Can Anyone Help with Any and All Osteoporosis Questions?

Updated on August 27, 2019
S.C. asks from Arlington Heights, IL
9 answers

I wanted to know if anyone has osteoporosis and also can give some advice on it, testing, any doctor's they would recommend. Even advice on getting the diagnosis at a young age of 45 or having it younger. If you know of any groups to help out ect. Anything you can give to help would be great. It's a scary, depressing diagnosis. You hear all the horror stories of dying within so many years and you bones caving in and killing you. A lot of people have sent there horror stories and now I feel like I'm on my death bed and afraid to move or do anything.
Thanks in advance

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

yes, i have excellent advice for you! i have osteopenia so am also trying to make sure i keep my bones healthy and unbroken.

first of all, get off the internet, including this site. the stupidest thing you can do is seek out horror stories and become so paralyzed that you are 'afraid to move or do anything.' i mean, might as well be dead already, right?

then go to the doctor who diagnosed you and ask what you can do for your condition. after discussion, i chose not to take a px but am managing mine with weight-bearing exercise, calcium, vitamin K and vitamin D supplements and upping my already hefty dark green leafies intake.

you might decide something different.

you should decide after talking about it with your actual medical professional who knows your unique situation.

going on the internet and reading horror stories about people's bones caving in is not research. stop kidding yourself and stop wallowing in terror-inducing propaganda.

khairete
S.

6 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Oh my, have you been reading Dr Google?

My grandmother, mother, aunt and 2 cousins have it. My grandmother lived well into her 80's. My mom and aunt are both mid 70's and my cousin is in her 40's.

Along with following your Dr's advice, learn to be proactive and preventative about falls, etc.

I do not have it. I have been active in a boot camp workout and last Christmas I fell and shattered my right arm at the elbow. Dr's rebuilt me and I am still in recovery and looking at my final surgery to remove hardware in October. I regained 100% use of my arm and you can't tell it was broken .

Accidents happen to all of us. As we age, falls are dangerous for anyone. My Dr told me to use common sense... if it is icy, snowy wet outside, DON'T GO. Run errands another day.

It is not a death sentence where your bones will disappear on you. Get educated from your DR and professionals and stop reading horror stories. I would bet most of the horror stories are not true, just there to scare you.

5 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Portland on

My best friend and cousin both have it - and both had it young. My cousin developed it after radiation therapy when super young. Hasn't stopped my cousin - very active, athlete, etc. I don't know what regime my cousin follows. My best friend developed in 40's - discovered after a fall and broke some bones. Nothing crazy - just takes some supplements I believe and does strength training (did before) - went to a gym. Is physical (works out) but nothing crazy. Does more so for enjoyment and for overall health (and with friends).

I don't think you need to go bananas in other words. It it not a life sentence from what I understand. That's just my 'experience' with my cousin and buddy. Everyone is different of course.

I have a health condition myself, and worst thing I ever did was get in internet and try to relate to the stories I found. Also, doctors will advise you not to. It complicates things. Just stop and let them do their job.

If they tell you to go to a site - that's one thing. Mine would do that - they'd hand me a website they recommend.

If I do go to a website - I do go to Mayo site. That is just for descriptions of diseases and conditions. It's very informative (just a breakdown) but doesn't lead you to all sorts of useless information. Just don't 'search' and Google, because you can lose yourself for hours and hours, and I would avoid 'forums' at all costs.

Community's and support groups can be helpful, once you've had guidance, treatment etc. from your physicians.

4 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

Good heavens! Who have you been talking to? Stop listening to the doomsday people and get medical advice.

Your doctor can arrange for a simple bone density and send you to a specialist if you don't like the advice you're getting. Osteoporosis is treatable and manageable - I know so many people who have some form of it, and many who have done effective techniques to reverse it at least to the osteopenia level. There are nutritional approaches with good absorption and medication approaches, and they can be combined. Don't just read stuff on the internet though - you'll scare yourself to death (sounds like you already have) and you won't take in sensible information. Don't grab on to any crazy remedy you see either - you need to calm down enough to get educated and review the science.

If you don't like your doctor, get another one. If you want doctors in your area, going on a national forum like Mamapedia isn't going to help you at all. You need to reword your question to help you find a doctor in your area, and you need to click the option that limits your question to your geographic area. You also cannot ask a group of mothers to answer "any and all" medical questions.

If you cannot calm down enough to make educated and responsible choices on this, please call your calmest friend who does not have or know of anyone who has osteoporosis, and ask her/him to go with you to take notes so you have a record of what the doctor and test results said.

4 moms found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

What?! No, don't listen to those silly doomsday stories! My mom has had osteoporosis for years and she is fine. She was diagnosed over 15 years ago. She is 76 now. She hikes, goes on walks daily, goes to the YMCA twice a week for exercise classes and lifting weights. Every time she visits we go on a hike in the mountains together. The best thing to do is weight bearing exercise because this helps build up your bones. The worst thing to do is not move because you just get weaker. It runs in the women in my family bc we are so slight of frame. I will be diagnosed with it at some point, I'm sure. Basically osteoporosis means it will be easier to break a bone if you have a fall, but don't let that stop you. Get out and exercise! Eat leafy greens and foods high in calcium every day! (Don't worry too much about milk because you don't actually absorb/take in much from milk...but yogurt is good!) You are NOT on your death bed by any means! My other advice is don't wear shoes with a slippery sole...make sure you have tread. Yes, you can even find women's flats with tread on the bottom. Don't walk around in the house with socks...wear slippers with tread. That's what I make my mom do now and she is not happy about that because she likes girly shoes. But it helps ensure you don't slip. Also, start lifting weights. That is one of the number one things you can do.

2 moms found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Phoenix on

I was diagnosed with osteo in my mid 40's after treatment for breast cancer. The National Osteoporosis Foundation has a support forum which I found extremely helpful. https://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foun...

Have you had your calcium level checked? I am not saying this is your issue, but if your level is over 10, there is a chance that your osteo is caused by hyperparathyroidism. I had high calcium levels but several Drs ignored it and kept pushing osteo drugs on me. After extensive research (done by myself from info received on the above discussion forum), I traveled to a center in Tampa specializing in parathyroid issues and found that 2 of my parathyroids had tumors which was causing my osteo. I had them removed and my bone density has been slowly increasing.

Best of luck to you!

2 moms found this helpful
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E.N.

answers from Orlando on

I don’t have osteoporosis, but I do have osteoarthritis. My right hand used to hurt so much, and I couldn’t open jars or snap, it was so painful. Thankfully, I did not listen to my doctor and declined a cortisone shot. I am holistic minded, so I am treating it naturally by eating healthy, low anti-inflammatory foods, most importantly, I do intermittent fasting, which is very healing to the body. Now, I can open jars (not perfectly, but almost perfectly), and I can snap (not as good as with my left hand, but I can do it. Oh, I can also do basic bathroom functions, like wiping, which I wasn’t able to do before, either. I would try intermittent fasting. Give it at least a full month, if not longer. It should help you. Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

R.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Thanks for your question S. C.

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