My bones, osteopenia, and zoledronic acid.

It can be very confusing @Pommy8 ..... here is a thread from last year ..... hope it helps
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/comment/211280#Comment_211280

Do you have a breast care nurse that you can talk to as well?  I hope so.

take care

I'm on letrazole hormone tablet and been taking a tablet for osteopina which physically I've been doing well so I thought.
Osteopina I got on test before starting hormone tablet.
I'm now been tested for Barrett syndrome of the oesophagus so another waiting game.
I've been told to stop taking my tablets now waiting to see specialists who had recommended acid infusion to begin with but my Dr said no way I don't give that to my patients with osteoporosis and so did my bone specialist. 

Had to see another Dr other day her brother bone specialist in the uk he refuses to give anyone the prolia jab.
Like everyone just over it side effects of prolia or infusion sound awful.
It's like we take one medication for one thing and it brings on something else like the never ending story lol.
I've spoken to people who have had both and struggle yet some fine.
I'm 59 feel healthy most of the time and just become a Nana for the first time I don't want to start something that could give me poor guality of life.
I know people say talk to oncologist I know she will go straight for the infusion. 
When you get conflicting messages from oncologist, orthopaedic Dr and family Dr very hard to know what to do.

HAS ANYONE not taken anything for osteopina and gone more the excerise and diet?
Sorry for rant yet again.

@Summer Prevails I have done no extra excercise at all due to a torn hip labrum that needs surgery🙄. I always take calcium & D as I'm post menopausal, and don't see a great deal of daylight Sunday-Thursday. The tiny improvement was all due to the Aclasta. I'd hate to think how much more I would have deteriorated without it. So I would hope that weight bearing exercises (which I can't do), would bring it up much more.  

@AllyJay Bloody hell. Breaking ribs from lying on an MRI bench is hardcore. I am so sorry for your ribs! 🙁 that really hurts. I’m sure I’ve cracked ribs on two occasions (both dogwalking mishaps) by falling on the ground fairly hard. But I haven’t been X rayed for those, so impossible to say whether that was from thin bones or what. 

It it gets me mad that there’s so much fine print with Prolia and Aclasta for women and subsidies and stuff. I don’t understand why it can’t be simpler. “You got crappy bones because of breast cancer? Have meds for cheap. You’ve earned it.” Instead it seems over complicated. I guess I’ll find out a lot more about it in coming months. 

@"Summer Prevails" blimey!! Fight,beg,cry,whatever it takes! Surely one of your broken bones Cld be put in the 'unexplained' pile. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. On the dental ... They will definately want the extraction done a few weeks before the infusion, so maybe a window for more budgeting🙄. I thought I had to have an extraction too but my tooth was fine just painful because of grinding. Maybe your oncologist or GP  can get you into the dental hospital as urgent,  that way a health care card can be used! Keep focusing on your dog babies as incentive. Xo

@JanineG oops I meant to ask, have you had to do a ton of extra exercise and take calcium supps ALONG with the Aclasta, in order to have made that little T score improvement? 

@JanineG Thanks for the pricing heads up. I wonder if I am going to qualify for any rebate or subsidy or anything, given I’m at osteopenia stage only. I think if worst comes to worst I’ll have to front up the $270 ish, and so be it. I mean I’ve had a fractured wrist, ribs, toes, elbow in my whole life. And it’s the friggin’ breast cancer treatment that’s put me in the position of needing osteo meds anyway! AND the onco knows I’m on a tiny income with no job. So if all those things don’t add up to qualify me for some kind of reduced cost...I guess it’s just tough eh. 

I hope it’s even gonna be approved for me, dental permitting.  I know I need a tooth pulled...been in denial and too busy and poor to deal with that for months. No avoiding it now though! Ugh. I’ll be terrified of jaw and tooth problems from the second I have the infusion. My brain is one that loves to torture me with What Ifs. I know it’s a rare s/e but still. 

Neulasta was was like having millions of super small nails being hammered into your bones from within. And I had a strange fever and shivering and shaking that I couldn’t help. I went red and puffy in my face. I was also highly toxic from chemo when I had Neulasta though so it’s hard to say what was what.  It was so awful that I made a blood oath to myself to never let a doctor give it to me again! Irrational I know. But I’d had enough pain. 

Like you say, I’d take the drug that stops me from breaking a hip or vertebrae and puts me in hospital for weeks. There’s no question. Not at age 40. I mostly don’t want to fear breaking bones when walking dogs! I’d die if I couldn’t walk dogs. 

I am hoping to dodge either but many thanks for the clarification about previous fractures. That makes sense although I still wonder about medication after bone thinning and reduction of subsidised tests before it happens! 

@Summer Prevails I checked out the latest pricing for you of Aclasta and the cheapest I think you will find will be $ 275.39 @ chemist warehouse. We buy ours in at $250.32 and our markup is higher. Ask your local pharmacy to match the price. And you will probably have to allow for them to get it in overnight. Good luck with your decision making and feel free to ask anything else xxo

Hi there @"Summer Prevails". This is the information I was given in a pamphlet from my hospital regarding PBS subsidy for Prolia injections as well as Zoledronic acid. ...."Treatment for established osteoporosis in a patient with fracture due to minimal trauma.  The fracture must have been demonstrated radiologically and the year of plain X-ray or C.T. scan or MRI must be documented in the patient's medical record when treatment was initiated" In my case, I'd had previous fractures when younger, one arm at age six , fell off swing and ankle at age 38 in a skydiving mishap. These I was told didn't count as there had obviously been more than minimal trauma. However I'd had tow separate rib fractures without trauma or fall. One whilst having a breast MRI or C,T, (I can't remember which, but it involved me lying on my tummy with my titties suspended into a radical mop bucket). The second one (different rib), was when I was returned to theatre after a massive bleed..they were in a hell of a hurry to get me on the table and were a bit rough. These, I was told definitely counted. I was 58 at the time, and have injections six monthly and are subsidised. I pay the maximum script rate of around $38 or thereabouts.