Hello everyone. I broke my hip in September running to try and stop me losing my balance and landing on a marble floor. The hospital repaired my hip with 3 cannulated screws and requested a DEXA scan. I never thought for one moment I had osteoporosis. I’m a fitness addict, aerobics, power walking and light weight lifting, Pilates and digging/lifting over my allotment. I’m devastated with the diagnosis and have always been fit so I never go to the doctor unless for vaccinations. I have no health issues but I am Pettit so low body mass. Hip -2.9 spine -1.9
I feel like there’s only a future of taking medication for the rest of my life. Please can someone cheer me up!
Oh poor you, it is quite normal to feel sorry for yourself. It is a lot to take in. The most positive point is those drugs will make your bones stronger. Although it takes time. It does also give you the opportunity to focus on you and think about your needs. Do have a look if there is a ROS support group near you. If not then there are on line group meets and anyone is welcome wherever you live.
Hi. It might make you feel more positive if you look at your frax score, which personalises your data - including bmi. (Look particularly at the notes on what is regarded as a fragility fracture.)
One of leading experts in the field that I follow has found that women with low bmi, who have low bone density, may have bone toughness as opposed to bone fragility. I’ve been diagnosed recently. Two years ago I fell backwards off a ladder, onto my bottom, resulting in painful bruising but no breaks.
Thanks Shona. I know my frax score is 20% risk over a 10 year period. I’ve never been told any more than that. I’ve checked my GP NHS on line but they only give this info
I would say to read as much as you can about osteoporosis and take an active interest in your treatment.
Once you have got over the diagnosis look at the sort of activities you enjoy doing and see how you can get them to fit into your life. Look at the exercise pages on the ROS website and maybe even speak to one of their nurses.
Most of the activities you mention are fine for osteoporosis although Im not sure about digging and lifting in the garden. I leave the heavy work to my husband these days.
You also sound as if you have the advantage of being very fit and active before you discovered you had osteoporosis so I think you will have an advantage over people who were less fit.
Yu could maybe speak to a physiotherapist with an interest in osteoporosis or someone who can advise you on your form when you are lifting etc
I am 77 and have carried in doing the things I enjoyed doing before I fractured my wrist and discovered I had osteoporosis and I don’t think anyone who didn’t know me would know I’ve got it.
OK - I gave up cycling because I used to fall off my bike regularly but I can live with that and I always fancied learning to ride side saddle - but I’ve shelved that idea - horses being somewhat unpredictable plus the fact I break easily.
Have a look at this lady’s website, she is a physiotherapist and her website along with the ROS one are two of my favourite sites https://melioguide.com/
Discovering you have osteoporosis isn’t something anyone wants to have but you can still have a great life.
Thanks Lizzie for getting in touch. Since my diagnosis I’m constantly online researching osteoporosis. I’ve read so many negative articles about medication but I think for me it will be the best option. I’m a hypochondriac and I’m so terrified of breaking a bone. I know it’s early days but I’m consumed with worry every day.
I’m really sorry you are so worried Triton. I suppose it’s easy to say don’t worry but it is probably difficult. I sometimes worry that I don’t worry enough about osteoporosis, which is odd because if there were Olympics for worrying then I would get a gold medal without any difficulty.
I think you have just got to do as much as you can to help yourself, get rid of trip hazards, I bought little motion activated lights for in the bedroom, upstairs landing and bathroom so that I can get to the loo during the night without switching on lights, I’ve got rid of floor rugs that I could trip over, I had just bought a beautiful pair of slip on NZ sheepskin slippers when I was diagnosed but I got rid of them in favour of ‘indoor’ shoes that are supportive, I have handgrips in the bathroom and shower (put them in when my husband had a hip replacement a few years ago) - he scoffed! I also put a second banister on the stairs for him he was even less impressed with that but when he grumbled to his physio she was super impressed and although he avoided it like the plague back then I see him using it now and I use it too
I eat all the right sort of foods and vitamins that I know will help my bones, I walk a lot, do my Pilates and I use my Nordic poles when I’m out walking, they are great confidence builders and I’m a great believer in dried prunes 70-100g dried prunes every day Prunes for Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, and Bone Health then once you’ve done that trust yourself, your accident sounds like it might have been a bit of a freak accident.
As for meds - some people get on well with them others don’t but I think you tend to hear more from people with problems.
September isn’t that long ago so give yourself time, the weather is lousy and depressing right now so which won’t help you, I have a fold up treadmill because I don’t want to go out if conditions underfoot aren’t great - I prop my iPad up and read while I walk for an hour, be proactive and I’m sure this time next year things will feel better.
It is a shock when you get that unexpected diagnosis. I was just at the end of my first year of retirement, last December, when I was diagnosed after breaking two spinal vertebrae doing nothing more than skipping - no fall, nothing dramatic, just skipping with a skipping rope as part of the BHS skipping challenge. I thought I had a muscular problem and so did the GP, but an X-ray revealed otherwise. It feels like a life-changing diagnosis, well it is! I can’t do the same level of gardening I used to, I have to be careful about how I use my spine, lifting and carrying, and can only do low impact exercise. I have lost an inch in height and am terrified of more spinal breaks. I get pain most days, in my back and in my rib area as everything is in a slightly different place now even though the fractures have healed as spinal fracture heal in the newly compressed position. I need to rest more. This is not what I envisaged my retirement to be like!
On the good side the ROS, the physio, and some research, has given me exercises which help with the pain and with building core strength. I am on medication for the next 5 years to help strengthen my bones, but at least but I am not getting any side-effects from it, which some people seem to. I am learning to work within my current limits and hoping those limits will become less as time goes by.
Back in 2020 I broke my ankle (a nasty slip and fall so not likely to be related to osteoporosis). I had to spend some time in a wheelchair and that felt much harder than the limits I have currently, so I am trying to count my blessings and focus on the things I can do, rather than the things I can’t.
I hope you start to feel more positive soon. It sounds like you are very fit and that gives you a great advantage.
Thanks Jax. It’s sad you’re going through such awful pain. I’m lucky I haven’t broken any bones in my spine but I’m terrified in case I do. I think osteoporosis definitely changes your outlook on life. For me it’s a case of what can’t I do rather than what can I do. I was very fit but 6 weeks of not being allowed to weight bear walking and then 6 weeks of slowly increasing weight bearing has affected my fitness. I’m trying my best to get my fitness back but I’ve been told by the surgeon who operated on me that it could take a year to get back to normal or I may never be the same. I long to jump in my car and feel the way I used to.
