Zoladex is a pain more then I 1st thought.

[Chelee]

This post is really to share information I have found out by personal experience. I was put on Zoladex and Femara quite a while ago...then taken off of both. (Long story.) I just recently started back on Zoladex. The 1st time I was on Zoladex I was still doing my wkly herceptin & was on other meds including Femara. I had *alot* of edema in both of my lower legs, ankles & feet. Naturally I blamed it on the herceptin & the Femara.

Jump forward to now. I've been off herceptin & Zoladex about 7 months now. I haven't been on any other meds & I no longer had any edema. So two wks ago I got back on the Zoladex & I started noticing right away I was retaining alot of water! My lower legs, ankles & feet are swollen. Also my hands & fingers. My couple rings I wear won't fit anymore. My belly feels all bloated & I instantly gained 6 lbs since my Zoladex implant. I'v also noticed my hair thinning quite a bit which upsets me since it was finally looking good. Also my hair gets greasy really fast now. Also I've been much more tired.

So anyone out there that has wondered *why* their feet, ankles or lower legs might be swollen & thought it was the other meds they were on...that *might* not be the case if your on Zoladex. (I had NO idea Zoladex was to blame for all these things the 1st time I was on it since I was on herceptin & Femara. But its so obvious to me now. (Just sharing information in case it might be helpful.) Thanks to Zoladex...I have NOW had to go back on my Lasix & potassium to get rid of the edema. I didn't want to do that but I've had no choice. The things we have to do to battle this bc crap can sure be frustrating.

Chelee

[Bev]

The oomph didn't take care of things? That's new to me.

Maybe it will just be a few more months? Good Luck. Bev

[Chelee]

Bev, Yes, the whole idea was to have the ooph so I could avoid the Zoladex and make sure I am meno-pausal since I *was* peri-meno. My onc only checked my FSH once...that was right when I finished chemo. (Chemo-pause is all it was.) Temporary. At that time my FSH was 77.29. (Good) I got the ooph because my onc would not give me my zoladex on time each month so my estradiol would climb each month. So instead of playing her games I got the ooph.

I had my ooph six months ago. Since then I have had my FSH checked 4 times. It keeps coming back in the peri-meno range. It should be in menopausal range by now. But its between 5.2 & 6.3 which is very peri-meno! So what I'm told is some shreds of tissue from the surface of the ovary can get left behind during the ooph and be enough tissue to produce a normal amount of estrogen....which means I'm still premenopausal. (This can happen more often when you are having one ovary removed that has a cyst attached...which I did.) Lucky me. So its like I did the ooph all for nothing. (Other then I did need the cyst removed.) But I'm not a happy camper. My estradiol is just now down to 11.

Chelee