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Posted 3/31/2008 6:38 PM (GMT 0)
hi there- I just got back from a check-up with my regular doctor- he wants me to get a bone scan due to all the steroids I've been on. All the docs I've seen, GI & not, recommend one- but for some reason I keep blowing them off. Have any of you had this done? i know the procedure is no big deal, & part of the reason I don't want one is because I don't want to take any other meds if the scan shows deterioration. So how many of you have had this done, & what were the results? Are you taking any meds for osteopenia? Did you get it from being on & off pred? I've only done 3-4??? pred courses, probably been on the 'roids a good year in total.
Posted 3/31/2008 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, bone density scans are super important. My first showed osteopenia of the spine. My second showed osteopenia of the hip and spine. My GP did prescribe Actonel, which I don't take. I'm afraid of some of it's side effects, including issues with dental work. My total time on pred is around 18 months. That was in two nine month shots. I didn't know the benefits of taking extra calcium while on pred.

The test is super easy. It's a good thing to have a baseline scan so you know what you're up against.
Posted 3/31/2008 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
I had a bone density scan done and it showed osteopenia of spine and hip. I haven't taken any meds for it. I've been able to get into remission for the most part and have combatted the bone thinning effects with weight bearing exercise, primarily heavy weight training. My last scan showed everything was back in normal ranges. You DO need to have it done to see where things stand. The scan is not invasive at all.
Posted 3/31/2008 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
One thing that is concerning is the medication can cause GI problems....as if we needed any thing else. I have a scan last week and I have osteopenia in the spine.  PCP and GI docs are trying to decide what if any meds I need to take.
Posted 3/31/2008 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
The bone density test was the easiest and coolest test I ever took! I have never been on pred but I was on steroid enemas for about a year. That's why my primary wanted me to have the BD test. I had no bone loss which is good and you can watch the scan as it goes over your body - well depending on where you're laying that is. It took about 15 mintues.
Posted 3/31/2008 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
I had my first one a few weeks back.

they say that you should have one if you have been on pred for more than 3 months. This time around i've been on for a year. (better than the three on and off last big flare) but my scan was normal. They said I looked very good. I have made sure to be getting extra calcium, potassium, and general vitamins while on steroids.

All i had to do was lay on a table. it's not even an xray really it uses lasers. It took all of 2 minutes. the tech said i should come back in two years with the amount of steroids i've been on.
Posted 3/31/2008 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
I had a density scan done a couple yrs ago due to recurrent pain in left hip. My internist & gastro wanted to rule out any bone loss from steroid use in the past, including a 3-month course of Pred & several rounds of Cortenemas. The scan took about 15 minutes on the table-- with about 3 shifts in position required to get at both hips & spine. I sort of felt like a hunk of meat at the supermarket check-out, having that scanner pass back & forth over my bod! Kind of creepy! My results were o.k.; I always drink lactose-free milk & otherwise try to keep up my calcium/vit D intake to protect bones. Best thing about this procedure was that my insurance covered it 100% -- hurray! / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])
Posted 4/1/2008 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
I have an appt. to have a bone density scan next week. I've never had one before either. My GP and my old GI said I didn't need one, even after I had an ultrasound that showed I had osteopenia (My GP said a scan wouldn't be accurate for me since I was still young and the GI said that it wouldn't matter because at my age, 24, I am already losing bone density and there's no way to recover it...ummm..). But the GI at Mayo wants me to get one, and I"m happy, because I wanted one but couldn't get any doc. to order it for me!
Posted 4/1/2008 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
My husband had one and definitely has osteopena from the prednisone. On Fosamax once a week and has gotten back to exercising a little more regularly so hopefully it will be reversed in due time.

What is nice is being able to be pro-active with this so why not have the test done so you can deal with it accordingly is my thought. Much better to know so you can do something to reverse it.

Now if there was only a simple way to try to reverse this DD.
Posted 4/1/2008 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
i had one done last summer becuase i was on pred for 6 months ( i wonder if they will have me do another one for being on pred for 4 months this year?) It was a super simple thing, all i did was show up and layed on a table. And it didn't show anything but it made me very nervous before taking it. But it ended up being nothing at all!
Posted 4/1/2008 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
well, I made an appt. for the scan in a couple weeks- I know it's a simple non-invasive procedure, which will be nice after all the super-invasive scopes! I suppose I should be more proactive re. bone loss, & I do eat tons of calcium, so I'm hoping it won't show anything.

Posted 4/1/2008 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Good Eva - peace of mind if nothing else will be a relief rather than thinking about it in the back of your mind.
Posted 4/2/2008 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
I think I have a few extra aches and pains from the prednisone. I wonder if it could be a bone density issue.
Posted 4/2/2008 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
I've only been on Pred 3x for a total of about 10 months and I had early stages of osteopenia at 36 years old! It's something that is reversible if caught early so I would get the bone density done ASAP. I had no GI side effects from Fosamax and both my GI and OB/GYN said that after taking it for a year to a year and a half I would probably reverse the osteopenia (if I don't end up on Pred again!).
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