I then had a gynae referral. 
    I was also in the beginning on exemestane but I still had a period and was switched to tamoxifen. 
    The first 2 injections of Zolodex made me feel like I was getting the flu., but don't feel like that anymore.
    wishing you all the best
    Anne
  • Share
    Share Member Posts: 217 ✭
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    Hi @LinLin - welcome to the online forum !

    As you can see from all the responses it is a great place to ask questions (lots if you need to) and to get various updates on how everybody can react differently even though we may be taking identical treatment. You will quickly understand that even though the medication may be the same, just like our bodies, reactions and side effects can differ from one person to the next.

    I agree with some of the other ladies that one of the first steps is to get in contact with a breast care nurse. Whichever hospital or cancer care centre you are seeing your specialist at may have a breast care nurse situated onsite or perhaps you could find out online if there is a centre close by. Maybe one of our great admin members like @Ann-Marie_BCNA could direct you to a link to find one near you.

    I would also ask some questions regarding radiotherapy for the bony mets (you mentioned several spots in the bones) perhaps this is also an option for you ? As @Cate64 mentioned above, her last bone scan revealed that her bone mets are stable with no new tumours (my last bone scan also showed a similar result although I am having a 6 monthly check-up bone scan this Friday as my tumour markers have been rising).

    Next time you have an appointment scheduled with your oncologist take a list of questions that you could ask - perhaps after seeing some of the responses from our fab forum ladies !!

    Best wishes xxx  

      

  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    many thanks iserbrown and Ann-Marie for the helpful information 8)
  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi Anne,
    how is your health status at the moment? Are you well enough to have the surgery? e.g. are less/gain weight? any bone pain, etc.
    Hope you all the best for the upcoming surgery.

    BTW, is this a standard procedure to check the hormone level? My oncologist didn't mention about this.


  • LinLin
    LinLin Member Posts: 16 ✭
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    hi Share, thanks for your advice.
    I have seen a radiologist who told me that radiotherapy won't help my bony mets, it only help to reduce a bit of the pain, so they suggest not to do it unless I really want to do it.

  • Anne94
    Anne94 Member Posts: 162 ✭
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    Hi @LinLin
    yes, I would think it would be standard. You said you were only 41 and having zolodex, so I would assume you haven't gone through menopause yet.  I'm 44 and not menopausal and my ovaries are refusing to switch off whilst on zolodex. You want your hormone levels to be at menopausal levels. 
    i feel pretty good at the moment. My bony mets are not giving me too much trouble - just my femur (it's a load bearing long bone)which has a lesion. So after working it feels sore.  I'm having a femur nail done on Tuesday and the Hysterectomy 4 weeks after. 
    I was offered radiotherapy but because I have no pain in the bone, it was suggested that I save this for later. It's my rainy day 
    kind regards
    anne 
  • brightspace
    brightspace Member Posts: 445 ✭
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    Hi lin lin
    There are are a number of treatment options for our type of metastatic breast cancer

    Treatment protocols for us usually do not start with chemo but with a drug group called AI

    . You will need to have afamily member/ breast care nurse or  friend who understands medical terms go carefuully over tbe reasons for  you understand  this

    The best AI drug for us to start for our  hormone positive cancer is Leterzole

    .if leterzole works the cancer with slow its growth

    My first CT scan after three  months on leterzole showed that the cancer had stpped growing has become smaller
    Sadly Doctors cannot make our type of cancer dissapper completely .

    I hope that the drug will work for you
    We have to wait and see if the drug continues to work, 

    For our treatment  
    It will help us hopefully to stay well.

    Please continue to ask questions 
    It would be best if you write your q uestions out before and post one or two questions at a time.

    Our treatment is  a slow one  and often very different to our first breast cancer diagnosis.

    Have you had treatment for breast cancer before?

    XX Met sister Bright





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