Alendronic acid for osteoporosis caused by parathyroid tumour

I am so sorry to read this.  Actually we are in the same boat almost but I am 15 years your senior.  I was diagnosed with advanced osteoporosis a year ago in the spine and femoral neck, was really shocked as I have always been active (was widowed with a 3 year old and had to carry on renovating our house etc) and have always had a healthy diet and was only after I broke my wrist that I was sent for a DEXA scan.  It has taken me since May to realise that I have primary hyperparathyroidism and now am awaiting a sestamibi scan as the ultra sound showed something up.  I still have to wait another 3 weeks even though I am going privately.

I personally would not entertain any of the bisphosphonates, like Fosomax etc. The GP I went to after my Dexa scan results was eagerly pushing a prescription of this to me without even bothering to read my history of inflammation of the food pipe and suspect ulcer in the past.  Just so that you know some people who take it have no ill effects but you should know that it does not create new bone growth and hardens old bone, so Merck, having had many law suits against them in the U.S. have had to add another side effect, ie hip fracture.  Apparently when the bone becomes so hard and brittle, it can just fracture without you even doing anything.

Because the medical profession in this country are so ignorant about hyperparathyroidism (an example another GP was encouraging me to chew on those awful Adcal D3 calcium tablets - 3000mg per day) when she hadnt even noticed that my blood calcium was higher than it should be.  My surgery do not do PTH tests either, some stupid excuse about the sample going off in the van, so the hospital sending the Dexa scan to them October of last year where it recommended blood tests including eliminating Primary and Secondary hyperparathyroidism was ignored and so a year on I am now in this predicament and had to go down the private route.  I have been managing and not feeling well and very achy for quite some long time before I broke my wrist and didnt know why. The last two months have been horrendous with rapid heart beat going all day and night and worse the dreadful nausea so I have lost over half a stone in almost 8 weeks.  I cannot go on like this, even if I have to use one of those equity property companies to raise the money to have it done privately.

You need to Google about bisphosphonates, there are also youtube videos about it.  I registered with the National Osteoporosis Foundation who are in the U.S. the equivalent of the National Osteoporosis Society in the U.K. who I found to be about as knowledgable as the U.K. GP's!!!   I picked up lots of things about osteoporosis, sent away for a dvd and also a very helpful book called Walk Tall.  The latter is written by Sara Meeks a physiotherapist who specialists in osteoporosis (we have nothing like that in this country).  She is also on youtube.  In her book she explains just simple things, how to get in and out of bed without breaking anything, how to bend (never from the waist) and different exercises.  Unfortunately I am too poorly now with this hpt to do anything much and can barely walk over to the supermarket to get a bit of shopping.  I dont drive which is a drawback and have no support except from a very nice girl who now does my cleaning.  I have four cats, so you can imagine how difficult that is, I have to use grabbers to put the food down and have made wire handles for carrying water bowls and also long wire handles for their litter trays.  I thought I was doing my best for myself and buying supplements from the U.S. and eating even more healthily until I happened to notice the blood test results last May.  I have everything printed off as I dont trust their competetancy.

Sorry you are feeling weepy, we all go through that, I sobbed for four days solidly when I found I had OP.  Just take care of course and do some investigating before you commit to alandronic acid/bisphosphonates.