Bone medication update! My side effects of risedronate, for osteoporosis

Side effects of risedronate, for osteoporosis, cause by cancer treatment

Yesterday, I fell over, skiing. I’ve been skiing for over 40 years and I don’t fall over very often. It was silly really, I was helping out at the kids’ ski race and trying to ski as fast as them. They’re 6! Which is another story.

Suddenly my ski just skidded out on an icy, steep bit and I found myself spinning around on my back. The first thing to go through my head was ‘F@@@!!!! My bones’. Which is a new worry, since cancer.

I’m fine. Injured pride in front of a bunch of race club kids, who thought it was hilarious. But also pissed off that cancer has made me feel old. And made me so much more protective and cautious.

It’s really annoying having osteoporosis.

It’s getting in the way of life!

I can remember my Dad saying that in his head, he still felt 21 but his body was 71. That’s how I feel. I still have this passion and drive and will to do stuff but my body can’t do it at the same level, any more. It’s a battle.

But I’m not going down without a fight!!!

I am reluctantly accepting that I have to take the bone medication to help protect my bones. My baseline before starting aromatase inhibitors was bad; I was already osteopoenic before cancer and my bone density has gone downhill since then.

It’s not surprising; I’m small, which makes me automatically higher risk, with a family history of osteoporosis. And probably a lifetime of overtraining and underfuelling, which is unfortunately common in endurance athletes. In spite of all the running, which is good for bone density, I shied away from lifting weights, until recently.

My first experience with the bone medication, a few weeks ago - risedronate - was pretty extreme. I nearly passed out and then threw up. Which wasn’t such a fun start to the day. I have to take the tables weekly, so my doctor has put me on half doses to build up tolerance and I’m happy to report that today, I had no side effects whatsoever! Well done my body.

So just in case you’re also facing bone meds and side effects, my experience is it gets easier!

Risedronate is a weekly tablet, taken to improve bone density if you have osteoporosis