Osteopenia

Dear Constance, I am very much in the same position as you. There is a group for osteoporosis. It is not very active. you might like to try it. Having had little response I asked if it was because I was a man? I had a kind and useful response which gave me helful advice. i suggest you have a look and set out from there.

I hope you will prevent it becomming osteoporosis.

Hi Constance, First of all - DON'T PANIC!!  Osteopenia (OP) means you have thinning of the bones in your hip, spine, wrist - or some of these. This diagnosis means you are AT RISK of developing Osteoorosis (O) and that you must start taking care of your bones bones by putting prevention methods in place eg. diet, exercise, ?meds. The best treatment for you depends on a number of factors - your age and what may have contributed to your OP eg. age, family history, early menopause, over- exercising, history of extreme dieting, poor long-term dairy intake, Vit D levels, chronic stresss, heavy drinking, smoking, long-term steroid use, lack of exercise - and many more. So lots of factors here, and, depending of what is relevant to you the ' treatment' will differ.The main thing to know is that it does NOT have to develop further to osterporosis and the main bit of advice I can give you is to see a Rheumatologist - even for one visit privately - and get his advice. It may be as simple as taking Vit D and Calcium daily. Finally, a consoling thought - it's better to have something wrong with you that you can do something about than something you can't do anything about !  Hope that helps !

PS. I'm assuming that this diagnosis was made after a DEXA scan.

Hello fellow osteopenia sufferers,  I too have been diagnosed with osteopenia.  It was discovered when my mother was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis, and seeing her deteriorate so much makes me very aware of my bones.  In our case it's hereditary.  I have taken various medications: the weekly tablet for 5 years, then a sachet to drink every day and finally a bi-annual injection.  Of course, they all have side effects, which can affect some more than others.  I still keep active and I try to eat healthy.  Apparently an alkaline diet is the best, which means cutting out acid-forming foods.  Also, coffee leaches calcium out of the bones, so that for me has become a once a week treat (actually one appreciates it more then!) I have heard of people whose scores on the DEXA scan have improved dramatically after medication - mine has remained fairly static.