[Lani]

narcotics(morphine-like drugs) can depress respiration. They work directly on the center of the brain that directs how often you breathe from what I have read. That is why an overdose kills one--you forget to breathe. It is a reason they do not like to give it out in the field during wars as there is not always someone there to check vitals all the time.

Are you sure the reason they want to give you a morphine-like drug is for your respiration? Are they trying to give it to you for pain relief?

I would ask them what the exact drug they want to give you is, what the side effects can be, whether it can depress respiration and if there are not alternatives.

You might also ask if you can get Faslodex(fulvestrant) on a compassionate use basis. According to Dr. Slamon it is the antihormonal which is most likely to be effective in her2+ patients as it is hard for the cancer to become resistant to it as it works by a different mechanism--rather than blocking the estrogen receptor so estrogen cannot act on it, or preventing the conversion of other hormones in fat and muscle (and breast cancer cells itself) to estrogen (via one of three pathways, at least)
it makes the estrogen receptors permanently fall off every cell in the body except perhaps the brain (supposedly the molecule is too big to cross the blood-brain barrier) One does make new cells, but the faslodex (given intramuscularly by injection) stays around for a month and is given monthly. Those cells which rarely divide, like nerve cells will remain effected even if you discontinue the treatment ie, once the estrogen receptor is degraded it doesn't come back and the cell won't normally get replaced.

Aromasin is an injectable medication as well, but it is just an aromatase inhibitor like letrozole or arimidex. It is just a steroidal AI whereas the others are nonsteroidal. This has more to do with how long it stays in your system and that it is best given by injection --it works in the same way as the others generally.

Hope some of this info helps!

Lani