Dr. Alfloyd Woodard

There are some causes of pneumonia which are communicable and many that are not. Clinically you won't be able to distinguish the two. For the ones that can be spread it is primarily through respiratory droplets. So to protect yourself you would use contact precautions with a barrier such as a gown or apron and gloves. For respiratory droplets you can wear a mask for close contact or stay more than six feet away without a mask. Hand washing and protecting mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth, etc) is key to prevention. Avoid directing being coughed or sneezed on. Most contagious pneumonias come from viruses or atypical bacteria infections and often they cause more systemic symptoms similar to flu.

If the fever is determined to be from the cancer itself or a blood clot then no. If the fever is from an infection they should find the source and start appropriate antibiotics first and they can be discharge once they show improvement which often implies resolution of fever.

Osteopenia is the precursor to osteoporosis. You have to decrease bone turnover to slow it down. You ensure adequate vitamin D and calcium supplementation. Take any approved medications recommended by your doctor only after you have discussed the benefits and risks including possible expected side effects. Light weight bearing exercise helps improve bone mineralization. And balance training helps prevent falls and fractures.

There are medications that we use to unclog feeding tubes however they can be expensive and require some supervision to do properly. For example Creon which is pancreatic enzymes. A simple but cost effective option which works pretty well is coca cola. But obviously limit utilization to clogs and if the patient is diabetic consider diet coke to limit effect on blood glucose.

Unfortunately, there are no known cures for fibrous dysplasia, it is a self limiting disease. Fibrous scaring occurs in the bone marrow. Theoretically there are some antifibrotic biologic agents on the market which could offer some benefit in slowing progression. They could be costly and may need pre-approval by your insurance. But there is no agent that can reverse the fibrosis (scarring) that occurs. Treatment is mostly supportive based on severity of symptoms.