The gold standard when it comes to testing for Osteroperosis is a noninvasive test called bone mineral density test. I had one of those in September, there was some concern about getting a proper reading because I had rods and screws in my back. The tech however seemed to think she was able to get an accurate reading despite the hardware. My results were sent onto Dr. Lau in Toronto. I just want to add that for those of us with compressed vertebrae a false reading is usually the case because the amount of bone in the area becomes larger than usual.
When the test results were back I saw my MD who wasn't surprised that I had a high reading. Bottom line he thought it was an inaccurate reading. My scores were better than a 21 year old woman. His explained that sometimes the scores are artificially high because of compression of the discs and vertebrae. We wondered if that or the hardware was skewing the scores.
Today we got some answers. Some, more to come later. He agreed the back scores could be dismissed as skewed. The hip had a proper reading however that showed arthritis but also showed a high score. So that one can't be explained away.
So what I learned today is that while the bone mineral density is a gold standard seeing the bone first hand as Dr. Fehlings did is the ultimate reading. I do have Osteroperosis in that area of my back, it was seen and touched and felt like sponge. It is possible however that is the only area of my body affected. There are other tests that can see if the body is making new bone as the old bone dies. They can also measure whether you are losing bone at a faster rate than you are replacing it. All of this is done through blood work. It is only available in select hospitals throughout the province and Toronto General is one of them. So off I went to have twelve vials of blood taken. I won't see him again until March and in the meantime I am to do weight bearing exercises.
The complication of sarcoidosis makes it dangerous for me to take vitamin D or calcium without the results of this blood work. It is possible I have an abundance of calcium and vitamin D and growing bone where I shouldn't be. This can cause such things as spinal stenosis. Hmmmmm. Is this where it came from in the beginning I wondered. Well, time will tell.
All of this is rather complicated because of my medical history, but for those of you without my history, please follow steps for bone health. It is a very important part to growing older with grace and movement.
As my friend Mary, a yoga instructor, reminded me. There are many fun ways to increase bone density such as doing yoga. Here is another brief but informative article about other ways to build it.
When the test results were back I saw my MD who wasn't surprised that I had a high reading. Bottom line he thought it was an inaccurate reading. My scores were better than a 21 year old woman. His explained that sometimes the scores are artificially high because of compression of the discs and vertebrae. We wondered if that or the hardware was skewing the scores.
Today we got some answers. Some, more to come later. He agreed the back scores could be dismissed as skewed. The hip had a proper reading however that showed arthritis but also showed a high score. So that one can't be explained away.
So what I learned today is that while the bone mineral density is a gold standard seeing the bone first hand as Dr. Fehlings did is the ultimate reading. I do have Osteroperosis in that area of my back, it was seen and touched and felt like sponge. It is possible however that is the only area of my body affected. There are other tests that can see if the body is making new bone as the old bone dies. They can also measure whether you are losing bone at a faster rate than you are replacing it. All of this is done through blood work. It is only available in select hospitals throughout the province and Toronto General is one of them. So off I went to have twelve vials of blood taken. I won't see him again until March and in the meantime I am to do weight bearing exercises.
The complication of sarcoidosis makes it dangerous for me to take vitamin D or calcium without the results of this blood work. It is possible I have an abundance of calcium and vitamin D and growing bone where I shouldn't be. This can cause such things as spinal stenosis. Hmmmmm. Is this where it came from in the beginning I wondered. Well, time will tell.
All of this is rather complicated because of my medical history, but for those of you without my history, please follow steps for bone health. It is a very important part to growing older with grace and movement.
As my friend Mary, a yoga instructor, reminded me. There are many fun ways to increase bone density such as doing yoga. Here is another brief but informative article about other ways to build it.
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