Query DEXA Scan.

[Danni54]

I had a DEXA about 3 week's ago having been suffering with 2 fractured vertebrae for almost 2 year's. I have been begging for a scan since they found the fracture's on an Xray 2 year's ago. When I , eventually, had the scan the Radiographer confirmed that I have 2 wedge fracture's, the 2 vertebrae above the fracture's are thin and i have to be careful as they are likely to fracture. There were other sign's of Osteoporosis. I then had to wait for 2 week's to get the written results from our main hospital which state that I have 1 wedge fracture! I don't trust our hospital, as some of you know, having had a misdiagnosis of lung cancer but this is ridiculous! 3 Xray's have seen 2 wedge fracture's, the Radiographer who did the DEXA said that there were 2 and now a different Radiographer says 1 . Can DEXA Scan 's be misread? Once again, I am SO confused. I have never seen a Consultant and had no help or support from the medic's here apart from being handed Opioid's and Morphine. A new Dr. is going to start me on Denasumab injection's after I have blood test's . I have to have injection's as I have a " massive " hernia and Diverticulitis +++and very bad sickness with reflux which i have had for many year's. I know how bad Lansoprazole can be but if I didn't take it Iwouldn't be able to function at all although I am thinking about trying Slippery Elm but I'm worried about interactions with the many pill's that I am on . I need more advice about the DEXA please! Best wishes to all of you.

[Valerie0106]

Hi Danni - I have been having a similar experience. My first ever wedge fracture after an accident was undiagnosed by a medic at A&E and only seen when reviewed by a radiographer some weeks later. In the past year I have had excruciating back pain which I now know was due to a number of new wedge fractures (steroid induced most likely). I have been told by GP, osteo nurse and technician that I have 4,5 and 6. I’ll take the average! Its the xray/scan rather than a DXA I think which they are reading/misreading.

[Danni54 in reply to Valerie0106]

Hi. I really feel for you. I went to my Dr. and showed him a big lump at the base of my spine and told him that I was having terrible back pain . He said that it was nothing to worry about and we would focus on my stomach problems first! After 4 or 5 month's I had an Xray for something else which showed the 2 fracture's and the Dr. rang and told me that the Radiographer in Australia had seen spinal cancer but my Dr. would be with me till the end! Australia because our hospital didn't have enough Radiographer's! Then 5 day's later he rang to say that it wasn't cancer but 2 wedge fracture's with Osteoporosis! For 5 day's we thought that I was dying because I had already gone through lung cancer . So, for them , now, to tell me 2 different thing's makes me so angry! I have had diabolical mistreatment....however, I'm in too much pain and am too tired to waste my energy on carrying on being angry! I'm also concerned about the next 2 vertebrae fracturing as I was told that this can happen at any time. I sympathise with you so much about the awful pain. I am taking Opioid's and Oramorph for the pain which I hate because they make me woozy! In my case I have been told 3 times that I have 2 wedge fracture's and it is the DEXA which said 1 and by the size of the hard lump at the base of my spine I believe that it is 2 although I do now have another lump.

I really hope that you manage to get relief from your pain. Am thinking of you.

All the very best,

Danni x

[CDreamer]

I’m pretty much a newbie here myself and have found the ROS FB Live Webinars with specialists very interesting. There was one last June on DEXA scans - everything is recorded so you can watch later. If you look to the right of your screen the links are usually posted under Pinned Posts.

healthunlocked.com/boneheal...

[Danni54 in reply to CDreamer]

Hi. Thank you for replying. ROS Nurses are amazing aren't they. They have been there for me and I must join ROS again. I haven't watched the Webinar's . Thank you so much for giving me the links. Please look after yourself. Wishing you all the very best.

Danni

[CDreamer]

See also - Living Well with Fractures -recording just released - link at the bottom of the page I already posted.

[LM100]

Hi, sorry to hear your diagnosis has been so inconsistent. DEXAs are only for measuring bone density, not fractures. If the x-rays are not clear, they should really send you for a MRI scan. Also, if your local hospital is poor, you could ask your GP to refer you elsewhere. There is a huge difference between them and you are entitled to a second opinion.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Well, my friend who was having bisphosphonate infusions was told after her last DEXA that she hadn’t had a third infusion - when she contacted the department and said that she had definitely had all three infusions it turned out that they had given her someone else’s results so human error is probably the reason for the difference. Contact the hospital and tell them.

I never saw a consultant or doctor after my diagnosis - which I found out from MyChart. After that I met with the osteoporosis nurse who gave me the ‘gloom and doom’ lecture who scared the daylights out of me and got me started on alendronic acid. So not seeing a consultant sounds about right.

Be very careful though if you have to stop Denusomab for any reason you will have to go onto a relay drug immediately or you could start to fracture again. So I would discuss that when you see the doctor who wants to start you on Denusomab.

Go onto the ROS website - you’ll find a link somewhere on the right of this page- they publish lots of leaflets and you will be able to find out all about osteoporosis, you can also phone and speak to someone too.

[Danni54 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I agree that it's, no doubt, human error because the Radiography Department left me with lung cancer for 15 month's and if I hadn't been rushed to hospital with Pneumonia, I wouldn't be here now ! I take on board everything that you have suggested and will speak to my Dr. as soon as I can get an appointment!

I , honestly, don't know what i would do without all of you on this site . The Lung Cancer Forum people and Nurses also helped me through a scary time. The Dr. is going to give me an injection because my stomach can't tolerate quite a lot of medication so i gather that that lasts for 6 month's but i need blood test's before I get the injection.

I appreciate that the NHS is on it's knee's and I appreciate Nurses so much but I feel that other areas are so slapdash it's frightening! Maybe that just applies to our area!

Thank you again. Please take care. All the very best,

Danni

[Danni54 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Hi again! I just read your profile and can't believe how similar some of our experiences have been! I , also , have an underactive thyroid and that was discovered by chance. Since the cancer I seem to have multiple thing's wrong with me and I get so angry because I used to do so much and now I'm in bed too much because of the awful pain , back and front and the Dr.s just don't seem to care even though it was the medical profession who messed up on me . Family and friend's can't believe how i have been left to cope with everything on my own! Grrrrr.

Thinking of you. Please take care.

All the very best,

Danni xx