Hello.
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com
I understand your concern.
When was your dad's heart stent done?
The medicines your father has been taking, does not have any such side effects which can lead to loss of appetite. But i do understand so many medicines must be wearing him down.
I will advise the following medicines which will improve his appetite as well as his well being.
1) Tab. Neurobion Forte once daily at bed time.
2) Syp. Aptivate 2 teaspoons twice daily once in the morning- and once in the night.
You can continue these medicines for 3 months and expect improvement.
Where exactly is his joint pain? Is it more in the knees? Is his muscualr pain throughout?
Kindly reply as a follow up,
Regards.
Patient replied :
The pain is mostly in his knees, elbows and back. He started limping two months ago from the pain in his right knee and it's really worrying me. I've never seen my father in such poor state physically. He looks like he's falling apart. He had a shot given to him in his right knee one week ago. The doctor told him its for the pain. Honestly i DO NOT trust his doctor and he should know better than placing him on so much medication without giving him some type of supplemental support to curve the side effects of statins such as muscle inflammation, pain, and muscle weakness. They've also placed him on an extremely poor diet (he eats unsalted crackers ( saltine or soda crackers instead of bread), cereal ,very lean meat (dry and thin chicken breast), and a few different vegetables and fish. I've been doing research on what i can give him in terms of Joint support, vitamins, minerals and replenishing electrolytes and energy but i rather not step into unknown territory because of the amount of medicine he's taking and the sensitive position he's in. This is why i come to you asking what i can give him to help him feel better again. The heart stent was done last year
Hello.
Thank you for the follow up.
I understand your concern for your father.
It is clearly evident that your father is suffering from osteoarthritis, and i was surprised to find no medicines being prescribed to him for the same.
Did you get an x ray of his knees? If not, you can get an x ray of the both knees ( AP, LATERAL ) and upload it as it will be helpful in inderstanding the extent of damage to the knees. This happens due to ageing, however if started on vitamin d and calcium supplementation at the right time, it does slow down the progression of the disease considerably.
Based on the level of the damage to the joints, vitamin d dose can be fixed between 800-2000 IU per day.
Your father also needs calcium tablets and a dose of around 1.2 g can be given per day, this will also be helpful in slowing down the rate of bone resorption and promote bone and joint health.
Regarding his diet, who exactly did give him this diet? The unsalted crackers instead of bread is definitely not healthy. However he should take more of cereals, green leafy vegetables, and milk regularly, if he tolerates dairy products well, since milk has good calcium concentration. In fact other dairy products like curd also has good calcium concentration and you can give him around 1-2 cups of curd everyday. It is also good for the body and improves the metabolism.
So i will recommend the following things for your father :
1) Firstly an x ray of the knees will be necessary to understand the degree of the disease.
2) He needs to be started on vitamin d3 and calcium supplementation. Calcium tablets can be started right away, 1.2 g a day, while vitamin d3 dosage can be fixed up based on his x ray reports.
3) He should take Tab. Neurobion Forte once at bed time, for overall well being.
4) Also syrup aptivate can be taken if there is a loss of appetite.
I will also recommend that his dose of Crestor is reduced to 10 mg, provided his blood cholesterol is under check. Will it be possible for you to upload his cholesterol reports, of the last time when you took the test?
Once you have the x ray you can also consult an Orthopaedic surgeon to give you further guidance in the management of your father.
Hope this was helpful,
Regards.