Osteoperosis - Surprise

As you know I have Crohns for 45 years. During this time I have learned a lot (many times from this Forum) about medications and diet related advice. I have kept up with B12 shots, folic acid, Fish Oil, Curcumin and Ensure. I was taking Calcium but only 1 600mg a day.

I commute 3 hours round trip every day, I developed a pain in my hip that got worse every time I hit the freeway. 6 months later I went to the Dr and she ordered X-rays (no arthritis) and a bone density scan. This is one of the easiest tests: you don't even take your clothes off and it takes 5 minutes. Much to my surprise turns out I have Osteoperosis on my left hip, and index of -2.9 where -2.5 is the line for Osteoperosis.

After doing some research I find that Calcium(1500mg), Vitamin D3(1000mg), and Magnesium helps in slowing down bone loss. Too much calcium (people like me that go overboard in compensating a problem) will cause kidney stones.

My brother in law has a bad case of osteoperosis: He is 58 and was playing baseball and had his cleats dug into the grass, the ball come to his side and he twisted but the cleats did not move. He snapped his leg off the knee, just like that. They say that sudden twisting movements, even a golf swing, can cause the bones to snap.

My advice to all of you: if you are over 55 and particularly female, take the Bone Density test (I am 67), it may alert you to ongoing bone loss that you did not know you had ! Crohns has a way to mal absorb these nutrients and you may be high risk in getting one more thing.

38, you have the second half of life ahead of you...

The Doctor prescribed Alendronate (variation of Fosamax) which slows down the disease but does not stop it. These pills are only once a week, some are once a month. There are stronger medications given by infusion but the insurance company wants you to try the cheaper alternatives first. Besides, I already have Entyvio infusions every other month so will not be happy with yet another infusion. Alendronate irritates the esophagus, when you take it you need to remain upright and not eat anything for 30 minutes. If it makes Crohns worse the doctor will switch me to an infusion.

In many places they recommend bone loading exercises: essentially weight training with low weights, it stimulates bone activity. Most important are the exercises to avoid: Situps (the worst since they stress the back and hip), squats since they stress the spine to the extreme.

They recommended bench presses, curls, lat machine, flies. There are exercises like swimming and biking that do not put a load on the muscles and bones so they recommend that you do more of the others instead.

Here is a good article on these drugs:

http://nof.org/articles/22

Post Edited (Fernando) : 11/18/2015 2:59:49 PM (GMT-7)

You may want to do an Internet search on fosamax. I found some interesting material on drugwatch.com about lawsuits on this drug. My mom is having issues with her vision and jaw after it was prescribed for osteoporosis. She wasn't even on it very long and they took her off when she started having difficulty swallowing. Also check out lactoferrin. It is a natural supplement for treating bone loss. Even reading the reviews for the product on amazon was helpful for me.