I've been diagnosed with osteoporosis My t-score was --2.9. I was wondering if that is considered a really bad score. My Dr wants to put me on medication and I am reluctant . I ve read up on some of the meds and the side effects sound pretty horrific. I'm leaning toward not taking them and trying to improve naturally with vitamins and weight bearing exercise. Any thoughts?
I do not consider -2.9 to be really bad. Mine is much worse.
However, it is just a number. Half of people with osteoporosis suffer broken bones. Interestingly, it is the same for people without osteoporosis.
The most important thing is obviously to avoid falls and maybe take no risks where possible.
Vitamin K2 would be a good supplement to add straight away. It is easy to take as it is a soft jelly like capsule.
A lack of Vitamin D 3 has been found to contribute to osteoporosis so check your levels theough blood tests.
Another good supplement is magnesium.
As far as foods are concerned the following is a list that helps to support bones: avocados, prunes, kiwi fruit, leafy greens, bone broth, skin of cucumbers, and a good balanced diet.
Stress can also affect our bones so try to minimise that.
Walking and other weight bearing exercise is recommended. However, avoid twisting and bending from the waist.
This is just a starting point for you. There is much help on here from others as well.
All the best.
I can only give you my own experience. You didn't say how old you were. Before menopause I was right on the line of osteoporosis and now 7 years later I'm well into it. I also avoided medication actually concerned more about the stomach upset but certainly concerned about the side effects I had heard about. My research and consult with 3 different doctors led to my recent decision to definitely go on it. I do have osteoporosis (-3.4) and if one is on bisphosphonates under 5 years the chances of the horrible side effects are much much less. I did try vitamins minerals exercise and bone building but it did not have the effect that I needed. I posted elsewhere that I was reading recent research into use of melatonin which at 3 milligrams per day achieved half the effects of the Fosamax. I personally could not take melatonin as it seemed to reveryone up my immune system and I got canker sores. Good luck to you and whatever decision you make it will be there for you in the future if the osteoporosis is progressing more rapidly than you are comfortable with.
I am wondering how long you tried the natural route for and what you actually included in your supplements and foods and exercise regime?
Vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 stand out to me followed by magnesium. There are others too.
Please detail what you did and for how long as it helps others on here when making choices.
Others have given you good advice about possible supplements. Something else to think about - the numbers for "osteopenia" and osteoporosis were fairly randomly assigned some years ago by the WHO and have proven a boon for the marketers of OP drugs. The major risk factor for fracture is falling. To that end, maintaining and improving muscle strength and balance are more important than bone density. Tai chi is supposed to be very good for both, and there are other appropriate exercises to try, especially walking and Nordic walking, but also including some kinds of yoga - make sure it's a program recognizing care needs to be taken of the spine.
There may be factors contributing to your "bone thinning" such as not being careful about your diet, lack of weightbearing exercise, even stress. The underlying causes should be recognized and dealt with as much as possible before any OP drugs are even considered and you could tell your doctor that. Bones change very slowly so they should be happy to take a little extra time to help you figure things out. And no one can ever compel you to take anything you don't want. There is more going on with the bone meds than just the bad side effects which are so underplayed, the whole marketing of them, the creation of osteopenia as a disease, etc, etc....
Good luck - you know you'll find loads of support here, no matter what your choice.
I I have taken all of these for over a year and has not made any difference for me. Developed a situation on my knee replacement (cyst) that now needs to be replaced. 😓
I am new to the forum and have so many questions. You say -2.9 is not that bad, is -3.5 bad? I am so confused over the test and my doctor seemed to be only interested in my taking fosomax, which i refused for now. Going to go the supplement route first and see. Thanks for your input.
Just to clarify, the bigger the number after the minus sign, the greater the osteoporosis risk. So your bone thinning is worse than kathleen's. However, we are all different, different body builds, different genetics, so it's not really one size fits all. The greatest risk for fracture isn't osteoporosis numbers, it's falling. The things we can do to prevent that from happening include maintaining and improving muscle strength, and making sure we look after our ability to balance. Saw an interesting test outlined today, and one of the tests is whether one can balance on one leg for ten seconds. Other parts of the test include measuring grip strength, and the ability to squat, pick something up from the floor, and stand again.
So supplements plus appropriate exercise are, to my mind, the best and safest way to go.
Thank you Anhaga for your quick response. I'm on the exercise and supplement treatment as of last week. Will continue to read old post to gather as much info as possible. So happy to have found this group😀
It has less to do with advertisers than with promotion of products. I know we can mention drugs ad infinitum, but non-traditional products, titles, etc, get censored. I think it's just because it's the easiest way on this colossal forum for the moderation to be effective in avoiding crackpot ideas. It is irritating sometimes, but I do understand why it works this way. I got censored for called the pharmaceutical business by its insulting nickname.
The "evil" empoticon turns into a frown. That's disappointing.
Anhaga, I'm always reassured when you talk of the greatest risk for fracture is falling, despite scan scores but I remain to be convinded. I worry about 'fragility fractures' and what may happen if I lift something too heavy, or without keeping my back straight or exercise too vigorously . . .
I'm familiar with the balance test of standing on one leg. A recent study of OP patieints in our university consisted of grip strength, reaction time, and the balance test.( I managed one minute on this one!!). So not worried about balance really but the possiblity of fractures can freak me out! J
I was just saying I miss you and wondered where you are. So good to see you commenting again!
I don't and can't exercise too vigorously so I don't have that concern.
I have more issues with herniated discs than I do with the osteoporosis.
So many people I come across have never found out if they even have osteoporosis and are content in their ignorance. I envy them.
I hope you keep visiting here as I missed you.
My worst one is -4.3 and that is the lower spine. It is only a number so don't worry too much.
Many people I come across have never had a bone density test so they are happily oblivious of the state of their bones.
Just as many people who do not have osteoporosis break bones as those who do have osteoporosis.
I also have refused to take fosamax and have not regretted that decision.
To me that says it is not worth getting too anxious about. Just take no risks.
Thank you for making me feel less anixous. I will do the supplements and see how it goes.
I like your logical thinkging!
I broke my leg because I slipped on ice and my knee twisted sideways. This was deemed a "fragility" fracture when I was being assessed for bone density after starting prednisone. However when I had a chance to speak with a rheumatologist at a bones clinic a couple of months ago and described the break (tibial plateau) she said it was an unusual break and not likely a fragility fracture. I have never been given my t-score for spine; the same rheumatologist said because I "don't need it" which I found very condescending.
My worst tscore is -4.3 lumbar region. I wonder if we put too much importance on numbers anyway!
It wouldn't really matter anyway because new people will always need the personal reply from you. On the PMR forum our resident expert keeps a file of answers to common questions and copies and pastes probably several times a month. Of course she also personalizes the answer. I copy and paste my bones bibliography in messages to people fairly regularly, although I've pretty much given up on my bones biography.
To clarify moderation (again) see the FAQs linked below. It is nothing to do with "upsetting advertisers" - they do not have a say in the running of the site. It is because posting about specific books and commercial sites is in itself advertising. If users try to "circumvent" or "Test the system" the likelihood is your account will be deactivated. As I repeatedly say if anyone has any issues with this then discuss it with me via PM. The forums are also not for using the PM service to promote supplements and books. If the information is genuine and not promotional then by all means post a discussion about it. If it is specifically in relation to the books/websites talked about before then it won't be allowed.
https://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398316-adding-links-to-posts
Regards,
Alan