Calcium

[Fighting]

There are places I read that if you have lupus, you need to limit dairy intake. Then further down in the same article, they say make sure that you get plenty of yogurt. I drink milk, eat cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt. I thought all dairy was equal. The rheumy has specifically instructed me to add calcium and vitamin D, 1500 mg. My bones are a mess and I am on my second round of Forteo. Does anyone ave any thoughts?

[kimc]

Once I read that eat yogurt contains vitamin D. Yogurt has active culture can destroy bad bacteria. Most lupus rellergic to the sun, so it's good to choose yogurt with vitamin D for replacement vitamin D from sunlight. Yogurt is a good dairy.

[Fighting in reply to kimc]

I'm glad that I like plain, yogurt. There was a time, in college when we all made our yogurt. I guess that was the 70s.

[MargaretGail]

The medication we take for Lupus affects the bones terribly. If we don't have a good dairy intake for the calcium Content then we need to take superments. In order for your body to use the calcium efficiently it needs to be taken with vitamin D which helps absorb it.

[Fighting in reply to MargaretGail]

The milk is fortified with vitamin D. The vitamin has both calcium and D. I won't take the last Calcium with D due to constipation. I take it with magnesium and zinc. I just hope that supper has some vitamin D in it. I believe this came from the rheumy prior to the current one. He said no more than 600mg of calcium at a time. The body would just excrete the extra. It needs to be thru-out the day.

[donna]

I'm completely dairy free ( and lots more! Gluten etc ) I take probiotic tablets lactobacillius acidophilus the highest dose ..calcium ,VitD .as you say yogurt is milk! And although I love yogurt it does to much to me to be able to take one for medicinal qualities!

I've also have just been diagnosed with osteoporosis to add to my growing list ..

With best wishes ..

[Fighting in reply to donna]

Did the osteoporosis come with Fosamax once a week? That is the first attempt to slow it down.

[donna in reply to Fighting]

Hi fighting ..... Haven't been able to get my new treatment yet as I'm to poorly ! And I can't take anything new untill I have a good base line! I react to most everything... Thank you for your reply.

[denden]

Hi guys, oh dear, oh dear, o dear. Never knew none of the above. The effects of Lupus and diary products! In not so many words: is it good for us to be having diary produce or not? I love milk and do have the occasional yoghurt but cheese no, triggers Meniere. Just recently been prescribed calcium+cholecalciferol (ADCAL- D3) chewable tablets! Can someone please clarify?

[Fighting in reply to denden]

Unless I'm mistaken, the authorities can't agree. It seems more like a trial and error. I go with my father's maxim "Everything in moderation." Since our jobs have typically become more sedentary, I also keep in mind there may be a lower need for calories. I know that I eat less meat than I did growing up. Maybe we have learned something from the immigrants from non European countries.

[tennissenior]

Reading and researching can drive you crazy! I read the same thing. However, I also have ITP. I can't eat what could help because of the Coumadin I take. If we follow everything we read, we may as well discontinue eating everything! My hematologist says the Coumadin is making the ITP worse. If I stop taking Coumadin, I am in danger of blood clots. Seems like we're all between a rock and a hard place!! I stopped eating ice cream because holding the dish causes the Raynaud's to act up and my hands get numb. My bone density was good, so I eat Greek yogurt every morming. I don't eat much dairy and I can't eat most vegetables. I guess we should all live on plain water!

[Fighting in reply to tennissenior]

The rock and a hard place is a comment I have heard out of the current rheumatologist's mouth for the past 18 years. The in thing in the states is to try to be healthy. (This is after supersizing everything made us fat.) Just look at our first lady, Michelle Obama. (She gets to tell the cook and nutritionist what she wants and how to prepare it.) There is supposed to be zero nutritional value in a bowl of ice cream and a lot of LDL. I have Raynaud's and refuse to give my ice cream up. A pot holder or a dish towel takes care of the hand problem for me.

[tennissenior in reply to Fighting]

In order to be healthy, we had to choose the right parents! That's my problem! I have everything THEY had...both my Mom and Dad. If your parents didn't have any genetic diseases, consider yourself lucky. Some of us are not. I have twin brothers from the same Mom Dad. I ask myself all the time: "Why me?" I rarely eat fast food. The "now" generation are overweight. We just got off a cruise ship - I have never seen so many young people - including kids - SO obese! For example, breakfast: 4 chocolate donuts. During the day - ice cream continuously, pizza, hot dogs, burgers - never saw a kid eat salad. The parents eat salad - after they've eaten just about everything else on the buffet. Michelle Obama is a smart lady. She cares about herself and her kids. My husband and I do fashion shows on cruises. He has a 36 inch waist - he weighs 160 pounds, 5' 10", and he's 83 and looks 70! I weigh about 109, 5' 3" tall, and wear a size 4 or 6. I am 71. We both eat well and we both snack - and we do eat fast food occasionally. I think it's all about self image!

[Fighting in reply to tennissenior]

The rheumi was trying to be funny last year. His quip was "you can buy a pair of trousers but you can't buy your genes". The people with the "good" genes have to have something. Perhaps it's Alzheimer's or cancer.

[tennissenior in reply to Fighting]

Nahh...some people just have LUCK! I play tennis with ladies that are up to 10 years my senior and most take one or two pills a day and have an "annual check-up." I have 2 doctors - a hematologist/oncologist and a PCP. I see them at least every 2-4 weeks and have 4 pages of lab tests. I have a sister-in-law that's 82 - she takes nothing. My husband's borther is going on 90. He's got more energy than you and I will ever have! I don't have the strength to go out to dinner most evenings. His brother is always out - breakfast, lunch and dinner! Ya think life is fair????? Your rheumy is not funny but honest!!!!!!! I saw 3 of them. They all do the same thing - order labs and try and get me to take steroids. I won't do that. My bone density was normal! Rarely do I ever get a normal lab reading. Steroids hurt your bones. My Mom had terrible osteo and lived with pain and compression fractures constantly. She broke more bones than I can remember. I don't want to be her. I also take Prempro. That's helped a lot. I have ITP and my hematologist prescribed Dexamethosone for 4 days - a massive dose. Sure, it brought my platelets up - for 4 weeks! Then back to the low's again. It was not worth the stomach pain - even with taking Prilosec! I don't do it again. Besides the numbers falling from 100 to the 40's, it was psychologically frustrating!

[Fighting in reply to tennissenior]

How he said it, and when he said it, he was trying to be funny. I understand your point, I was 40 and having hip replacements with the 80 year olds in an AAUW group.

I happened to have heard, that the rheumi does have something. He wears a total wig. Also, his office had to cancel an appointment because he was with his brother who was having major health problems and in a hospital in Texas.

Where did you ever get the notion that life is supposed to be fair? That one fell by the wayside a long time ago with me.

[tennissenior in reply to Fighting]

You are so right! But why have we been "the chosen ones?" My labs were not good again yesterday. I go up and down and get more and more disgusted with life. I'm back to labs every 2 weeks again. Can't decide which is worse - the ITP or the Lupus and all of it's "complications."

[Natura]

I always felt like I had enough calcium because i drank gallons of milk as a child. I don't eat dairy anymore. Went to a lecture that said we stop producing the enzyme to break down dairy at the age of 2. I belive it. No other animal in the world gets milk past newborn. I tried to eat yogurt again because it's good for you and I like it. Got itchy skin right away. So, I do not eat yogurt. I have been experimenting with lactose free milk, and cheese. Doesn't seem to bother me so far. Or I have almond milk. I am not on medicine causing bone density problems though. I just do dairy free for my intestines.

[Fighting in reply to Natura]

I have always wondered if pushing Calcium was somehow the Dairy Farmers pushing their agenda.

[Cann]

You can get calcium from lots of foods besides dairy. I haven't had dairy for 15 years as it gave me asthmatic symptoms. I am not sure about yogurt either because I can't take it and a naturopath told me we can get enough calcium from vegetables, so may be that's where I get mine!

[Hidden]

Just found this link. It might give you some ideas for non-dairy sources of calcium.

iofbonehealth.org/osteoporo...

[Fighting]

Thanks, tomorrow. It's getting too late.

[1963]

Reading the posts above, I'm now a bit confused, I've had SLE and APS for 36 years,was on high steroids for at 20years, as that was the only treatment then,developed osteoporosis due to this, spine collapsed in 4 places, I have been on most treatment for this, was given lots of calcium_d3, also was told to eat and drink plenty of things that have calcium in, I am now being told by every DR I see, my stomach and aorta is totally calcified, don't know what this means, or if anything that I should worry about it. I'm now told avoid anything with calcium in. Confused by it. Has anyone else had this problem.

[Hidden]

I have just discovered that dairy caused a flare. so...I'm rethinking dairy.