I sat in the Doctor’s office, hearing words I never thought I would hear until I was a senior citizen.
“You have advanced Osteoporosis”.
What this means…
In the world of Osteoporosis research, the comparison is done to a typical 18 year old person. The standard is measured, based on where an 18 year old’s bones are, on the T-Score that the DXA (Dual Energy X-Ray Absorption) scan shows. The test is called a BMD test, meaning Bone Density Mass.
I had a BMD test done about 6 years ago, after a shoulder fracture, and my test showed “slight bone mass loss” at around 0.002%. This new scan showed greater than 20% bone loss, which is a SIGNIFICANT change. My doctor is uncertain why the drastic change occurred and he will be consulting other bone specialists to find some answers for me. Because of multiple hormones I have taken over the years, he will also consult with an Endocrinologist, which sounds terrifying. Essentially, based on the scale, I have the bones of a 70 year woman. And I am ONLY 50.
As I sat, listening to my physician, he informed me that this new loss is highly uncommon, but treatable. He also warned me that the prescribed medication, Risedronate-35 has some fun side effects, such as severe heartburn, nausea and the possibility of a stress fracture to…
