I am a new subscriber and hope to garner some information from people who are living with osteoporosis.
I am 67 and a few days ago got a call from my doctor telling me the X-ray of my spine has revealed I am suffering from a fracture probably caused by osteoporosis
He said he will organise a further X-ray or scan to measure the bone density and take it from there.
to say I am absolutely terrified is an understatement. I briefly went on line and all that hit me was 5 to 10 years life expectancy.
I don’t know anything about this disease indeed I suffer from health anxiety already so a headache is a brain tumour lol But my fear is very real.
I do not know what to eat , what to use for pain relief, exercise, dos and donts he told me nothing and I’m afraid to google it
ide love to hear from real people who have experienced this , who live with this and how I can help myself either slow it down if possible.
thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read my post and I really hope you might send me some feedback.
Much appreciated and I apologise for being such a whimp
Hugs from me
Fetlock …😍
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Fetlock
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Hello Fetlock. Welcome to the healthunlocked community, and hopefully we can allay some of your fears. It's certainly a shock to be diagnosed with osteoporosis, and I imagine all of us have felt what you're feeling, to a greater or lesser extent. First of all, though, I'd like to reassure you that osteoporosis doesn't reduce life expectancy! The only time it can sometimes be a cause of death is when complications follow a hip fracture. But most people recover from hip fractures, and those who don't are for the most part very elderly people, who are already needing some degree of care support and are likely to have limited mobility and other health issues before the fracture occurs. For the rest of us, fractures of course can cause a lot of pain and sometimes can lead to issues with posture and mobility, but they don't normally kill us! Also, fractures are not inevitable with osteoporosis. The risk is higher if you've already had one fracture, but treatment of underlying causes can often reduce fracture risk. I was diagnosed over 10 years ago, have remained fracture free, and have also managed to maintain my bone density for the last few years through exercise, diet and a number of supplements, all without taking an osteoporosis medication.
Has your doctor run blood tests to look for an underlying cause for your reduced bone strength? You need to have tests for vitamin D, calcium and parathyroid (all from the same blood draw), thyroid, coeliac and a full blood count. If any issues are found, these can be treated to help strengthen your bones.. If you're offered medication, it's usually Alendronic Acid to start with. This reduces fracture risk by up to 50%, so it will depend what your risk is (you should be told after your DEXA scan), how much difference medication might make. There's a good patient decision aid here: nice.org.uk/guidance/ta464/...
The Royal Osteoporosis Society has lots of useful information, including a lot of exercises, with advice on what's appropriate, depending on whether or not you've fractured: theros.org.uk. They also have a specialist nurse telephone and email helpline, which many people find very helpful and reassuring.
Oh my , i am so bowled over at your care so many of you fantastic members have taken valuable time to write to me with numerous words of comfort and indeed wisdom , i cant believe how lovely you all are indeed its rather humbling after me, a nobody and not known personally to any of you…..im over the moon and and truly touched by your kindness,.
Starting with my fracture T9 i think , last year i took a very bad fall when balustrades i was sitting on collapsed and i fell about 20 feet landing on decor boulders in the garden bed below with the granite balustrades falling on top of me .
To say i was winded is putting it mildly but amazingly i was able to walk away. Bruised badly but able to walk I didn’t think i should bother the doctor or hospital, so basically used hot showers baths and lotions plus strong painkillers . I carried on working but less manual work that i found difficult.
Around Christmas i was still suffering i asked my doctor to send me for an X-ray, he refused but sent me to see the in house physiotherapist. He was an absolute marvel….its not bone but sore muscle do these three exercises daily …….said he 🥺🤷♀️. the exercise he recommended were ridiculous and frankly a waste of time . i did more just walking up the stairs .
Not improving or only slight improvement i once again went to the surgery and demanded i had an X-ray
The doctor phoned me few days ago telling me i have a fracture and two squished discs. He will be organising a further X-ray or scan after which can start me on medication to slow down the progress of osteoporosis, i wasn't to bend twist or lift 🤷♀️. rather difficult
i take dyhycodine 3 times a day take hot baths, showers and use a heat pad . and i think the fracture happened when i took the fall on to the stone boulders which are not smooth.
they did takes bloods and told me i do not have bone cancer but im not sure what else they have tested me for , thats something i shall be asking now you have spoken about that.
i cannot thank you enough for your mail and shall indeed be looking into diet and exercise
using the web sites you recommend
your story gives me immense hope that you have been able to do so well with diet and exercise. I too have today bought various supplements and continue to take these ….i will rattle when i walk lol 😀
Once again Met00 a huge thank you
Stay well and hopefully i will become as positive and brave as you . I will now resume my daily walks with my two labs who are putting on the pounds after reducing their exercise to a minimum
Take a big deep breath and try not too worry too much. I read everything I could and got more help online than from any direct nhs source. Thr Royal osteoporosis society is your best resource. Clear explanations and very good leaflets and videos and a helpline staffed with people who understand and are very reassuring. As met00 says, osteoporosis does not reduce life expectancy, it's a condition you live with, and can alter lifestyle and diet to mitigate many of the risks. It's a lot to take in, but the people within this forum will offer much reassurance and direct you to information and give tips that may help you with your symptoms. I owe my sanity to this forum 🙂
lol great user name …i cannot as i have already texted Met00 thank you all enough , take a deep breath was and is the perfect advice to give someone like me for sure ….headache is a brain tumour 🙈
I do not know why i suffer from health anxiety apart from watching my mother die a long drawn out death when i was 12yrs …. but hey that a trillion years ago
however, i have read all the replies and frankly rather blown away and humbled that you kind members have taken valuable time out of your days to contact me with any amount of encouraging words.
i agree about the NHS i have had zero information from my doctor and basically told me to take the painkillers and try not to twist, bend or lift anything……..which would appear to be the wrong advise . he did say i could get 5 to 10 years and i should google for more info. just my ;luck the first web site that came up in my search did indeed say 5 to 10 years life expectancy.
i will indeed contact the Royal osteoporosis society and gather as much info as I can
i will keep you all updated with my progress., and i can already say without the wonderful replies ive had from you all i think ide of lost my sanity these last few days
please keep well and i look forward to resuming walking my labs in the sunny Scottish weather lol 😝
Hi Fetlock, I totally understand your fears, I fractured 2 vertebrae last August, it was extremely painful and came out of nowhere. At age 65, I was feeling healthier than I had for years, having taken early retirement, and going to the gym regularly for the previous 2 years.I'm not sure what gave you the impression of 5-10 years survival, I hadn't seen that anywhere, and as like you my doctor (as many do), just gave me alendronic acid and Adcal, told to exercise and healthy diet, see me again in 3-5 years.
It has taken me 6 months to come to terms with it both physically and mentally. What I would say is read as much as you can on this forum, also use the ROS website, see if there is a support group in your area or even join one of the online ones out of area if there's non near you, (Ros again).
Once you have results of your DEXA scan be prepared to make your own informed decisions on what you feel is the best way forward.
If you let this forum know what area you live in, I'm sure they'll be somebody on here could tell you what NHS resources are like, eg I live in Trafford Manchester, there are no Fracture clinics for osteoporosis here, but just 5 miles away in Salford and another in Stockport resources are much better.
A huge thank you for taking your valuable time to share your experience and knowledge with me a total stranger , the kindness on this forum is outstanding .
I too have always been reasonably healthy , last year i worked on scaffolding 3 stories up removing the white stucco from my home and replacing it after drilling out anything loose ….its now sitting pristine hahaha
However, whilst i was sitting on some balustrades that surround the terrace they collapsed sending me plummeting around 20 feet landing on my spine on to huge boulders used for garden decoration
At the time i was badly winded and torn to shreds from rose bushes , i was amazed when i was able to walk . Thinking i was just deeply bruised I didn’t go to the doctor or A&E . This happened last Autumn, the doctor did given me strong pain killers but not feeling 100% i recently asked to be sent for an X-ray after being refused previously. The doctor did given called me last week to tell me the scary news . He told me to keep up with the painkillers do not bend ,twist or lift….not easy Oh and go on line where i would get more info. And in the meantime he will request a DEXA scan after which he can administer appropriate meds.
That was where i saw the 5-10 yr life expectancy , it was the first website at the top of the page . After reading that i closed the lap top and basically cried the whole night through.
I called my daughter in law who lives in Bramhall Stockport as she is a chiropractor who was unfortunately going into labour so it wasnt the best of timing . I live in Scotland Ayrshire but have no idea if there is a local support group…this is something i shall definitely look into👍
i will also try to read as many leaflets etc as possible to help me physically and mentally
once again i cannot thank you enough for your kindness i hope we can keep in touch and hopefully i will one day be strong enough to offer some tips on how better to live with this disease.
Fetlock, so sorry to hear that you had to wait so long for diagnosis, however it could be the fall that has caused the damage and not osteoporosis at all, it would be difficult to tell from an x-ray as far as I know, only the Dexa scan will give that answer. However on the bright side, I do believe Scotland has a pretty good network of fracture clinics, I'd definitely check out the ROD website, they have a list of support groups there. Good luck x
It’s not nice to discover you have osteoporosis but there are loads of people out there with osteoporosis who are carrying on and living a very good life.
Read all you can about it, make sure you are eating foods that will help your body, get lots of weight bearing exercise avoid junk food and fizzy drinks and if you smoke then stop.
Use the ROS website for reliable information on everything to do with osteoporosis - from exercise to diet to drugs and how they work plus you can email or phone and speak to someone. theros.org.uk
I also really like this lady she is a physiotherapist who has an interest in osteoporosis and she has a calm sensible approach to life with osteoporosis melioguide.com/health-guides/
I walk for about an hour every day - sometimes with Nordic walking poles and I do two one hour Pilates classes every week with a teacher who is a physiotherapist and who has a special interest in patients with osteoporosis. We do a lot of work on balance and stretching and strengthening muscles.
Try not to worry too much - and definitely ignore any comments you see about life expectancy - once your doctor has got the follow up scans etc done you will know more about what is going on.
Fantastic advice from telling me loads live with this to exercise and foods to avoid , im as I’ve said already totally humbled by the amount of people who have taken their valuable time to write to me . How lovely you all are , what a fantastic forum.
I dont smoke and eat quite well lots of salad veg and fish cheese and eggs , my passion is unusual breads which i must cut out or ill need to buy a new wardrobe.
I will definitely look into Pilates and start walking more , after my doctor telling me to stop lifting twisting or bending i feel I am seizing up so getting back to doing things will ne a god send , i also have 2 Labradors that love the walks so ive every reason to resume that.
Promise , I will try not to worry too much and after such positive info i have had from all of you i really think that is something i can conquer .
I hope you keep well Fruit and once again you are all the best⭐️🌟
So glad you reached out to people on here as they are excellent with advice and reassurance!I am 80 ,have had osteoporosis for the last 20 odd years,brought on my steroids since 2001 for rheumatoid arthritis.I have never had a fracture at all,in spite of risky moves like decorating up a ladder,and digging the garden etc !I have a Prolia jab at my local g.p. every 6 months,with no side effects,and dexa scans regularly show it is holding it at bay.My spine is -3.3 which it has stayed at for last few years,and hip reading is -2.3 which is pre osteoporosis reading.I must admit I don’t even think about it at all,just keep the injections up.The rheumatoid arthritis is the nasty thing ,but even with that the new meds are amazing.I am the worlds worst at trying anything new,and can easily think myself into all the side effects listed,but,usually they don’t happen and I wondered what I was worried about.I am primarily on the r.a. Forum and they are fantastic and have always allayed my fears.also the phone line people are brilliant,and never mind how many times you phone them.So,you are not alone,rant on here as often as you want and someone will hear you xx
Oh my , well if you have had this for 20 years then that puts to bed the web site telling patients may have 5 to 10 yrs ….AS EVERYONE HAS NOW KINDLY ASSURED ME IS ABSOLUTE RUBBISH 🥰
The shock i got was undeniably the worst shock I have endured. 😱
I am absolutely blown away by the kind and caring people, like yourself, who have taken the time to reply to me , it absolutely reinstates my faith in our fellow man ….im so so glad i decided to join the channel and deeply grateful for all the info,tips and advice ive already received.
You sound very like myself decorating up ladders , digging the garden, yet worried what will or could happen if i take this or that….lol. 😆.
i occasionally suffer from painful knees and as crazy as it sounds i use pure castor oil , i sometimes massage it deep into the skin or use a poultice , why or how it works is beyond me but it does
i truly hope you are able to keep your pain under control, i believe no one should suffer pain in 2025 with all the knowledge we now have , but sadly some doctors dont seem keen on giving people the drugs required.
once again a huge thank you for contacting me you cannot begin to understand how much this has affected me in my outlook, no longer thinking there is no hope.
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