Note to self: do not stop antacid medication ever again.
I've been taking a medication called protonix to control my acid reflux for oh, four or five years now. When the news came out recently that certain antacid medications can increase the risk of bone fractures, I decided all on my own (because I'm basically a doctor) to see if I could survive without it. I'm already at a high risk for developing osteoporosis because all of my different chemotherapy and radiation treatments have put me into premature menopause, so I thought it would be a good idea to minimize my risk of fractures even more. I am a calcium fiend, which helps with the bone density and breakage problem, but it's still a good idea to take steps to minimize the risk, right?
One long, horrible week of a burning esophagus and throat later and I realize that was a terrible idea. I'm back on the protonix, and I guess I'll just talk to my doctor about the whole acid reflux and bone breakage problem. That is why he went to medical school, right?
I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. I'm usually correct about medical stuff. It's a little bit of a blow for my honorary MD. Well, it was worth a try.
4 comments:
Ouch, not a good idea. You are French ma chère amie, les français sont les rois de l'auto-médication il paraît ;-)
acid reflux is a huge issue for many; stress and overeating are the main culprits, obviously not you!
I would think you have plenty to offer as a guest poster. Dont worry about the economic stuff, half the time I write about other stuff!
Thanks for the kind words, but what I had to do is NADA compared to what you do every day.
All my best.
J.D. struggles with acid reflux. I know how hard it is for him, so my apologies go out to you!!!
Well, you know, you could always try studying for med school, if you wanted that self-validation ;) You're a pretty determined chick, I bet you could do it haha.
Good luck either way!!!
Zhu - auto-medication? Les francais? Normalement les medecins sont ravis de te donner une ordonnance! C'est meme exige quand les francais vont chez le medecin!
GYSC - I just talked with my NP about it today and she said a lot of times steroids (which I took for a long time) can cause acid reflux, and that you have to taper off the medications rather than go cold turkey. We might try that in a few months. I am really at a loss for what I could write as a guest post, but I'll see if I can come up with something. Or if you have suggestions, feel free!
Monique - sorry to hear that J.D. has acid reflux too. Doesn't seem to put a damper on your eating though! I did think at one point about medical school, and then I realized recently that I actually don't want to spend any more of my life in the hospital than I have to!
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