Hello
Recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis after having dexa scan
Have been put on risedronate calcium and vitamin d
Today when at surgery I asked nurse for my score on the bone density she told me -3(minus 3) what does this actually mean for me
What exercises do you all do I walk garden etc and am pretty active
Also I was diagnosed and sent for a scan because of loss of height
Ask your surgery for printout of report for your own records.then contact help line they will put it into normal words
Hello
I have got my T score results
-2.8 spine
-3.0 neck of femur
Is this normal borderline or serious
Thank you
I too had a DEXA because of a substantial loss in height. You ask what exercise we do. For me it is at least 10,000 steps a day but often many more. I do a 6 minute session of tai chi each morning, 40 minutes of hooping and stretching exercises. I use an exercise bike for 12.5 minutes. Goodness knows how I arrived at that time. It used to be 10 minutes. I do the gardening and help at our allotment. I have joined a Simply Walk in my area and choose to do the short walk once a week which is about one hour. I do not drive so carry shopping every day or use a trolley and pull it along. I do sometimes get hubby to pick me up if do a really big shop.
Seeing what you do I think I really need to up my exercise.LOL
I enjoy it but it does take up quite a bit of the day! 
Can you give us a bit more info about 'hooping', if you mean using a hoopla hoop 40 mins sounds like a long time. You are undertaking a very vigorous exercise regime, have you been doing it long enough to have made a judgement about its effectiveness, (ie improvement in DEXA scan results). I ask these questions as someone who six months ago was given results of minus 4 in my spine and slightly better in my hips and is looking for an effective set of exercises. Regards, Holly
Hi Holly, I have been hooping for years and I love and enjoy it. I use a weighted hoop and wore one out and replaced it. I only use the hoop round my waist. I watch the news whilst I hoop first thing in the morning.
I have no idea if it has improved my t scores. I see a doctor in the endocrinology department re my OP. This is only because I requested to be referred to see someone after my last DEXA report. This doctor actually did the report on my last DEXA and said that I no longer needed to be on any medication after he did the FRAX test on my results. I thought that I did need to be on medication. On discussing my medical history with him he agreed that it would be best for me to continue on medication and has also said that with the state of my spine it is best for me to have xrays rather than further DEXAs I have one fracture which happened a long time ago. I have scoliosis and have had a vertebrectomy and fusion at the top of my spine.
Hi,
You can request the full report for your DEXA scan, it is legal for you to ask for it, then you could post your results here aand people could help you understand them. Don't be put off by GP/receptionist/office manager if they try to pull the wool over your eyes with regard to obtaining a copy of your full report. If they play difficult just tell them it is your legal right to obtain report. Good luck.
Thank you will do
agree re getting copy of the Dexa Scan, I'm still trying to get a copy of mine and I am quite assertive, however, get the impression that the medical profession are worried that you'll look up everything on line and have told me that this is not a good idea - but if you don't research this condition how on earth are you going to manage it, as it's not just a question of taking a 'pill'. I'll definitely mention that it is a legal right to have a copy (had completely forgotten about this) kind regards
Indeed it is a legal right for patients to obtain copies... so don't give up until you get one (asking for FULL report, not a "reduced" summary). They do not like patients being in control of their problems and then demanding quite rightly to be treated accordingly. When I had my latest appointment with rheumatologist in May, I asked when my last Dexa scan was... he replied 5 years ago.... and was quite surprised i received an appointment 3 days later via 1st class post fr the following week... when I then asked the person doing the scan the date of my last scan she said it was in 2011! They are even skimping on scans now!! Am awaiting the report as feel sure the osteoporosis has got worse.... A friend was in agony for a very long time and she went to France had a scan which revealed she has a small fracture in one of her vertebrae.... came back here and show proof of fracture... so she will be started on injection treatment she had been refused previously! Great!
Good luck with your results and treatment.
many thanks for the advice, particularly re the full DEXA report and agree re your comments about taking control, when I told the rheumatologist that I exercised for two hours daily and used hand weights, (OK only at the kilo level) she was horrified and I thought we were to be encouraged to exercise, you just have to despair at times, kind regards
There seems to be a complete lack of agreement on appropriate treatment for OP.
I know a physiotherapist who constantly moans that he can't persuade some of his patients that they need to use a weight vest to walk around in during the day. He can't seem to grasp that a number of people with OP can't lift a weight vest over their heads to put it on - or have hand/wrist arthritis that makes it a mess to put fiddly weights in their little pockets.
I have a weight vest which can be worn with as little as 2 ounces in it, with the ability to increase the weight by this tiny amount each time (to a maximum of 20 pounds!).
What is the consensus of opinion on walking home with a rucksack full of shopping or shopping bags, one on each shoulder, roughly the same weight, full of shopping. I have to do this or take a shopping trolley which can be cumbersome if visiting lots of shops.
I have read pros and cons on weighted vests.
I sometimes carry things in a backpack, necessary when using Nordic poles, of course, no hands! But I can tell you that if it's for exercise the weighted vest is much better and more comfortable. The weight is distributed over the entire torso so no drag on the shoulders, or pulling on the spine. I find my vest really heavy to lift, now, but once it's on I don't notice it at all.
The shopping sounds good but ideally some gentle impact exercise such as skipping and stepping is also called for since this encourages the bones to signal for more calcium deposition. Of course, you need vitamin D3, Calcium (the citrate is the easiest to absorb), Vitamin K2-7 (this sorts out where the calcium ought to go as well as many other good things), Magnesium, folic acid and boron. Zinc and copper are also essential for good bone health as is manganese. There are some good books on the subject but message me if want details.
Hi Aristotle, LOL I know my limitations with exercise now. Years ago I did start skipping and did my knee in badly and ended up with a Total Knee Replacement. I do exercise religiously every day and I really enjoy it which to me is the most important bit. I have very bad joints and have had numerous operations. Everyone is different and some have to be careful as to what kind of exercise they do. I found out by trial and error. Now I have a daily regime and love it. I look forward to doing the exercising. It sets me up for the day and then I do lots of walking. I take the magnesium, calcium from diet, Vit D prescribed, K2, boron etc.
Kaarina I like the looks of the hyper vest that HeronNS uses. Unfortunately, something like it is not readily available in the UK and the only other vest that I liked is a truly stupid price and is not as long as the Hyper vest (I'd prefer the length so that I wouldn't feel that the extra weight might pull me off balance).
I swear there's a market for coach trips to France and other places where scans and lab work are affordable so that people can show them to GPs and obtain the treatment that they want.
Well whats the difference with us looking on the internet and them !!As unless you have a specialist the average GP will also look online
I will try and get a copy but I am not very assertive!!
I think you have to stand your ground when asking, I didn't realise until the earlier response that it was a legal right and I'll mention this the next time I request a copy, I have been known to say 'I could be dead by then' when requesting something from the GP and this is a very good practice. I work on the basis that if you ask enough times they'll get fed up with you and give you what you asked for. Good luck with the Dexa report, kind regards.......................
As the receptionist to print it out for you, I find that works best and they have always complied with any request for reports at my previous practice and my new one.
I have found consulting a strength and performance trainer, extremely helpful. I only see him once every three months and return from each visit with a new set of exercises. The regime that I'm following at the moment takes around an hour and half every other morning (sometimes it's longer, closer to 2 hours and occasionally just around an hour). It involves weights, a gym ball and bands, and has been especially designed to build muscle and gently stress the bones. It's time consuming but I've found that it's doable, so long as I get up early! I used to be on alendronic acid which seemed to work for a while but then became less effective overtime. I was actually left on it, due to an oversight, for too long. After a year of exercise I was told by a consultant that the improvement in my Dexa score was at least as great and possibly better than the improvement expected with medication. I also walk at the weekends typically around 5-8 miles per day. The rest of the week, other than the early morning exercises, I am at my PC for long hours, though I do try to do 15 mins skipping every other day.
the strength and performance trainer sounds really good and realistic, I exercise for two hours each day and use the hand weights and professional advice would help me ensure that I'm strengthening the right muscles etc etc, kind regards
How did you find your strength and performance trainer. Regards, Holly
The coach that I see is affiliated to a sports clinic called Pure Sports Medicine in London. puresportsmed.com/team?clin... and his name is Dean Sutton. He works with a huge range of people from professional athletes to exercise novices like me. He was recommended to me by an osteoporosis consultant. Hope you find a regime that works for you too. Good luck.
Thank you for your reply. I live in Cambridge so I think I can get to him on the train fairly easily. However, I am 70, will I stick out like a sore thumb and do you have to wear very sophisticated gym kit? I am worried I will look like an old country bumpkin!
I am in mid-fifties and had very similar concerns. The clinic is in the heart of the City and a lot of the clients are young men, but not all. Nobody takes any notice of you, they are all too focused on their own regime and the reception staff are very friendly. I haven't bought any special gym kit except from some trainers (I went for some ancient three quarter length slacks, as I didn't fancy shorts!) I know that he has older clients than me including a lady in her seventies - so know you're not the odd one out. Hope it all goes well for you. He's a very down to earth chap, and not super young and slick.
Thank you for replying -my goodness you do a lot of exercise
Seems to have paid off though with very positive results well done
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