I understand, @parus, most of us don't have piggy banks big enough for the kind of medical treatment not covered by insurance. My doctor was saying something similar to me today. As I might have told you, I brought in a stack of research and list of questions. I go to two different hospital systems. One is close to home (that is my PCP and some other specialists) and the other is in Ann Arbor (Univ. of Michigan) that I see for some rare problems that as my doctor said makes me an "atypical patient" I just don't fit a mold😊.

So anyways, I brought with me test results of bone density, blood tests, etc. (from the other hospital) and we discussed the big picture. She thinks that I need to increased my Vit D and magnesium level since they both run quite low. She says that my magnesium level is at low normal and when I engage in physical activity I probably go below normal thereby creating the terrible fatigue. Given the fact that I also have hyperparathyroid and other hormonal problems she said she will have to give it all some thought.

The long and the short of it is that I'm losing bone density in the hip and the med I'm taking for bone density doesn't do much for the hip. The best med to take will not be covered by Medicare unless I have a greater bone loss than I have now (my piggy bank is not big enough for that either). So, I have to get worse until I can get better - oh my......

By the way, when she left the room she thanked me for all of my research. She said that before my next appointment she will be going to an endocrinology conference and she is going to look into some more of the ideas I presented, so maybe she will learn something new.

So back to the drawing boards for both of us. Wishing you well!

Parus- oh, not good. I'm sorry. How often do you get hydrocodone?