Zometa infusions to help prevent bone loss from cancer treatments

I’m very concerned about my bone health after following this post. I started Anastrozole almost 2 yrs ago. No one mentioned to me about bone density meds. Not my oncologist or PCP. Both of them has seen my latest bone density results which have gone from osteopenia to now osteoporosis. I’m very concerned now why they haven’t recommended meds. When did was bone density med prescribed when you started Anastrozole? TIA

I take Bone Strength which has some calcium and a multi which has some also. I am not sure if I am getting enough.

No one mentioned it to me either, until my oncologist retired and I started seeing my husbands wonderful oncologist. He said geez I sure would hate to see you get a compression fracture and after I had an accident and everything broke two years before. It seemed like my pcp would have picked up on it. Thanks be to Mayo trained doctors!
You will need to advocate for yourself in this. If your doctor won’t listen, I would humbly suggest a second opinion might be in order. Maybe this drug isn’t right for you, but pretending there is no problem certainly can’t be the best plan for you either.

@Chris. Thank you. I advocate for myself. I’ve called my Cancer Services clinic to get another opinion. When I called to get an appointment with another oncologist, they looked up my file ‘oh you are Dr. White’s patient’. I said yes but I want an opinion on bone density med. The gal said ‘please hold , I’ll have to speak w/ someone about this situation’. 😳. Lol. That was 1 1/2 weeks ago. I called after a week and said ‘ Hi Marissa - I doke to you about getting an appointment with another oncologist, you said it was a Situation’. She even laughed. Said someone would call me. No call , been about 4 days. I guess the situation hasn’t been resolved. 🤷‍♀️💪🏼 I’ll keep calling them!! Never give up.

Let me add more info on the Vitamin D3 and Calcium that I take:
BONE STRENGTH
D3 1000 IU 250% OF DAILY REQUIREMENT
CALCIUM 770 MG. 77% OF DAILY REQ.

RAINBOW LIGHT MULTI VITAMINS
D3 (AS CHOLECALCIFOR) 1000 IU 125%
CALCIUM 200 MG 15 % OF DAILY REQ.

ACCORDING to this I am getting only 92% of Required Daily Amount of Calcium.

Should I be concerned?

I don’t think you should get overly concerned before you talk to a doctor. I just think you need to keep pounding doors until one talks to you about this. If you know you have osteoporosis then someone needs to at least have a conversation about it.

I agree. I’m just having a Difficult time getting someone to talk to me about bone density and what I SHOULD be doing.

OK Thank you.

I will be starting Zometa on Sept. 3rd (every 6 month thereafter). I have taken anastrozole for 6 months. My doctor recommended Zometa because it is suppose to help with stopping breast cancer spread to the bone. I wish I had more info to share.

Absolutely, yes. I’m starting to do the standard protocol for localized breast cancer now - lumpectomy, “score” 9, so for now no chemo, radiation deemed not necessary but still and option for another 3 months to be useful. Letrozole for now. Egh.... muscle/bone pain in hips initially, now gravitating to foot pain. Not bad, maybe 3, but prefer not to have. Also, after 30 years I just got an UTI for nor reason (and I mean, no physical reason). Some people mentioned the tendency to get this. Mild, occasional hot flashes. Anyway : in recent years I had assorted orthopedic surgeries, and I can tell you that the one time my surgeon had the same procedure, he was soooooo much more attuned to what I went through. I don’t wish any bad things to the doctors treating me, but it makes a world of difference if they themselves, or a close family member, had experience with the AI drugs and the biposphonates as taken over long term. Including withdrawal symptoms. (Optimist. 6 weeks in I’m circling end year. With major resentment.).