hi greta-
yep, it's always the middle of the night or a weekend when things pop up...
why can't we keep this stuff on a 9-5 m-f schedule??
oh well...
reagrding zometa-
i've been getting it for a year.  i started out every 4 weeks, now every 3
weeks.  it can be a little rough sometimes.
especially at first, it was a real bummer.  it got better after a short
while.  are you getting it slowly with saline?  that helps.  my old onc just
gave zometa strait in a 15 minute infusion.  new onc takes 45 minutes and
adds 500cc saline.  it makes a big difference in how i feel later.
also, if you have just started treatment with femara or other
estrogen-blockers (for some reason i remember that you are taking this
treatment also, as am i), there is a period of time in the beginning when
that can also cause significant pain.  again, it's gets alot better fairly
quickly (within a couple/few weeks).  they call it "flare".
my usual thing is i feel pretty crappy - like i'm getting the flu for a day
or two after infusion.  then it lets up.  the pain seems to hang around, but
is usually mild to moderate, and i often can't tell if it's the zometa or
the bone mets that are causing it.
i had a mild friek-out about 6 or 7 months ago cuz i was convinced that
treatment wasn't working on the bones - i had a lot of pain.
scans showed no new mets.
it was the zometa.
i keep doing it though, cuz it's working.  oddly, since going to every 3
weeks, the bone mets feel better.  it's a trade off.
one thing to think about is "blastic healing".
i had never heard of it till my onc told me and found very little info on
the net about it.
if you are like me, you have lytic lesions (porous) that are getting "filled
up" for lack of a better word over time with the help of zometa.  it can be
painful.  my lytic lesions turned sclerotic over about 6 months or so.
that's generally a sign of healing bone.  it becomes denser because the
zometa prevents the normal bone-destroying cells from doing their job, while
the bone builders are working overtime.

i have to say, before treatment, i was fracturing ribs pretty regularly
(every few weeks for nearly a year).  in the year i've been on zometa, i've
only had one mild rib fracture.  more importantly, when i first presented to
the docs (before diag) i had horrible pain in my hip and had to use a cane
to walk and even that was a problem.
1 year later - no cane - no pain.  i do all my own yardwork and housework
again!
like i said - it's a trade-off.

take the pain meds on a regular schedule for now - it may not make it all go
away, but it should take the edge off so you can be more comfortable, sleep
etc.  pretty soon you can cut back cuz you won't need them as  much.
this process takes a while.
for my part, i'm happier with this treatment than chemo.  with this
treatment you can feel better as time goes on.  chemo can make you feel much
worse over time.  just my opinion...
i consider myself very lucky to have this form of treatment available to me.
and as one stage 4 to another, it's worked beyond my wildest dreams!  when i
was diagnosed last october i thought i'd be toast by now.  in fact, i'm
better than i have been in a long long time.
be patient and have faith that it will help you.
by the way, in my experience, heat is not your friend at these times.  i
tried a heating pad at first - my spine was killin me -
and while it felt better at first, i was much worse off within half an hour.
just my experience.
hang in there -

-c.

ps are you taking calcium yet?  talk to your onc about it.
he may want you to wait on it - your calcium levels may already be high due
to bone loss.  if not, citracal helps the zometa do it's job better.

sorry for the encycopedic reply...
hope your scrolling hand isn't sore...

Hi Greta.  Zometa causes side effects exactly as you are experiencing.  I have
been on Zometa infusions every three weeks for two years for bone mets, and
have had the extreme bone pain and fever just as you describe. The first 3-4
days can be described as feeling as though one is developing the flu.  Zometa
also has caused me to have extremely low white counts which required Neupogen
and some hospitalizations.  Every infusion causes a general feeling of extreme
fatigue for a few days also.  

In March of this year, the oncologist also began me on Navelbine and Herceptin
along with the Zometa.  The side effects of these three together can sometimes
be overwhelming, but they all are doable treatments.  Hang in there and try to
think positively as the Zometa does its work helping your bones to remain
strong so further mets won't occur.  Be sure and let your onco know when you
feel you need some help with the side effects.  It may be that your pain meds
need to be increased or changed to another drug for a while so the Zometa will
not disrupt your life entirely.  I take Avinza 120 mg a day, and when first
receiving Zometa the onco also prescribed Vioxx for break-through pain.  Of
course, Vioxx is no longer on the market but there are other anti-inflammatory
drugs available which may help you feel better along with the hydrocodone while
you are receiving Zometa.

Janice A.
Stage IV Metastatic Breast CA