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Per the Cleveland clinic and Jennifer Aniston (the Hollywood movie star), collagen can help strengthen your bones.
So it can't hurt, unless you do too much.
Next exercise - walking is the simplest and good for many reasons. Walking downstairs is even better.
Finally, If as is the case for me. you are not able to eat dairy then supplements are probably needed. It's hard to get enough calcium without dairy. Be careful to take the supplements in 500 mg or less doses and with meals. Read up about it,
I'm 86 and my bones are good even though I can't eat dairy. I do watch what I eat, take supplements, and exercise.
By all means see the endocrinologist as there may be an explanation there.
Good luck!!!
My sister is in the latter stages, mom has been for a long time. My sister was 2 inches taller than me now she is shorter than me.
My mom did break her hip , while on the 6 month shots, I will say it was a fall, then a break. Not a break then a fall.
But my mom's been on one form or another form of meds for 20 plus years. And did very well until about 3 yrs ago.
My mother has been on test trials that actually grew her bones, 20 yrs ago. Probably the same meds people take now.
When your bones are just crumbling MILk is not the answer
I inherited the lactose intolerance, plus can't tolerate calcium tablets, but do ok with taking a couple Tums each day and D3 daily. But I know my bones are thin, did have a hairline fracture a few years back.
My mom took quite a few tumbles too. She had mobility issues due to Parkinson’s disease. Yet, she never broke any bones either.
She also escaped being in a wheelchair. She did use a walker.
I felt sorry for her because she also had bad knees but wasn’t a candidate for knee surgery.
In spite of her discomfort, she worked extremely hard in home health and at the rehabilitation facility.
Mom may have been old, could barely hear, and so on, but put a good looking man in front of her and she took notice! LOL 😝.
She did whatever the handsome physical and occupational therapists asked her to do! It helped her tremendously.
Oh, and she had a crush on all of the handsome firemen who picked her up off the floor when she fell! Couldn’t hear, but definitely saw the good looking men.
Her nurse was married to a fireman and she told me that all of the old ladies loved him!
I was impressed by how much effort mom put into occupational and physical therapy.
He started getting kidney stones. When he questioned his doctor about the sudden existence of kidney stones, the doctor said that kidney stones appear more frequently when calcium supplements are taken versus when someone drinks milk.
Kidney stones are very painful. We had no idea what was causing his pain because he had never had kidney stones before taking calcium supplements.
When I took him to the ER in the middle of the night we were told that it was kidney stones.
Everyone reacts differently to everything. My mother took calcium supplements and never experienced any problems.
Mom didn’t have osteoporosis. She drank milk her whole life and lived to be 95. I am not sure why she was even taking calcium supplements. Her bone density tests always came back with good results.
I had a really bad bicycle accident and experienced an open compound fracture. I have never been a huge milk drinker. I have steel rods on both bones in my arm.
When I asked my orthopedic surgeon if I could take calcium supplements since I didn’t drink a lot of milk, he said that he would prefer that I get my calcium from dairy and vegetables.
Of course, ask a vegan about any of this, they will tell you about the benefits of a plant based diet. Plant based diets are wonderful if done correctly.
Many people consume too much meat. For me, it’s all about eating a balanced diet that includes all foods.
My primary care doctor says that it isn’t necessary to eliminate all dairy products or meat. Everything can be consumed in moderation.
I feel like if I was just starting on meds I wouldn't want the 6 months shots, that my mom gets. Because if they made me ill then , would I be sick for six months. That would be something I would have to ask a doctor but I don't think I would take that .
I know someone that is doing physical therapy for osteoporosis. Not sure if she is doing meds too but I know she is going to physical therapy all the time. You could ask a doctor about that.
Good luck, best wishes to you
I was also told that I should start on Fosamax and I resisted and saw an endo and it was discovered that I had a parathyroid that was the cause of calcium loss. My levels started to return within minutes of it's removal.
I am now back to "osteopenia" and not "osteoporosis"
I did learn something interesting in order for the Dexa Scan to be accurate with the numbers tests should be done on the same machine so when they compare they are more sure of the numbers. (this was according to my current endo)
Second and maybe a third opinion!!!!
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/calcium-supplements/art-20047097#:~:text=It's%20not%20definitive%2C%20but%20there,surrounds%20calcium%20and%20prostate%20cancer.
You can't just start shoveling calcium and other supplements into you without consequences. Most of the time you pee out the excess anyway. In addition to talking to a specialist, consider a consultation with a dietician (and if your doctor refers you it should be covered by Medicare).
If I were you I'd work with your doc to find the best possible medicine to help you so you can retain your independence and mobility. Not all side effects listed are caused by the drug, if you know anything about how clinical trials work: the clinicians have to report any and all complaints/changes from the participants and sometimes there's no correlation. For example, that certain drugs cause "menstrual cramps". Not a problem if you're a guy, or past menopause.
You know what is the BEST way to strengthen normal bones?
It's WALKING.
Walk as much as you are able. Walking strengthens bones a whole lot.
The fact that your MD is referring you means he wants to r/o (rule out) more serious conditions. So keep that appointment and don't take the advice of a bunch of folks on a Forum, but the best MEDICAL advice you can get.