Osteopenia????

[ClockworkOrange]

I have previously posted on here about my accident just over 3 months ago, after falling from a standing position off my bike and breaking my back.

Now it would appear in a letter to my GP from my Hospital Spinal Consultant that I have osteopenia/osteoporosis. I have never heard of this before, apparently osteopenia is the forerunner to osteoporosis.

Keen to find out more, I discovered a book on the internet called "Reversing Osteopenia" I managed to buy this on Amazon at such a low price £6 (free post) so I suppose that is roughly $9.12.

In my humble opinion, I think anybody should read up more about this, as there is so much that you can do to help yourself, especially in younger women.

If anybody knows about osteopenia, I would be interested to hear your views, comments and advice.

Cheers.


Clock

[bmccasland]

Just curious Clock, but when you hit 40 or 45, did your regular Doc, or OB/GYN suggest you start taking calcium supplements? Seem that was about when mind did, and because I had early on-set of menopause, I also had a bone density scan (which was normal).

I guess the extra calcium must have helped when I crashed because I didn't break anything, which surprised both the ER Doc and the Orthopedist.

[colorisnt]

I'm terrified of getting Osteoporosis. I drink a lot of milk and eat a great deal of dairy, but am not allowed to take calcium supplements (kidney stones) and haven't had a period in a year due to depo provera (endometriosis). I am just hoping that since I am young and still building calcium it will be enough for me.

[moonfroggy]

i have read that the protein in dairy products makes them a poor source of calcium. that protein inhibits the absolution of calcium.

i try and eat a lot of leafy greens that are high in calcium and recently was reading about how high in calcium sesame seeds are. i love making tahini salad dressings and i sometimes put both sesame seeds and leafy greens into smoothies.

also i read that the best exercise they have found for bones is jumping up and down! so i jump rope for a few minutes at a time a few times a day and hope that will help my bones.

osteoporosis is scary i hope to prevent it.

[Crankin]

We've had a few threads on this topic...
I've known for 10 years I've had osteopenia; despite doing impact exercise for 15 years or so and weight lifting. I have never been a milk drinker, though and I have a huge family history of this. I couldn't take the Fosomax type drugs, which caused huge gastric problems. I was on Evista for 5 years on and off, which reversed it a bit, but I had all kinds of weird medical things that went away when i stopped taking it.
So, last year, it became full blown osteoporosis. In January I had a Reclast treatment, which is basically Fosomax, given IV, that stays in your body for a year, but by-passes your GI system. About half way through the 30 minute treatment, I felt dizzy and nauseous, so they stopped it. I had more than half the dose, though and my endo thinks it may have done at least some good. All my blood work came back fine, so I have none of the bad side effects that are possible.
I have a had a few minor crashes, the last being last summer, with no damage. I haven't been mountain biking fro a couple of years, but at this point, I feel like I want to go ahead and start again, since I'm not very aggressive at it, anyway.
I've been taking calcium and vitamin D supplements for 26 years, and nothing I did helped. I eat a very good diet, too. At this point, I feel like i can't let it rule my life.
Clock, I can't believe that there isn't more information about this in the UK.

[Dianyla]

I'm terrified of getting Osteoporosis. I drink a lot of milk and eat a great deal of dairy, but am not allowed to take calcium supplements (kidney stones) and haven't had a period in a year due to depo provera (endometriosis). I am just hoping that since I am young and still building calcium it will be enough for me.
If you're concerned about osteoporosis you should consider getting off of Depo. Lots of women use the Mirena IUDs to treat endometriosis.

[malkin]

In my new devotion to tabloid journalism (to supplement my aquisition of German) I have learned that Gwyneth Paltrow suffers from osteopenia as well.

Sorry to be useless, but perhaps it may be comforting in some obscure way.

(I also know some tidbits about Michael Jackson's children which are probably more useless and also more likely fabricated.)

[sandra]

I too have Osteopenia. Thank you for the heads-up. I'll have to check out the book. I know I'm not diligent enough about taking my calcium!

[colorisnt]

Thanks for the heads up! I realize that it is an option, but the problem is finding a doctor who will do one on someone under the age of 30 without children. IDK why. I know it can be more painful, but that is good as long as I avoid all other pains. I thought about doing it while in the UK, but that was right after starting provera treatment and I was really to sensitive to even dream of it.

[Cataboo]

NPR article on osteopenia:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121609815&sc=fb&cc=fp

Previous thread discussing it:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=35774&highlight=osteopenia

[salsabike]

Glad you posted that, Catriona. I read it when it came out, and was told much the same thing by some very good NPs and docs I know (who basically said, "'Ostopenia' isn't really a thing at all"). Osteoporosis, yes. Osteopenia--questionable and doesn't necessarily lead to osteoporosis.

I would seek out multiple credible sources of info before making any decisions about reacting to an "osteopenia" label.

[OakLeaf]

I agree 100%...

BUT, in Clock's case, the fact that a gentle fall like that resulted in vertebral fractures would be diagnostic of osteoporosis, I'm almost sure.

No doubt the enforced inactivity and steroids on account of the lung problems contributed greatly to that.

Plenty of sun, plenty of impact exercise, reducing dietary phosphorus and acid-forming foods, ensuring that protein intake doesn't greatly exceed the needs of the muscles, supplementing with magnesium and calcium to keep up with heavy sweating in hot weather. You betcha.

[Crankin]

Yes, and I did progress from osteopenia to osteoporosis. It seems kind of logical to me; I didn't read the posted article, but if my Dexa scan showed thinning bones twelve years ago and they called it osteopenia and then every two years when it was checked, it got worse, despite doing all of the things stated above, then I don't think it was fake. Both my grandmother and mother had it and I have a lot of the other risk factors. Taking Prednisone on and off in my thirties for asthma didn't help. And now I have learned that some of the things I've taken for stomach issues also can affect absorption of calcium.
I like to think that some of impact exercise I've done has made it less worse than it might have been and maybe protected me from fractures in some of my crashes.
I am extra cautious when riding because of this, but that is also part of my basic personality. But, I can't let it run my life. That's why I finally decided to try Reclast; something has to work. I am famous for being allergic to or not having results from many medications.
Maybe the Jewish mother worrywort gene in me makes me believe that this isn't fake.

[salsabike]

I agree 100%...

BUT, in Clock's case, the fact that a gentle fall like that resulted in vertebral fractures would be diagnostic of osteoporosis, I'm almost sure.




Yes, and I did progress from osteopenia to osteoporosis. It seems kind of logical to me; I didn't read the posted article, but if my Dexa scan showed thinning bones twelve years ago and they called it osteopenia and then every two years when it was checked, it got worse, despite doing all of the things stated above, then I don't think it was fake.


Yes, no argument there at all.

[Cataboo]

It's all relative - the majority of women will end up with osteoporosis - stats from wikipedia:
Osteoporosis is a major public health threat which afflicts 55% of Americans aged 50 and above. Of these, approximately 80% are women.[90] It is estimated[citation needed] that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 worldwide have osteoporosis. It is responsible for millions of fractures annually, mostly involving the lumbar vertebrae, hip, and wrist. Fragility fractures of ribs are also common in men.

The only problem I have with osteopenia is that I don't think there's quite the data there to support everything that's being done - the definition of who has it vs. who doesn't, the data on what's normal bone loss over the years, since all women over 30 have thinning bones - vs. what's accelerated and will lead to osteoporosis. And the small machines they're using to diagnosis it checking peripheral bones instead of bone or hip...

So definitely, if someone's already broken bones - be concerned. If you have a family history of osteoporosis and they say osteopenia, be concerned... but if you don't have either of those, I'd say be concerned with a grain of salt, and up your calcium and weight bearing exercise - but I wouldn't necessarily start taking drugs for it until there's some more long term followup data and studies to support it. But - that's always a personal decision that everyone needs to research and decide on their own what's best for their bodies.

[Zen]

Cliff's notes on article #1-

"Ultimately it was just a matter of, 'Well ... it has to be drawn somewhere,' " Tosteson says. "And as I recall, it was very hot in the meeting room, and people were in shirt sleeves and, you know, it was time to kind of move on, if you will. And, I can't quite frankly remember who it was who stood up and drew the picture and said, 'Well, let's just do this.' "

So there in the hotel room someone literally stood up, drew a line through a graph depicting diminishing bone density and decreed: Every woman on one side of this line has a disease.

Then a new question arose: How do you categorize the women who are just on the other side of that line?"

[Dianyla]

Thanks for the heads up! I realize that it is an option, but the problem is finding a doctor who will do one on someone under the age of 30 without children. IDK why.
That old attitude that IUDs are only suitable for married women with children is changing over time. Check out your local Planned Parenthood. I got my first IUD there at 20, nullipara & nullihubby. ;)

[Dianyla]

So there in the hotel room someone literally stood up, drew a line through a graph depicting diminishing bone density and decreed: Every woman on one side of this line has a disease.

Then a new question arose: How do you categorize the women who are just on the other side of that line? [/COLOR]
The women just on this side of the line would have what's called a "subclinical" condition. Possibly/probably experiencing problems already but not meeting the official criteria for clinical diagnosis. A good doctor should be willing to treat subclinical patients.

[OakLeaf]

As long as everyone's agreed that "osteopenia" is a subclinical condition, which is what's being discussed. A good doctor also should not insist on treating asymptomatic patients with subclinical test results, and especially should not insist on powerful medications as a first line of treatment for those patients.

[Zen]

Sub-clinical only because they were hot and tired and wanted to go to Happy Hour at the hotel.
Free roast beef buffet that night.

[KnottedYet]

Sub-clinical only because they were hot and tired and wanted to go to Happy Hour at the hotel.
Free roast beef buffet that night.

Is subclinical like subversive? ;)

"C'mere and check my bones, baby..."

[Dogmama]

My doc told me that bone loss accelerates the first three years of menopause. That is one reason why HRT is often prescribed.

[Ann G]

I was diagnosed with osteopenia about 5 years ago, and I've taken Evista for the last 4 years. After looking over the reviews at Amazon, I just ordered Better Bones, Better Body : Beyond Estrogen and Calcium by Susan Brown. Some time ago I read that cyclists and swimmers have the worst bone density. My personal belief is that it is because neither activity is a weight-bearing exercise, and you lose calcium during both through sweat. I buy a lot of packets of Propel with calcium, and use that for my water bottles, under the logic that if I'm sweating away some calcium, at least I can put some of it back.

[emily_in_nc]

I buy a lot of packets of Propel with calcium, and use that for my water bottles, under the logic that if I'm sweating away some calcium, at least I can put some of it back.

Hi Ann,

Where do you buy the Propel Calcium packets?

Thanks!

[Ann G]

Hi Emily,

I'm in rural Iowa, and I have found packets of the dry Propel with calcium mix at supermarkets and places like WalMart. Some of them only have the regular Propel, so you have to look for the word calcium in big letters on the front of the package.