1. < Osteoporosis & Bone Health

Anyone progress from osteoporosis to osteopenia?

Posted by debbik @debbik, Nov 17 6:58am

Being new to this site, I’m enjoying all the info out there on your experiences with osteoporosis. Has anyone been diagnosed with osteoporosis and been able to gain bone density to the point of osteopenia, or better. I’m 65, have osteoporosis, and each bone density it gets worse. I’ll admit I need to step up with exercise, and make changes to diet. But would love to hear from anyone who has positive changes and specifically what you did to achieve them. Thank you!

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thisnthat | @thisnthat | Nov 18 12:46pm

Hey debbik,
Please feel free to private message me if you want more info. Be forewarned that it does take a lot of commitment & consistency to get the results you want. (Probably helps to be a tad compulsive!). In addition, I think an investment in a low intensity vibration platform worked for me, together with a bountiful supply of supplements, slight dietary changes, and bHRT. But maybe I was just 🍀 lucky!

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1 reply
kper | @kper | Nov 18 1:43pm
In reply to @thisnthat "Hi debbik, Welcome to the club, I guess — though none of us really want to..." + (show)
@thisnthat

Hi debbik,
Welcome to the club, I guess — though none of us really want to be here!
I have posted here before, but here goes anyway. Like you, my DEXA numbers were steadily declining. I chose to stick my head in the sand. With so many other health issues going on, it seemed to be the easiest thing to do. Then at age 68, I had a whopping 8.8% decrease in my Spinal T-score: -3.0! Full blown osteopenia in the Femoral neck: -2.2, and -2.0 in the Total hip. Wake up call!
My rheumatologist was pushing the medical model, the OP drugs. Kind of rolled his eyes when I said let me try a more natural way first. The side effects of the drugs frankly scared me, although if all else failed, I would have gone that route.
From that point on, I dedicated myself to turning this around. That meant structured exercise, 5 sessions a week: strength training, weight bearing, resistance bands, balance, coordination. (Mind you, nothing too heavy. I started with 1 pound weights. Still only up to 3 pounders!) Get out in the sunshine, walk. Increase protein intake. Eat the rainbow! Bioidentical hormones. Supplements galore, things like tocotrienols, collagen, strontium citrate (I know, controversial!), vitamin K2, etc., etc. I bought a low intensity vibration plate (yes, more controversy!), an investment in my health.
My most recent DEXA scan at age 70?
Spine: -0.3 “Normal”(!)
Average Femoral neck: -1.65 “Osteopenia”
Average Total hip: -1.35 “Osteopenia”
My doctor is no longer recommending I begin drug therapy!
So…..it is possible to tackle osteoporosis using alternative methods, and successfully increase your bone density. Not to say that is the only way, but hey, it sure is worth a try.

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This is very inspirational. Can I ask how old you were when you started the bioindentical hormones? And how many years after the start of menopause? My doctor (so far) says I'm too far past the start of menopause (11 years), and I think I heard Dr. Keith McCormick say that as we get "too old" the estrogen receptors in our body don't respond to HRT anymore so it doesn't help. Thanks.

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thisnthat | @thisnthat | Nov 18 2:00pm

I had been on bHRT around the time of menopause (age 55/56), but stupidly discontinued it after about a year or so since it was not covered by insurance.
Fast forward to my OP diagnosis at age 68. Restarted bHRT and have been on it for around 2 years, with some rejiggering along the way.
So I had been done with menopause a good 11 or 12 years, with a brief interlude of bHRT, before beginning hormone therapy again.
I am living proof it can be done!

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rgibson123 | @rgibson123 | Nov 18 6:41pm
In reply to @oopsiedaisy "My lumbar T-scores improved on alendronate. I was barely osteoporotic in 2018 then returned to the..." + (show)
@oopsiedaisy

My lumbar T-scores improved on alendronate. I was barely osteoporotic in 2018 then returned to the osteopenia range after two years, along with weight training, HRT, and supplements (calcium, Vitamin D). My hips never improved but did not deteriorate further, remaining between -2.8 and -3.0.

However, I still experienced a decompression fracture at T8 about a year ago when I placed a tremendous load on my spine by flexing it to place my head under the tap of a large bathtub to rinse my hair. I recall pushing down very hard on my rib cage in order to force my head to reach. I had no idea what happened at the time and went 3 months before seeing my doctor.

I am on an anabolic now (Tymlos, now moving to Forteo) so we'll see if I can improve my bone density.

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Did you experience the t8 fracture when you were osteopenic?

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1 reply
mainepuffin | @mainepuffin | Nov 19 8:50am
In reply to @willow5 "I’ve been on alondronate 35 mg for three years, started weight lifting with a trainer a..." + (show)
@willow5

I’ve been on alondronate 35 mg for three years, started weight lifting with a trainer a year ago. My spine is now at t score of zero. Very exciting. I attribute that more to the weight lifting than the medication. Just my guess. The endocrinologist said the weight lifting impacts the spine more than the hips. I do some pretty heavy lifting, at least I think it’s heavy 😂. Leg press up to 140 pounds! I turned 72 in October, and have always been active, and a runner until this last June.

The hips no improvement. They are both about at -2.5, I think. So will start Evenity soon, which is a bone builder. My sister did Evenity four years ago - no side effects at all, or with the reclast. My doc said none of his patients have had any side effects on Evenity. Hope that’s true for me.

Reading all the posts it’s interesting how different we all are, what works for some and not others.

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Could you briefly describe the other strength exercises you do with weights? It would be very helpful since you have seen success.

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jcamosy | @jcamosy | Nov 19 9:01am

I'm 68 and just went from osteoporosis to osteopenia at my last scan (after years of it getting worse). Last January, I had an infusion of Reclast, which is the only way I can account for the improvement. Good Luck!

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willow5 | @willow5 | Nov 19 9:04am

It does vary, but before I work with the trainer he has me do the abbductor/adductor machine, leg press (I’m up to 160 after starting with 100,) low row machine with the handle that keeps my hands apart, it almost looks like an old-fashioned steering wheel on a toy metal car, two back machines (there’s so many kinds) then stuff with him, three sets of 10. Always. That takes about 20 minutes or so. Sometimes squats and lunges (depending on how my back is doing)

With him for about 50 minutes: bridge type exercises with weights on my stomach, chest press with dumbbells, biceps and triceps, step-ups. I think nothing out of the ordinary. But main thing is the minute I say oh, that’s feeling kind of easy, he ups the weights so that by the end of the third set (and sometimes the second set) I am pushing pretty hard to complete that rep. We do core, or I do that at home.

I really don’t know if it’s body part specific or the amount of weight. I think it’s the continual increase of weight and also doing all body parts. My doc says weights won’t really help the hip bones, but my trainer doesn’t believe that and throws in some stuff that strengthens the hip more 😂. Hope this helps. Oh, consistency.

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1 reply
hungrybirder | @hungrybirder | Nov 19 10:36am
In reply to @willow5 "I’ve been on alondronate 35 mg for three years, started weight lifting with a trainer a..." + (show)
@willow5

I’ve been on alondronate 35 mg for three years, started weight lifting with a trainer a year ago. My spine is now at t score of zero. Very exciting. I attribute that more to the weight lifting than the medication. Just my guess. The endocrinologist said the weight lifting impacts the spine more than the hips. I do some pretty heavy lifting, at least I think it’s heavy 😂. Leg press up to 140 pounds! I turned 72 in October, and have always been active, and a runner until this last June.

The hips no improvement. They are both about at -2.5, I think. So will start Evenity soon, which is a bone builder. My sister did Evenity four years ago - no side effects at all, or with the reclast. My doc said none of his patients have had any side effects on Evenity. Hope that’s true for me.

Reading all the posts it’s interesting how different we all are, what works for some and not others.

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WOW! 140 pounds! Active 78 yr old here who can do and has done 110 pounds with pretty much no hip improvement. Had a Reclast infusion last December and if the scan is correct my spine showed great improvement. Hips still fluctuate between -2.6 and -2.4 and have for 8 years. Hope to just take a holiday and eventually get on a bone builder. Keep us posted on your Evenity journey.

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1 reply
willow5 | @willow5 | Nov 19 11:02am
In reply to @hungrybirder "WOW! 140 pounds! Active 78 yr old here who can do and has done 110 pounds..." + (show)
@hungrybirder

WOW! 140 pounds! Active 78 yr old here who can do and has done 110 pounds with pretty much no hip improvement. Had a Reclast infusion last December and if the scan is correct my spine showed great improvement. Hips still fluctuate between -2.6 and -2.4 and have for 8 years. Hope to just take a holiday and eventually get on a bone builder. Keep us posted on your Evenity journey.

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my hips are about the same. will keep you posted. guessing 7 months or more before next dexa. fingers crossed. i'd like to get on my road bike but am worried what happens if i hit a bump and fall off. maybe time for wide bike tires.

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1 reply
hungrybirder | @hungrybirder | Nov 19 2:44pm
In reply to @willow5 "my hips are about the same. will keep you posted. guessing 7 months or more before..." + (show)
@willow5

my hips are about the same. will keep you posted. guessing 7 months or more before next dexa. fingers crossed. i'd like to get on my road bike but am worried what happens if i hit a bump and fall off. maybe time for wide bike tires.

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fell off my bike last year! Only "injury" was that I jammed my right thumb somehow when I landed. My dexa from the 6th of this month also measured my right arm which comes in at -4.0! I was surprised that as bad as the arm is and the fact that I landed on it, there was no damage. Try a short ride to give you confidence. Good luck.

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