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Old 07-01-20, 09:03 AM  
ddj
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osteoporosis diagnosis

I found this thread (http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...r+plate&page=4) from 2018 and am curious if those who responded have changed what they are doing for osteoporosis or if they found something that works. I have been exercising my whole adult life, but I have hip and spine numbers between -2 and -2.5. I'm not a big fan of dairy, and I stopped taking calcium supplements when I heard they could clog your arteries and cause heart problems.

Obviously, the doctor wants me to take some kind of medication in addition to restarting calcium supplements and eating more dairy. I don't really want to do any of it, but I do need to do something. As someone stated in the other thread, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. It seems as if I have to choose between a possible fracture or cardiac problems.

I work on balance regularly, and I lift as much weight as I can. I've done all I know to do to prevent something like this from happening, and yet it has.

Oh, and hormones are out. I tried those back in 2012 and my body was not happy with them.

Tia
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Old 07-01-20, 09:07 AM  
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Have you thought of seeing an alternative doctor? Naturalpath or functional md? If you don't feel comfortable or aren't liking the protocol the md suggested, maybe explore other options?
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Old 07-01-20, 10:29 AM  
Jane P.
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I did everything I could to strengthen my bones, but then I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma which is a cancer that eats away bone. I fractured three spinal vertebrae. It was extremely painful, and immobilizing.

Now, four years later, the cancer is in remission and the fractures have healed. I do not have full on osteoporosis, I have osteopenia. The main thing I can do is resistance training to strengthen them so that's what I do.

I do have an injection of a drug called Xgeva every three months. It is the same drug as Prolia which is generally given every six months to most patients. I didn't really want to take drugs, but felt I couldn't afford not to.

Talk to a doctor because when osteoporosis gets bad enough, your ribs can start to break and you don't want that.

Bottom line, do resistance and postural training, but progress slowly so you don't overstress your bones and crack them. Get a regular bone scan to keep track of what is going on with your bones, and as a last resort consider drug therapy.
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Old 07-01-20, 11:12 AM  
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Jane, what an awful diagnosis. Thank goodness you are in remission.

I haven't had a follow up DEXA yet so I don't know if there's any improvement, but my doctors have re-evaluated the meds that were depleting my bones and I have swapped one for a non-bone depleting med and reduced the dosage of another. Meanwhile I continue to do everything as per my post in the old thread.
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Old 07-01-20, 12:09 PM  
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Location: West coast of Canada, eh. ;)
I have osteopenia, holding steady at 1.8 for a few years. I’m not interested in medications at this point, lots of potential side effects. I’m doing more strength work lately along with lots of weight bearing cardio. I believe there’s a significant genetic component as my sister, who’s also very active, has thinning bones too. We both have the same body type, slim with small wrists and ankles.
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Old 07-01-20, 03:17 PM  
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I had been diagnosed with osteopenia a good ten years before I was told I now have osteoporosis.

Aside from weight-bearing activities, I take no calcium tablets (although my multi has about 220 mgs.) but do eat about 2-4 oz. of cheese everyday. I've been convinced by Dr. Jason Fung that we don't really need more than about 500 mgs. a day. I take no extra Vitamin D since my multi has 1000 IU and taking more than that can cause problems -- you should be careful to be in the normal range for Vit. D in blood tests. More than that can put you at risk for fractures. And I take Vit K to keep calcium where it belongs in the body. Google to find more info about Vit. K and calcium, and which is the best type to take.

I'm currently feeling strong in my bones.
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Old 07-01-20, 03:42 PM  
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It looks like it was me who made the damned if you do, damned if you don't remark.

I take a calcium and vitamin D supplement every day. I don't take a multi-vitamin. My doctors recommend that I get as much of my daily calcium requirement from food as I possibly can; I am not supposed to get more than half from a supplement. I eat a lot of Greek yogurt, cheese and broccoli.

My bone loss didn't stop until I started taking Raloxifene (generic Evista) four years ago. It is not a hormone, but it acts like estrogen in my bones. My last two dexa scans have shown no change. While a little density gain would have been nice, I consider stability to be a victory, even if my bone density remains in the osteoporosis range.

Some of the other bone drugs scare the pants off of me. My endocrinologist and I go round and round about what I will do if Evista stops working for me. I don't even want to think about it...
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Old 07-01-20, 04:19 PM  
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Thanks, everyone, for the replies.

Jackie, I don't think I can afford a naturopath. I worked with one a few years ago, and it eventually cost more than we could afford. And she didn't help me at all.

Jane, I'm sorry for what you went through. I've been lifting weights and doing cardio for 37 years. Since going through menopause, I've lost ground with both. I do the best I can. I also work on balance regularly.

Yogapam, I am far from slim, and I'm not aware of anyone else in my family with this problem. But I have wondered about menopause because it's been a bear for me. I've always had hormonal issues.

Judith, I take Vit. D/K2. Perhaps it would be safe for me to take calcium. I don't necessarily feel weak in my bones. That's why I was shocked by the results. I slipped on the stairs two years ago and fractured my foot. At the time, I was surprised I didn't do more damage to it. I went straight down on my foot with my toes tucked under. I honestly thought that meant my bones were pretty strong.

LAC, my doctor also told me it was best to get most of my calcium from food. I'm rattled by the thoughts of the drugs too. Maybe if I was older and didn't figure I'd be on them for a long time I wouldn't mind as much. I just feel awfully young to be going through this, especially considering my history with exercise.
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Old 07-02-20, 11:02 AM  
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I used to chime in right away on any bone loss threads. Now, I hesitate. Everyone's experience is different.

I have been diagnosed with osteopenia, with a few areas close to osteoporosis. My last DEXA was in March of 2019 and my bone mass had slightly improved. This was without any drugs or hormones.

Still, I had fractured a vertebra in 2018 from severe coughing. If you read anything about bone loss, please read this thread ASAP:

http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...light=coughing

For me, hormone replacement did help a lot when I was on it. I decided to stop. (I actually had an ex-doctor flip out I that was on hormones in my 60's. She treated me like a drug addict.)

I won't take any of the bone drugs unless I am forced to.

I alternate weight work. Slow and heavy some weeks and high rep in others. I still practice balance exercises every day. I eat a lot of dairy and don't take extra calcium.

I still recommend the two books I posted about in the earlier thread.

Plus, two new ones:

Estrogen Matters by Carol Tavris and Avrum Bluming
https://www.amazon.com/Estrogen-Matt...3704368&sr=8-1
This book digs deeply in to how flawed the 2002 WHI study was and how it got things wrong.


Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox by Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue,
https://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-K2-Ca...3704540&sr=8-1
This one goes into the fascinating relationship of Calcium, Vitamin K and Vitamin D.


I also recommend Physical Therapist Margaret Martin's MelioGuide for tips on exercising with bone loss:

https://melioguide.com/

Take care!
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Old 07-02-20, 12:12 PM  
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Thanks, Alta. That's a lot of info. I've signed up for Margaret's video series and will look into the books and the thread.
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