Another 10% bone loss - so talk to me about osteoporosis treatments

 Damn....I was hopin'.   Guess I'll just have to settle for brawny chicken wings.

Completely agree with Kirmy ---- get your ass to the gym for weight training.  Hire the personal trainer.  Best money you will ever spend.  I have a love / hate relationship with mine.

I wouldn't do it with the car pool lady though.  I would do it at home, where Barry will make you.  I know your schedule is tough.  But, I think if he were to also go and do something while you are there, you would have a better support system and it would keep you more motivated.  Your weeks are tough, doing it closer to home, you have Saturday & Sunday to fall back on.

I would also push Kemmeter to find you an Endo.  He has found me a Hemo (as I sit here in bed for the 4th day, awaiting the call I SHOULD have gotten from him today about my infusion, so not impressed so far).  I am pushing him to put a team together for us, all at Saints.  Inconvenient for you, yes, but if we all funnel everyone through one, I think we will get better results.  And, once we get that person up to speed, they can consult with a local.

Hotshot Husted made it sound like those Vit D shots were a no-brainer.  Figures he was full of it!  Wonder if it just our FDA holding it up though?  Wonder if they are doing these in other countries more advanced than ours?  Wonder if Kemmeter could check this out on his next trip to Mexico?  Or, some of our out of country DSers could explore this?  Maybe Dina and some others?

 Just talked to Kemmeter a couple of weeks ago.   Stewart and Keshesian I believe are both offering the D shots.....Keshesian had actually PM'd me about them a year or so ago, thinking, through my posts, that I was having them, and I told him I thought it was Stewart's office.  Kemmeter is most interested in offering them.   I have an appt with Nancy H. next week, and I told Dr. K. that I'd gather some information up about them, so that Nancy H could get in touch with either doc about providing them.     I know Stewart is having them formulated by a compounding pharmacy near him.

Last time I talked to Nancy H. about finding an endo, which was a couple of years ago, she was clueless about who to refer me to.   Maybe now she has someone, after seeing other peoples' D levels tank with their paltry D recommendations, eh?     I know for sure I'll have to travel, either to Traverse City (which is where I'm going to see the rheumatologist in November) or Grand Rapids.   Six one/half dozen the other for me in regard to distance, and winter travel sucks in both directions because I'm following the lakeshore either way!  I agree though - having an experienced team that works in collaboration with St. Mary's would benefit all of us.     I'll mention that to Nancy too at my five year.  

The gym is only five minutes from my house.....it's really a lot easier to go there RIGHT after work than waiting for Barry to get home at 8 or 9....once the snow flies, you can't pry me out of the house after I've gotten home from work.   I'm just going to have to put a fire under  my lazy ass.

Don't talk to Nancy about the Endo, talk to Kemmeter he has the pull at Saints, while she is just working (part-time) at GHP.  She probably doesn't even go to Saints, since she doesn't go into the OR like the other PAs.  Kemmeter approached Hemos for me, looking for one interested in working with DSers, and spent time with this one explaining our anatomy.  We are both likely going to still have to sit down with him together --- although, I would like my infusion first!

As you know, I don't use any of the staff at GHP, but I stay tight with Dr. K.  He just ordered a whole new set of labs for me for the Hemo, and I will have these ready for my PCP appt on Oct 13.  This will be make or break for her.  She was refusing the infusions up to 6 months ago, with my ferritetin at 5 and then 3.  She has some other DSers, but I am the furthest out.  So, we will be having a frank discussion, and if she isn't prepared / willing to at least refer us out  (and how frickin easy will it be when I am working on setting up that network?), then she needs to be replaced.

Hope you get the answers on the D shots.  Let me know if you need any help.  I know people who have good connections with Keshesian & Stewart, and could set up phone calls with them & Kemmeter.

 Thanks Kimberley, for the information.....as I mentioned, I've corresponded with Keshesian on a couple of matters, so  I'll drop him an email and ask him to contact Kemmeter.   I'll be down for my five-year next Wednesday, and maybe we can get the ball rolling on getting these injections available to us.

Good luck on the infusions.   I'm fortunate that my hemo doc lets ME tell HER when I'm ready for my infusion.    As long as she sees a dwindling iron saturation, even if my ferritin is in the low normal range she infuses me.   She says that her iron infusion patients almost always know when it's time by the way they feel.   For me, it's because I all of a sudden start getting short of breath going up and down stairs.

julie,

Regarding vit k2 in MK4, there has been some research in Japan, that suggests that it helps improve bone density loss.
Its in a product called Osteo K, 6 pills daily to get 1000 mg o f calcium and 45 mg of MK4.
Here's the link to read up on it.

http://www.nbihealth.com/c-27-bone-health.aspx

I have been researching this MK4 and saw the liquid kind one of the other posters mentioned from Thorne Labs. This one is obviously in pill form, from NBI labs.
Let me know your thoughts.
We need to find answers to this dilemma that so many of us have!

*hugs*

here's another link about MK4
 (Bolded letters mine)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21944271

Suboptimal vitamin K nutriture is evident during rapid growth. We aimed to determine whether vitamin K(2) (menaquinone-4 [MK-4]) supplementation is beneficial to bone structure and intrinsic bone tissue properties in growing rats. Male Wistar rats (5 weeks old) were assigned to either a control diet (n = 8) or an MK-4-supplemented diet (22 mg d(-1) kg(-1) body weight, n = 8). After a 9-week feeding period, we determined the serum concentration ratio of undercarboxylated osteocalcin to γ-carboxylated osteocalcin and the urinary deoxypyridinoline level. All rats were then euthanized, and their tibiae were analyzed by micro-computed tomography for trabecular architecture and synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography for cortical pore structure and mineralization. Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy and a nanoindentation test were performed on the cortical midlayers of the anterior and posterior cortices to assess bone tissue properties. Neither body weight nor tibia length differed significantly between the 2 groups. Dietary MK-4 supplementation decreased the ratio of undercarboxylated osteocalcin to γ-carboxylated osteocalcin but did not affect deoxypyridinoline, indicating a positive effect on bone formation but not bone resorption. Trabecular volume fraction and thickness were increased by MK-4 (P < .05). Neither the cortical pore structure nor mineralization was affected by MK-4. On the other hand, MK-4 increased mineral crystallinity, collagen maturity, and hardness in both the anterior and posterior cortices (P < .05). These data indicate the potential benefit of MK-4 supplementation during growth in terms of enhancing bone quality.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Here's my post on Vit D injections:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4221103/FYI-Once-yearly -cholecalciferol-D3-injection-article/

Dr. Stewart offers them in his office.  They have 600,000 IU of D3 per ml but that's ALL absorbed and is in a depo-release form.  Most of the Lubbock DSers get the injection and are in high-normal range.  Others still require D3 once or twice a week maintenance, but that's still a nice trade-off. 

I'd recommend Dr. Kemmeter give Dr. Stewart a call if he can't find it or is interested in offering it.  Any PCP could offer the same injection if they're interested in purchasing it.  The cost of a vial is only about $10 to the provider if I remember correctly and has 10 doses in it.  That's cheap.  I think Dr. Stewart charges $40/injection. 

So...I could go to Texas, get the injection, meet you and Tracy and THEN....write the whole trip off on my TAXES!!!!

 That's along the lines, I'm thinking, Sue.....you know how certain women have Botox or silicone injection parties - where they all meet up at someone's house and have someone come there and fix them all up?   We could have a vitamin D party at Steve and Tracy's house!!    I'd be happy to help with refreshments and piano entertainment.  :-)