I recently went for a bone density scan on hips and back and it came back as my hips were great for a 26 year old which i am, and my lower back was that of a 86 year old.
What i been thinking about and i cannot get a answer from my doctor is that....
when i was bout 8 I had a small fall from a shead roof, and landed on to my back on paving slabs which made steps up in to the house. this didnt seem that bad as first thought, apart from being winded. This later turned out to be slightly worse, when i had an ex-ray when i was 12 i found out that i had crushed 3 vertibrae in my lower back, which is now being picked up on the bone scan. I have only just been diagnosed with having OI after only a DNA test could say weather i have or havent got it, I believe that i ma just a carrier for this as I havent had many serious broken bones.
Does anyone else think that I have got Osteoporosis or not after this fall?
Please let me know what you think.
Many thanks
Chris
Already a member? Sign in
Welcome to Inspire!
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
Bone Density.
- By waughie
- Posted September 3, 2009 at 7:50 am · 14 replies
- In Diagnosing osteoporosis
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Exercise Hyperparathyroidism Osteogenesis imperfecta Pain Fractures Osteoporosis
14 replies
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- By Mana808
- Posted September 3, 2009 at 11:56 am
- Report post
My suggestion would be to get a copy of your bone density test and then seek out another doctor - one who has expertise in osteoporosis. It's important to know your Z-score for your hip and the Z-score for your spine. If there's a major discrepancy between those scores it should be investigated and explained as to why the discrepancy exists.
- By millie123
- Posted October 6, 2009 at 8:11 am
- Report post
Let me get this right, now. Do you have osteoporosis or do you have osteogenesis imperfecta? Two different animals.
- By waughie
- Posted October 6, 2009 at 3:47 pm
- Report post
I have OI but the doctors are trying to say that i have Oesteoporosis as well :S which im finding hard to believe.
- By millie123
- Posted October 6, 2009 at 4:35 pm
- Report post
If you're 26 and haven't had one fracture after another all of your life, if you're not in a wheelchair and/or breaking bones when you sneeze, I doubt you have OI...or it's a hugely mild case of it. What are your dexa scores?
- By waughie
- Posted October 7, 2009 at 2:56 am
- Report post
My father nor brother are in wheel chairs although they have in past broke one bone normally after another without sneezing and they have sever OI.
at the moment i do not know what my dexa scores are, i was meant to be going for another done density scan in nov but this has been re-arranged for january 2010.
as soon as i know my dexa score ill let you know.
- By millie123
- Posted October 7, 2009 at 8:15 am
- Report post
Do. I'm just learning about OI. Accidentally picked up a novel by Jodi Picoult called HANDLE WITH CARE. I'm in the process of reading it now. If your father and brother have OI, you may very well have it. But I'm a little confused. Did you have a DNA test which says that you have a defective gene that triggers this? I'm assuming that's the case. But did you also get all the blood and urine tests to rule out other secondary causes, such as hyperparathyroidism and vitamin D deficiency? I'm not a doctor, but I wouldn't assume that a fall caused osteoporosis. Many perfectly healthy people fall and break bones every day. Obviously, presently your hips are okay, but your lower spine is showing low bone density. Remember that dexa scans cannot measure flexibility, just low bone mineral density. I would work on finding secondary causes, on diet and mild exercise. Go to a website called Tone Your Bones. It's the website of the osteoporosis center at the University of Alabama. Click on the exercises section and find out what exercises NOT to do to prevent compression fractures. Then read as many discussions as you can in which Mother Goose or Sarah Meeks get involved in the discussion. There's also a doctor named James Webb who occasionally posts on this forum. He's a rheumatologist in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has another website which might be helpful. Then add as a friend Sequoia Health and read all of his posts. This is a hugely good forum. I wish you the best :).
- By Loods
- Posted October 7, 2009 at 1:42 pm
- Report post
Hi Waughie,
I was born with Osteogenesis imperfecta and I also have osteoporosis, so yes, you can get both. In fact 98% of people born with O.I. go on to get osteoporosis.
I guess already having poor quality bone leads its way towards osteoporosis.
There are many types of O.I. and some people fracture throughout life and others only occasionally. It varies in severity from someone who is normal size, walks and only occasionally fractures (type 1) to someone who uses a wheelchair, restricted in height with severe disfigurement and may have as many as 100 fractures (type 3). Myself I am type 4, somewhere in between - it is all very complicated!!!
The American O.I. site has loads of information as does our British web site on having osteoporosis as well as O.I.
I have also just bought the book by Jodi Picoult, which I have to say has mixed reviews with british O.I. sufferers. I look forward to reading it.
- By sdivas
- Posted October 7, 2009 at 2:28 pm
- Report post
Jodi PIcoult is one of my favorite authors, but living with a disease is very different from reading a fiction book about a disease. And Picoult books always have a twist at the end to surprise readers, but maybe the book brought some awareness to the disease. Sandi
- By millie123
- Posted October 7, 2009 at 4:50 pm
- Report post
I haven't finished the book, but it did wake me up to realize this is a brand new disease for me. And of course I don't consider the words in a novel as medically significant. There's such a thing as poetic license. The interesting part of the book is the controversy that arises over a lawsuit and how it affects all of the people involved. I'm absolutely sure that Loods is an expert on the disease itself. I'm certainly not. But I THOUGHT there was another OI patient on this forum. I just could not remember who it was. Thanks for posting, Loods.
- By bettyrenshaw
- Posted October 7, 2009 at 9:55 pm
- Report post
sounds like it is OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA
born with too easily breakable bones ''too soff or too hard?''
I TOO, HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT BY NAME, BUT NOW WITH THIS DISCUSSION-- I KNOW THAT HAVE SEEN IT.. FOR INSTANCE THE TV SERIES OF THE 'LITTLE' PEOPLE?
I HATE TO REFER TO THE SHOW AS THAT, BUT IT IS NAMED VIA SOME REFERENCE TO THEIR HEIGHT / SIZE?
HAD ONE NOT SPELLED IT OUT--THEN I WOULD HAVE ASSUMED THE 'O' STOOD FOR OSTEOPOROSIS~
AND BOY, THEY DISSECTED IT VERY WELL RIGHT HERE.
STILL THE ORIGINAL QUESTION==OF THIS DISCUSSION, HAS NOT BEEN ANSWERED.
SHE HAD THE FALL,AND TOO SOON SHE HAD MORE INDICATIONS OF DAMAGE THAT CERTAINLY COULD HAVE BEEN TO YOUNG GROWING , HEALTHY BONES..-IN ABOUT THAT 4 yr DELAY OF TIME==RE TURNED TO THE LIGHT ..
UNTIL l that time, she was a growing, unaware child=-on her own [to understand ing pain] , and, may have assumed that- all the time her nagging --some-sort of pain -- was natural/. you would think there was pain!
THAT came to me as she described her early life
WHAT do we know--of anything out side of our own experience? WHAT DID SHE HAVE TO COMPARE THIS WITH? NOTHING --- IT WAS HERS.
I SAY==IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT HER BODY BUILT AROUND THAT INJURY ALL THAT TIME.
- By Loods
- Posted October 8, 2009 at 5:13 am
- Report post
Osteogenesis Imperfecta is a genetic condition which at present there is no cure for. In most cases of the condition the cause of 'imperfections' in the bone formation is a mutation of type 1 collagen. These collagens are the major protein in bones and provide both strength and structure for their framework. It also affects both skin and muscle to a lesser degree.
A person is born with the condition. In my case I was born with both arms and legs broken and it was thought I would not live past 5 years old. Fortunately I have faired far better than that, although sadly many people with the severest form do die prematurely.
I actually went to the Brittle Bone Convention (O.I.) in Britain last weekend and many of the lovely people we met had had over 100 broken bones, which can be very disabling. As I said in my previous post it varies enormously and many people with this condition will never walk because their bones are too fragile. I am very small 3ft 9in and have never been able to walk, but we met many who were even more petite at around 2ft 9in! Those we did meet had enough personality to out way their size!!
It is well worth 'googling' Osteogenesis Imperfecta and looking at the various sites because they give a much better insight on this complicated condition than I ever could!
At the end of the day whether it is O.I. or osteoporosis we all know the pain of a broken bone and can therefore support each other!
Kind regards Loods
- By millie123
- Posted October 8, 2009 at 8:00 am
- Report post
You're not small, Loods. You're a giant. See how you've educated us right here :). By the way, I finished reading the book last night. I'd love to hear what you think of it when you've finished reading. It's amazing what we can learn on this site. Just in the past week, I've encountered OI and another collagen problem disease called Ehlers Danlos Type III. Someone has a son with that disease who has now been diagnosed with osteoporosis, too. Do you know anything about that one?
- By Loods
- Posted October 8, 2009 at 8:42 am
- Report post
Hi Millie,
I am glad you enjoyed the book, I shall definitely report back when I have read it. It looks to be a good read. Some of the parents we met at the weekend said it was so true to life it made them cry. Maybe that is why some people with O.I. found it hard to read.
As far as Ehlers Danlos Type III is concerned I am afraid I am totally ignorant, but I intend to educate myself and see what it says on the internet. I am always amazed by the many different types of conditions there are and it was only recently (probably on this site) that I had even heard of this one.
Although no one chooses to have a condition it often makes for an interesting life. I'm sure I wouldn't have met so many amazing people had I been born without a disability.
Kind regards Loods
Add to the discussion