Fill ‘Er Up, Please

I probably have mentioned in past posts that I have Osteoporosis/Osteopenia.  It’s genetic in my family – father, mother and sister.  I do all the things that are supposed to help: take calcium and vitamin D, stay away from caffeine and carbonated drinks, do weight bearing exercises, etc.

For years I have taken oral medication – first Miacalcin and later Actonel.  I have also done a two year injection program with a medication called Forteo which really helped build bone density.  I highly recommend it if you need it and you can afford it – it’s not cheap.

Last year, my doctor recommended I try Reclast which is a once a year infusion program.  He said medication like Actonel are fine and can help, but no one knows how much your body really gets since it’s an oral medication.

Reclast, being an intravenous infusion, is 100% used by the body and you only have to do it once a year.

I had my first Reclast infusion last year and it did help according to my most recent bone density scan. So, my doctor and I agreed we would try it again.

So, Betty was gracious enough to go with me again down to Presbyterian Medical Building to their Infusion Center.  I had the first appointment at 7:15 AM so we didn’t have to wait on anyone else.  She took the pictures below.

They have a nice set up for a medical procedure center.  They also do chemo treatments for cancer patients as well.  Of course, you have to wait while the nurse gets everything ready.  I had my Western Horseman magazine to keep my company.

Then the nurse does her thing inserting the IV into my wrist.  She was really good and hit the vein on the first try and there was no pain at all.  Her name was Margarita.

They start with an IV of just saline solution so your body is well hydrated.  The Reclast medicine is pretty strong so this protects the kidneys.  After the saline is finished then they put in the Reclast medicine.  When it’s finished they do another saline infusion.  By the time we were finished I really had to go to the bathroom.  The whole process takes a little over two hours.

Once the IV is set and the infusion’s started it’s mostly a matter of waiting and reading my magazine.

There’s no discomfort, but during the Reclast infusion I did notice a slight flush feeling throughout my body.  Fortunately, I haven’t experienced any side effects either time – flu like symptoms, sick feelings, bone pain, etc.

I’m just grateful that there are treatments that can really help.  I would hate to have to give up riding our horses because of overly-brittle bones.

Now I’m good for another year and we’ll see what next year’s bone scan shows.