severe osteoporosis at 34

[Gewakefie]

hi guys I’m new here nice to meet you all.

I’ve always been skinny I’m 5ft7 male and weigh about 51kg which is about 2 kilos underweight by the BMI matrix and I’ve always been this way

I have never broke a bone in my life and then in October 2023 I fell off a push bike as I was parking it up and broke my hip. I had surgery to fix this and this led to a DEXA scan.

I will post my results on here I had my scan last may and I didn’t really think much of it rather than ok must be cos I’m little and my gp referred me to rheumatology which is this may (one year wait from scan)

then this week I was just googling my scores and I put my results into chat gpt and it basically said that I had severe osteoporosis for my age, and it needs urgent medical intervention.

This sent me down a rabbit hole of googling and I know I shouldn’t but I wanted to know more about the condition. I’m literally scared to get out of bed as apparently with my scores I can apparently fracture my spine just by bending down

when I broke my hip they got my in touch with a nutritionist who out my on some high calorie shakes and I’ve out on a couple of kilos I’m not considered “fine” just about on the bmi matrix

I also had a blood test a few months back as I was severely low in vitamin d which I had treatment for and this has now gone up

I’m just really worried as to how my scores especially the spine is so low. I have consumed a lot of alcohol in my time the usual party scene in my twenties and lived in Australia for a couple of years and I don’t think I have an eating disorder I just don’t eat overly much just when I’m hungry I’ve always been this way. If anyone can offer any advice of what to expect from the rheumatologist that would by great. I’m assuming I’ll be put on medication which I’ve been researching and some of the side effects of those is also worrying me

[Graceissufficient]

You're absolutely right to research your condition. It's shocking you have been left to figure it out.

Some of the causes of your OP are clear which is good. You might be hopeful you can make a big difference simply. You should get your D levels nice and high and there is advice on here from people who have done that.

I would ask for advice on the whole diet, not just added shakes. You could consider omlettes, steaks, nuts - research high protein foods. Green vegetables, cheese for calcium. Bone broth soups for collagen. Lots of discussions here on protein foods and supplements.

Good research sadly shows alcohol intake over two units a day average damages in OP. Measure them.

Whatever sport you enjoy, do it. Lift weights but under supervision. Join a gym but tell the guys in charge there about your OP, that you have ti build strength v carefully, ask for help.

And ask your dr to try to speed uo your appt with the rheumatologist.

Lots of people here with much much more knowledge than me who will answer shortly.

[Gewakefie in reply to Graceissufficient]

Thank you so much for this

[Verauk in reply to Graceissufficient]

Graceissufficient What a kind and encouraging advises👏👏👏

[Fruitandnutcase]

Good advice from Graceussufficient. All I can add is if you are going to Google to have a look at the ROS website theros.org.uk

Another good place to look is melioguide.com Margaret is a physical therapist and is full of good common sense.

If you don’t eat a lot perhaps you could try and make everything you eat count to nourish your bones - there are lists of calcium and Vitamin D containing foods on the ROS site that would be worth looking at, same for weight bearing exercise. I would avoid ‘junk food’, too much sugar and fizzy drinks and if you smoke try to stop.

Try to find out what has caused your osteoporosis - you are under weight, has your thyroid been checked and your parathyroid glands, could you be coeliac, there are lots of things that could be contributing to your condition.

The more you read about osteoporosis the better. Keep a notebook or something handy to make a list of questions you want to ask - or even come on here and ask.

[Rooruby]

Hi It is like reading my own story tbh. I too was very skinny low BMI all my life then at 38 diagnosed with osteoporosis. At 40 I gave in and went on oral medication Alendronic Acid and Adcal D3 tablets which I stayed on for around 8 months. I just stopped as I was reading side effects and it freaked me out. I continued to live my life no meds and a very strenuous job which gave me great muscle tone around my back and shoulders. I then fell out of a loft and broke my foot. Was referred back to consultant but did not want to take meds he also said my job was to strenuous for my bones I was around 45 and going into menopause. After career change I was now doing a job where I walked about 5 miles every other day so I assumed I was fit. Moved house at around 55 and saw a new consultant who said my osteoporosis was severe so went back on AA then 2023 age 62 I coughed and fractured my spine basically it has not healed so now on Teriparatide injection daily which builds bone density after 2 years I'm 3 months in. My advice is try meds as it will only get worse they don't know why I got it so young but make sure you get bloods to check for underlying conditions as many can cause this. Good luck.

[Gewakefie in reply to Rooruby]

I’m glad you’re doing better, what were your spine t scores? Have the meds made your density better x

[Rooruby in reply to Gewakefie]

My t scores are 4.8 at spine will not know how things are for 2 years once I have had course of teriparatide. X

[ROSModerator Partner]

Hi   Gewakefie ,

Wishing you the warmest welcome to our online community - thank you for joining us here!

It sounds like there's a lot you've had to think about, and it's very understandable to feel worried at this time. It is great to see you've already connected with some of our wonderful members as there is a wealth of experience and support here

Our website also has lots of information and support around living with osteoporosis that might be helpful to look at at this time: theros.org.uk/information-a...

We also have a helpline of friendly specialist nurses who would be happy to chat things through with you: theros.org.uk/information-a...

Just to let you know, we also have reuploaded your picture of your results after removing the scan reporter name just to ensure anonymity on our forum. If you have any questions about any moderation in our community, please check our community guidelines or send us a direct message. healthunlocked.com/boneheal...

We wish you the very best,

Lulu

ROS Moderator

[Gewakefie in reply to ROSModerator]

Oh sorry about that x

[thyr01d]

Hello Gewakefie, I was told recently by a Consultant that I had "very brittle bones" and must take alendronic acid. Went to the GP who was not concerned so it might be worth making sure the 'severe' is genuine in your case.

Please do something to increase your Vitamin D level until it is optimal. I used to work in a Hospital and the first clinical audit I was involved in was analysing the results of treatments for osteoporosis. This showed very clearly that vitamin D is key, not calcium, although of course we do need calcium. There is a lot of calcium in sunflower seeds and in green leafy vegetables. As others will advise better than I can, if you take calcium supplements you have to take other supplements to make sure it goes to the bones otherwise it is not good for the kidneys.

Bone loading exercise (like heavy gardening) is important and the following movements for the bones: extending, compressing (despite advice to the contrary), bending (!) and rotating. If your bones really are brittle then you need someone skilled to monitor you doing this.

I hope this helps and doesn't sound like a lecture!

[Gewakefie in reply to thyr01d]

No thank you for this I was deficient in vitamin d was really low so I was put on a treatment now it’s fine but like I’m not taking any anymore like should t I be maintaining it? I have a blood test for something thyroid related coming up as she said this should be tested cos it might be the cause and she said don’t worry about vitamin d maintenance till that thyroid test comes back so god know

[Graceissufficient in reply to Gewakefie]

Yes, you should maintain it ... we use it daily.

[thyr01d in reply to Gewakefie]

Yes, you should be maintaining the vitamin D but not having too much or it can be detrimental. I would suggest asking for your Vit D to be tested at the same time as the thyroid so you can keep track of it and see if now that you've raised the level it holds steady or if you need to supplement through the darker months. My grandchildren and daughter in law have to take D all year when living in England because of the colour of their skin.