Osteoporosis

It is because there is a high risk of fractures, and osteoporosis in the spine causes gradual collapse of the vertebrae which is about as painful as it gets!

I don't think its had a go at my vertebrae (yet)
A dexa scan did say i was a very high risk of fractures, should I fall.

All i know is it is agonising, sometimes.

I have it in my knees, Its more painful in the winter.

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis about 3 years ago and I have no symptoms at all.. The problem was found when I attended a Biobank reassessment and had a Dexa scan

I was sent for another scan by my GP and prescribed Alendronic Acid for the next ten years. End of.

I have never seen a doctor about it, although I have had two brief telephone conversations with one and a letter. Then I was signed off. No follow up, no checks, nothing. I usually fall over at least once a year I have dyspraxia, which makes me clumsy and cackhanded and prone to trip over things even when I am trying to avoid them. If it wasn't for the Dexa scans I would think that my osteoporosis was another figment of medical imagination of the hospital where I used to live along with my misdiagnosed strokes.

Thank you all.

I really think that treating osteoporosis is important. One of my clients drunk herself to death because of the pain and the only comfortable position for her was on all fours 24 hours a day. I vowed then that if I ever got it I would be first in the queue for treatment.

I am on Denosumab injections 6 monthly plus calcium and vit D. It has not improved my condition, but it has got no worse over the last few years so I am basically just keeping it at bay. I will settle for that!

I've been vaguely complaining about pain in my left hip, and bottom of spine for around five years, and only just had a dexa scan.

I do wish the health service would be more proactive about dealing with issues earlier.

I really don’t know the answer to osteoporosis. There is so much conflicting advice. Mine was diagnosed when I broke a wrist. The medication apparently can have awful side effects. I am taking vitamins and eating healthily as well as doing some exercises. I don’t take the medication that was advised by the doctor. No one has a definitive answer it seems.

I’m recently diagnosed after breaking my hip. GP recommended alendronic acid, vit D/calcium until I pointed out I have acid reflux and gum disease. Rheumotology appointment in June.

I was diagnosed with osteopenia 27 years ago.

Took alendronic acid for two years, it along with steroids I took frequently for my asthma contributed to acid reflux, so stopped on advice from GP. Cannot take calcium supplements as they come straight back up.

Have upped my milk intake, do weight bearing exercises, eat all the the recommended foods and veggies to protect my bones.

I had another Dexa scan last week, now been called for an urgent appointment with GP.

So who knows what’s next 🤷‍♀️

(I have broken bones in my left foot, right foot, left wrist and even my left foot and ankle at the same time. Just silly little trips, apart from the wrist which was a skiing accident)

gg13 I have a friend in the same position. She has just tripped and broken both wrists.. she is also on injections, plus calcium etc. she goes for relatively frequent scans.

Alendronic acid is not right for everyone. There are other options. Just because that did not work for you in terms of side effects GG does not mean it is the end of the road. As I said above I have a 6 monthly injection and have done for years.

Yes Luckygirl3 I intend to enquire about the injections/infusions.

It’s just really annoying as I have done everything the GP asked of me, but I suppose it’s slowed down the bone loss somewhat.

I do a certain amount of weight training and that is apparently very good for the bones…. Obviously not everybody can do that.. doing things like wall push-ups are also beneficial. It doesn’t have to be dumbbells.

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis 4 years ago after a private X-ray. I’ve been taking Alendronic acid for that time,but as I have had more vertebral fractures recently I’ve been referred to rheumatology and am waiting for my first infusion of Zeledronate. I had to wait 5 months for the first consultation but no idea when I’ll actually have the infusion. Hope I haven’t fallen into the black hole that is our local hospital!

I’ve always eaten lots of calcium and do the recommended exercises, so feel resentful that my bones are still breaking!

Thanks all
I am reading your comments.

I'm on the same treatment path as Lucky Girl. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis some years ago. Had Alendronic acid for five years and now six monthly injections. Been on calcium for years but this time I am having a blood test to check Bone profile and Vitamin D. Blood test for these has never been suggested before. Had a vertebral fracture and that's when osteoporosis was diagnosed. This was approximately 17 years ago. I do Pilates which hopefully helps.

MissAdventure

I've been vaguely complaining about pain in my left hip, and bottom of spine for around five years, and only just had a dexa scan.

I do wish the health service would be more proactive about dealing with issues earlier.

Because my knee x ray mentioned osteoporosis ( or something like that) I asked my GP if I could have a bone density scan but she refused. I guess I’ll have to wait till I break something. I’m not doing the exercise that I used to do because of my knee which would help to strengthen my bones. I’ve also lost three inches in height which worries me.

Am I right is thinking that our lack of oestrogen contributes to less bone density?

So would HRT help?

Hmmm.. there are a couple of stages before osteoporosis develops, i think, but to my mind, it would be better to start dealing with things in advance, rather than let them cause more problems as they advance.
What do I know, though? (Buģger all!)

My mother had severe osteoporosis of the spine. Before she was diagnosed she was 5'4" by the time she died, many years later, she was about 4'9 or 10. It never stopped her doing what she wanted and she usedt to shop for one of her friends who was blind and whose family didn't live locally.

I had a DEXA scan 10 years ago when I broke my wrist - I was then 68. Was told it was fine but as a precaution to take vitamin D with calcium supplements but had to stop the calcium as it played havoc with acid reflux I was already getting.
I had another DEXA scan last year after breaking my hip which showed I now had ‘established osteoporosis’. The hospital doctor said the weekly tablets wouldn’t be suitable for me because of my history of reflux and recommended I have yearly infusions instead. I had the first infusion a few weeks later.
I will have another DEXA scan after 3 infusions to see if there is an improvement and whether or not I need to continue with the infusions for another two years.
I can’t say I had any symptoms of osteoporosis and wouldn’t have known I’d got it.
I’d like to see a DEXA scan being offered as a regular part of health screening as we age rather than waiting for people to break a bone.

Frogs, DEXA scans are quite expensive, so they need to be justified in terms of outcomes - and I'm not sure they are.

I take hormone blockers after breast cancer, so have had two DEXA scans and am due to have a third one later this year. My mother broke her hip when she was in her late 50s, which is an additional risk for me.

I have confirmed osteopenia. The second DEXA scan showed that the condition was deteriorating faster than would be expected for my age (hence the third scan). Nevertheless, I haven't been prescribed anything. I've been given advice about taking a daily Vit D supplement and was told that my normal diet has enough calcium. I was given some fairly vague advice about weight bearing exercises. Medications for osteoporosis can have horrendous side effects and I would be reluctant to take anything, unless absolutely necessary.

The point I'm making is that bone density decreases with age anyway. It can be slowed down but never cured completely. A person's bone density is built up in childhood years and decreases naturally during adulthood.

If somebody with confirmed progressive osteopenia (me) can't be treated other than with lifestyle advice, there's not much point diagnosing it in the first place, so money spent on DEXA scans could be spent elsewhere.

It's inevitable that bone mineral density decreases with age even if there are no symptoms. Therefore, everybody (especially those over about 60) should make sure they have enough calcium and Vitamin D, do some weight bearing exercise (even if it's only chair exercises) and learn how to minimise the risk of falls and to fall "properly" when it happens.

The NHS might be wiser to spend money on subsidised exercise and wellbeing classes for people of a certain age (which would also help other conditions).

MissAdventure

I've been vaguely complaining about pain in my left hip, and bottom of spine for around five years, and only just had a dexa scan.

I do wish the health service would be more proactive about dealing with issues earlier.

Quite agree. When living abroad and after a certain age (can't remember what this was) I had annual bone scans and colonoscopies via DH's private employment health scheme.