REALLY concerned about bones after hyst. & surgical menopause

Hello everybody! Hope I'm not reapeating this tooooo many times, but I love this board--I practically live on it!
My question--my dr. has a TAH/BSO planned for Nov. 5. I have read about with menopause, your bones go downhill and you lose bone mass. Does this happen with the surgical menopause? Is it really quick to happen, or is it over time? Anything to do for this? I am planning on taking progesterone (Prometrium--already am, actually, for endo. treatment, and bleeding probs.), and already take calcium & magnesium (have for several years), and I do weight training. I know after the surgery, the weight training is out--obviously!! LOL! So...that's why I wonder how fast this degeneration happens.
I am so worried about this, because I have osteogenesis imperfecta--brittle bone disease (type IV), and I want to be as prepared as possible. Drs. are no help when I ask them. My connective tissue doesn't repair itself (collagen). I've had sooo many injuries (just a few months ago I barely avoided shoulder surgery for a labral tear-6 wks. of physical therapy instead--whew!) , but the broken bones I've had a break on (pun intended!), since adolesence. They say though, the disease picks up again with menopause---yikes!
Anybody know about how drastic this problem with the bone loss after surgery is? Do they do a bone density test at pre-op? Should I ask for one? Help!!!

Dear Lotsacats,

I'm from Missouri,too,live in Rolla, MO. Best wishes to you and good luck on your surgery. Estrogen is important to keep your bones strong and not become as porous as they can become after menopause. This is a serious question you need to ask your doctor, especially with your history of the bone disease you have. I had a tah bso,cervix removed, for endometriosus,adenomyosis,fibroids,pelvic pain,rt.ovary & uterus enlarged and feel so much better now. I'm on cenestin 0.625 mg. twice a day (was on premarin once daily, switched to cenestin and upped dosage due to hot flashes). I had osteopenia, which is low bone mass but not osteoporosis, so I was really wanting to use the hormones to keep my bones in good shape. I had a bone density test done and it showed up in my femur(thigh) and wrist area,not in the spine. The hormones also help your heart and circulatory system, as well, if you can take them. Luckily, my endo was externally on my organs, so when they were removed, my endo was gone. I'm glad I'm 3 months postop now and feel so much better. This is a question you and your doctors need to address postop, depending on your risk factors and what they find during surgery. God bless, keep us posted,ok? Best wishes to you. Feel free to e-mail me anytime (bubbles@fidnet.com), ok? I'll be glad to e-mail you anytime.
DebraDeeH

this is my opinion;always get medical opinions from your doctor

Hello fellow Missourian! Thank you for your answer. I don't really know what I'm dealing with, concerning the endo. The dr. doesn't have a clue either--he just says "we'll know more when we get in there".
Do you know if you have to ask for the bone density test? Nobody has mentioned it.
Soooo glad to hear your post-op is going well...gives me real encouragement!!

Wow. I can see why you would be concerned! I only have a vague idea about everything involved "normally", and am clueless about the osteogenesis imperfecta, but I wanted to pop in and encourage you to find a doctor who will help you aggressively work to avoid any problems. It sounds like your current doctor just might not know anything about it. Maybe your insurance can recommend a specialist. There are so many new drugs out recently for regular osteoporosis - maybe those would help you. Don't let your doctor put you off with "don't worry about it" - maintaining as much bone density as possible right from the start is the best thing you can do - don't wait until you start having problems to demand help.

Good luck!

Dear Lotsacats,

You will need to ask for the bone density test - you want the one they do where they measure several different areas of your body for bone density, not just the heel or wrist alone. This gives a better diagnosis for the doctor to help decide what you'll need to do about the osteogenesis imperfecta. I have a friend who has that as well. I'll try to get in touch with her and see what happened with her after her hysterectomy, as far as hormone replacement therapy and other meds used for that disease to prevent more bone loss. Your regular family doctor can schedule that test,as well. It's an easy test,just like an x-ray. Please keep us posted on your progress. Oh, to get the cute little cats or smiles, angels, click over to the static smilies list and you'll see several selections of things to put in your notes. Take care and God bless.
DebraDeeH

this is my opinion;always get medical advice from your doctor