Hi
I have been diagnosed with Osteoporosis in my spine and Osteopenia in my hips, following DEXA scans which showed a gradually worsening picture. I am (and always have been) skinny. For a few years I resisted any medication - it sounds very scary and the potential side effects seemed worse than the idea of a fracture much later in life. I have read that DEXAs only show the amount of bone you have and not the quality, so I told myself that my bones may be good quality, even though they are small.
However, I now know that thin women are at greater risk of developing Osteoporosis. If I've understood correctly, this is because they have less bone to start with and so the loss of bone which comes with ageing and going through the menopause affects them to a greater extent (they can't afford to lose the little they have). So, in my mid 50s I have reluctantly started medication. I have been worried that if I don't take it I will continue to lose bone and may end up with a spontaneous vertebral fracture in my next decade.
I do feel a bit like I have been scared into this decision by doctors and what I have read (if you don't take it how will you feel if you go on to fracture; those scores are not normal for someone your age etc), but Alendronic Acid has been around for a long time and is proven to prevent many fractures. I hope that by slowing bone loss now I will preserve more of what I have. I intend to take the meds for 3 years and see where I am then. I've been told that no change on a DEXA is a positive result as it means the meds have stopped further bone loss.
I'm also making sure I do a short walk daily and I do the exercises recommended by the Royal Osteoporosis Society a couple of times a week, plus the jumps and heel drops. I hate the gym and don't really have time for much else. I don't take Calcium supplements as I read that they can cause problems with the cardiovascular system but I do take vit D and try to sit in the sun for 15 mins if it comes out.
It's so difficult to know what the right choice is - I don't think even doctors are sure.