Osteoporosis medicine ?????

[Birdie]

Here is a little something to cheer you up Birdie!

Dad Starts Playing Elvis, Now Watch The Bird On The Right. HILARIOUS!

That umbrella needs dancing lessons. Two of the three living here would have been singing along with volume set at max, and since their wings aren't clipped like that poor bird... they'd get so excited they would fly to the music.

[drz]

Here is a little something to cheer you up Birdie!

Dad Starts Playing Elvis, Now Watch The Bird On The Right. HILARIOUS!

Love this video, amazing.

[Birdie]

I hope there are some other options in your area - even if you have to travel a bit further than you would like. Even a doctor who is NOT an expert, but it interested in learning and reaching out to other specialists for advice would be better than this nonsense. You might find some good recommendations for a weggie doctor by looking at the archives and posting a request for recommendations. Good luck!

I don't have options, this the VA health care system. Even that is not something I choose.

[BookNut]

I don't have options, this the VA health care system. Even that is not something I choose.

Bummer! We need the fix the system!!

[Birdie]

Bummer! We need the fix the system!!

Some of the Phx VA system is absolutely phenomenal, from my VERY limited experience.

The rest might as well not even exist, just shut down those parts and fire the people involved in those areas since THEY are the problem.

Imagine this: You go to your doctors office and find the reception person has their window completey blocked with computer monitors and the case for the computer. You can't see this person, you're greeted by piles of computer cables and noise from the PC cooling fan. The person behind the wall of hardware WILL NOT TALK LOUD ENOUGH FOR YOU TO HEAR THEM NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU BEG, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU SAY "Sorry but I can't hear you." "I have no idea what you said." "Will you PLEASE speak up so I can hear you?" They just begin to ignore you, talk to coworkers, etc... until you go away. THAT is my doctors office compliments of the VA system. The ONLY thing I heard clearly was being yelled at for moving one of the monitors enough to hopefully communicate. That was also my only glimpse of the person at the desk.

Now, whaddaya think? Is this a broken system? When a large doctors office inside a VA hospital is operating that way, and it's that obvious, that blatant? Any administrator just walking by can't possibly help but notice this condition. It's at desks all over the hospital.

[Margaret_B]

Debra C.
About medications for osteoporosis...I went through the same discussions with my doctor. Yes, Calcium supplements are not enough to prevent fractures, though I still take one 600 mg tablet and 1000 units of Vitamin D per day. I accepted the injection, i.e. one shot every 6 months, because I do not want to take any more pills and I prefer the long-term protection. I was given PROLIA. I experienced NO side effects EXCEPT, if you are given the medicine right out of the refrigerator (it has to be kept cold in the doctor's office), it will REALLY STING when it is being injected. Ask the nurse to let the serum get to room temperature first. Also,l this week I am starting a 5-week course for special exercises and lifestyle changes, taught by a trained nurse, so I accept responsibility myself for care of my bones. Other than that, I am not going to put too much effort or thought into whether or not I MAY have fractures. The GPA and care of it is of much greater importance to me and I am NOT going to spend my whole remaining life running from doctor to doctor to doctor! Good luck with the decision about the injection or not...let us know what you decide and how it turns out!

[Erin2014]

Hi Debra,

Sorry to hear you are feeling crappy!

Not sure if this will help... While I was on pred my kidney specialist prescribed 70 mg Alendronate orally once a week. It can cause esophagus ulcers so you must sit upright for 30 minutes after taking it. This bisphosphonate slows bone loss and increases bone density. Once I stopped pred I stopped taking Alendronate. I now take calcium carbonate twice daily with food to improve absorption.

I had an endoscopy before my diagnosis in 2014, not sure how they do the test in Ohio, but I light sedation and they also froze the back of my throat so I didn't feel anything. At the same time, they took samples to check whether I was gluten intolerant, celiac, etc.) Good luck!

[Debbie C]

Thx for the info Margaret and Erin. I haven't decided what to do. I am taking Calcium supplements and when first dxed I was on Fosamax which sounds close to the Alendronate but you are not supposed to be on that for long. I just don't handle meds well and don't want to be given a shot that I may have a reaction to then be sick from it.
I had an endoscopy a couple o9f months ago and all was good.

[annekat]

Thx for the info Margaret and Erin. I haven't decided what to do. I am taking Calcium supplements and when first dxed I was on Fosamax which sounds close to the Alendronate but you are not supposed to be on that for long. I just don't handle meds well and don't want to be given a shot that I may have a reaction to then be sick from it.
I had an endoscopy a couple o9f months ago and all was good.

Fosamax is just a brand name for alendronate. I got the feeling most take it weekly, but some take it in a monthly dose. It is in a class of meds called biophosphonates, and I think the injectable forms such as Boniva are, too. I don't know about Prolia. It sounds like a brand name for something. My doc told me not to take Fosamax for more than 5 years because although it builds bone, there is a risk of certain types of fractures, notably in the femur, and some problems in the jaw. I've read that it can be started up again after a time but would have to talk to a doc about it. I think calcium plus Vitamin D3 promotes the ongoing process of bone being built. It depends on where you read, whether that and weight bearing exercise alone are enough to build up bone that has been lost. A friend on here has said that Fosamax and the like build inferior bone, and that her bone density screenings showed great improvement after she did a lot of walking every week, probably along with calcium supplements. FWIW. I know this is repeat info, but it's hard to look back in a longer thread, sometimes.

[Girly3800]

My husband has just gone through this evaluation process. He has compression fractures in his spine and something was definitely needed. After much analysis - Fosamax is not a good option - doesn't build bones just retards deterioration. After he took Fosamax for two years it started giving him problems including mouth ulcers. Prolia and the like - whether bi-annually or annually run risks of side effects and you're stuck with them for 6 months or a year - and those can affect kidney function and he is borderline for kidney problems. We didn't want to risk any problems there.

The choice ended up being Forteo - a daily injection very like an insulin shot although the needle is smaller. Forteo does build bones and can be taken for two years. My husband has been on it for a month now and there are no apparent side effects - at least not yet. The biggest drawback is the cost of the medication and the hoops you go through to obtain it. A one month supply is upwards of $2,400 a month. We are incredibly fortunate that we have excellent health insurance and they only required a statement of medical necessity and they approved it. The manufacturer is actually pretty good about working with providers and so far the process has worked well - just need to be around home when the shipment arrives - it comes in a cooler.