Dexascan

[Jooster]

I had my Dexascan yesterday, and was chatting to the radiolologist and she asked me why I was on steroids. When I told her PMR, she seemed to know about it and said that she was getting a lot more referrals for scans for patients with this condition from GPs. Maybe the message is getting through! Unfortunately, she then spoiled it by informing me that we only get pain in our shoulders! Needless to say I soon corrected her! I'm jogging along quite happily at the moment down to 17mg from 20, and feeling pretty good. Now to wait for the scan result....

[123-go]

Well done for putting the radiologist straight. I hope your scan results are good.

[Jooster in reply to 123-go]

Thank you, fingers crossed.

[Illie]

Can I ask you, the dexascan, do you have to have this regular when you’re diagnosed with PMR or only after so many years? I’m new diagnosed this week, and I’m trying to figure out what it entails and what lays ahead of me

[Kendrew in reply to Illie]

Being on prednisolone can be very detrimental to bone health leading to the onset of osteoporosis, so many patients are routinely prescribed a biphosphonate (eg. Alendronic Acid) to protect the bones. However, biphosphonates are quite toxic drugs themselves that can be quite harmful to the body too, so the recommendation would always be to have your bone density checked first (ie. with a DEXA scan) before agreeing to take this medication. If the DEXA scan reveals osteoporosis.....as it did for myself.......then it's probably best to take the medication. I had a DEXA scan 4mths after starting pred (as a baseline) and I'm having another one next week.....2yrs later. If there's significant improvement then I'll be coming off the Alendronic Acid. So you can see now the importance of having dexa scans.Some people on here have found they have been able to maintain healthy bone density whilst on pred for a good number of years without the need for AA, but DEXA scans are really the only sure way of knowing what state your bone density is in and therefore whether you actually need to take a biphosphonate.

Hope that answers your question.

[piglette in reply to Kendrew]

In my area it is every three years.

[Kendrew in reply to piglette]

I believe under normal circumstances the medical guidance suggests that a DEXA scan is performed routinely every 3yrs in the presence of osteoporosis. If however other factors are involved then it could possibly be deemed necessary to carry them out more frequently. This will vary from individual to individual though.

[piglette in reply to Kendrew]

I think it is more dependant on the availability of Dexascan equipment itself, as they seem to be far and few between. In my area we fund raised for ours and it is used for a huge area now 24 hours a day.

[Illie in reply to piglette]

Ow... that is a good idea!

[Illie in reply to Kendrew]

It is a very clear explanation, thank you!

[PMRCanada in reply to Illie]

I got my first dexascan within 2 months of being diagnosed with PMR, and this served as a baseline. From then I got one every year the same month as the first one. Thus far, I’ve only had minor deterioration, but I do ensure I take a calcium and K2 D3 supplement daily, and I eat calcium in my diet (plain yoghurt and cheese).

[Illie in reply to PMRCanada]

Thank you

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Where DO they get these ideas from??????

[Jooster in reply to PMRpro]

Goodness knows, the way she said it made it sound like a sprained shoulder or something. Did try to explain, but may be stony ground!

[SheffieldJane]

The word is spreading! Good luck with your results.

[Jooster in reply to SheffieldJane]

I did think that maybe they are all from my GP! But Darent Valley has a very wide catchment in Kent. I only had to wait 4 weeks for the scan which I feel is brilliant seeing the strain the NHS has been under.

[Kendrew in reply to Jooster]

When I suggested to my GP that it might be sensible to have another DEXA scan he sent the request and I waited 6wks....which I also thought was pretty good. I'd no idea some areas didn't have scanners readily available.

[DogAgilityObsessed]

I had to fight a bit for my dexa scan. I assumed it was a financial thing but perhaps it was general lack of scanners and therefore demand being greater than supply. I refused to start AA without the scan.

[Jooster in reply to DogAgilityObsessed]

I think you are right, it may be a lack of scanners. I won't start AA either until I get the results back. Just noticed you are dog agility obsessed! My niece is very involved in agility and training. Her dogs have even competed at Crufts.

[DogAgilityObsessed in reply to Jooster]

PMR and Covid are not helping with my obsession! We have our first show in ages next weekend although I’m not sure how much running I’ll be doing. I’d love to compete at Crufts but suspect I’ll never get there now. Both my dogs reached Grade 7 although I think I’ll be doing more Judging for a while as only one dog still competes (including at Champ but not with much success) and it’s possibly less tiring than running a course. I have to say it does become a bit addictive.