Hi Carolyn, welcome to the community and thank you for your question. 

Here's a link from Novartis on the drug Reclast.  Please see section 17.1 "Information For Patients" where it say's, "If the patient had surgery to remove some or all of the parathyroid glands in their neck, or had sections of their intestine removed, or are unable to take calcium supplements they should tell their doctor. (Novartis Patient Information Guide 2007)"  To access the above guide, you need to have Adobe Reader pdf, which is available for free download at the above link if you don't have it already.

You need to discuss this with your Dr. as mentioned above since there is a medical reason to do so according to the manufacturer of Reclast.  I have no idea what precautions there may be, but it's information that the prescibing Dr. needs to have.  Ask the Dr. the same question, and have all information regarding the surgery ready to give about the type of surgery, section removed, why it was done, etc., and give this to the Dr. so he or she can tell you if Reclast is recommended in your situation.  Reclast doesn't travel through the intestines, however if you've had this type of abdominal surgery this is important information for the Dr. to decide what to do.

Good luck finding out about this, and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to post again.

Pam Flores, Health Guide

6/19/09 7:51pm

Hi Carolyn, you might want to print the section of the Novartis/Reclast pdf to take to the Dr. so they are aware that there is some medical need to have this particular information.  I'm sorry I don't know why this is important and Novartis doesn't explain the need for providing it, but since they recommend doing this I would make sure the Dr. is aware of any *possible* precautions that need to be taken, to be on the safe side.

 

Good luck again...

Kathy

12/31/09 4:29pm

I just read the section regarding recieving Reclast after bowel resection.  It explained that after small bowel resection a person may develop malabsorbation problems that could cause low levels of calcium, magnesium, Vit D, etc.  These should be checked prior to infusion.  I have had several small bowel resections and my physician thinks this may be the reason I have not had good results from Fosamax.  I was on Forteo for two years and will now start Reclast, hopefully with better results than Fosamax

Kathy

Pam Flores, Health Guide

12/31/09 5:39pm

Hi Kathy, welcome to the community...  I hope you're able to get the infusion successfully with your previous bowel surgeries.  As long as your Dr. is aware of this situation I'm sure he or she will do the necessary testing and checking to be sure you can receive this without a problem.

 

Good luck with this and let us know how you do-ok?  Happy New Year to you and your family!