Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Stockport1965 on January 14, 2021, 05:20:25 PM
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I have purely by chance been diagnosed with Osteoporosis. I was having back pain and had an x ray and then a dexa scan.
I am 55 and went through the menopause at approx 42. I was never offered HRT. Mother had osteoporosis.
So far I have only had a telephone consultation with a GP, who said I was borderline for meds. At this stage, I am inclined to not take and maybe leave that option for a later date. (side effects). Should I be referred to a consultant? (Obviously this can wait until after Covid & vaccinations)
My calcium intake was very low. I am now increasing that big time along with a Vitamin D supplement.
I am looking out an exercise programme and already am a keen walker. I appreciate I need to strengthen muscles now.
What questions should I be asking?
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For an appt with an appropriate consultant? Which meds does your doctor suggest?
Did he refer you to the Royal Osteoporosis Society. ? - easy to negotiate website with lots of helpful info. ;)
Lots of good info on there. If you are already diagnosed with osteoporosis, the sooner you begin treatment the less likely it is to progress to broken bones which can be fatal.
As well as brisk walking and a diet full of dairy, fresh fruit and veg., dental hygiene is important. As with bones, the jaw needs impact to keep it healthy which is why I opted for implants rather than a plate or gaps. If the jaw does not have impact when eating etc., the gums will recede and teeth will be lost :o ::)
You'll C that there are lots of threads relating to this.
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For an appt with an appropriate consultant? Which meds does your doctor suggest?
Did he refer you to the Royal Osteoporosis Society. ? - easy to negotiate website with lots of helpful info. ;)
Lots of good info on there. If you are already diagnosed with osteoporosis, the sooner you begin treatment the less likely it is to progress to broken bones which can be fatal.
As well as brisk walking and a diet full of dairy, fresh fruit and veg., dental hygiene is important. As with bones, the jaw needs impact to keep it healthy which is why I opted for implants rather than a plate or gaps. If the jaw does not have impact when eating etc., the gums will recede and teeth will be lost :o ::)
You'll C that there are lots of threads relating to this.
I presume you are a fellow sufferer. GP said i was borderline for meds as I don't smoke, drink too much, healthy weight and lead an active walking life.
GP said if I take the meds now, I could only take for 3 years and I need to be aware of the side affects for the jaw and the oesophagus from the meds.
Do you normally see a consultant when diagnosed?
I have had a bit of a long journey getting to a diagnosis, I initially went with back pain to the GP and 8 months later after X Rays/MRI/blood test after blood test, they found this.
I do feel as though it should have been suggested that I have HRT as I went through an early menopause. Perhaps I also need to chat to the GP about that too
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Fortunately I haven't had problems but my Dad was on a Trial for osteoporosis in men during the 1980s.
So I am osteoporosis aware and there's been a lot in the press over the years.
Which meds in particular is your GP suggesting?
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Hi Stockport, sorry to learn you have this worry but there is much you can do to help prevent progression. Dismayed to learn you were not offered HRT following an early menopause with osteoporosis in the family & yes I would look into talking to someone with a special interest in osteoporosis. I have low BMI with osteopenia diagnosed by DEXA & take HRT to help prevent it developing into osteoporosis. Overseen by an endocrinologist with a special interest in the condition. I am keen to avoid drug treatment which as you know can have serious side effects & limited duration of use.
Yes to weight bearing & resistance exercise, yes to increasing calcium in the diet & taking a Vit D supplement, but can I suggest you also have a look at an excellent book by Avrum Bluming & Carol Tavris called Oestrogen Matters. This covers osteoporosis & makes the point that without HRT, bone strengthening measures such as increasing calcium & Vit D are incomplete. This is because HRT helps restore essential elasticity to bones allowing them to flex, which in addition to good bone density is important for protection against fractures. Bluming touches on this in the attached link to an interview with Dr Peter Attia. It's very long - be warned, around 2h 20 from memory, but according to the breakdown of content I think osteoporosis is briefly discussed around 1,33. No time to check this morning how detailed that is, so sorry if not that helpful, I am going from memory, which is never that reliable!
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9wZXRlcmF0dGlhZHJpdmUubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M/episode/ODdlZTkzOTU0NzAwNDM4OWI2ZjAzMTBmOTk5MDM5MjM
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Fortunately I haven't had problems but my Dad was on a Trial for osteoporosis in men during the 1980s.
So I am osteoporosis aware and there's been a lot in the press over the years.
Which meds in particular is your GP suggesting?
She mentioned Bisphosphonates
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That's a long word ;D, glad I'm not taking that down in shorthand ;)
Do U have an exercise regime and a good diet? I'eve been watching a farming programme in the afternoons and the farmers' markets have such good looking fruits and veg.. :-*
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That's a long word ;D, glad I'm not taking that down in shorthand ;)
Do U have an exercise regime and a good diet? I'eve been watching a farming programme in the afternoons and the farmers' markets have such good looking fruits and veg.. :-*
I can't pronounce it, so will sound a total idiot when I talk to them about it ;D
My exercise has been pretty good up until last year when I had the back pain and worry and stress of not knowing what it is. I love to walk, with work (as a cleaner, so that doesn't help my back!) I tend to do 15k steps a day. I have now started doing muscle strengthening exercises. Diet is pretty good, we can all get more calcium I imagine, so I am making a special effort to increase that. I'm also doing dry January (how mad am i?)
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I don't drink ......... now if anyone suggested a non-chocolate January >:( ;D
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Forgot to say there is research suggesting that prunes are especially helpful for increasing/maintaining bone density! I include these in my daily diet. :)
https://www.nof.org/news/research-suggests-a-link-between-dried-plums-and-healthy-bones/
https://womenshealth.obgyn.msu.edu/blog/maligned-prunegood-your-bones
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Hi Stockport,
I have Osteoporosis, it was diagnosed after a DEXA scan requested by fracture clinic after I broke an ankle after a very trivial fall. As it happens I was on HRT at the time. The actual diagnosis was made by a specialist osteoporosis nurse, I didn't see a consultant for a couple of years and that only happened when I didn't get on with Bisphosphonates
I would ask about HRT - it does appear to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
One thing both the Osteo nurse and consultant wanted to know was did I have cereal with milk every day. Both that and weight bearing exercise are known to improve bone density.
Initially I took Alendronic acid but generally speaking Bisphosonates were not good for me at all, lots of gum bleeding and significant stomach pain. Oh and it aggravated existing MS causing significant falls. Eventually I saw a consultant and was put on Denosumab injections - said to be better tolerated. Which in truth it is, but for me, the week after the injection needs to be written off, due to feeling really not very good. Thankfully there are only 2 injections a year.
If I'd known then what I know now I would have stuck to weight bearing exercise and upping the amount of calcium and D3 I get rather than embarking on the medication route.
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I think that the teens that restricted dairy in their diets in the 1980s/90s will suffer with osteoporosis in future :'(
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Hi Stockport,
I have Osteoporosis, it was diagnosed after a DEXA scan requested by fracture clinic after I broke an ankle after a very trivial fall. As it happens I was on HRT at the time. The actual diagnosis was made by a specialist osteoporosis nurse, I didn't see a consultant for a couple of years and that only happened when I didn't get on with Bisphosphonates
I would ask about HRT - it does appear to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
One thing both the Osteo nurse and consultant wanted to know was did I have cereal with milk every day. Both that and weight bearing exercise are known to improve bone density.
Initially I took Alendronic acid but generally speaking Bisphosonates were not good for me at all, lots of gum bleeding and significant stomach pain. Oh and it aggravated existing MS causing significant falls. Eventually I saw a consultant and was put on Denosumab injections - said to be better tolerated. Which in truth it is, but for me, the week after the injection needs to be written off, due to feeling really not very good. Thankfully there are only 2 injections a year.
If I'd known then what I know now I would have stuck to weight bearing exercise and upping the amount of calcium and D3 I get rather than embarking on the medication route.
Very informative, thank you. I am on day 2 of weight bearing exercises. Off to research D3 now!! :)
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I think that the teens that restricted dairy in their diets in the 1980s/90s will suffer with osteoporosis in future :'(
You are so right!!! :) About 20 years ago, I was 12st7lb and needed to lose weight. (I now weigh 9st) I gave up milk on my breakfast cereal, thinking I was doing good. Porridge made with water and cinnamon. Black coffee!
For the last few weeks I now have milk at breakfast and I think I may start having an extra glass during the day. I have yoghurt and cottage cheese daily.
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? chocolate milk shake ? ;)
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? chocolate milk shake ? ;)
sounds more appealing...I might even try a banana smoothie
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I have a banana to hand ....... good 4 restless legs at night.
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I think that the teens that restricted dairy in their diets in the 1980s/90s will suffer with osteoporosis in future :'(
You are so right!!! :) About 20 years ago, I was 12st7lb and needed to lose weight. (I now weigh 9st) I gave up milk on my breakfast cereal, thinking I was doing good. Porridge made with water and cinnamon. Black coffee!
For the last few weeks I now have milk at breakfast and I think I may start having an extra glass during the day. I have yoghurt and cottage cheese daily.
This wanting to lose weight has caused many problems. When I was late twenties I was 5' 6" and nine and a half stone. A nurse told me I was overweight, so I eat a bit less and exercised more. Got down to 9 stone and was told I looked gaunt.
Aren't medical professionals wonderful ::)
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And Vit K!
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Gosh I'd not realised prunes had so much going for them.
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Hi Stockport1965. I just posted this on another thread & thought you might like to see it. The extract below is interesting in what it says about a high calcium intake alone being insufficient. Similar to what Dr Bluming says in the podcast link I posted earlier.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3173936/
"High calcium intake without estrogen is not effective in preventing the accelerated loss of bone that occurs in the years immediately after menopause. Long-term studies confirm that postmenopausal women who regularly use estrogen have greater bone mass and fewer osteoporotic fractures. Physicians should be encouraged to treat all estrogen-deficient women, particularly those who appear to be at higher risk for osteoporosis."
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Hi Stockport1965. I just posted this on another thread & thought you might like to see it.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3173936/
Thanks!
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You're welcome :). Was adding a bit to it when you were posting! ;D
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Should also have said if you're considering HRT there's a bit more on HRT types/doses as they relate to bone density that you might like to see in the post I did earlier today on Avalon's thread called "Doctors!!!"
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Also an osteoporosis sufferer, l’ve just had the results of a scan from March 2020 (impossible to get the result earlier due to COVID), but my hips are much improved, spine the same. I eat 6 prunes and a handful of almonds every day and take Alendronic acid. I’ll have another scan March 2022 and am hoping for more improvement due to the many miles l now walk each as my lockdown exercise.
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That is simply disgraceful that you were unable to access an important scan result >:(. What was the Dept thinking of!
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Also an osteoporosis sufferer, l’ve just had the results of a scan from March 2020 (impossible to get the result earlier due to COVID), but my hips are much improved, spine the same. I eat 6 prunes and a handful of almonds every day and take Alendronic acid. I’ll have another scan March 2022 and am hoping for more improvement due to the many miles l now walk each as my lockdown exercise.
How do you find the AA? Any side effects?Prunes are supposed to be great, I'm having 10 a day :)
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No problems with Alendronic Acid, though l know it doesn’t suit everyone.