Bad Couple Weeks :)

[Psyborg]

Frustrating few weeks. Missed a stair at work and hurt my knee...had to fight to get BWC to let me get MRI...Work finally helped when I explained prednisone can cause problems with ligaments. Supposed to get MRI on Wednesday...though knee is finally starting to feel normal again...sigh

Then finally had to deal with the prednisone induced cataracts. Was on the way for my left eye last mOnday and found out my Grandma passed away. Went ahead and got the procedure completed before driving out to Iowa.

Found out while in Iowa that my last bone density scan was abnormal...osteaopenia. Yay prednisone...though my drinking of caffeinated drinks is probably part of the problem too...starting to ween off of caffeine along with prednisone now.

Of for my right eye tomorrow...hopefully that and the MRI go smooth so I can get things back under control :)

[Dirty Don]

Go get'em Bob...you know the procedures...hang tough!

[Geoff]

Good Luck Bob, it never rains but it pours.
Wishing you a better state of affairs real soon.

[ozterry]

Hang in there mate, hope it all goes well for you.

[JeanMarie]

Best of luck, hope all goes well & you are better soon.

[Pete]

Hang tough, my friend. Hope everything else goes smoothly and you can enjoy the holidays.

Oh, and Beat Michigan!!!!

[mrtmeo]

Praying that all goes well and you get better.

[Debbie C]

Bob ,sorry for the loss of your grandmother. It has been a heck of a week for you, hopefully all will go well tomorrow and you will be the road to recovery. Good luck with the caffeine and pred withdrawal

[mishb]

Good luck tomorrow Bob - please don't look at your phone until the procedure is done and dusted :wink1:

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you still have much to be thankful for

I am also so sorry to hear that you have lost your grandmother

[Psyborg]

Thanks all...I'm doing alright overall. Just needed a moment to vent I think :)

[annekat]

Sorry to hear of all this happening at once, Bob. And I'm glad you vented. Good luck with the right eye, the MRI, etc., and I hope once it is all over with you can take it easy for awhile. I'm sorry you lost your grandmother.... they are usually very important people in our lives.

[renidrag]

What a week Bob, hope all goes well today, as DD said, hang in there.
Dale

[Jaha]

Bob,
Wishing you all the best with all that you are having to go thru. I am so sorry for your loss. It does seem like when we have one thing happen, two or three pile on. I guess that's why we are called warriors. I'm hoping for you that everything will be uphill from now on. Take care

[Wegetarian]

Ugh.. such a crappy week, sorry about that. Awful to hear about your grandma passing.

Really sorry too that you have to cut down on coffee, are you really forced to take such drastic measures? The doc told me that they'd do the bone density measurements for me soon, I do hope I won't need to take more of those weekly meds for my bones but now I'm hoping no one mentions coffee.

[Psyborg]

Ugh.. such a crappy week, sorry about that. Awful to hear about your grandma passing.

Really sorry too that you have to cut down on coffee, are you really forced to take such drastic measures? The doc told me that they'd do the bone density measurements for me soon, I do hope I won't need to take more of those weekly meds for my bones but now I'm hoping no one mentions coffee.

To be honest Its not coffee, it's energy drinks for me. I'm guessing they are more potent than most coffee (never actually got the taste for coffee). I started on them due to fatigue...which it would alleviate for about an hour...but now I'm just hooked. Going to taper it just like prednisone to prevent too much of the old caffeine headach.

Thanks for the condolences on my Grandma. She had been struggling with alzheimers for a few years. In some ways I'm happy she's finally at peace as she never wanted to live that way.

[Wegetarian]

I guess its an industry hazard :) Back in school a friend of mine was quite addicted to them, I think he used to carry 4 with him in his briefcase. I haven't had any since I was dx'd, kind of wondered if all the stuff they put in them might do us some bad, but if your OK then I guess there is no harm in me occasionally having one..

[gilders]

Best Wishes Bob.
Hope everything starts looking up soon.

[vdub]

If it was anyone but you, Bob, I could let myself worry. But, I've seen you go through more than this. Tragedy when it all hits at once, tho. Good luck!

[Bek Stone]

Gosh what a week!!! So sorry for the loss of your grandma. It's hard to lose a loved one. But I hope everything goes well with your right eye and dropping the pred. Good luck with that :-)

[Psyborg]

Thanks folks, I appreciate the well wishes :)

Update on the knee. Wasn't ligament or cartilage damage, but I fractured the head of my fibula. Better option, but now they bone density issue appears to be more acute. Have a meeting tomorrow with my PCP to set up some ideas for treatment, but not sure what is actually workable for me. Probably further increase in my calcium? Most of the osteoporosis drugs are pretty bad in regards to side effects. Will also find out if caffeine is or isn't part of the problem...I've found conflicting information on that.

Prednisone...the gift that keeps on giving.

On the bright side all the Wegs related stuff appears to be in remission. Feel pretty good.

[mrtmeo]

Thanks folks, I appreciate the well wishes :)

Update on the knee. Wasn't ligament or cartilage damage, but I fractured the head of my fibula. Better option, but now they bone density issue appears to be more acute. Have a meeting tomorrow with my PCP to set up some ideas for treatment, but not sure what is actually workable for me. Probably further increase in my calcium? Most of the osteoporosis drugs are pretty bad in regards to side effects. Will also find out if caffeine is or isn't part of the problem...I've found conflicting information on that.

Prednisone...the gift that keeps on giving.

On the bright side all the Wegs related stuff appears to be in remission. Feel pretty good.

Eating 10 prunes per day has been clinically proven to reverse osteoporosis.
They also, lower TNF-a.
It maybe the Boron, so supplementing with Boron may help.
My mom's osteopenia reversed with prunes.

http://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2012-07/prunes-may-prevent-and-reverse-osteoporotic-bone-loss

[John]

good to know you are doing better. This site is also good to vent:thumbsup:
John

[Bek Stone]

Thanks folks, I appreciate the well wishes :)

Update on the knee. Wasn't ligament or cartilage damage, but I fractured the head of my fibula. Better option, but now they bone density issue appears to be more acute. Have a meeting tomorrow with my PCP to set up some ideas for treatment, but not sure what is actually workable for me. Probably further increase in my calcium? Most of the osteoporosis drugs are pretty bad in regards to side effects. Will also find out if caffeine is or isn't part of the problem...I've found conflicting information on that.

Prednisone...the gift that keeps on giving.

On the bright side all the Wegs related stuff appears to be in remission. Feel pretty good.
Hey I get an infusion for my osteoporosis but they only have clinic data for like 20yrs so theyre not sure what it will do to me later on in life as im 24 atm and have had it for the last 3 yrs and I don't really get any side effects from it other than alittle achy for a few days afterwards I'm sure the infusion starts with Z but im not sure I'll have to check with mum coz she can look up my file at work coz shes a nurse but I couldn't have any of the tablet forms as the lining in my stomach is red raw but I'll ask her what it's called it might b worth looking you looking into?? Coz my bones are like and 84yr old lol

[Bek Stone]

Hey sorry it doesn't start with Z lol its aclasta and I get it through IV once a yr atm coz I can't have any of the tablets or the injections that u can get 6 monthly hope this helps

[Psyborg]

Awesome info thanks!

[Psyborg]

Found out i do have osteoporosis. Evidently it's a pretty sure thing given my two bone breaks in 6 months span. They want me to take Fosamax, but waiting to hear back from Dr Villa Forte. I'm somewhat nervous about that particular drug as I've heard some bad about it.

[Bek Stone]

Ok well let me know what ur dr decides to do hope it goes well tho and it doesn't effect u badly

[annekat]

I'd been taking Fosamax for a couple of years before finding out I had WG; it was prescribed by my PA because my bone density scan showed I had osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, I think. The PA thought it could be due to the prednisone I'd taken for sinus infections, but I didn't take it on a steady basis like I do now, and osteoporosis may run in my family, as my mother had bit of a buffalo hump. Anyway, my present WG doc thought I should take it, but not for more than 5 years, so I recently stopped after being on it that long or longer. He mentioned a shot or infusion, perhaps he meant the Aclasta, that's given once a year and doesn't have the bad effects of Fosamax, according to him. So that is something to look into, for sure.

[Wegetarian]

Found out i do have osteoporosis. Evidently it's a pretty sure thing given my two bone breaks in 6 months span. They want me to take Fosamax, but waiting to hear back from Dr Villa Forte. I'm somewhat nervous about that particular drug as I've heard some bad about it.

I was at a bone density scan recently, and my legs were a bit in the osteopenia area while my back was a bit above that line. My doc allowed me to stop eating those bone pills, I guess they are the same as Fosamax (alendronat something). Was on those pills for almost a year and a half, and now only on 7,5 of pred.

[annekat]

I was at a bone density scan recently, and my legs were a bit in the osteopenia area while my back was a bit above that line. My doc allowed me to stop eating those bone pills, I guess they are the same as Fosamax (alendronat something). Was on those pills for almost a year and a half, and now only on 7,5 of pred. Yes, it's the same drug, alendronate sodium, I think. I know I should get another bone density scan. I was getting some osteopenia in my upper back for a couple years before Wegs started and I hadn't been on steady prednisone. I take 2000mg. calcium and 2000iu of Vitamin D3 a day but don't know if that is enough and maybe I should go back on a bone treatment, too. Want to find out more about the alternatives to Fosamax.

[Wegetarian]

Yeah, a Weggie I know got osteonecrossis which I guess is linked to that drug, and I think prednisone and rheumatism was also listed as increasing the risk for that.. Someone told me there is another drug for the bones which is takes once a year as an IV, dunno if the possible side effects could be less for that. Then again I'd assume the benefits would be greater than the risks as they do seem to be prescribe a lot of that alendronate stuff. Still not being allowed to eat for 30 min after taking that, and it also got my stomach a bit upset so glad I'm off it. Luckily it only needed to be taken once per week, but I've taken it for over a year.

[annekat]

Yeah, a Weggie I know got osteonecrossis which I guess is linked to that drug, and I think prednisone and rheumatism was also listed as increasing the risk for that.. Someone told me there is another drug for the bones which is takes once a year as an IV, dunno if the possible side effects could be less for that. Then again I'd assume the benefits would be greater than the risks as they do seem to be prescribe a lot of that alendronate stuff. Still not being allowed to eat for 30 min after taking that, and it also got my stomach a bit upset so glad I'm off it. Luckily it only needed to be taken once per week, but I've taken it for over a year. It never made sense to me that a drug that is supposed to help rebuild your bones would also carry a risk of hip fracture and other specific bone problems. Someone on here said Fosamax builds inferior bone, and that her density scans have improved a great deal just by doing a lot of regular walking. My doc mentioned the once-a-year alternative, not sure if he said it was infusion or injection, so might or might not have been the same as what you heard of. He said it had fewer, or not the same, risks or side effects as Fosamax, but i don't know how much he really knows. He said I shouldn't take Fosamax for more than 5 years, so I quit, having been on it a couple years before ever seeing him.