So I had a very disappointing but not surprising appointment with an endocrinologist. I was referred to Ruth Horowitz, but she is no longer taking new patients so I got another doctor. I took all my test results and copious notes from Keith McCormick's book with me. I had been very impressed with Dr. Horowitz when she spoke at a webinar conference recently on osteoporosis and felt that she was pretty up to date with the latest findings. Unfortunately, the doctor I saw didn't appear to be up to date. While she was nice enough, she was rather dismissive of most of the tests recommended by McCormick and didn't even know what an Echo Light Scan was. She said she would advise a bisphosphonate, but didn't even mention HRT, which according to a talk I just saw on this issue, is probably the right choice for me at 55. Here's a link to this if anyone is interested.
https://gbmc.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/gbmc/recording/e6111214853f103bbf7e005056811e38/playback
I was hoping to get another DXA scan with the vertebral fracture assessments and TBS score, but again she says I don't even need another one until September (which would be a year from my last one). So, I am due to see my gynecologist within the next month and will ask about low dose transdermal HRT to start, with the idea of ramping up to the standard dose if I don't have too many side effects from it (I tend to be extremely sensitive to any new drug, so I start slow and low). I also have a yearly physical scheduled with my PCP in early April and will ask if he will order the tests McCormick recommends whether or not they are covered by insurance. Lastly, my husband recently went to have extensive allergy testing done due to constant post nasal drip, which I also suffer from, and he says they tested for all kinds of things including foods, etc., and insurance paid for it. So, I am going to make an appointment with them and see if I can get tested for gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, etc.

Once I have all the results from everything that insurance will pay for, I then plan on making copies of everything and sending them to Dr. McCormick as instructed on his website, for his assessment and pay out of pocket $350 for his recommendations as to what additional tests I should still get. I am willing to pay out of pocket if necessary but figure I can try all these various routes and still have much more complete information by the end of April or May of this year. I'd welcome any and all thoughts on my plan and will update on this site as time goes by.

For now, I am not on any bone medications. I have upgraded most of my supplements to the Wellena brand, which I hope will be of even higher quality than what I've been taking, which is Vitamin Shoppe. Again, I am willing to pay for supplements that are really helping me, but they are expensive, and it would be nice to have someone to consult with who can tell me exactly how much of a given thing I need to take and in what form. Most doctors provide little to any guidance on this.