Amazing DEXA scan result

[JenaWren]

About 3 years ago I was diagnosed with osteoporosis after breaking my pelvis in a cycling accident.

It was a huge shock at the time and tough to deal with.

I’ve just had another DEXA scan and I’ve improved hugely. I’m now firmly in the osteopenia range.

I’m so chuffed!

@JenaWren thats amazing news 💐❤️💐 did you make any changes to your lifestyle to improve the osteoporosis?

That's brilliant news! I have osteopenia - what did you do to improve your bone density?

Thank you both so much. I almost cried at the scan when they told me.

I took Alendronic Acid and went onto HRT. I do 2 hours of strength training a week. Take vitamin D and make sure I eat plenty of calcium.

Hip has gone from -2.6 to -2.1 and spine from -2.4 to -1.9.

I really wasn’t expecting that at all.

Do you mind adding your age?

Not at all. I was 54 when I was diagnosed. I’m 57 now.

Me too, any tips welcome. I’ve changed diet and take meds.

I have just had similar good news’s where my spine has improved from -3.1 to -2.5 in 3 years. I get an annual infusion, started HRT after diagnosis and stopped taking PPIs which I think caused the problem.

Was it the same machine?

I think it’s been a combination of everything I listed in my previous post.

I think the Alendronic Acid has probably got me out of the osteoporosis range but that the HRT and lifestyle changes will keep my bones healthier from now on (hopefully).

My advice would be to definitely add 2 hours a week of strength training, plus eat 3 portions of calcium rich food and a vitamin D tablet every day.

I would also say consider HRT for bone health if it’s appropriate for you. I didn’t even think about it until I was diagnosed.

@JenaWren do you know if they used the same machine to do both scans?

Sorry wings I don’t.

Well done OP. I had a DEXA scan about 20 years ago which showed osteopenia in my spine. GP started me on meds but I couldn't get on with them. In the meantime I took up yoga again. Next DEXA scan was normal! I hadn't realise bone was a living thing and repaired itself.

It's just I read different machines can give different readings, as they are all calibrated slightly differently which can affect your results.

Talking about calibrating - last time I got my Dexa done, I was measured using a very technical poster that had to stuck to the wall and I was told I had lost 1.5 inches in height. I was totally shocked - the scanner said she'd had quite a few women who were equally shocked. It really upset me, I just couldn't get my head around it, I hadn't noticed in my clothes but she said everyone shrinks especially people with osteoporosis.

3 months later I decided to check my height again using a Seca machine at the gym - it was a miracle I had grown 1.5 inches in 3 months! I had not shrunk, I've checked on other measurers and they confirm I had no loss in height - yet!

There may be some small variations in measurements between machines but the whole point of calibration is to ensure consistency. Any differences should be small and certainly shouldn't mean the difference between osteoporosis and osteopenia!

I’m so delighted to hear the other good news stories - milli and frey. I was certainly told information that was a lot less positive from my GP and ROS. The message was not to expect any significant improvement.

Delighted to hear you haven’t shrunk wings. The level of care sounds awful. I can’t believe they didn’t check. Spinal fractures are one of the things I’m most fearful of.

Same happened to me after 2 years on Alendronic Acid and I was tested both times on the same scanner.

That's fantastic!
I'm so pleased for you. It's great to see you can make it better. I really hope mines got better too. I had an horrific score of -4.7 when I broke my hip but was also desperately underweight.

I've recovered really well in the last few years so hoping I'll get a better score!

That's fantastic news!

What are PPIs?

Proton Pump Inhibitors - they reduce acid in your stomach which negatively affects nutrient absorption. Other antacids will have a similar effect but they are not as bad.

But a line has been drawn between osteopenia and osteoporosis it sits at a T score of - 2.5 doesn't it?

If you google "dexascan results from different machines" you'll see that calibration isn't consistent.

I tend to not get too caught up in the difference between osteoporosis and osteopenia and think of it as a spectrum.

The line is drawn at -2.5 as an indicator of where the benefits of drug treatment outweigh the risks. I don’t think that means there is a massive difference in risk between -2.4 and -2.5 though.

I think it’s hard to understand fracture risk. I don’t think there is a simple correlation between bone density and fracture risk.

My understanding is that some people with poor bone density don’t fracture while others with higher bone density do. No one is sure why although factors like muscle strength and flexibility play a part.

Equally, I’m not sure how to calculate the improvement I’ve seen and apply that as a percentage reduction in risk. i.e. how much less likely I am to fracture. I suspect the answer is that it’s not possible.

I’m going to give ROS a call and see if they can help and will update.

Nonetheless, I’m taking an improvement of -0.5 as a really significant improvement in bone density with a corresponding reduction in fracture risk.

Sorry that’s a bit long. I’d be interested in others’ views.

As promised just returning to this thread with an update in case helpful for others.

So there was a bit of drama when my GP felt the scan results weren’t as good as I had thought.

He referred me to a rheumatologist who was a bit confused as (his words) the improvement in bone density was “impressive”.

After my initial worry, the referral turned out to be really good and I’ve got some things to think about for ongoing management.

Two things I wanted to share as they might be useful for others:

1. He said that the big improvement was down to the combination of Alendronic Acid AND strength training. Medication alone won’t give the same benefit.
2. He recommends Zolendronic Acid over Alendronic Acid as it is a one off infusion that lasts 12-18months.

I’m going to keep on with the strength training and consider taking a drug holiday for a couple of years.

I've started paying for private scans from this company every other year:

https://osteoscanuk.com/

They do an ultrasound based scan and give you really detailed information about bone fragility and fracture risk, as well as bone density. It's more reliable than DEXA which is notoriously variable in its accuracy and can be affected even by small differences in how you are positioned, as well as operator skills.

I went there after a DEXA scan that gave me readings in adjacent vertebrae that were 1.2 points different, a variation of over 1 point between my two hips, and said I had lost 8% density in my spine but none in my hips. That simply isn't plausible.

Interesting @JenaWren my rheumatologist wasn’t a big fan of alendronic acid either - she said it wasn’t very effective and she refused to prescribe it. I had to see her privately, my first GP was clueless (his words) second one was very enthusiastic about alendronic acid, third one felt my numbers were nowhere near as bad as the 1st and 2nd GPs had suggested. I’m enjoying the gym - balancing, lifting, jumping and ensuring I am consuming enough protein. I feel like this is my best solution for a healthy body moving into my senior years. The drugs can wait.