Hi ladies,
I'm 46 and my mum is 79. Osteoarthrisits runs in our family and my mum has recently had a stay in hospital as she has multiple fractures due to her osteoarthritis: her sternum, her ribs, several vertebrae and her pelvis. She didn't fall or anything, but she is covered in small hairline fractures and is in a lot of pain due to the loss of bone density. I want to raise awareness of this, as it's so important that we are all aware of how important it is to have enough Vitamin D, calcium and weight-bearing exercise as we hit those middle years. My gran had it too and it's always been in the back of my mind, but my mum's recent fractures has brought it home to me that we all need to be aware of this and taking care of ourselves in a preventative way rather than waiting for a problem. My mum has never bothered with exercise and I hope that I will be able to do enough to prevent fractures in later life. My mum is being cared for by district nursing and has pain management, but she is currently housebound and can no longer drive, so the loss of independence has hit hard. No need to comment, just wanted to share to raise awareness - especially as we are all on course to live longer! xxx