Bone Density- Seeking Info from Y'All!!

Parent Cafe
101

<p>Two years ago I was tested for Osteoporosis, and my scores were in the Osteoporotic range in all markers.
My doc questioned my somewhat elevated calcium numbers and sent me to an endo who did testing for hyperparathyroidism, which it turns out, I had.<br>
After surgery to remove my defective parathyroid, my doc wanted me on Boniva to improve my density. I tried it, but it made me feel pretty ill, so I stopped. I started to read as much as I could about how to improve my bones, changed my diet and added supplements - Vit D, calcium, vit. K, boron, magnesium, and others. I started juicing vegetables regularly, and cut out all sugar and white flour, and most other grains as well. I started walking about 4-5 miles a day 5 days a week, took up gardening and kept pretty active.</p>

<p>I just got my most recent DXA scores back from my scan last week, and I’m really happy. My numbers are up about 8% all around from 2008. Hip and spine have moved up to osteopenia, with only one marker still in the osteoporosis range.
I’m a big believer in diet and exercise (although there is such a thing as too much, although I don’t know if anyone knows where excessiveness begins- probably different for each of us).</p>

<p>I don’t plan on taking any drugs to treat this “disease”, as they call it, especially when the drugs to treat can be as harmful as the ones currently prescribed.
If our bodies are in balance and we’re getting the right nutrients, our bones can regenerate themselves–even at my age, which is pushing 60. The key is finding out why you are losing bone, and correcting the problem. In my case, my parathyroid tumor was a big contributor, and I know that I wasn’t getting the right foods or enough exercise. Everyone is different, but lifestyle changes are what’s necessary, and perhaps a thorough hormonal workup to see if you have any issues, as I did. Most docs won’t take you that far- they’ll just prescribe the bisphosphonates and send you on your way.</p>

<p>MOWC, I didin’t read this entire thread to know if you had a complete work-up, but I’d want to get to the cause of my osteoporosis. Just to say “it’s heredity” isn’t enough, because there’s something going on that is throwing your system off-balance. If you can find it, you will feel better about getting off the damaging drugs and your body will start to heal itself.</p>

102

<p>I used to get get foot cramps and never was on boniva. I got them when I stood for a long time. And they hit me big-time when I first started doing yoga…but then calmed down after my body got used to the stretches (took about 2-3 months actually). Sometimes I would get up and walk out of the class because I couldn’t get my foot to un-cramp. I think running can contribute to making your muscles tight and inflexible. I used to run a bit but it’s really that I’m naturally inflexible. If I keep up with yoga…I don’t get foot cramps.<br>
Calcium, magnesiusm, potassium all help too.</p>

103

<p>

</p>

<p>I had two great aunts and my grandmother who all 'broke a hip and fell" when they were in their eighties, and all three lived to be over a hundred (103, 103 and 108). All three spend the last couple years of their lives in wheelchairs because of decreased mobility issues due to bone loss. On my mothers side I had a great aunt who at the age of 103 fell and broke her hip, but she was up on ladder washing her second floor windows, so we blame that one solely on osteoperosis. She lived to be 113, but like my other great aunts spent most of the last years of her life in a wheelchair If it a genetic thing, it doesn’t appear to be life ending, at least not in our family.</p>

104

<p>I suspect that the current treatment for a broken hip (a full or paritial hip replacement instead of trying to fix the bone) is producing more favorable outcomes.</p>

105

<p>Bringing this thread back into the present. I developed a tibial stress fracture (shin area) almost 6 months ago. I was seeing an ortho for a back/hip problem when the pain developed and he said it was probably shin splints. The physical therapists also didn’t seem concerned. An x-ray showed nothing (as expected), so after 3 months of pain I finally had an MRI. A definite stress fracture. </p>

<p>I’ve never been a runner, but do walk 3-4 miles a day, take the stairs, and bike, although I haven’t done anything for the last 6 months except yoga and what few exercises I can do with one leg. </p>

<p>Ortho put me in a boot and on crutches. It’s been 3 months now, and I’m still in pain (although it’s much better), and the doc says there’s no sign of healing on my x-rays. There’s been no callus formation over the fracture. (Not sure if that terminology is correct). He recommended Boniva or Fosamax, but I’m not convinced. I’m have osteopenia and my gyn has recommended one of those drugs for the last 3 years, but I’ve been too worried about the side effects, including the jaw problems and the effect of the drugs on the bone.</p>

<p>I’ve taken 50,000 IU of Vitamin D weekly off and on (mostly on) for the last year, due to dreadfully low Vit. D. I also take 5 Bone Density pills a day (calcium, Vit D and genistein). </p>

<p>I had my parathyroid tested Friday by my rheumatologist), and I don’t have the results yet. He treats both arthritis and osteoporosis (I have mild osteoarthritis), and wants me to consider Forteo to hopefully stimulate bone healing. He’s worried about tissue damage from the non-healing fracture and about my overall bone health. </p>

<p>Any updates from previous posters or new information?</p>

106

<p>Ouch…what a grueling process. But you are better so your body is working on it even if xray isn’t providing evidence yet. </p>

<p>My idea may seem like a sort of zany Californian thing–but before I’d try the Fosamax route, I’d consider seeing a good acupuncturist or good Chinese medicine practitioner. There are things western medicine doesn’t know yet and I’ve always felt it worth trying an alternative before I go to the big guns in Western medicine. Twice (once with infertility and once with a rib injury) I’ve had success with an alternative medicine treatment. If it hadn’t worked, I would not have turned away from conventional western techniques–but I’ve been really glad I tried the alternative first. Acupuncture really is NOT painful and for me it was effective.</p>

107

<p>Along the lines of the above post, I’d look for a naturopathic doctor and see what advice he/she could give you to boost your own healing. Unfortunately, our traditional medical docs really can’t prescribe natural methods that haven’t been proven through clinical trials, even if they are commonly known to be helpful.<br>
At age 60, I increased my bone density without bisphosphonates this year through diet, supplements, and exercise. I agree with you that the jury is still out on Fosomax and similar drugs, and I’d want to try everything else I could reasonably do to help my body heal itself. There are a lot of other components involved in bone growth besides calcium and D, also–boron, silica, K2, magnesium, and others. You want to make sure you’re getting enough of everything you need to heal properly.</p>

108

<p>My husband has just started his Forteo treatment. He has been a lifelong runner and once out on a run, fractured his thoracic vertebra. Several tests reveal he has severe osteoporosis, very uncommon in a male his age. Probably inherited from his mother.</p>

109

<p>I only wish I could be as careful with diet and exercise as Moonchild.</p>

<p>I just had my bone density test done. My scores improved considerably, though my exercise routine has been worst in past year than in 5 prior years. The only way to account for the improvement is the supplements. I began with Fosomax, switched to Actonel, and now about to start Atelvia.</p>

110

<p>cbreeze- The president of our local running club is a competitive distance runner. He is now in his mid-60s, but was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis a number of years ago. He had a bad femur fracture from stepping off a curb a couple of years ago. I’m not sure what medications he is taking.</p>

111

<p>This may have no bearing on your kind of fracture, but I’ll mention it just in case. a number of years ago, I was hit by a car and had a really bad tib/fib fracture in one leg, and a smaller one in the other (just a crack.) The latter healed easily, but the other required surgery including a rod in my leg. The surgeon, rather than screw pieces back together (which he said could lead to infections and complications) basically lined up the bones and waited for them to start new bone growth and bridge the gaps.</p>

<p>When that didn’t occur after a few months, he prescribed an electronic device which basically was a flexible ring about four inches across which strapped onto the front of my leg and partially bent around it. It was attached by a cable to a small device which sent electric waves through my leg. I wore this 10 hours a day for several months, and it did seem to jumpstart the healing. I don’t remember what it was called, but apparently it’s considered mainstream–not like magnets in shoes or something like that. Might be worth asking about.</p>

112

<p>Google ‘male osteoporosis’ along w/these terms…low testosterone, testosterone deficiency, hypogonadism, andropause…and you’ll see dozens of sites that list ‘Low T’ as the most common cause and TRT as the most effective treatment.</p>

113

<p>^^True. My H’s testosterone level was normal.</p>

<p>To the OP, my husband’s fractured thoracic vertebra is still painful after 5 months. On Xray, it looks terrible still. And he was running on soft surfaces when that happened. He started Forteo a couple of months ago, initially he experienced slight nausea, but now he doesn’t have any adverse effects.It helps that he’s a doc,not squeamish about injecting himself every day.</p>

<p>MOWC, I am just wondering if all those weight bearing exercises helped delay their osteoporosis.My H estimated he’s run 48000 miles since high school.</p>

114

<p>Ooops, I just noticed that the OP is MOWC. A senior moment for me !!</p>

<p>Despite the pain, my H is still running a few times a week, not as far though. His said the rheumatologist said it was OK. His course for Forteo is 2 years.</p>

115

<p>I’m going to bring this thread back up even though it is old because it contains a lot of good information that will be lost if we start a new thread.</p>

<p>Update on me- I stopped taking the Boniva in 2010 and resisted taking anything else except Calcium and Vit D. My T scores got worse every 2 years, with a pretty significant drop from 2012 to 2014 (April). I’m -3.2 in the spine. I also wound up with a stress fracture in my sacrum 6 weeks ago which is probably a running injury but wasn’t helped by my osteoporosis. I just got off crutches after 4 weeks and still can’t even fitness walk for another few weeks, much less run. My orthopedic surgeon read me the riot act and convinced me to go back on the Forteo injections for the remainder of the 2 years (I used up 6 months in 2010). He said with my running that if I don’t get things turned around with the bones I will continue to break. He really likes Forteo because it builds bones back up. So- after some fighting with my pharmaceutical benefits provider, I started it 2 weeks ago. </p>

<p>My concern is what I’ll need after my 18 months is up. I think there are some new drugs either just out or soon to be out that are estrogen based but a different formulation that does not increase breast cancer risk. Anyone know anything about this? I got on some osteoporosis message boards, but all the reports of side effects from every single drug sort of freak me out. </p>

<p>Just thought I would see if anyone else has any new experiences.</p>

116

<p>I missed it …what age are you? Menipause or peri? Someone can correct me if but my investigation re estrogen (which I have taken) was that the b-cancer risk was observed primarily in older women with little estrogen rather than peri women with the hormonal ups and downs. My GYN IIRC thinks that is a major difference…introducing estrogen after you are DONE is much different than regulating it while body is still in the midst. </p>

117

<p>I’ll be 62 in September. Post-menopause. </p>

118

<p>One of the drugs approved in the last few years for stopping bone loss is Evista (raloxifene ). It’s a selective estrogen receptor modulator, meaning it has an estrogen-like effect in some places, like bones, and an anti-estrogen effect in others, like breast tissue. I have been taking it for 20 years to help prevent a recurrence of invasive breast cancer. My bone density is still in the + range. I don’t know how much of that is the Evista and how much is genetic. It evidently doesn’t rebuild bone like Boniva and similar drugs. The thing I like is that I have never noticed any side effects. A few times my prescription has run out during a very busy time and I have missed taking it for weeks - can’t tell any difference. I’m post-menopause and haven’t noticed any hair thinning but can’t find any studies that point to it stopping hair loss. Oh, and it’s available as generic raloxifene now, so much much cheaper.</p>

119

<p>Do some more research. Forteo has major drawbacks/side effects just as other bone replacement drugs. And I haven’t heard anything that put Forteo in the forefront except price. Your present doctor might have new info but from past research Forteo isn’t that much better than many drugs for bone replacement. Except cost and pain</p>

<p>Most people do not understand that while these drugs “replace” bone that the bone is not NEARLY as strong as what you lost originally. You are not going to get the hard bone you were born with. Fact. It becomes (for lack of a better term) a “filler”. So don’t depend on it not breaking again, Ever. Fact. It keeps you together and much better than not having bone at all, but not great.</p>

<p>NOW–you may REALLY love running and we always hear how great it is for our health— but not necessarily. It can hugely affect your joints, feet and spine and be detrimental in a whole lot of ways. Especially for you (and a whole lot of others I assure you.) . Time to get a new sport!
Yoga, strength training. Dancing. Swimming. Biking. Lots of stuff–just not necessarily running which can be really hard on the joints and spine.</p>

120

<p>gouf- I have done my research and Forteo is the best drug out there and it builds bone in a way that none of the others do. There are definitely risks with it, of course. Forteo works in a different way from the bisphosphonates. I would prefer not to take it- or any medication.</p>

<p>Running is a weight bearing exercise and is better for bones than swimming or biking, which are not at all helpful as a weight bearing exercise. I am swimming right now due to the stress fracture, and as a former triathlete, I have done plenty of biking. I am a competitive runner and I’m not going to find another sport. That’s just the way it’s going to be. I just ran 960 days straight without injury until this stress fracture, which really isn’t that bad of a record, really. No illness or injury during that time. The orthopedist actually thinks the 2007 Forteo might have bought me some years of no bone issues! </p>