Mason's First Bone Clinic - We have a plan!

 

Today Mason had his very first visit to Bone Clinic.  He brought Curious George along for the ride.  We met Dr. A and discussed Mason's history and his bone density scan results.  We talked about treatment options based on that.  Mason is going to begin IV infusions of Zoledronic Acid.  The schedule is once every 3 months for the first year.  After that we will check his DEXA (bone scan) results again to see how effective treatment has been and decide if we want to space out the treatments or keep the same frequency. 

The very first IV infusion will be an inpatient procedure.  Mason will stay the night at the hospital to be monitored for any adverse reactions to a 1/4 dose.  If all goes well then his future infusions will gradually increase the dose and will be done as outpatient procedures, a several hour visit hooked up to an IV instead of an overnight stay.  We will be scheduling this for November.

Before we begin the infusions we need to check Mason's vitamin and mineral levels.  His body needs healthy levels of calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin D to use the Zoledronic Acid to it's best potential.  After his appointment in Nephrology's Bone Clinic we headed down to the lab for the blood draws.  Unfortunately they needed several vials of blood the the first vein blew out after one vial, so he got a second needle in his other arm.  That one blew out too, but we got just enough blood before it happened. Mason handled it like a champ, licking a sucker and telling them to hurry up so he could go home.  :) 

While it is another appointment, another medical issue, and more specialists to deal with we know that ultimately this will help strengthen Mason's bones.  That will hopefully minimize future broken bones!  We loved Dr. A, who worked very well with Mason and answered all my questions.  I am grateful for a caring specialist who is proactively working with us for Mason's health.