PMR - DEXA results

[Gimme]

I've been trying to get my DEXA results from March 2024 and the doctor's surgery couldn't get them either, So I decided to go private with Vista Health at Milton Keynes. I had to have a phone GP consultation first for the referral £50 and the scan today at £175. Their GP sounded a bit dopey on the phone, but I explained exactly why I wanted the scan and told him about the scan last year. He wrote everything down, including my full gynae history (why???) but totally ignored the fact that I had had a scan a year ago and when I got there today, they wouldn't do the scan because it is less than 2 years, as per guidelines. He should have known that, otherwise, what is the point of needing a referral?

I was spitting feathers about the cost and wasted journey, plus the osteopath is quite rightly cautious about any manipulation, until she knows that my bones are OK. Their rheumatology person spoke to me and she got the results from the scan last year from the hospital by return of email and the results were waiting for me by the time I got home. Nevertheless, I shall still be asking for a refund.

Anyway, any idea what the heck these mean? I don't know what note 1 means especially. Is that OK or not? I'm hoping that you wise old owls can help me figure it out. Does normal mean that I am normal for my age or that I have no osteopenia?

I also have ancillary results for spine.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Your t-scores are the important ones, they are all near enough the normal levels for a 30-year old and the spinal ones are even better than that! You barely have osteopenia, never mind osteoporosis.

Note 1 is that you have a very low risk of having a major fracture due to low bone density in the next 10 years.

[Gimme in reply to PMRpro]

Good grief! Really????? How on earth did I manage that?

Thank you, Pro. I thought that's what it was saying, that it would be normal for a much younger person, and I thought, that can't be right really, can it? So I thought maybe I was missing something.

[Gimme in reply to Gimme]

And I did notice the lack of minuses in the numbers, which I wasn't expecting, so it threw me completely.

Maybe there are some advantages to being a natural mesomorph, after all.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Gimme]

Probably needs the other genes as well though!!! Have a check of the report if you have it all and make sure there are no notes about signs of osteoarthritis - that can lead to falsely high values because the structure of the bone is different. But on the whole - any doctor who gets iffy about not taking a bisphosphonate is on thinnish ice ...

[piglette]

A pretty impressive result. What a pity your GP did not push for the results, so you would not have wasted your time and money. Having said that my GP was just as bad and I had real problems getting hold of my results too.

[Gimme in reply to piglette]

Thank you, Piglette. I was so tired when I got back from MK, because I missed my afternoon nap, but tomorrow I will call them and ask for a refund. I should never have been sent for the scan at all, if their GP had done his job.

Anyway, at least I have the base line now, so I will be able to see if the pred is damaging my bones. And it also means that I can push back if anyone tries to pressure me to take bisphosphonates. Plus, I can tell the osteopath that I have the bones of a 30 year old, and she doesn't need to worry.

The annoying thing about that report is that it was signed off by the rheumatologist at the hospital in May 2024, just 8 weeks after I had the scan, so why couldn't they just forward the results on to my referring GP? I wouldn't have got the results today if I wasn't so hopping mad that that lady went out of her way to request the results for me. It seems that they have some reciprocal agreement to share the results.

[piglette in reply to Gimme]

They are supposed to inform your GP. I think we should have one set of computer information just about us instead of bits of information scattered around the place with conflicting information. Exactly the same happened with me. I was rather aggressive about it!!

[Gangley in reply to Gimme]

She probably didn't want "feathers" all over her office!

[Gimme in reply to Gangley]

🤣

[Sophiestree]

You have great bones!! The gynae questions were relevant due to menopause/hysterectomy etc at young ages as that would affect your bone health massively. So he was right to go through that but clearly failed on the time scale of your last scan. Although I'm not sure how true that is as I had them yearly via Rheumy consultant and watch my bones crumbling on each result! I now also have a REMS scan every 2 years which is a different method.

[Gimme in reply to Sophiestree]

The menopause and hysterectomy would have made sense, but he got carried away with my recent history and ongoing issues. Even the nurse at the clinic thought it odd and we did have a bit of a laugh about it. She was the one who managed to get my other results for me.

[Sophiestree in reply to Gimme]

It seems that they don't offer the full results like they used to. I had the same issue and got very little information but happened to have an Endo follow up appt after parathyroid surgery and asked her for them. GP couldn't access them 🙅‍♀️

[Gimme in reply to Sophiestree]

It's worrying, isn't it? What's the point of having the diagnostics if you can't find out what it says? Though I think that problem might have been going on for a long time. I had renal imaging done back in 2003 and I never ever found out what the results were for that. I can only assume that it was OK, as no-one was in touch. But in the back of my mind is the scandal around all those women who did not get their smear results which were positive and there were some deaths as a result, because it was not followed up by the hospital. That may have been back in the 90s.

[Sophiestree in reply to Gimme]

I know exactly what you mean. My daughter has lung issues and had a lung funtion last year where the person carrying out said to expect an appt.... nothing

[Gimme]

UPDATE 18/04/25: I called the health company yesterday and they have agreed to refund the GP consultation and scan in full. At first, they only wanted to refund for the scan, but I pointed out that if their GP was supposed to be a gatekeeper, he had failed in his job and they agreed to pay for both appointments. They are also going to update their website now.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Gimme]

Good for you…

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Gimme]

Well done!!!!

[Sophiestree in reply to Gimme]

💪