Osteoporosis, Labs & Vitamin Experts

For some reason OH website does not work with my computer settings...I guess.  I am legally blind and use special software in order to use my computer.  I also have it configured for the visually impaired.  ObesityHelp is the only site where this happens.  Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't.  I know it is frustrating for everyone.  When I first joined, I contacted OH tech support.  They worked on this, but they too don't know the cause.  They had me change the text color in case everything was blacked out, but people complained about that too.  I wi**** was not an issue because I'm certain I have probably had a lot of people not know what to do and choose not to respond.  I don't blame them. 

do you mind if I ask how old you are and if you are premenopausal or post menopausal?  This makes a huge difference in treating osteoporosis and how fast it progresses.  We are at high risk post op and even premenopausal, many of us get it but if you are  post menopausal, then that makes it even worse since your estrogen levels are very low, making your bone loss even faster.  So, if that is the case, it is even more important to get high doses of vitamin D and calcium citrate.

The best way to absorb the calcium is to get chewable or capsules but make sure you read the labels on any capsules because many of the capsules have very little elemental calcium which is what we go by.  You need to take between 500 and 650mg per dose, 3-4 times per day, atleast 2 hours apart and not within 2 -4 hours of your iron or thyroid medication.  Bariatric advantage makes some great chewables and they will send you a sample pack so you can taste them - I love the cherry lozenges which are 500mg each, I also love the raspberry chewies which are 250mg each, so you have 2 at a time.  You can mix both of these types, taking 2 doses of the lozenges and 2 doses of the chewies if you prefer.  This gives you the 2000mg you need.

To help you absorb the calcium even more, magnesium will help.  For 500mg of calcium - 250mg of magnesium is usually taken.  Magnesium citrate tablets are usually used to go with the calcium.  Magnesium oxide is used for constipation but not sure if you can also use it to work with the calcium for absorbtion, my NUT says to use the magnesium citrate tablets.

You can also take vitamin K2- this is great for the bones but not sure the dose - you might e-mail vitalady directly.

the other thing that I have seen people with osteoporosis and read a osteoporis booklet at my endocrinologists office is Strontium - again I am not sure the dosing - so ask vitalady this as well.

Talk to your Endocrinologist about the DEXA scan and IV reclast. I am glad that your GYN was up on it and make sure you get yearly testing from now on  - you really should have been tested along time ago

You have been so helpful...thank you.

I will be 57 in August and am post menopausal.  I am very non-confronting, and because of that, I have never questioned anyone about my vitamin levels.  My labs are drawn at my appointments, and then I have to email and ask for the results.  We never discuss them.  I just look at the ranges; that is what theyt do too, I'm guessing.  I have fallen through the cracks on this.  I'm sure the D levels have been falling all along.  My GYN said she will do another scan next year.  Other than that, no one has said anything about redoing labs.  So...I will make an appointment with my Endocrinologist.  I feel I need my labs retested to make sure my levels are coming back up.

I am sorry you have fallen through the cracks - not only are we supposed to get a DEXA scan as part of our year follow up but anyone thatt is post menopausal should have had one from either a GYN or since you see an ENDO - you should have been sent for one as soon as you went post menopausal from your Endo - within 1 year of becoming post menopausal, we lose about 20% of our bone density and then you add our malabsorbtion to the picture and that number can multiply even more which is why we are at such high risk for osteoporosis post op.

I have been getting testing for Osteoposis since I am 35 by my Endo and GYN since I both my parents have osteoporosis and I have many other risk factors, so they didnt want to take any chances.  They have always been normal even = the last normal one was preop, 1 year before surgery.  Then I had my last period the day I woke up from surgery and that was it.  I wasn't sure because the year before I only had it 2 times but it was the last one.  So, at my 1 year anniversary I went for another one and I was still in the normal range but way down. So we repeated at my 3year anniversary and that is when it got so much worse - I am now osteopenic in both hips and wrist but spine is okay but my Endo said that might be a bit hard to read since I have so much arthritis that they read the calcium deposits from the arthritis as bone.  I will have it repeated again this October at my 4 year anniversary since once you either have osteopenia or osteoporosis, you need to have them yearly.  I would love to go on treatment now but my Endo says it is too early as you only have a 5 year window to treat, so if you start too early, it wont help.

I am only 49 and went into menopause at 46 - I started perimenopause at 39 - pretty early much earlier than anyone in my family - my mom had her last period at 57 and died at 61.  My grandmother had a baby at 49, not sure when she stopped her period but all females menstruated into late 50's.

I suggest that in future if you e-mail to ask for results, that you post them here so we can help you since they obviously aren't - feel free to PM me and I will go over them with you.  My Endocrinologist automatically mails them to me and then I call her and we go over them over the phone.  then when I see her at my next visit, we discuss them further.  She is the one that does all my labs.  It is very important that anytime you make a change in dosage that you get rechecked within 6 weeks to make sure it is working and that you are going in the right direction

Unfortunately just looking at the ranges and not knowing what you are looking at is not a good thing to do - we can help you and eventually teach you what you are looking at.  I am here to help you

I can't thank you enough.  I started taking 2000 IU of  D and 250 mag with my 500 calcium 4 times per day.  That Is 8000 IU of D daily or 56,000 IU weekly.  Is that enough to bring the D levels up without worrying about toxicity until I figure out who to go see.  Is my ENDO the best one to try to get in to see.  It really appears my docs are seeing normal ranges, albeit low, and leaving it at that.  My ENDO is treating me for my thyroid.  We have never discussed anything else.  I had a physical in Sept from my PCP, and she drew labs.  I need to pull those and compare.

Like you, I went through menopause early.  I had a partial hysterectomy at 29, so I incorrectly assumed menopause would happen, and I would not know when and it would be an unknown event.  Boy way I wrong.  I was highly symptomatic.  Menopause was one of the most difficult things I have ever dealt with.  I have breast issues, so I could not take hormones.  I did for 6 months but had to stop.  My GNY was going to place me on a drug that is used to treat breast cancer patients in order to try to ease my symptoms, but I never agreed to take anything.  I was having to have too many breast biopsies, and I did not want to take anything that might complicate that situation.

I'm going to PM you with my latest labs. If the message comes out all black, I may need to email you directly if that is okay.  When I have cut and pasted on this forum in the past, everything is all black.

No problem anytime, the problems with your D is that you need to know if it is Dry D3 -most D's arent' Dry D3 - is it a tablet, a capsule or gelcap?  Is it D2 or D3?  You have half a chance if it is D3 and it is a tablet or capsule but if it is D2 and or a gelcap, then it is useless.  then, I dont' have all your other posts in front of me and it is late but I do see that I recommended 100,000 units weekly, so I would say that 8,000 units per day wouldnt' be enough.  You would need more like 15,000 units daily - so if you can, I really suggest getting either the dry D3 from vitalady.com the 5,000 unit capsule and take 3 per day or get the 50,000 unit ones and take 2 per week or go to the vitamin shoppe and find some Dry D3 - I think solaray might make some - I know they make Dry vitamin A - so they might make dry vitamin D.  You usually can't get more than 5,000 units in the stores - recently we have started to see 10,000 but very rare - walgreen's has one brand that is 10,000 but it is a tablet and the capsules work better and you really need something that is going to work the best at this point.  You don't have to break up your vitamin D into multiple doses - you can take it all in one dose but take it with your calcium - I wouldnt worry about toxicity at this point as long as you dont' go 6 months without labs again and with your situation I doubt very much that dose would make you toxic anyway - but either way - try to get your labs rechecked in 6 weeks to 2 months to make sure they are working so you know if you need more

I would go to your endocrinologist with a list of things  - tell her that you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis - make sure you have a copy of your DEXA scan for her = also have a copy of your last set of labs with your calcium, vitamin D and PTH - she will need those things.  I guess it strange for me since my endo has been checking my labs for me and long before my RNY - all my vitamins and minerals - she is very up on calcium, vitamin and PTH levels.  She treated me for vitamin D deficiency for 2 years before my RNY and wouldn't clear me for  surgery until I got my levels up to a certain point because she knew once I had my surgery it would be even harder for me absorb it.  Unfortunately I couldnt absorb the D2 even before surgery but once I got on the Dry D3 - I went way up.  She also did selenium levels because they affect the thyroid as well as phoshorus.  Now she does everything - she has tons of RNY patients and even has a bariatric NUT

I am so sorry you were so mistreated - once yuo had your hysterectomy - that is considered surgical menopause and you should have been treated like anyother women that goes through menopause and put on calcium and D.  I am amazed your bones and teeth are in one piece this many years later - you are very lucky.  we can only try to prevent things from getting worse.

get an appointment as soon as you can with your Endo since they specialize in calcium disorders.  They are the ones that are supposed to treat osteoporosis. If she isnt willing to then you need to go back to your GYN because you need treatment.  You can also see if you have any Osteoporosis Clinics near you.  Being I am in the NY metro area - we have a great Osteoporosis Center at Helen Hayes Hospital which is a famous Rehab Hospital which is where my Endocrinologists DEXA tech is from.

I wish you the best and send me a PM with any info and if I can't read it, I will send you my e-mail address - it is strange because of your stuff I can read and others I can't = I  am able to go back and highlight it but if it anything lengthy, it makes it difficult

take care
randi

Thanks...  My D is a tablet, but it just says D.  I need to see exactly what it is.  I'll go to vitamin shoppe and see what they have.  I'll pull my labs and send them to you.

Hang in there, Dasie!! Forgive yourself and move on from here. It sounds like your doctor gave you good advice, now follow it. Osteoporosis runs in my family so I am extra careful. My grandmother had to have both hips replaced before the age of 60. Weight training is something I have to do to help keep my bones strong. I plan on being a healthy senior citizen!! 

Laura

Because I am 5'9" and was always "you're such a big girl" I was told I did not fit the osteoporosis profile.  So that was one issue that never crossed my mind or one  I never gave a second thought.  This caught me off guard.  I've worried about some things but not this.  I will definitely get my calcium in now.