Since I am a diagnosed Type II diabetic, I have been doctoring with an endocrinologist (Texas Endocrine Center) since 2017. I was 7.2 (A1C) and weighed 220 lbs. when I began with them. I am now 5.4 A1C and weigh 180 (and still trying to lose more weight.) I am 78 years old and 5' 2" (shrunk from 5' 2 and 3/4") and I joined a gym, primarily to swim in their heated pool. Unfortunately, the chlorine in the pool is so strong that I can only swim for 30 minutes before I get so dizzy that I fear I will pass out!

I have taken Ozempic AND Mounjaro and seem to have "plateaued" at around 180, which is way off from the insurance charts for people my age and height, which, last time I looked, said 147 lbs. I asked them about my bone density scores, since I knew I had osteopaenia going in. The first ones were obtained thanks to a good OB/GYN who had me get one at 2 year intervals, beginning in 2017.

Last trip in to the endocrinologist she did prescribe something, which, after I read up on it, I did not take. (A pill) I have now had 2 teeth split after routine cleanings. One required a root canal and a crown. That happened during the pandemic in 2020 before my 2021 b.c. diagnosis on Dec. 7, 2021. The second tooth split after cleaning on Nov. 16, 2023. I am in the midst of $12,000 of dental work right now, including a dental implant (#4 tooth), a crown on the tooth next to it, and a new filling under an old filling on a third tooth. I had dental insurance, which chipped in $1,500 for my "annual benefit." I will go in for the "twist test" on April 23 and, if I pass that, the dental implant will be installed. (In the meantime, I have not been able to chew on the right side of my head since November!). When I went to the endodontist (who is a doll!) he said I didn't need a root canal after all ($2,600 if I had), which was good news. He then sent me to "the best oral surgeon in Austin" and we had a very lengthy debate about whether or not I could even have a dental implant. The key thing seemed to be whether I had or had not taken ANY biophosphanates. Although I had filled the prescription, as requested by the Austin Endocrinology people, I never took any of them because I read up on them and it sounded like---given my score(s) then, which were close to osteoporosis but not yet there---I should maybe wait and see. I did, and I'm glad, or I could not have had the dental implant I need(ed) and, with the tooth immediately next to #4 (upper right) needing a crown, bridging was not a very viable option. I am a child of the 40s. I have a mouth full of amalgam fillings, which weaken enamel. Then I was put on Anastrozole for 7 months and my knee blew out and, possibly, it affected my jaw and teeth, as well. I am now taking lots of calcium (morning and night with the K needed) and I've been putting that stuff in my coffee daily that might help build bone---who knows? I also have done extensive reading on the inaccuracies of bone density exams. It seems to depend a lot on what machine is used and exactly how the patient is laid out and whether the patient moves and a whole bunch of other things. All I can say is that, thank God I didn't just swallow that biophosphanate pill when I paid for it and picked it up, or I'd be gumming food without an upper molar from now until the day I die.