Last week I was received this diagnosis and I must say it came as a bit of shock! I guess I have just kept my head in the sand where this is concerned, but I just never thought I would have osteoporosis. Yes, my mother had it quite severely, but my lifestyle is totally different from the way she lived. She smoked, ate poorly, was on Synthroid for years, wasn't a walker, very slight weight/bones, and other than being petite those other things don't apply to me.
I scheduled a bone density scan because it is one of the wellness tests that Medicare will cover, (once every 24 months I think), and I have been gradually doing some of the recommended testing. So when I got the results of this test I was told I had some thinning in the left hip, but osteoporosis in the spine. This was just a call from my nurse practitioner's office relaying the test results so I haven't actually talked with her yet. The person calling did tell me they had already sent the prescription in for Fosamax for me. This is what my mother took and ended up with a broken hip after falling from a seated position, one of the side effects of Fosamax. Plus other side effects it has, makes me not keen about taking it.
I think my plan of action right now is to first meet with my nurse practitioner and see how bad the results are. Is there very little thinning, or advanced? And if it is in early stages, maybe take a year of doing things like increasing my walking, strength training, Vitamin D, etc. and then have a recheck. That sounds reasonable to me, so I will see what she has to say.
Have you been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and if so what treatment have you chosen to follow? I would welcome comments, advice and experience you may have had. Thanks.