DEXA Dilemma - Round 3

[Nerak12]

Another day, another round of phone calls and nobody has reported seeing a MRI request form floating past their window - yet!

The pain that felt like a knife sticking in my back, has reduced to feeling more like someone is hanging onto my shoulder blade. It’s an improvement, believe me. So much so, that I managed to take the dogs for a walk before lunch!

Shortly after I got back from my walk and having resumed my current favoured position on my back on the sofa, I got a phone call from the local private healthcare provider (the one who can do my MRI scan in a matter of a few days), to say they still haven’t received the on-line form request from my consultant. This is after I spoke to his private secretary yesterday, who said she would remind him to do it! 😡🤬 So, I pick up the phone to his secretary AGAIN, only to find she finishes work at 2pm and I’ve missed her by 10 minutes 😱.

I’ve asked about the possibility of going on HRT instead of Zolendronate - still waiting for an answer 🤦🏻‍♀️ They’ve sent me a pre-commencing Zolendronate blood test form today instead. I’ll take that’s a “no” then?.

Absolute radio silence! Black hole!! Nada! What’s so b****y difficult!! Why do I have to make a phone call every day for 4 days & counting just to get a form completed?

I’m getting very, very grumpy & there’s a bank holiday weekend coming up. 😱🤬😱🤬😱🤬😱🤬 Just hope there are some good films on the telly and please God, not The Sound of Music again!!

Laugh of the day 😀

Overheard as I was walking the dogs today.

Little girl indignantly to her Mummy - “ Mummy! Don’t say that! You’re beginning to sound just like Daddy now!”

Ooh!!! Well below the belt! Children certainly know how to deliver knockout punches! I gave mum my sympathy and suggested an iPad sanction might be applied for that comment. Should have seen the look of horror on the child’s face 🤭🤣

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Any idea what mummy had said?

I had a friend who used to switch the wifi off (very well hidden connection somewhere that the kids didn;t know about) and claim it was a fault on the line ...

[Nerak12 in reply to PMRpro]

Unfortunately I missed what Mummy said. I would have loved to have asked, but unusually it wasn’t someone I know.

Your friend had a great ploy!!

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

Way back when, I took the on-off knob off the tv 📺, but they revealed much later they could use a pliers to turn it on. Little inventive rascals. 😏

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

They did well in problem solving then?

[Nerak12 in reply to PMRpro]

Afternoon! Hope Italy is sunnier & warmer than where I am!

Guess what??? I got a text message this morning from the mysterious multi-site labyrinth that purports to be my GP practice these days

. “Please make a routine appointment to discuss the result of your recent DEXA scan”. Attached to the message was a PDF of the NHS leaflet on Osteoporosis. 🤦🏻‍♀️You couldn’t make it up really could you?

Like a good girl, I have made an appointment for next Friday - 1st one available. Phone or video appointments only within a 4 hour window, during which time I will need to be chained to my phone. Hope I’m having a pee when they ring 🤭😂

You never know, I might be able to get the GP to do the MRI referral. I will have had my CT the day before.

Quick question:-

When I saw the consultant on Monday, he suggested I put my pred up from 8mgs to 10mgs to see if it helped the pain. I don’t think it has, as PMR symptoms have been greatly reduced anyway since I got the acute back pain. The acute back pain is still there. The same thing happened when I sprained my ankle a couple of years ago. Then as the ankle got better, the PMR symptoms ramped back up again. Today is the 4th day on 10mgs. Would I be safe to drop straight back down to 8mgs tomorrow or Sunday, or should I continue on 10 until I see cons again late September after all my scans? If I wait that long I’m going to have to taper 0.5mgs a month for another 3 months to get back to 8mgs! I’m thinking Osteoporosis & probably HbN1C, 44 at last test, not being helped staying at 10!

Thoughts?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Nerak12]

Do you eat low carb? That's a borderline Hba1c that can be reduced through diet alone - lots of people will help if you ask the question in a new thread.

That's quite common for an addition injury/illness to reduce the PMR pain - transference of attention! Or the immune system gets its act together enough to work properly maybe ...

You can drop straight back to an old dose up to 7-10 days - hardly seems worth staying there if it isn't making a difference but only you can tell.

just waiting for major thunderstorms this evening and again tomorrow evening which they say herald the end of high summer. But they are suggesting that after an unsettled week the temperature will rise again - we'll see. The cooling off periods have been useful - but the wet this summer has never been gentle, it's been flash flooding and mudslides, some really serious,

[Nerak12 in reply to PMRpro]

Hi. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Think I’ll drop back to 8 after tomorrow.

Yes. I’m on a pretty low carb diet. Zero sugar/processed/refined food. Once or twice a week glass of wine. Difficult for me to eat enough to keep weight on and not eat too much carbs or fats! I’m 5’6” and a size 10! Docs aren’t worried at the moment - I’ve been at 44 for a year and they say it’s purely the steroids. Just conscious need to watch it and cholesterol. Normally, I’d be able to do enough exercise to keep both at bay, but at the moment.....😱 More reasons why I’m impatient to get sorted!

Sounds like your weather is as mad as ours. It’s been the coldest August here and the trees started turning a couple of weeks ago! Fungi everywhere already & conkers falling off the trees. Fruit trees in blossom for second time - bonkers!! Rain here, like with you, has come down in stair rods and I’ve never known so many day time thunderstorms. Mud slides are just terrifying and I know that there have been some up near my friend in Bardi, where they had an ice storm the other week as well.

Thanks for the advice, stay safe & good to chat 😀

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Nerak12]

It's been warm enough - 30-ish, above that down in the valley. Haven't had the mid-upper 30s for weeks and weeks that has been a feature of the last couple of years - not complaining about that!