Prolia shots

Hello Sheilamac Fife. How did you do it. I was diagnosed with polymyalgia in September and my doctor sent me for a Dexascan in December 2017 I was then diagnosed with osterperosis , my doctor put me on Alendronic Acid tablets which did not agree with me so I am now on Risedronate sodium tablets , the thing is I am getting nervous about going out in case I break a bone as my doctor keeps saying that if I get a bump I could break a bone, I have a 1 in 5 chance of breaking a bone. Please tell me how you turned it around I do eat fresh vegetables every day. Many thanks ,Jenny 

May I ask what kind of calcium you take?  There are many different kinds--some absorb better than others.  Thank you!

 

Oh Jennyrose, thats terrible that you have that fear.  What were your T scores? 

Re my diet etc. its not about having a healthy diet with fresh vegetables, its about seeking out the dark green leafy veg that are high in calcium. if you 'google foods high in calcium' you will see what you need to be eating. its veg like kale, broccoli, watercress.  Spinach is good too but isn't as high as these others. I eat them cooked and in salads. 

All the oily fishes especially those with bones like sardines, tinned or fresh. Mackerel and Salmon are great. Again tinned is ok as well as fresh.

Then there's dairy. Fresh milk, i love milk so I happily drink pints in a day. Cheeses. Yoghurt is even better than liquid milk because its fermented. I make my own and have some in the morning before Prednisolone and again later in the day. Kefir is another great product, took me a wee while to get used to it but now I love it! 

There are many other foods that are good for a high calcium diet. maybe you don't eat dairy? there are suggestions online. 

I try to walk every day using Nordic poles when possible. They make me feel more secure but also they are recommended for building bone. 

I take my prescribed Calcichew -D3 but have added Vit K2 which apparently guides the calcium to the bones, rather than damaging the blood vessels. 

I'm hoping for even more improvement at my next Dexa Scan which is May 2019. I'm trying hard! 

I hope that helps. X

I take Calcichew -D3 which is prescribed.  2 per day, each tablet 1250 calcium carbonate.

What were your t-scores on your dexascan Jenny? I think Anhaga was led to believe she had osteoporosis, she didn't she had osteopenia. A lot of non-expert doctors don't appear to know the difference. And have been influenced by a fantastic marketing campaign that made them scared of low bone density and very pro the drug called Fosamax - which has made amazing profits for the company that developed it. 

But unless your scores are VERY low, your doctor is really over-egging it to tell you you could break a bone with a bump. If your scores are that bad you should probably been on a different drug which would actually improve your scores, which risendronate doesn't usually.

There are many many people who have low bone density who never have a fracture - and a lot of people with normal bone density who do break something. 

If you have very low readings in your spine there are certain things you should avoid doing - twisting, bending and lifting and so on. If that i the case your doctor should have advised you and sent you to a physiotherapist - not scared you half to death.

If you have low bone density in your hips then there are a lot of things to do to reduce the risk of falls that have no side effects and are very cheap to implement:

Make sure dark areas on stairs or steps are well lit - using lights that come on quickly.

Remove trip hazards - rugs, trailing cables, unstable small piecves of furniture.

Train pets not to weave around your feet and ban them from stairs.

Wear proper shoes with low heels and non-slip soles even in the house - not sloppy slippers that might catch or slip causing you to trip.

Drink plenty of water (especially in warmer weather) and make sure your vit D level is good: both contribute to being steadier on your feet.

Make sure your medications aren't leading to dizzy spells or low BP. 

Do exercises that improve your balance - again, a physio can advise. Tai chi is particularly good.

Be careful getting out of the car - turn sideways on the seat, put both feet on the floor and then get up, using your hands to steady you if necessary.

If you are dizzy when standing - slow down, wait until you eel OK - and ask your doctor about it.

Single vision lenses are far safer than variofocals when you are outside and having to negotiate steps and kerbs. 

Keep your hands free - cross-body straps on bags are good.

Use a walking stick if you need one - and even better is a pair of walking poles if you walk well or, if you are very wobbly, a rollator.

DON'T climb on chairs to reach things - use a proper step stool if you must, preferably make sure the things you use a lot are easy to reach. 

Consider an alarm if you live alone - there are various sorts available. 

Keep a light by the bed - don't go wandering around the house in the dark!

https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/preventing-falls-topic-overview#1

Hello. Thank you for all that information i love my vegetables I don’t eat much fish though I don’t really like fish but I will give fish a try though. My doctor didn’t say what my T score was just said that I had osteoporosis and that I had a 1 in 5 chance of breaking a bone . Sometimes I think that it might have been better if I didn’t know that I has osteoporosis. I hope that your next delta scan is all that you hope for 😀and you have given me hope. Thank you for that.

thank you Eileen for all the information, My doctor didn’t tell me what my t- score was just said that I had osteoporosis and that I had a 1 in 5 chance of a break in a bone, actually he didn’t tell me he wrote me a letter and attached a prescription for some alandronic acid tablets. When I see him next I will ask him what my T- score is 

 That was just brilliant, concise and really helpful.  J

I believe no-one until I see the figures myself. 

Oops...” wouldn’t even consider “.....🤪

Oh goodness, I think you need a second opinion on taking it for life!

My understanding is that it doesn't go on being useful after 2-3 years!

 

See my post Sheila - new work has shown there can be severe rebound fractures in the first few months after stopping Prolia so it must be continued or replaced with AA.

Problem is the rebound effect where people who come off denosumab appear to then develop osteoporosis which has nothing to do with the original bone thinning, but is a direct result of having been on denosumab.  It was thought it could be taken for just a couple of years because the results it gave were so good, but the aftermath kind of undoes all that and a patient can be worse off.  If you take denosumab and discontinue it you have to take a different bone med to avoid the rebound osteoporosis.

Not only does it not continue being useful after a few years; there is growing evidence that the risk of some rather devastating side effects -- chief among them, sudden fracture of the thigh bone and osteonecrosis of the jaw (known as ONJ) -- increase with long-term use of the drug. If a drug can cause the very thing it's supposed to prevent (hip fracture) or a debilitating condition such as ONJ, then in my opinion its risk:benefit ratio is abysmal.

I agree and thank you.