Well, crap. I’m having a really crappy (tired, stressed, headachy, grumpy) week, and this afternoon capped it off. Remember when my new/old doctor said I was probably fine, but prescribed a bone density scan, just to be on the safe side? Well, what with my parents’ visit and other business, I hadn’t gotten around to having that done yet. Today, while the kids were at their playground programs, I dashed by the new Sam’s Club that just opened this morning, just checking things out, and in between sampling the freebies (full-sized Good Humor bars!) and listening to pitches for blenders, I saw that they were doing health screenings. “Cholesterol and bone density,” the man said. Well, my cholesterol is fine, but I decided, on the spur of the moment, to let them put my foot in a little ultrasound thingy to see what was up.
“Well, do I have bones?” I joked with the woman operating the machine. She didn’t crack a smile.
“You have a T-score of -1.0,” she said. “You need to have at least 475 here, and you only have 468.” [Note: I can't find out what to what those numbers refer. Help?] “That puts you at medium risk for osteoperosis.”
Great.
Picked up a big, brand new bottle of calcium supplements. Apparently, my efforts to get enough calcium through food sources aren’t good enough. I feel ridiculous for trying now.
Somebody tell me a joke or something to cheer me up?
Oh, and as a bonus, though I haven’t mentioned it here until now, I just finally worked up the courage a moment ago (after my mom kindly pestered me) to call my dentist’s surgical office and get moving on the (argh) extraction that we discovered last week that I’ll be needing. Consult is scheduled for August 4th. My life = bloody awesome right now. 
Ahh, yes. The parents visit and they coerce you to take care of the things you’d really rather put off!
The T (and Z, for that matter) scores refer to standard deviations from the norm. Think bell curves. So your T score is borderline low (anything above -1 is considered normal). The tech/nurse was probably telling you the average/normal score and what you actually had. That’s the assumption I would make, anyway.
Hope that helps!
Hi, Carrie. I have low bone density as well and take lots of calcium supplements. It was discovered when I was a little younger than you. The first place “they” sent me was Curative at Froedtert, where I had a wonderful doctor who asked me 1000 times if I’d ever had an eating disorder or been a crazy athlete who skipped lots of periods, which would cause me to lose bone density. When I convinced her I hadn’t, they sent me to an osteoporosis doctor at Froedtert who said I actually have low peak bone mass and was NOT losing bone mass yet (phew!) but since my bones never got as dense as they should have, I will have a lower density to start from when I reach osteoporosis age. So I take the calcium, but also try to make other lifestyle changes like eating less meat. Weight lifting is tricky in my case, because that has been shown to help traditional osteoporosis which settles in your shoulders and upper back, but since my issue is all over my body it won’t be as helpful (I shouldn’t say it’s tricky, it’s wonderful for me like everyone else, it just won’t be a helpful in my case as in the case of a 60 woman who is starting to hunch over). I strongly suggest seeing an osteoporosis specialist who can really diagnose what’s going on in your body, which of course takes more than one bone scan over a long period of time to diagnose if you’re losing mass or just sitting at a lower-than-average density. BTW, I think one of my scores was -1 as well, and it’s not a catastrophe so don’t worry too much. Just worry enough to get the motivation to be healthy about it!
And if you’ll permit me to say a little more, be careful as not all calcium pills are created equal. See this:
http://www.healthcastle.com/calciumcarbonate-calciumcitrate.shtml
I just found that with a 10 second google search, I suggest you look around for more info.
Also, you can’t take lots and lots of calcium at once, so I try to take it with each meal. That’s problematic for me, as I’m also borderline anemic and calcium significantly reduces iron absorbtion. So if that’s a concern for you, talk to a doctor about it as well.
Maggie
Okay, one last thing. The first doctor I spoke with after learning of my lower than average scores prescribed me Fosomax, assuming I was losing bone density. Even though I was a young “osteoporosis” patient, my doctor just treated me like everyone else. Turns out Fosomax stays in your system for up to 7 years after you stop taking it, and it causes BIRTH DEFECTS!! That’s why no one ever prescribes it to women of childbearing age.
Needless to say, that doctor is not my internist anymore. Thank god for the people at Froedtert that I consulted for a second opinion. So be sure you’re getting age-appropriate advice.
Oh that is very sad Carrie
I’d be curious to know how long it takes to get your bones into that kind of condition. Could it have happened since running? OR just some teenage years on?
I can’t remember now why your Dr even though to check your bone density at your young age (were you having pain?)
It’s hard to believe with how well you eat and the strength training.
However, I suppose the silver lining is finding out about it now, not in 15 years. . .
*hugs*
I remembered the name of the doc at Curative, Anne Zeni-Hoch (sp?). She specializes in young women athletes and their specific medical conditions, so I think she’d be a great place for you to start.
I know this may not be popular opinion but:
You may have actually been healthier before you lost weight. I realize that weight gain brings its own set of health-related issues. And I admire the dedication with which you have lost the weight.
BUT…
you didn’t have cycle issues or bone-density concerns back then.
Have you ever considered putting some of the weight back on? It won’t help the bone issues, granted. But it might take care of the missed period situation.
Just a thought.
Hannah – I honestly have no idea. My bones may always have been low-density; I’ve never had a scan before. I do know that I probably have had an extremely poor calcium intake since college; I stopped drinking milk almost entirely, for one thing.
Only reason we even thought about checking now is the cycle issue.
Ashley – I’ve thought about putting back on some of the weight, but honestly, the most effective way I could think to do it right now would be to cut back on the running, since I’m eating enough to fuel for that (which can be a lot!). I really don’t want to do that! For now, I’m going to focus on getting more good fats and whatnot. I don’t know that the bone issue is a new one, like I told Hannah; the only thing I *know* is new is the amenorrhea. The bones could have been damaged when I began eating crappily in college (the soda intake alone was ghastly!)
Alie and Maggie – thank you for all your input! It’s very helpful! Right now we’re with All Saints, so I guess I’ll have to see how much I can work with them…
Laura – And I try to picture myself someday, coercing the boys to do the same.
Carrie,
Thanks for responding to my post. I was scared I’d tick you off with the suggestion (which definitely wasn’t my intent)!
I am with ya sister. We have had sick kids, fever and maybe pnemonia but they aren’t sure and stitches in our faces. No swimming. No trips the park. Just sitting in this house day in and day out trying to get well. It totally stinks.