Gastric Bypass Patient w Osteoporosis - What Type of Doctor to See?

I, too, have osteoporosis and had gastric bypass about 15 years ago. My rheumatologist recommended the Prolia injection. I’ve had two personal friends tell me it is the worst injection they ever had. After being on Prolia about 3 years one friend had jaw necropsy after having a tooth pulled. She ended up losing all her teeth and getting dentures. She screamed at me, “Don’t do it!” My second friend is a teacher and was walking down the school hall and her thigh bone fractured and the bone penetrated her skin. It was a months-long recovery…and she still limps to this day. I mentioned this to the rheumatologist and he said those instances are rare.

All I can say is I will not take that injection. I may live to regret it. In the meantime I take calcium, D3, magnesium, multiple vitamin. I eat yogurt and do my best to “eat” my calcium. I just can’t bring myself to take Prolia.

My sister has a yearly infusion of Reclast and has had no problem. She pooh-poohs my decision not to take one of the medications, but I just won’t do it.

Good luck with your decision!

ican only say from mu experience i had 1 shot and it caused me a lifetime of heartache. unfortunately i did not research this drug and i will forever be sorry i didn't if you take a certain collegan and b12 along with the right calcium and other supplement it may help. what bothers me so much is these drs hand out these drugs so quickly and without any real knowledge of what they can do. yes. prolia has helped may but the ones it didn't have suffered severly. all these new drugs are great when they work for you but if you have a reaction the conequences can be life changing it is very hard to make a decision about what to take and how to take it pill form infusion or injection all very complicated. i think from reading posts here an endrochrinologist may be right for you

@eljay Are you taking K2? In the form of MK7? It helps to keep calcium out of your arteries.
I too have opted not to go the medicine route.

I was reading about K2 but haven’t taken it. I may need to revisit that! Thanks.

I wish I could say that I am shocked to hear how you have been treated by your primary. With the current state of our medical systems
I can only suggest an endocrinologist who has a wealth of training in treating osteoporosis. Do the research, talk to others and choose carefully. I read here that many are getting consults with Dr. McCormick. Don't put up with behaviors that are unacceptable and don't be afraid to expect and demand more from providers. Good luck.
Also, check out OsteoBoston on YouTube. I would be lost without both these groups..

Your friend's experiences are exactly what I have been seeing elsewhere and what makes me totally afraid of the shot. Once you do it, it's too late to go back and I am seeing many cases of people being sickened from the 1st shot. I am currently on zero prescription meds which probably makes me even more fearful. All the side effects I see make me feel like I should do what I can with food, exercise and supplements and hope for the best. If I end up with fractures, how is that any different than the people who take the meds and then end up fracturing once they stop the meds? Anyway, good luck to you!!

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. That is exactly what I am afraid of. I agree, doctors should not be suggesting such strong medications without giving the patient the full picture. I am currently looking for another regular doctor in addition to someone to treat the osteoporosis, because I no longer trust mine. I do take calcium, collagen, and B12 along with my other supplements. Fingers crossed that it helps. Thank you for your suggestion on the endocrinologist. Good luck to you!

I take K2, but mine says "MK-4." I will have to look up what the difference is. I also take collagen, calcium citrate, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium, B12, Super B Complex, D3, C, and a multivitamin.

A few of those I just started recently base on my research, but I will confirm with whatever doctor I see for the osteoporosis that I am taking the best combination of supplements.

Good luck to both of us on the non-med route! 🙂

I just watched a video of Dr. McCormick yesterday. He seems very knowledgeable and I will check him out further. Thank you for your other suggestions!

First of all -2.8 is not that bad. It is horrible that your doc made that comment about having the bones of an 88 year old. I will also say that menopause alone can start the process of bone loss so your bypass may not be relevant. Again, at your age, -2.8 is not at all severe yet. But yes, the process will continue.

Second of all, Prolia is problematic for many reasons. My doc won't use it unless absolutely necessary. It is very tricky to get off Prolia. There is a sharp drop in bone density and rise in fracture risk. You can transition to Reclast but that needs to be individualized with CTX and P1NP blood tests.

The other issue is that Prolia might affect the effectiveness of stronger meds down the road.

Also think about it: You do Prolia 5 years then a bisphosphonate. Both are anti-resorptives so the bone created is not good quality. Over time there is risk of dental issues and atypical femur fracture. What do you do in 10 years?

I would get ahold of Keith McCormick's latest book "Great Bones." Also his earlier book "A Whole Body Approach to Osteroporosis." I am known to be a proponent of meds on this forum but in your case it might be possible to approach this differently. See an endocrinologist who is up on the latest info on the proper sequencing of osteoporosis meds. (Dr. Ben Leder from MGH has a good video online about "Sequencing and Combinations" of meds. You can also do a consult with Dr. McCormick. He has a website.

I took cancer meds that made my bones worse and then COVID delayed my Tymlos. I have now done two years and gained 20% in my spine. My scores were more like -3.6 and even -4.1.