Not doing too well with this...

[Dot S]

Since I was diagnosed and learned how not to bend I feel like a robot,
with all the jerky movements I seem to have to make to avoid "rounding
my back" or twisting anything. I guess hula hooping is out of the
question now.

So how does one clean the refrigerator, or even get anything out of it
without getting hurt? How do you pull weeds or garden? I've always
dreamed of finally being able to have a garden when I retired. I have
washed my hair in the sink all my life, but now that is a bad thing to
do. If I try to take a shower and throw my head back to keep from
getting soap in my eyes I fall over backwards, so that won't work. And
is there a safe way to get in and out of the bathtub? I'm afraid to
even turn over in bed anymore because there's a right and wrong way to
do that, but most of the time you're asleep anyway!

Please, any help with these problems would be greatly appreciated. I
must add that I get a lot of pain when I bend my knees, so that makes it
more complicated.
Does this get any easier? Do the rest of you really follow all these
rules?

Dot

[RStevrock]

>oes this get any easier? Do the rest of you really follow all these
>rules?
>
>Dot

Hey Dot. You can get a lot of help here, but we need for you to share your
numbers and your age. It would also be helpful to know your history. I, too
garden. I have 230 rose bushes. In the spring I drag around all kinds of
heavy soil and dig out my clay and plant good soil to make a good bed. We
would also like to know what your doctor said.
Sammy

[Françoise]

Dot S wrote:

> Since I was diagnosed and learned how not to bend I feel like a robot,
> with all the jerky movements I seem to have to make to avoid "rounding
> my back" or twisting anything. I guess hula hooping is out of the
> question now.
>
> Do the rest of you really follow all these rules?
>
> Dot

No.

It is not by standing still that we would develop stronger muscles. I have
heard this before but unless there are fractures, it seems to me illogical
to do so. I have been doing a lot of gardening and bending a lot as well in
the past 3 years and I increase my T score from -3.1 to -2.8 in my spine in
2 years. And this without medication. True, I do a lot of other exercise
including weights and I improve my diet with more calcium, vitamin D,
magnesium and potassium. Also I decrease a lot my intake of sodium. My hips
are not a problem.

As in any thing, we have to start slowly with small movement, small weights
and slowly increase.

Françoise.

[Cylise]

On Mon, 8 Sep 2003 15:14:00 -0700 (PDT), quailwomn@webtv.net (Dot S)
wrote:


>Does this get any easier? Do the rest of you really follow all these
>rules?

I wasn't given any tape or any rules. I just do what I always did,
take my Fosamax, calcium, and D and try to get a little more exercise.

Are you so osteoporitic that you crunch bones just from moving? If
not, it sounds like you've been given some trash advice. Your doctor
might be frightened that something will happen and you'll sue. He
(I'm going over a hunder to one it's a male doctor) might think that
exercise will hurt your bones rather than help them (some doctors get
a little or a lot behind the times).

Who diagnosed you? A family doctor? An endocrinologist? Who gave
you the tapes and advice? Did you have any scans done? Did they give
you any numbers? If they gave you any scans and not the numbers, call
them up and have them _send_ you the numbers (hard to take them
quickly over the phone). Come here and type in the numbers and some
of the people here can tell you how serious it is.

You have to be a little more careful not to fall down and not to put
out a hand to save yourself if you do fall, of course (unless it's
got grab something stable on the way down). And you should have been
obeying the good rules for lifting heavy loads all along anyway, The
ones that say to bend from the knees and lift with the thighs. You
have to do exercises to make stronger bones. You have to do exercises
to become more flexible and balanced so you won't be as likely to fall
and hurt yourself.

If holding your head back (not throwing it back hard) in the shower
makes you fall over backward, you may have balance and / or inner ear
issues that osteoporosis makes it imperative you get cleared up. Bad
balance and crunchy bones are a bad combination.

[John/Carmen]

Hi Cylise,

Please give me your opinion of Fosamax. Has it helped you? Is it
differult to take. My doc had mentioned the once a week pill. He also
told me it's expensive, about $5 a pill.
I've ben to the Fosamax website. I read all the do's and don'ts. It
sounds so comfusing and it it scares me.
I take a thyroid pill at 5 a.m. each morning. I must take it on an empty
stomach and then I can't eat for 1 hour after I take the pill. I think
the Fosamax pill would interfer with what I do. Then again, I don't
really like taking pills.

Carmen

Talk to you later.

[bj]

Carmen --
You don't mention what kind of thyroid pills you take, or why, so I'm going
on generalities here...

I take thyroid pills too -- as a cancer survivor I have to! I take them only
6 days a week -- because of the long 1/2-life of T4 (Levoxyl, Synthroid,
etc.) in your body, you can "average out" the dosing. Check with your
doctor (do you see an endo?) about doubling up one day and skipping a
different day, or changing the dose to average out your current weekly total
but into only 5-6 days.

I recently added Fosamax to my routine, after trying to avoid it for a
couple of years. But my DEXA scores took a noticeable turn in the wrong
direction, so I Faced Facts and figured out "how can I work this so it's not
too onerous to do?" I don't want to go from osteopenia to osteoporosis.

The main thing with Fosamax is that you have to stay up after you take it --
you can't just pop the pill and go back to bed (as I do with my Levoxyl,
which I take in the wee hours when I get up for a minute anyway). I do a few
chores, read email, plough through the paper, take a modest walk (can't do
anything more vigorous without fuel!) -- that sort of thing. And I have a
plan in place if I won't be able to "comply" on the usual day -- e.g. if I
have to go somewhere early and can't wait around until it's time to eat --
as a diabetic I skip meals as little as possible, _especially_ if I'm being
active (exceptions include things like fasting blood tests, surgery, that
sort of thing -- but I'm not that active for those!).

I'm not wild about pills -- but they treat serious conditions which if left
untreated can lead to some Really Nasty Stuff, and by the time you're in
Real Trouble it's either too late to do much or very much more difficult.
It's a risk/reward-cost/benefit analysis, and only you can decide what you'd
rather do. Nobody can cram those pills down your throat.
Best wishes.
bj

"John/Carmen" <sheandi18@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:18262-3F61E9AF-52@storefull-2275.public.lawson.webtv.net...
>
> Please give me your opinion of Fosamax. Has it helped you? Is it
> differult to take. My doc had mentioned the once a week pill. He also
> told me it's expensive, about $5 a pill.
> I've ben to the Fosamax website. I read all the do's and don'ts. It
> sounds so comfusing and it it scares me.
> I take a thyroid pill at 5 a.m. each morning. I must take it on an empty
> stomach and then I can't eat for 1 hour after I take the pill. I think
> the Fosamax pill would interfer with what I do. Then again, I don't
> really like taking pills.
>

[Beach Runner@nospam.com]

I made a signficicant improvement in my bone density in one year with
fosamax
and androgel. My diet and exercise, which are excellent, stayed constant.

I went from -2.5 to -2.0

I had no problems with gastro problems. I just drank a lot of water with
it.


Bob


John/Carmen wrote:

> Hi Cylise,
>
> Please give me your opinion of Fosamax. Has it helped you? Is it
> differult to take. My doc had mentioned the once a week pill. He also
> told me it's expensive, about $5 a pill.
> I've ben to the Fosamax website. I read all the do's and don'ts. It
> sounds so comfusing and it it scares me.
> I take a thyroid pill at 5 a.m. each morning. I must take it on an empty
> stomach and then I can't eat for 1 hour after I take the pill. I think
> the Fosamax pill would interfer with what I do. Then again, I don't
> really like taking pills.
>
> Carmen
>
> Talk to you later.

[John/Carmen]

Hi BJ,
I take the same thyroid medicine as you do. It's a .075 dose. I have a
slow working thyroid. I suffer from constipation. I've been taking
thryoid medicine for about 20 years. The docs are always changing the
amount to either .050 or .075. I wish they'd keep me on the same dose.

The doc mentioned Fosamex, but the once a week pill. He also told me
it's expensive about $5 a pill. My insurance won't cover it. I can't
afford the $20 a month.

For the past week I've been drinking no fat milk. I'm surprised my
digestive system is accepting the milk without getting constipated. Now
all I need to do is find a calcium supplement that doesn't make me
constipated.

I really don't know what I should do about Fosamax. I do have osteopenia
and a bone lose of -1.5.

Thank you for posting a message.

Carmen

Talk to you later.

[cyli@visi.com]

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 08:43:43 -0700 (MST), sheandi18@webtv.net
(John/Carmen) wrote:

>Hi Cylise,
>
>Please give me your opinion of Fosamax. Has it helped you?

I think so. I've not gotten any shorter and not added any back pain
since taking it and when I bounced down the stairs on my butt and
injured my tailbone it healed up in about the same length of time a
non-osteo person's would have.

>Is it
>differult to take.

Not for me. I get up in the morning, having set aside anything else
I'd normally take in the am (my thyroid pill, my Dr. Pepper) so I'll
just swallow some water, take a mouthful of water, pop the pill in and
swallow. Then I wander out and play with my computer and drink water
and water and more water for anywhere from 1/2 hour to 2 hours (I
prefer to let it wait 2 hours), go in and take my thyroid pill and go
about my life. I take it on Saturdays because I work Monday through
Friday.

>My doc had mentioned the once a week pill. He also
>told me it's expensive, about $5 a pill.
>I've ben to the Fosamax website. I read all the do's and don'ts. It
>sounds so comfusing and it it scares me.

It's not confusing. You get up, you drink some water, you take the
pill, you stay sitting up or walking around or standing up for half an
hour to two hours, you take any other meds (except no calcium stuff or
milk for another two hours after that) and you do whatever it is you'd
generally do on your day of choice for taking your pill. If I have
something to do on Saturday that interferes with it, I skip it and
take it on Sunday. Nature isn't consistent, so while it's nice if we
can be, a day or two doesn't matter as long as it's taken properly
once a week.

As to the expense, I'm still working, so I still have my fairly crappy
health insurance and only get nailed for $15.00 a month for it. At
least it's one my health care formulary recognizes and pays for.


>I take a thyroid pill at 5 a.m. each morning. I must take it on an empty
>stomach and then I can't eat for 1 hour after I take the pill. I think
>the Fosamax pill would interfer with what I do.

Well, you'll just be very hungry on whatever morning of the week you
take your Fosamax. Take the Fosamax first, wait a minimum of 1/2 hour
(but I generally wait 2 hours), take the thyroid pill, wait another
hour, eat, drink, and be merry.

>Then again, I don't
>really like taking pills.

I hate taking them. However, it's like getting older. I'm not to
sure I'd like the consequences of not doing it...
>


--

rbc:vixen,Minnow Goddess,Willow Watcher,and all that sort of thing.
Often taunted by trout.
Only a fool would refuse to believe in luck. Only a damn fool would rely on it.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli

[John/Carmen]

Hi Cyli,
I guess I can take my thyroid pill one a week at 3 a.m. instead of 5
a.m., it wouldn't do my body any harm.
My medical coverage doesn't pay for Fosamax. I call the pharmacist, he
told me they don't have a generic Fosamax. If they did my medical
provider might have paid for it, but I know they don't pay for Fosamax.
I'm going to see how the calcium works on my body for a few months,
before I decide on Fosamax. I do know one thing, I don't want to get
cripple!

Carmen

Talk to you later.

[Dot S]

>Hey Dot. You can get a lot of help here,
>but we need for you to share your
>numbers and your age. It would also be
>helpful to know your history. I, too
>garden. I have 230 rose bushes. In the
>spring I drag around all kinds of heavy
>soil and dig out my clay and plant good
>soil to make a good bed. We would also
>like to know what your doctor said.
>Sammy

Hi, Sammy,

I posted my info here about three weeks ago when I first found this
group, but here it is:

My T-scores:

Spine -.863
Left Hip -.899
Right Hip -1.176
Left Femur -1.593
Right Femur -1.559

I am female, caucasian, small-boned, and just turned 58. My mother died
of osteoporosis in a nursing home shortly after her entire back
collapsed and she was only able to lie down.

I don't garden - I don't have a clue about gardening - I just want to!
LOL I finally have a big back yard full of weeds and rocks, and I want
to get started. Roses would be just lovely.

My doctor didn't say anything at all - the nurse only told me over the
phone that I was "beginning to have a little osteopenia." I had to ask
for the T-scores, and she said "I hope you know what these mean because
I don't!" She also told me that the doctor said I "could" start on
Fosamax if I wanted to. I can't take it because of swallowing problems.

The doctor is female, semi-retired (only works two days a week), and is
about 60 or so. I don't think she thinks my problem is very serious.
You would think that at her age, she would be more concerned.

Thanks, Sammy

Dot

[Dot S]

>It is not by standing still that we would
>develop stronger muscles.

You are right, of course. I have avoided overexerting myself because of
my fibromyalgia pain, but now the pain will have to go on the back
burner.

Dot

[Dot S]

>I wasn't given any tape or any rules.

I wasn't either. I'm on my own.

>Are you so osteoporitic that you crunch
>bones just from moving? If not, it sounds
>like you've been given some trash
>advice.

I hope not! The advice was on an exercise tape for osteoporosis that I
got myself. Perhaps those of us with osteopenia don't have to be quite
so careful.

>Who diagnosed you? A family doctor? An
>endocrinologist?

My GP. It was my first checkup of any kind in 20 years.

>Who gave you the tapes and advice?

I ordered the tape myself. The "rules" were at the beginning of the
tape.

>Did you have any scans done? Did they
>give you any numbers?

Yes, I asked for a DEXA scan at my checkup. I also asked for my
T-scores (in another post).

>You have to be a little more careful not
>to fall down and not to put out a hand to
>save yourself if you do fall, of course
>(unless it's got grab something stable on
>the way down).

I have very good balance, ordinarily. Two years ago I did fall. It was
late at night during a storm, the power was out, and I went out on the
front porch to see if there was power across the street. I fell down
several steps onto the concrete sidewalk. I landed on my hands first,
but I hurt all over and was afraid to get up. The wind was wailing, and
my husband, who is about half deaf, thought I had gone to bed, and I
couldn't get his attention. Finally my cat, Norton, convinced him to
open the door and look out. I was soaking wet, muddy, and covered with
leaves! LOL I couldn't stop laughing! At the ER I was diagnosed with a
"possible hairline fracture" of my knee. My hands were very chopped up
and bloody." If I were going to break a wrist or anything else, it
would have been the perfect opportunity, and all I had were a lot of
bruises and abrasions. But that was two years ago...

>And you should have been obeying the
>good rules for lifting heavy loads all
>along anyway, The ones that say to bend
>from the knees and lift with the thighs.

I have been doing the best I can, with sore knees. Sometimes I find
myself standing on one leg and bending from the hip like a ballerina. I
feel very graceful, and it's good for picking up small objects off the
floor. : )

>You have to do exercises to make
>stronger bones. You have to do
>exercises to become more flexible and
>balanced so you won't be as likely to fall
>and hurt yourself.

Yes, definitely.

>If holding your head back (not throwing it
>back hard) in the shower makes you fall
>over backward, you may have balance
>and / or inner ear issues that
>osteoporosis makes it imperative you get
>cleared up. Bad balance and crunchy
>bones are a bad combination.

I am on an anti-depressant medication that is probably responsible for
any balance problems, though I have never in my life been able to wash
my hair in the shower. : )

Thanks for your input. I greatly appreciate what I'm learning here.

Dot

[Art S]

"Dot S" <quailwomn@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:21026-3F64F9A5-108@storefull-2133.public.lawson.webtv.net...
>
> >Hey Dot. You can get a lot of help here,
> >but we need for you to share your
> >numbers and your age. It would also be
> >helpful to know your history. I, too
> >garden. I have 230 rose bushes. In the
> >spring I drag around all kinds of heavy
> >soil and dig out my clay and plant good
> >soil to make a good bed. We would also
> >like to know what your doctor said.
> >Sammy
>
> Hi, Sammy,
>
> I posted my info here about three weeks ago when I first found this
> group, but here it is:
>
> My T-scores:
>
> Spine -.863
> Left Hip -.899
> Right Hip -1.176
> Left Femur -1.593
> Right Femur -1.559
>
> My doctor didn't say anything at all - the nurse only told me over the
> phone that I was "beginning to have a little osteopenia." I had to ask
> for the T-scores, and she said "I hope you know what these mean because
> I don't!" She also told me that the doctor said I "could" start on
> Fosamax if I wanted to. I can't take it because of swallowing problems.
>
> The doctor is female, semi-retired (only works two days a week), and is
> about 60 or so. I don't think she thinks my problem is very serious.
> You would think that at her age, she would be more concerned.
>

Seriously speaking, your numbers aren't that bad. Keep in mind that
Osteopenia (and Osteoporosis) are based on standard distributions of
a population. It is pretty much a guarantee that some people will have
Osteopenia and others will have Osteoporosis. (No, I haven't forgotten
that you've lost 3/4" in height; I'll bring up it's impact later. For now, I'm
ignoring it because I think your doctor ignored it.)

Osteopenia is a flag, telling the doctor "keep your eyes on this." The
doctor, in turn, probably won't react unless one of the following happens:
1) there is a broken or fractured bone when there shouldn't have been one;
2) the bone density gets worse (indicating that a broken bone is getting
more likely); or
3) there is a life style change that suggests that there will be a loss in bone
density (due to medication or whatever).

What I would expect, given your numbers (and assuming no other factors
like you've lost 1" in height or have had an unexpected fracture) is that
your doctor would say to get plenty of Calcium, Vitamin-D, Magnesium,
etc., to do weight bearing exercises (without saying what they are - Doctors
rarely seem to give that vital piece of information), and to come back in a
year or two to see how you are doing (in case of number 2 above).

Now (here it comes - are you sitting down?) since you've lost 3/4" in height,
it is quite possible that the reason your spinal readings are so high is that
you've had compression fractures, squeezing some of the bones in your
spine, and making it seem that they are more dense than they really are.
(Did you look at http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/mis/mist1.html and
http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/opclin.html#vfx?). If you've had
compression fractures, it is a red flag that you _have_ Osteoporosis
(regardless of your DEXA scores).

That is why you need to find a doctor that treats Osteoporosis as a
substantial part of their practice, have them read your DEXA results
(including the image of your spine, and not just the scores), and make
a proper diagnosis. First choice should be an Endocrinologist, and
second a Rheumatologist. If you can find a good one, it is worth the drive,
by the way. (Since you said that there weren't any Endocrinologists
locally.)

Good luck,

Art

[RStevrock]

> First choice should be an Endocrinologist, and
>second a Rheumatologist. If you can find a good one, it is worth the drive,
>by the way. (Since you said that there weren't any Endocrinologists
>locally.)
>
>Good luck,
>
>Art
>
>I agree with Art, and I wonder if you couldn't learn to swallow the pills. If
you tell the doctor that you cannot, he/she doesn't care. The doctor can only
get so involved, and since she hasn't said much and had the nurse call you, she
won't get involved.
Good luck.
Sammy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[bj]

"RStevrock" <rstevrock@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030914223405.14409.00000862@mb-m12.aol.com...
> > and I wonder if you couldn't learn to swallow the pills. If
> you tell the doctor that you cannot, he/she doesn't care. The doctor can
only
> get so involved, and since she hasn't said much and had the nurse call
you, she
> won't get involved.
>

The doctor may care, may urge you to take meds, etc. -- but can't force them
down you or take them for you!
bj

[John]

Art had the facts and i agree with them almost completely.
The one point that
i now wonder about concerns endocrinologists. I have been to
two different
ones of late and neither really dealt with Osteoporosis.
One's
major practice was diabetes while the other said he was but
he
was not up to date on the latest drugs for this disease. In
my
case, my primary Osteo doc is a rheumatologist and he
remains
the best of this bunch. I will admit that an earlier endo
was
really into this disease but this one person retired years
ago.
I think that you need to ask the doc if he or she is
comfortable treating osteoporosis.

In the interim most all of the tests that an endo might
order can
be ordered and deciphered by your family doc. Items like
24 hour urine collection and blood tests are easily done
yet yield an abundance of information - some of which
i just learned today , now eight years into my condition.

And anytime you want to swap DXA results, I'll trade.
I only wish i was nearly as good as yours and yet i get
around and lead a mostly normal lifestyle.

John

Art S wrote:
>
> "Dot S" <quailwomn@webtv.net> wrote in message
> news:21026-3F64F9A5-108@storefull-2133.public.lawson.webtv.net...
> >
> > >Hey Dot. You can get a lot of help here,
> > >but we need for you to share your
> > >numbers and your age. It would also be
> > >helpful to know your history. I, too
> > >garden. I have 230 rose bushes. In the
> > >spring I drag around all kinds of heavy
> > >soil and dig out my clay and plant good
> > >soil to make a good bed. We would also
> > >like to know what your doctor said.
> > >Sammy
> >
> > Hi, Sammy,
> >
> > I posted my info here about three weeks ago when I first found this
> > group, but here it is:
> >
> > My T-scores:
> >
> > Spine -.863
> > Left Hip -.899
> > Right Hip -1.176
> > Left Femur -1.593
> > Right Femur -1.559
> >
> > My doctor didn't say anything at all - the nurse only told me over the
> > phone that I was "beginning to have a little osteopenia." I had to ask
> > for the T-scores, and she said "I hope you know what these mean because
> > I don't!" She also told me that the doctor said I "could" start on
> > Fosamax if I wanted to. I can't take it because of swallowing problems.
> >
> > The doctor is female, semi-retired (only works two days a week), and is
> > about 60 or so. I don't think she thinks my problem is very serious.
> > You would think that at her age, she would be more concerned.
> >
>
> Seriously speaking, your numbers aren't that bad. Keep in mind that
> Osteopenia (and Osteoporosis) are based on standard distributions of
> a population. It is pretty much a guarantee that some people will have
> Osteopenia and others will have Osteoporosis. (No, I haven't forgotten
> that you've lost 3/4" in height; I'll bring up it's impact later. For now, I'm
> ignoring it because I think your doctor ignored it.)
>
> Osteopenia is a flag, telling the doctor "keep your eyes on this." The
> doctor, in turn, probably won't react unless one of the following happens:
> 1) there is a broken or fractured bone when there shouldn't have been one;
> 2) the bone density gets worse (indicating that a broken bone is getting
> more likely); or
> 3) there is a life style change that suggests that there will be a loss in bone
> density (due to medication or whatever).
>
> What I would expect, given your numbers (and assuming no other factors
> like you've lost 1" in height or have had an unexpected fracture) is that
> your doctor would say to get plenty of Calcium, Vitamin-D, Magnesium,
> etc., to do weight bearing exercises (without saying what they are - Doctors
> rarely seem to give that vital piece of information), and to come back in a
> year or two to see how you are doing (in case of number 2 above).
>
> Now (here it comes - are you sitting down?) since you've lost 3/4" in height,
> it is quite possible that the reason your spinal readings are so high is that
> you've had compression fractures, squeezing some of the bones in your
> spine, and making it seem that they are more dense than they really are.
> (Did you look at http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/mis/mist1.html and
> http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/opclin.html#vfx?). If you've had
> compression fractures, it is a red flag that you _have_ Osteoporosis
> (regardless of your DEXA scores).
>
> That is why you need to find a doctor that treats Osteoporosis as a
> substantial part of their practice, have them read your DEXA results
> (including the image of your spine, and not just the scores), and make
> a proper diagnosis. First choice should be an Endocrinologist, and
> second a Rheumatologist. If you can find a good one, it is worth the drive,
> by the way. (Since you said that there weren't any Endocrinologists
> locally.)
>
> Good luck,
>
> Art

[RStevrock]

Why don't you call the medial association in your area or the medical school
and find an endocrinologist that specializes in osteoporosis? Endocrinology is
a large area just like internal medicine.
Frankly I don't see a similarity between osteoporosis and rheumatology.
Maybe a person with rheumatoid arthritis will develop osteoporosis, but if you
don't have arthritis, then why not go to someone who has a different approach.

Sammy

[Art S]

"John" <n2rdv@optonline.net> wrote in message news:3F67A9EC.8B91DC35@optonline.net...
> Art had the facts and i agree with them almost completely.
> The one point that
> i now wonder about concerns endocrinologists. I have been to
> two different
> ones of late and neither really dealt with Osteoporosis.
> One's
> major practice was diabetes while the other said he was but
> he
> was not up to date on the latest drugs for this disease. In
> my
> case, my primary Osteo doc is a rheumatologist and he
> remains
> the best of this bunch. I will admit that an earlier endo
> was
> really into this disease but this one person retired years
> ago.
> I think that you need to ask the doc if he or she is
> comfortable treating osteoporosis.
>
> In the interim most all of the tests that an endo might
> order can
> be ordered and deciphered by your family doc. Items like
> 24 hour urine collection and blood tests are easily done
> yet yield an abundance of information - some of which
> i just learned today , now eight years into my condition.
>

The primary reason I recommend an Endocrinologist is
that they are the ones who have had (or should have had)
sufficient training that ordering a 24-hour urine test, etc.,
should be second nature to them. Most other doctors
won't realize that they can or should be done without
consulting someone more knowledgeable.

That said, I agree that a Rheumatologist who gets a lot
of patients in your age group with Osteoporosis is going
to be better than an Endocrinologist who may not even
have any patients with Osteoporosis. (My reason for
specifying age group is that a 30 year-old with
Osteoporosis should probably get different tests than
an 80 year-old with Osteoporosis.)

Art

[Shirley Thebaglady]

I have Osteopenia. My MD told me to take 1200-1500 calcium a day. As I
have 1 hip that is bad. I eat yogurt everyday also.

It seems to be working as I do not have any discomfort in that area.
Which he said I would if I did not increase my calcium. That was 2 years
ago and my last Bone Density test.

shirley

[John/Carmen Carmen]

Shirley,
I also have osteopenia. My T score was -1.5. a year ago. I was also told
to take 1200 mgs of calcium a day. I'm trying to do just that, but it
seems that I can't take too many supplements.

Shirley, what is your T score? Are you able to bend down or lift
packages without any discomfort? Are you stiff when you get out of bed?
I'm asking these questions because these are the things that I've been
experiencing.

I know that yogurt has a lot of calcium, but I sure hate that stuff.

Carmen

Talk to you later.

[Shirley Thebaglady]

No problems with lifting or bending. My left hip gets sore enough that I
can feel it.
It is more of a sensation. A lot of my friends in there 60's have had a
hip replacement. I thought this was was my problem also.

Since I have been taking the extra calcium that sensation has seemed to
gone away.

I go back for my Bone Density test in the Spring 2004. I was advised
that there would be no change in my scores after taking calcium for a
shorter length of time.

My MD just showed me my xray, the thinning of my left hip bone. Compared
to the right hip bone.

shirley

[Françoise]

Carmen,

Being stiff is usually a muscle problem and not a bone problem.

Françoise.

John/Carmen Carmen wrote:

> Are you stiff when you get out of bed?
> I'm asking these questions because these are the things that I've been
> experiencing.
>
> I know that yogurt has a lot of calcium, but I sure hate that stuff.
>
> Carmen
>
> Talk to you later.

[John]

The type of calcium matters a lot as does the amount of
Vitamin D in your system. After trying the gamut, i
settled on citrical plain and with Vitamin D and after
many years now, i am fine. Others produced varied
stomach/digestive problems.

Citrical is the brand name for a calcium citrate - the
form of calcium known to have the highest
bioavailability.

750 is better than nothing but well below what most
doctors suggest. I would suggest that this is worth
your time to investigate further.

ALso there is Viactic - a sort of candy type chew
calcium made by McNeil and their website lists a way to
get free samples

http://www.viactiv.com/

John

John/Carmen Carmen wrote:
>
> Hi Shirley,
> I'm having my 2nd test done this February.
> I'm going to be ok because with all the times in the past that I had
> fallen off my bike and other things, I should have broken something.
> I'm taking as much calcium as I can. Yesterday I had about 750 mgs of
> calcium without a supplement and today I had no problem with a bowel
> movement. The doctors don't understand that sometimes a person can't do
> what they want you to do. I know that I need the calcium, but if I can't
> tolerate it, there is nothing that I can do about it. The amount I have
> been getting for these past few weeks is better then getting no calcium
> at all.
> I'm going to look into another calcium supplement, one that will agree
> with me. If none of them don't agree with me, there is nothing that I
> can do but to drink no fat milk 3 times a day. I exercise a few times a
> day, so I shouldn't gain any weight.
> Taking calcium for the next few months should help me.
>
> Carmen
>
> Talk to you later.

[John/Carmen]

Hi John,
Thank you for your concern, but I wouldn't be able to take Viastic
because it has calcium carbonate which will definitely get me
constipated.
At the moment I do take calcium citrate, but I'm only able to take 1
dose a day of 315 mgs of calcium because that also don't seem to be
agreeing with my body. So with that dose and 2 glasses of milk I get
about 900 mgs of calcium.
I ordered a new calcium pill which has calcium citrate and magnesium at
a 2 to 1 ratio. I explained my problem to the company where I purchased
it and they told I shouldn't have any problem with the absorption. I
will see what happens. These pills have 150 mgs of calcium and 79 mgs of
magnesium. It might work out for me because I can take a pill every few
hours. They don't have to be taken with food.
Carmen

Talk to you later.

[Dot S]

>Shirley, what is your T score? Are you
>able to bend down or lift packages
>without any discomfort? Are you stiff
>when you get out of bed? I'm asking
>these questions because these are the
>things that I've been experiencing.

Carmen, as we get older, most of us develop some osteoarthritis (not
rheumatoid arthritis), which is a natural wearing down of the
bones/cartilidge in the joints. This is probably what is causing your
discomfort. I have it too. It's not due to osteopenia, but is a whole
'nother subject. : )

Dot

[John/Carmen]

Hi Dot,
I do have osteoarthritis, in my hips. I was told that by doctors about
20 years ago. So it must have gotten worst with age. I'm 61 now.
As you said, it's not from my bone loss.

Carmen

Talk to you later.