I've known for years that I was losing bone mass.......and in fact it reached the stage of osteoporosis over 10 years ago. The common prescription treatment by such drugs as Fosamax, Evista, or Boniva do not agree with me. The last two GP doctors I've had....sort of ignored the problem...though they recommended I take calcium and get weight bearing exercise.
After my recent scan, it was clear I needed to pursue further help. Thankfully, after a 4 month wait for an appointment....I saw a wonderful female doctor....who took THE MOST thorough history, and has sought to see if there was a reason for my continued bone loss. After many vials of blood and other tests.....I'm relieved to know there aren't any scary issues to deal with.
Despite taking Calcium with Vitamin D - yes, girlfriends....you must include plenty of Vit. D because it helps your body to absorb the Calcium....my bones were still thinning. Bike riding (which I did for years) is not weight bearing exercise.....but forced marches up are mountain roads is. Turns out that walking is great weight bearing exercise....who knew?? Other do's and don'ts = don't smoke....keep your weight down, and no more than 3 units of alcohol per day. I'm not sure what a unit is.....hummmm....but I'm pretty sure they don't consider 1 unit = 1 bottle of champagne!!
Turns out my Vitamin D levels are not only on the low side of the curve....they are beneath the low.....so I'll be getting massive dosages of Vitamin D for the next 12 weeks....and another medicine to see if I can tolerate that. One idea was for me to try a new drug - Forteo - which requires a daily injection (YES.....needle type injection...ouch) for 2 years. We will save that for a last resort since the cost is $650 per month AND the drug needs refrigeration.....impossible to do as long as I'm traveling.
Consider this a nagging if you must.....but do get a bone scan. Osteoporosis can be a very serious problem and in the extreme, life threatening.
2 comments:
Funny you should mention Vitamin D! I just finished reading The Vitamin D Cure. The author is the head of the Arthritis Institute in Michigan. He says Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in North America....and that we ALL ought to be taking it or get tested, at least.
I hope all this works out for you!
My mother-in-law did the Forteo thing as she had the same tolerance problems for the other drugs as you. She traveled fine with it, and at the end of the two years, she'd not only arrested the bone lost, she'd actually added bone density. Being on Medicare or Medicaid, that ended up paying for the expensive treatments.
Now she has just tried a once a year thing. Don't know the name, but she had to go to the hospital to have it done. Good luck finding the right remedy for you. And yes, aren't female doctors just the best for females?
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