Is a dexa every 2 years enough?

@elisabeth007, I don't think I know. Is that different than the chat feature?

Thanks.

You can always request the test and offer to pay for it yourself. One other option (if you live in a place that has one) is to go to DexaFit. This gives you a “whole body” T-score, which I have found to parallel my DEXA scores. My scans are $150, but I buy a package of 4, which reduces the cost to about $80 a piece. Also tells you about muscle mass and fat mass, which is equally useful info, since we are trying to stay strong, and maintain our balance, and muscle pulling on bone promotes growth. I get these 3-4 times a year. I personally think once a year for a DEXA is perfectly reasonable and would allow you to better understand what is going on with your bones. Insurance usually only pays for every other year.

He has not
Because he doesn’t use them at all

@mlwh, never heard of it and, of course, none in Denver, but here is a link to locations:

i don’t even know if the telephone customer service people know what bone marker tests are—-i didn’t until i heard about them i this venue.

Mt doctors don’t rely on them. Could you help me understand why you believe they are more valid than Dexa scores that have been relied upon for many decades

i think your dr is doing what the majority of drs are doing. Is mayo routinely using bone marker tests?

the research i read on that was very fuzzy if fda approval has been granted. Does anyone know?

Yes, you submit the appeal, but you should get some supporting documentation from your dr if the appeal is based on medical issues (test not justified, too soon to repeat test, etc).

The last time I submitted an appeal of Medicare's denial of some blood tests, I included a short letter from my dr explaining the condition he was evaluating and that was sufficient to get the appeal granted.

If you use Medicare's chat, you can save a copy of the discussion.

@elisabeth007, others will chime in, I'm sure, but for me, these bone marker tests are not more valid than DXA scores - that is comparing apples and oranges.

If you get the baseline blood tests before you start meds, you can retest in 3-4 months (and beyond) and the results of those blood tests will inform you as to whether or not the medication is actually doing what it's supposed to be doing. I'd hate to spend 2 years on Forteo or Evenity etc. to find out at the end that they didn't work. If they aren't working, there is an opportunity to change the treatment plan.

My first MD would not order them because he said the results would not change his plan and that made zero sense to me.

@hardingv, yes, I was just wondering if chat is different than the text feature that @elisabeth007 mentioned in terms of information that is available.