Anyone been on a clinical trial for osteoporosis?

Hello, Teresa. I know it isn't repeated athletic moves. I'm suspecting that I'm spending too much time on the computer. At my age with everything in our building shut down, I'm getting no exercises except walking the halls or outside on a good day.

@cldmeyers A very beautiful picture.
Wow! you have a lot of pain to deal with. I tripped and fell in Sept 2018 and landed on my left side out in our enclosed carport that has a cement floor. .. used for freezers, extra fridge and junk.. Most people put their hands out automatically. .. I guess to break the fall. I wrapped my right hand and arm as tightly as I could around my left ribs. I had open thoracic/abdominal surgery in May of 2015. They had to crack one rib and cut another to get to my lung to basically pull it off my ribs where my intestines had shoved it and collapsed my lung. I was used to guarding my ribs. My left hip took the worst of it, then my shoulder and knee,, and I think I broke my left little toe again. My 90 year old mom could not help me... her dog barked trying to get my husband's attention outside, but he could not hear over whatever tool he was using at the time. I managed to pull myself up with the help of a shower stool that was beside me. To my amazement I could walk. I walked around for a few minutes making sure everything was moving and showed my mom I was okay. My husband came in later and asked why I was limping. I did not think I needed the emergency room and made an appointment with my doctor for the next day and had my brother come stay with my mom. My doctor only ordered x-rays of my hip and back. No breakages and the hardware in my back was in place. It took a several months for the strained muscles and bruises to heal. I walked as I could. I did nothing any more strenuous than the laundry for a few weeks. .. had to have help with it sometimes. I have osteopenia and have had a back fracture before... from getting something from the back of the lower cabinet. So high risk for fracture.

Be patient with your healing. It may take some time. Try to walk when you can and maybe some stretching exercises. I have a kitchen window sill that is the right height for me to place my hands to balance and stretch my ham strings. When my shoulder is up to it I do a type of pushup there. You can use a kitchen counter too. . or a chair. Just something stable though. I have rolled a play-ball up and down the wall. Just because we are inside more doesn't me we cannot exercise. Just choose something that will mainly stretch your muscles and tendons right now. Cans are great weights. .. good for the arm muscles. If it hurts don't do it!! If it is just a sore feeling you are okay.

I had thumb surgery back in January on my right (dominate) thumb.. bone on bone arthritis at base of thumb. The surgeon removed the bone and did a tightrope procedure with it. I did not get to finish my physical therapy. I am doing exercises at home for it. .. just winging it.. if it hurts too much I stop. It sounds like you have trigger thumb. The thumb I just had surgery on is doing the triggering some. Mostly when the arthritis in the joint nearest the nail bed swells. I had one injection in it and it helped for about a month. I am holding off for now on another injection. I like to spread injections like that out further than drs do. They can do damage if you have a lot of them. She said she injects 3 times and if the triggering continues she recommends surgery. The surgery takes about 10 minutes and causes no extra pain. I've had it done on this same hand on my ring finger. The pain block numbed it for a several hours and I had no pain afterward. .. and I could use it.

One time I had a swelling behind my knee and dr said it was a baker's cyst. It went away. Another time hurting there and he had an ultra sound done to check for blood clot and all was fine. It could be a blockage that a more in depth ultra sound would show. Going to a specialist.. which the name escapes me now .. might help in figuring it out.

I had just finished physical therapy for my foot when I had the fall. I had neuroma surgery on my right foot in 2012. At the end of 2016 that foot started hurting again. The podiatrist I was using would put an injection in and say come back in so many weeks. Then another injection and he would say same thing except if not better I will order an MRI after the next time I decided to go to an orthopedist that specialized in feet. He did an awful injection and I decided I would just ask around and find a podiatrist in another town. I asked my friend who is a nurse. Nurses tend to have foot problems. She had seen the podiatrist and was pleased with him. I saw him and of course I got another injection that was of no help, but he went ahead and ordered a MRI and it showed a small neuroma. He recommended physical therapy. It took me several month of hobbling to get to this point. I went to where he referred me in my hometown. The lady I saw said she really did not know anything about foot physical therapy, but she knew who did. It happened to be a physical therapist that I used many times. An old friend. He used a few torture tools and the ultra sound. The most effective was the needles with a tens machine attached... electric dry needling. This site shows how it is done. It did not hurt me at all.

Wow! I certainly understand your life. I always thought I would use my hands, but nothing has ever happened so fast. I was up, then flat on my side. I've had a laminectomy also. Lots of injections, but won't do that again. Never helped for a long enough time. I had the surgery at the base of my left thumb, the one I'm wearing a brace on. I had been in pt since October for my patelofemoral syndrome, and the fall undid all that. I'm grateful that I didn't damage my right knee replacement. I just want to get the strength in my legs and knees back. We're living in a senior community, and are on shut down. I have a phone appointment with my general practitioner, and I'm going to discuss a pain management specialist and a chiropractor. Will be an interesting conversation. Thanks for sharing your story.

@billie3, @kellyhahn1, Good afternoon. I am very interested in the TCM. I also found a link to Qiang GuYin. Didn't quite know what I was reading and would like to know more. Please direct me. Thanks @billie3.
https://www.mdlinx.com/journal-summaries/postmenopausal-osteoporosis/2017/05/11/7143992/

Hi! You mentioned that you went to Mayo for a 2nd opinion and now get a once yearly infusion of Reclast. But then you said that you will get the final of 3 infusions in May. Why 3 if you get just one a year? If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been on Reclast? My older sister was on Reclast for 3 yrs. I think it was 3 yrs. She then had a density test and was told how well her bone density improved. She went off of Reclast for 2 yrs. Had another density test & was then told the density of her bones were terrible- so porous. Bottom line, she's back to "square one". I wish there was a way that Reclast or any osteo med would do the job for us while taking them for 3 or 4 yrs and then our bone structure would stay strong and our bone remodeling would continue to be balanced and maintained while the meds are discontinued, but, unfortunately I don't think that's how it works. Also, it's my opinion that there are hidden or unreported side effects of ANY med.
Please reply when you can. Thank you so much.

Thank you. I am considering going on a medication for osteoporosis and I will check further how long you need to be on it. Or is it the case that once we are on an osteo medication we are on for the long haul? I hope not!
MsLN1

Hello @msln1 and welcome to Connect. And good day to you @billie3. Thanks for joining the discussion with @msln1. My thoughts are based on my experience over the last 3 years and what I have learned from other members on Connect.

I sometimes wonder if we are being shoved and pushed into participation in Osteoporosis medications by overly protective providers who want to make sure that we all can rely on some help with the aging issue of bone density failure. There are those of us who stick with exercise and natural treatments. Then there are those of us who work with a PCP or endocrinologist who helps select a medication based on the status of Dexa Scans and other medical investigations. And then there are those like me who never had a clinician mention osteoporosis until I turned 78 years old and was floundering from the beginning.

At first, I struggled with an initial monthly bisphosphonate which resulted in rather frightening side effects, and was forced to stop that Rx. My next challenge was to jump on the bandwagon with the newer bone-building medications which after two years had run their course and I was told that my only choice was Prolia which after a year was becoming a bit frighteing. After requesting a consultation at Mayo Clinic I discovered that based on my scan scores there was no reason for me to even start osteoporosis medication of any variety when I did.

In addition, it was also determined that my side effects were likely to be caused by twice-a-year injections which forced too much medication in my body at each injection, causing noticeable side effects. My clinician felt that if I had been prescribed a medication in pill formation that could be taken every week, I would never have such a heavy dose in my body and be free of side effects. That is what I chose to do and I am very satisfied with the results.

So @msln1, my best message to you is to take your time, engage an excellent specialist and follow the medical research. I am happy to share my journey with you if you think it has value.

Does this sound like an option that would help you decide on how to begin your journey?

May you both have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

Chris,
I found the information about choosing a weekly dose as opposed to a monthly or yearly dose very interesting. I will pose that question to a rheumatologist at my first appointment. My worst DEXA score was one -2.7 at the femoral neck. All other scores were better than a -2.5. One doctor felt that it was marginal osteoporosis. I’m hesitant to begin getting any treatments unless it seems absolutely necessary. Thank you for your informative post.

Would you please tell me the weekly medication that was prescribed for you.
Thank you

Hi there @bruceandruth1970 .....nice to see your names again. The medication is Alendronate. It is a biphosphonate just like the Boniva which was my first Rx and gave me such a horrible beginning to this journey. However, with the dosage calendar changes, there are no side effects. Good luck to you. Isn't knowledge powerful? Who would have thought about or even questioned dosages and frequencies?

Good luck to you. Let me know how things work out for you. BTW....my Dexa scores were like -1.6 or -1.7 in the hip areas. I didn't know those were possibly osteopenia, not osteoporosis.

My best....Chris