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Dexa bone scan

(86 Posts)
Shinamae Tue 19-Mar-24 10:04:58

My Doctor has just text me the results of the scan, and he says I do not have osteoporosis, but I do have osteopenia.
I eat a moderate amount of cheese and drink quite a bit of milk, but he has suggested I might need a calcium and vitamin D tablet. Well I have been taking vitamin D for years
Also, the guy that did my scan did say that the results might not be so good.if I had a hysterectomy before I was 45 now I can’t remember so I’m gonna ring my surgery and see if they can tell me when I did have it
I have been doing weights for about eight months now so I am a bit disappointed at this result, but I suppose I should be grateful that it’s not osteoporosis 🤷‍♀️
I was 71 in February

Shann Thu 15-Aug-24 23:35:30

I have osteoporosis lost six inches in height, 10 broken vertebrae and my ribs now sit inside my hips.
My question is to those who’ve lost height-did anything happen to your insides? Just lately I get this quivering which seems to be my intestines.
Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Marydoll Sun 24-Mar-24 08:07:44

Happygirl79

I have been diagnosed with calcium deposits in my veins to my heart when I had a lung health check for cancer which happily was negative. I take high doses of vitamin D with calcium for osteoporosis. Is this connected?

Would it not be better to ask your clinician to explain this?

My late BIL, who had been treated for various cancers for nearly forty years, also had this.

Happygirl79 Sat 23-Mar-24 22:24:18

I have been diagnosed with calcium deposits in my veins to my heart when I had a lung health check for cancer which happily was negative. I take high doses of vitamin D with calcium for osteoporosis. Is this connected?

Shinamae Sat 23-Mar-24 13:56:15

I already take a magnesium capsule at night and a vitamin D capsule in the morning, but after reading the advice on this thread, I am considering getting these…
And I’m going to have to ask advice about whether I should discontinue taking my previous doses of these vitamins and just take this one capsule or if it’s okay to finish them off and add this to them?

sunbar Sat 23-Mar-24 13:31:39

Osteopenia at 71 is pretty great. After having breast cancer twice, I was diagnosed with that in my early fifties. I now have osteoporosis in certain places but I do not take any of the medication. I suggest that you keep away from calcium carbonate as the body does not absorb it very well. Stay with calcium citrate or some other calcium. You also need magnesium along with the vitamin D. I'm hanging in there I had a dexa last year and my bones did not get any worse. Hope this helps.

Maggiemaybe Sat 23-Mar-24 12:18:59

MissAdventure

I always felt the vitamin D made me sick.
I mean vomit, by the way.

Is that something anyone else found, too?

The Calci-D tablets made me very nauseous at first, MissA, but my GP told me to persevere and it stopped after a week or so. I’ve no problem at all with them now.

Maggiemaybe Sat 23-Mar-24 12:16:14

I was sent for a DEXA scan after having two fractures in two years following falls. I was very confident about the results as they’d both healed so quickly and well that one consultant said I must have “good bones”. So I was gobsmacked when the results showed that far from having the bones of a 20 year old, I had osteopenia, very close to the osteoporosis level. I’ve been on Calci-D tablets for 18 months since then and had a follow up scan yesterday. I’m heartened by those of you who’ve had better results after taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, and am really hoping my old bones might have improved as well.

baubles Sat 23-Mar-24 12:15:52

I have osteoporosis of the spine and osteopenia of the hip. I have several vertebral compression fractures as well as one of the bones that come from the side of the vertebra, I’ll have to look up the name for it. I remember what caused that one, simply getting up from a chair and knocking my leg lightly against a footstool.

This morning I bent to pick up a sock from the floor and had a sudden severe pain in my lower back which I suspect is another fracture.

I take alendronic acid once a week as well as Vit D and calcium supplements.

Glorianny Sat 23-Mar-24 11:52:19

If anyone is interested in the benefits of Vit D and its decrease with age this is very informative www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669834/#:~:text=Optimal%20vitamin%20D%20levels%20are,

M0nica Sat 23-Mar-24 11:36:55

Fine. it just puzzles me that it conflicts with how we consume this specific vitamn and mineral in real life.

Marydoll Sat 23-Mar-24 09:24:47

MOnica, the information from grandetante is consistent with the advice from my rheumatology consultant when she prescribed Adcal, ie calcium and vit D.

Exactly what I was told by my consultant.

Iam64 Sat 23-Mar-24 08:36:29

MOnica, the information from grandetante is consistent with the advice from my rheumatology consultant when she prescribed Adcal, ie calcium and vit D. She told me random blood tests in the north west of England where I live, would indicate the entire population to be deficient in vitamin D if tested in February. We don’t get enough sunlight.

M0nica Fri 22-Mar-24 17:53:56

grandetante are you sure? In normal life we are getting our vitamin D from going out and about during the day and, mainly consuming calcium in under cover in our homes or cafes/restaurants at meals or while consuming beverages with milk, we are not consuming both together.

grandtanteJE65 Fri 22-Mar-24 15:04:14

If the Vitamin D you took formerly was not taken at the same time as calcium it will not have been absorbed by your body, and therefore done you no good at all.

It seems a lot of people such as doctors and pharmacists who should know this don't to say nothing of the drug companies who should long since have started combining the two.

I hope you benefit from taking vitamin D and calcium now.

Milliedog Fri 22-Mar-24 14:27:19

I take 1 x 4000 IU vitamin D3 daily.

Milliedog Fri 22-Mar-24 14:22:14

I'm coeliac and like many coeliacs, have osteoporosis. (Dexa scan in 2018 showed lumbar -3.8 Right total hip -1.3 Left total hip -1.7
Took alendronic acid from 2003 - 2006 then Strontium for 2 years (approximately). My mum took alendronic acid for years (no time limit when she started) until she was 76 and was told that her spine was 'shot to pieces', so I don't think it worked for her. After Mum was told about her spine, I stopped treatment but just take vitamin D. I also have a vibrating plate which MIGHT increase bone density. I haven't broken anything yet but thankfully, haven't had any nasty falls.

knspol Fri 22-Mar-24 12:01:40

I was told by obgyn in US that every woman over age 50 should be taking a calcium/magnesium tablet daily to help prevent osteoporosis and that the magnesium was essential to absorb the calcium. I've been following that advice ever since although now add B12 and vitamin D.

Iam64 Fri 22-Mar-24 11:59:22

That’s encouraging Glorianny. Despite inflammatory arthritis from mid 20’s my last dexa was encouraging. HRT said to,have helped, I took it 5 years in my late 50s. I’m waiting for an update dexa after fracturing my shoulder in a labrador related fall. Dog fine - I’m not 😂

Juicylucy Fri 22-Mar-24 11:56:12

After dexa scan I was diagnosed with osteopenia and put on Vitamin d tablets had another scan 5 years later and it’s not got any worse and has improved.

MissAdventure Fri 22-Mar-24 11:35:11

I always felt the vitamin D made me sick.
I mean vomit, by the way.

Is that something anyone else found, too?

Milest0ne Fri 22-Mar-24 11:30:17

I used to buy Boots calcium and vit.D capsules. No adverse reaction. On reaching 60 I asked if I could have them on prescription. I was told they were not available on prescription but I tried liquids, and tablets. It was like taking concrete. so had to stop taking anything. It does have its compensation as I take a calcium tablet rather than Imodium.

Roddi3363 Fri 22-Mar-24 11:26:50

I have osteopenia which appears to have resulted from radiotherapy. I fractured my shoulder badly in 3 places in a freak accident several years ago and had a Dexascan which was a showed levels a bit below normal. Then I had another after breast cancer and treatment only to be told I have osteopenia. I now take two Calcichew tablets each day (Bit D and calcium), although I took Vitamin D before and ate a good mixed healthy diet. These are easy to take.

Glorianny Fri 22-Mar-24 11:26:24

MissAdventure

That's good to know.

I didn't realise osteoporosis can be improved, I imagined the Calci D and other treatments would just slow down it's progress.

I'm not sure how much of a cure it is more to do with bone density generally decreasing with age and mine not doing so because of the medication and supplements, so they caught up.

MissAdventure Fri 22-Mar-24 11:12:53

That's good to know.

I didn't realise osteoporosis can be improved, I imagined the Calci D and other treatments would just slow down it's progress.

Glorianny Fri 22-Mar-24 10:56:19

To go back to osteoporosis I was diagnosed at 52- no fractures but my mum had it and there is a family history. Took Aledronic Acid for the prescribed period (staying on it too long has resulted in people presenting with very unusual fractures) and was put on calcium and Vit D which have to be taken together in order for bone density to improve. Was reduced to osteopenia in my late 60s and at my last scan last year my bone density is good for my age except for a couple of vertebrae which are a bit low (but not bad) I do tai-chi and Pilates.