Stand in Here Be Dust

I am standing as I type this. My laptop sits atop a footstool about 9 inches high; my mouse and mouse pad top a mini-drawer assembly about 6.5 inches high. I’ve had to move various files to rearrange my work table and will take a photo once I finish putting everything back in order. It takes me less than a minute to convert to this makeshift “standing desk” from my regular sitting position and vice-versa.

That’s one response to the osteopenia found in my right hip after my recent bone scan. (Fortunately, my left hip and spine still read as normal.) Another response is supplementing my workouts on my stationary bike with sessions on my manual treadmill because any weight-bearing exercise is a good thing. Says the Mayo Clinic, “Weight-bearing aerobic activities involve doing aerobic exercise on your feet, with your bones supporting your weight. Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss. They can also provide cardiovascular benefits, which boost heart and circulatory system health.”

I’ve already been taking calcium and Vitamin D3 (which aids in calcium absorption). I added my DIY standing desk set-up after reading Ian Johnston’s article in The Independent. Reporting on a study conducted in the UK, Johnston writes, “Office workers should abandon their chairs for half their working day to reduce their risk of heart attacks, cancer, or diabetes, according to new guidance recommending people spend at least two hours – and preferably four – a day on their feet.”

Two years ago (and about a year before my cancer diagnosis), my first bone scan had been normal throughout. As I had written here, both the Prilosec (omeprazole) that I had been on for chemo-induced heartburn and the anastrazole I am on now to fight against cancer recurrence have been linked to osteoporosis.

Says Drugs.com (based on this FDA advisory), “Some people taking Prilosec may have an increased risk of bone fracture in the hip, wrist, or spine. This effect has occurred mostly in people taking Prilosec long term or at high doses, and in people who are age 50 and older.” My prescription dose had been double that of OTC Prilosec. The OTC strength is not recommended for longer than two weeks; I had been on the Rx-strength version for six months. That completes the trifecta of someone over 50 who had taken a high dose long-term.

In addition, the NIH says, “Anastrozole may cause or worsen osteoporosis. It can decrease the density of your bones and increase the chance of broken bones and fractures.” Writes Paula Moyer at Medscape (free access with log-in), women treated with anastrazole “for 5 years can lose 6% to 7% in bone-mineral density (BMD), enough to trigger a progression to osteoporosis in those who are already osteopenic when treatment begins,” including about a 40% increase in the risk of fractures.

Interestingly, the study found that (1) “taking anastrozole for 5 years is unlikely to cause osteoporosis” in women whose BMD had been normal at baseline; (2) the rate of bone loss “decelerates over time; the rate at 2 to 5 years was significantly less than the loss over the first 2 years of treatment;” and (3) fracture risk declined after the drug was discontinued.

That makes me wonder whether I had developed osteopenia as a result of the Prilosec, Prilosec-plus-anastrazole, or whether I had already experienced bone loss since my prior scan in February of 2013. There’s no way to know, but I’m still curious.

Meanwhile, I’ve been enjoying the ibises that come to forage in our yard:

I had been reading on our front porch when this one came to call. The sky opened up several minutes after I took this shot. I continued my reading, pelted with only a few drops during gusts. The ibis had crossed the road and continued to snack while being drenched, then joined one of its buddies at the corner retention pond.

I did this in response to “Bloom,” the prompt for the May Creativity Heals meeting:

The flowers are drawn freehand. The hummingbird is a tracing.

We will be working on vision boards throughout the summer. Shelley Webb provides a guide to vision boards for caregivers (I had done my first vision boards within a caregiving capacity), but the concept is great for anyone.

Speaking of creativity, “From crisis to creativity” was the topic of this past Monday’s discussion at breast cancer social media (#bcsm). More info is at the description and useful links appear in the transcript.

Signal boost: freelance writer and breast cancer survivor Diane Mapes is looking to speak with cancer patients who will talk about financial hardships due to the high cost of cancer drugs. More info here.