Progress report
Jul. 2nd, 2009 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helen99Two handed typing - Up to about 60 wpm now - not up to speed because I still have the split loosely in place to allow wrist to rest on wrist-shaped surface at all times.
Able to oppose index & middle finger to thumb now. (before could not oppose middle finger). Thumb opposing the ring and pinky, still working on - moving to the stress point but not beyond. Nice to know the average rat has better opposing ability than I do... Edit: I was able to oppose the ring finger today (July 3).
Ability to lift with left hand. Tested by lifting a coffee cup full of coffee so I could open door with right hand. Success - no pain, huzzah.
Discoloration and swelling - still there but fading.
Ability to bend fingers - still stiff - need PT
Ability to make fist - not good - need time, PT
Ability to grasp - fairly good, oddly enough. Need time, PT to get up to snuff.
Ability to move thumb to "thumbs up" position - not good, need PT and time - one of the bones that governs that was broken.
The future -- Not happy until I resolve a few things.
Usual line of treatment for people in my demographic - Biophosphonates. I was tested last year and told my bone density was low and was told to take a biophosphonate called Fosamax. Refused due to particularly gruesome side effects, and also due to the fact that my father experienced some of those side effects when he took it.
Would Fosamax have prevented this fracture? I don't know, but I doubt it. Not how I fell on it and given the tiny radius of my wrist. The new wrist now looks like a normal wrist. My right one looks like a small kid's wrist.
If it had broken while taking Fosamax, the Fosamax would have impeded healing. This is how it works: It prevents old bone re-absorption and new bone growth while it adds mineral substance to existing bone. Thus the bones become dense but brittle and non-regenerative. That would be rather bad in the current situation.
Alternative medicine route: http://www.algaecal.com
Real or quacks? Again, I don't know. People have reported good results.
Further uneasy questions: Why did I fall? Tripped? (that's how my brain parsed it at the time) All my life (from childhood) I've taken these weird spills occasionally. I'll be walking along and suddenly I'll fall. Does my foot catch on something? Does my ankle give out (many sprains as a kid)? A weird muscle/nerve glitch? Bad shoes? I never fell or sprained an ankle as long as I wore my high-top ren shoes, though. Maybe I'll go back to wearing those all the time for good weather and high-top boots in bad weather.
Able to oppose index & middle finger to thumb now. (before could not oppose middle finger). Thumb opposing the ring and pinky, still working on - moving to the stress point but not beyond. Nice to know the average rat has better opposing ability than I do... Edit: I was able to oppose the ring finger today (July 3).
Ability to lift with left hand. Tested by lifting a coffee cup full of coffee so I could open door with right hand. Success - no pain, huzzah.
Discoloration and swelling - still there but fading.
Ability to bend fingers - still stiff - need PT
Ability to make fist - not good - need time, PT
Ability to grasp - fairly good, oddly enough. Need time, PT to get up to snuff.
Ability to move thumb to "thumbs up" position - not good, need PT and time - one of the bones that governs that was broken.
The future -- Not happy until I resolve a few things.
Usual line of treatment for people in my demographic - Biophosphonates. I was tested last year and told my bone density was low and was told to take a biophosphonate called Fosamax. Refused due to particularly gruesome side effects, and also due to the fact that my father experienced some of those side effects when he took it.
Would Fosamax have prevented this fracture? I don't know, but I doubt it. Not how I fell on it and given the tiny radius of my wrist. The new wrist now looks like a normal wrist. My right one looks like a small kid's wrist.
If it had broken while taking Fosamax, the Fosamax would have impeded healing. This is how it works: It prevents old bone re-absorption and new bone growth while it adds mineral substance to existing bone. Thus the bones become dense but brittle and non-regenerative. That would be rather bad in the current situation.
Alternative medicine route: http://www.algaecal.com
Real or quacks? Again, I don't know. People have reported good results.
Further uneasy questions: Why did I fall? Tripped? (that's how my brain parsed it at the time) All my life (from childhood) I've taken these weird spills occasionally. I'll be walking along and suddenly I'll fall. Does my foot catch on something? Does my ankle give out (many sprains as a kid)? A weird muscle/nerve glitch? Bad shoes? I never fell or sprained an ankle as long as I wore my high-top ren shoes, though. Maybe I'll go back to wearing those all the time for good weather and high-top boots in bad weather.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-03 03:58 pm (UTC)There are other side effects, including but not limited to,
Metabolic side effects
Musculoskeletal side effects
Nervous system side effects
Dermatologic side effects
Ocular side effects
These are described here: http://www.drugs.com/sfx/fosamax-side-effects.html
The by far worst side effect is osteonecrosis of the jawbone:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fosamax/an01379
http://www.youhavealawyer.com/fosamax/side-effects-fosomax-jaw-necrosis.html
http://www.ihlaw.com/topics/fosamax/?gclid=CNuK5dDwuZsCFZJM5Qod5zOfAg
http://www.yourlegalguide.com/fosamax-side-effects/
I don't care if I end up a pile of broken toothpicks. I will NEVER take that stuff. It's up to anyone else if they want to.I do care, actually. I intend to maintain bone health in other ways, including weight baring exercise (your walking will greatly improve your score), supplementation, diet, and avoiding foods that block calcium. Wearing of shoes that offer adequate support is another good one.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-03 04:44 pm (UTC)And I do hope that my bones are okay. I tend to eat lots of fatty fish (generally good for D and calcium) and go for walks without sunscreen, so I was pretty surprised to find out I was D-deficient anyway. Munching more mushrooms sounds like a good idea!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-03 05:02 pm (UTC)The main reason I don't like the Biophosphonate route is that it works by preventing bone recycling, so you end up with old, dense, brittle bones. This is used for bone cancer, because any new bone growth could kill the patient. The theory in osteoporosis is that it's preventing new, weak bone from forming. I find that theory flawed at its root. How about stimulating good bone formation instead of impeding any bone formation at all. HRT was successful in doing that, but the recent study knocked that line of treatment out.
I find it suspect that the HRT study 'proving' that it increased heart disease and cancer was done just as Fosamax was being marketed as an anti-osteoporosis drug.
Edit: "Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, symptoms of depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities."
I think eating Vitamin D in easily digestible, Mushroom form may be the answer...
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-03 05:11 pm (UTC)My guess is that one of the meds is a D inhibitor. From http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=110:
"The following medications impact the absorption, utilization and/or activation of vitamin D:
* Anticonvulsant medications, including Dilantin, are used to control seizure activity in people with epilepsy and brain cancer, and those who have suffered head trauma through injury or stroke. These medications decrease the activity of vitamin D. "