I/m a new member from England. After an accident earlier this year I was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis and fractures to upper and lower vertebrae. . I am now having digestive problems which I find difficult to cope with. Anyone in the Community like to share their experiences of similar symptoms and how they are coping? I would welcome any words of comfort from our American cousins. Greetings across the miles.
Hello in England! I didn't understand from your post whether the digestive problems are associated with medication or are related to your osteoporosis in some other way. Sorry. Can you tell us a little more?
I may have a similar situation. I fell in 2001 and broke 2 vertebrae (compression fractures). Upon further investigation it was found that I have severe osteporosis. It was quite a shock as I am a male and was 61 at the time. I had never broken a bone in my body before that. But my spine density was -4.7. I've been on Fosamx since then, but the bone density has only gone up to -3.7, but at least that is in the red area and not below. I'm 2 inches shorter since the fall but lead an active life. We moved to the country where I'm very active physically. I cut down trees and cut them up for firewood. I have a large garden and lawn. Most of our 7 acres is on a steep hillside and I keep the brush cut and the grass cut. The only thing that I don't do is lift anything over about 40 lbs. Life has been good since then. The one thing that gets to me is that now I'm shorter than my wife. We used to be the same height before the fractures.
So give yourself time. The pain will go away.
I've heard that now there is a procedure for "reinflating" the compressed vertebrae. It wasn't available in 2001 unless in was "consistent pain after healing".
Ron
Dear Brownback,
I am new to this site and thought your situation sounded similar to mine regarding digestive problems after an injury. My injury was not a fracture but torn cartilage in my knee for which surgery was required. Now my other knee has the same problem (it was not injured however) and am due in March for surgery. My digestive problems started within a week after my knee injury and continued on for 4 months. All the while I had a colonoscopy which was normal (with the exception of the biopsy reflecting microscopic inflamation). I declined getting on prescription medication as Immodium every few days was helping. I was negative for gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, parasites and viral. In Dec., I had my annual follow-up with my osteoporosis M.D. and she was alarmed with the digestive situation along with my knee problems. Turns out my Vitamin D levels were dangerously low (around 12). Normal is 39-100. She has had me on 50,000 i.u. a week for the last month and will continue that for one more month until she rechecks the levels. Having said this, my gastric problems have greatly improved. I now have issues about once every 10 days whereas I was having problems 5 to sometimes 10 times a day. I couldn't work, socialize or do anything!! About that same time, I started taking a probiotic once a day to help stabilize the good bacteria in my gut. So, I truly believe that the combination of Vitamin D and probiotic has been instrumental in getting back to some normalcy.
Hope this is helpful for you.
Kelley
Your digestive problems could come from several possibilities.
1. As the vertebral bodies fracture, they can collape/fracture in several manners -- squashing down on the verteba below -- or wedging so that the anterior or front (towards the belly) height is shorter the posterior or rear height and other ways to lose height overall.
When sitting, the forces on the anterior portions of the vertebrae are 4X the force compared to leaning back into extension. That is why we don't like to see forward bending. Those who do so in the face of low bone scores court fractures. And one VF leads to another and another.
Some overall height loss is natural as we age -- the intervertebral discs -- cushions between the discs -- lose their oomph -- like bed pillows do -- this loss could amount to 1-2 inches, BUT the height loss from VFs (vertebral fractures) is more -- my own mother lost over 12" from a height of 5'6" in her 20's.(This is the most that I have heard of in my many years of involvement with osteoporosis.)
With the flexion deformity created by this anterior collapse of the vertebrae, we get "the hump".
Medical term is dorsal hyperkyphosis. Dorsal means thoracic or chest area. Hyperkyphosis means abnormal curve of the upper back., with the trunk bent forward. Associated with this is a forward head -- jutted forward -- head thrown back on the neck so as to see forward. This causes problems with the neck. Shoulders are now rolled forward and pulled on abnormally by gravity -- hips are bent forward by the trunk's forward flexion -- hips get tight -- center of balance becomes smaller so as to make one more tippy -- along with smaller steps and shuffling along -- all this makes one more apt to fall and BREAK A HIP or wrist or whatever,. SO -- you see, preventing a vertebral fracture is the first line of defense with osteoporosis management. That is why we physical therapists and others dealing with body mechanics and exercise urge people NOT to bend from the waist.
We get plenty of flexion (bending) in daily life -- extensors -- the muscles that stand us up and keep us UP -- suffer in the face of the postural changes with vertebral fractures. These valuable muscles get weak from the ongoing overstretching as the anterior/flexor muscles get tightened.
This situation -- without change for the better -- worsens the curve in the back -- strains the extensor muscles caususing chronic pain and fatigue -- and compresses and crowds the internal organs -- limiting lung capacity, digestion, etc.
Dr. Frank Netter a marvelous medical artist of many years ago drew a wonderful drwing that compoared the progression of side views of a woman's body from her "prime time"with good posture over the years as she shrunk and curved her way to the deformities of bone loss.
Not a pretty picture but it demonstrates with about six views the progression of her posture.
2. Another possibility was mentioned by one of respondents to you original message -- namely your medications.
3. Also your calcuium supplement, if you take one. Calcium carbonate, the most common and cheapest form, can produce gas and constipation.
4. Being sure of your Vit D3 levels is important as well.
There are other possibilities which may or may not be linked to OP.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation has a Bone Tool Kit available for download (54 pp) that has lots of information in it. Try to obtain this -- read it -- and discuss yout concerns with your medical caregivers. This is how you -- and they, too -- can be more informed about your care.
Good Luck!
Lucy Buckley PT
Greetings to our English cousin!
With the fracture collapse of some of your vertebrae, your chest is under greater pressure as are your internal organs, such as the stomach. This interferes with digestion. Just think of all your insides squahed into a smaller container. No wonder the abdomen protrudes! It's the presure of the bent forward upper back on your insides. My poor mom (who lost over 12" of height in 10 years) had her large bowel up in her chest cavity. The diaphragm had deteriorated so much it could not contain the intestines in the lower abdomen. Of course, her breathing was very much curtailed. {Poor woman! she did live 15 more years, dying at 94.)
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