Sounds like some of it might be related to the Zometa, bone pain is a common
documented side effect.  If the lesions are mostly blastic, then why not try
laying of the Zometa for a shot or two, and see if it helps?  After all what
it mainly does is suppress lysis, and the object of the treatment is to
maximise quality of life.

Are you taking any NSAIDs for the pain, eg Celebrex?  There is a suggestion
that COX2 inhibitors may help inhibit metastases too, there is also a
suggestion that it may slow bone growth, which is this case is no harm.

I'm afraid my knowledge is only theoretical, my practical knowledge comes
from when my late wife had bone mets, but they were heavily lytic, and
neither Zometa nor Celebrex had been invented then anyway.  Don't things
move on quickly.

Tim Jackson

My oncologist reminds me for the Zometa...you must be taking enough calcium
and Vit d...the pills are huge but may help.

Hi Christina--welcome to the group nobody wants to be in.  I'm sorry but I
don't have any answers.  Bone mets can be both lytic or blastic.  In cases of
invasive lobular they can be both but are just as likely for th em to be
blastic (i.e. spurs) as oppoesed to lytic (eating away bone).  Sorry I don't
hav alot to personlaly ad at this time.  Take care and feel better!  {{{Hugs}}}

<< hi group-
this is my first post.  i am 38 yrs old and was diag w BC stage 4 last
october.  i have many bone mets (spine, ribs, hips, shoulders, poss skull),
some small lung mets and poss liver mets.  i am er/pr+ and so am doing
hormonal therapy with
Femara, Lupron to suppress ovary function, and Zometa for the bone mets.
is anyone taking this kind of treatment, and if so, have you experienced any
significant side- effects?  my onc and i are trying to figure out if at
least some of the pain i have is due to zometa (gets worse for a few days
after tx) and/or femara.  

thanks so much for the input - here's some more info -
i take zometa every 4 weeks, but will be going to every 3 weeks on tuesday.
i had mostly lytic lesions, but many of them have turned sclerotic
(blastic).  there are still some new areas of lytic lesions that just came
up on the last scan.  frankly, there are so many of these things i can
hardly keep up.   almost all my vertebrae,  half of my ribs, both hips and
both shoulders as well as a spot or two in the skull have mets.  i suspect
the zometa and possibly the femara are aggrevating the pain.
i just switched oncologists this week, and will try adding celebrex ( i knew
of it's antiangiogenic properties already) again.  it really helped when i
was on it before, but i was relying on samples (i have no health insurance),
and the samples dried up.  but i'm just going to go buy the stuff w a rx my
new onc gave me yesterday.   i'm a little hesitant to add calcium as my
calcium levels border on the high end already, but i'm going to give it a
shot and see.  the new onc thinks that this strategy may speed up the
healing process.
so much guess work in all this... i have to just wait and see some more.
thank you all for your input, again.
i will be visiting this group regularly.
thanks to kaye for writing me back too...  i'm new to news groups and don't
know how to copy my message to you for the group - i'll try though.

-christina

oh- one more detail -
i have both lobular and ductal - both invasive.  someone made mention of the
difference between lobular and ductal bone mets.  i hadn't heard any
differentiation made before - i will look into it.
thanks.
-c.