thanks bio. i'll keep that in mind. i did read that the acid reducing meds i'm on can cause my bones to become more brittle and that if i had osteopenia ( which i do in my hips) that the chances of breaking my hips increase with these meds. but they are really helping so i am going to stay on them for a while and see how they do. if i miss a day then my nausea and stomach pain and acid come back with a vengence. my dr had me up my vitamin d from 5000 mg iu to 10,000 mg iu daily (my vit d level went from a 9 to now a 27 which is an improvement ( i think it should be at 50) so hopefully that will reduce my chances of breaking any bones especially while on the dexilant for my stomach acid right now. and i am also a mashed potatoe fan! it is one of the few things my stomach can tolerate and i also happen to love them! thanks again for your helpful advice and i hope you start to feel better soon too.