Reclast prep - water, electrolytes, Tylenol ...?

@normahorn I have been wondering about the shortage of saline solutions and if they are still limiting IV saline to absolutely necessary uses. I am calling my infusion center today. I asked my doctor last week if I could delay my IV Recalst by a month but won't go longer than that.

My mistake. It is 60% that was made at the Baxter facility that was affected by the hurricane. And there was a shortage even before that event.

My son works in hospital management for a large hospital group. He has been telling me about this shortage and yes, even before the hurricane. Non-essential surgeries and procedures have been delayed at his facilities.

A related question - I had a message from my Dr's nurse today that I needed to redo my blood tests that the infusion center must have before my Reclast. I've reached out to my Dr's office 3 times over the past month regarding sending lab work and insurance info to the infusion center. The infusion center told me a week ago they did not have the lab work. I emailed it to them as a last resort. Then I got that message today. So now I have to jump thru hoops to get these 2 tests and get the results to the Dr, then to the infusion center, before Wednesday of this coming week! I see another delay coming, haha.
I will go stand in line at the one of the few Quest Labs open on a Sat tomorrow morning. Of course I have to fast. I plan to be there when they open and get on the list as a walk-in. Question - how long are lab results accepted after they are drawn? My blood was drawn near the end of Sept. I had my results in a few days. All looked normal. I can understand if this is the reason for the infusion center's request. But why the heck didn't my Dr's office send the results to the infusion much earlier. I would have done this asap. I'm not a happy camper here. I feel like the nurse dropped the ball and sent the results maybe yesterday. And now I have to try and get the results back to the infusion center before Wednesday. Grrrr. Sorry for the rambling post. 🙂

In my experience kidney function is the most important test before Reclast though docs tend to order calcium and Vitamin D (and the basic metabolic panel, which contains eGFR for kidney function). I always get results the same day, within hours.

What test do you have to fast for?

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel and Vit D hydroxy. When I looked up the test, it said to fast.
I usually get results back in a day, a few times it has been longer. The support staff at my Dr's office is a challenge to reach. I'm worried this will fall into the cracks and be delayed.

@255anny noone has ever told me to fast for a comprehensive metabolic panel or Vit D. I do skip calcium and Vit. D supplements for 24-36 hours.

I see this online (see below) but as I said, noone has ever asked me to fast and tests are often done right after an appointment in the middle of the day. Interesting and thanks for bringing this up.

"Do I need to fast for a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)?
Maybe. Sometimes, providers ask you to avoid eating or drinking (fast) for 10 to 12 hours before a CMP. It might be helpful to schedule your test first thing in the morning, so you can eat right afterward. Your healthcare provider will give you specific instructions when they order the test for you."

Ditto kidney and liver function tests and several others. I need to ask my doctors about redoing a few!

It seems the correct answer is all over the board! Who knows. But my Google searches turned up more in favor of fasting beforehand. Reminds me of an appt I had with my current Dr. We were discussing the CTX test and she said, well, lets do it right now. I was surprised and remarked that wasn't it important to have that blood draw early in the morning? She paused and said yes, you are right. I'm starting to realize that in todays medical environment we have to be diligent and make every effort to educate ourselves. It's overwhelming.

My Reclast is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday. I've already started hydrating. But my anxiety is pretty high about the side effects. I'm trying to chill... I had the 2nd blood test required by the infusion center early Sat morning. I had the results Sat night. All was well except my ALT (Liver enzyme) was 3 points over the normal range. My score was 33, 30 being the highest normal score. I'm not freaking out about that but I'm wondering why. I have back pain, no reason, but it bothers me. I take Tylenol Arthritis 650mg maybe 4-5 times in one week. Just 1 tablet, rarely 2. I know Tylenol can raise your liver enzymes, so I'm concerned about taking more if I get side effects that are just awful. As of today, my Dr's office has not shared my lab results with the infusion center. It's frustrating - I feel like I'm babysitting them. I will take the results to the infusion center.

@255anny I make a distinction between the "acute phase reaction," which is common and involves flu-like symptoms and low grade fever (similar in my case to my reactions to a vaccine).

For me the term "side effects" refers to longer term effects and though some post on this forum about terrible side effects (pain mainly) most people I know don't have any with Reclast.

You may not need tylenol at all. Take it you have fever and are uncomfortable but the acute phase reaction will also go away without tyelenol. I took 325mg twice the next day.

It sounds like that 650mg you take 4-5 times a week might not be a good idea but your doctor and pharmacist could discuss this with you. Maybe there are other factors!

Good luck tomorrow. Relax and enjoy an hour without anything to do and bring a book!