1. < Chronic Pain

Muscular skeletal disorder. How to live with this?

Posted by sunny65 @sunny65, Oct 24 5:40pm

I have a severe osteoporosis and joined this forum in April. Mainly talking with other members who going through various osteoporosis drugs. Also I been in debilitating back pain for 6 months. Started in my lower back but suddenly started spread all over my back and sides. After multiple visits to the doctors I found out that besides my osteoporosis I have some musculoskeletal disorder. Not sure how to live with this. Is there anybody here who has this problem? Maybe I can get some advice. Thank you.

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carolinec | @carolinec | Nov 17 9:19am
In reply to @sueinmn "Here is what Mayo Clinic says about kidney stones: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355759 Her is what Texas Urology has..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Here is what Mayo Clinic says about kidney stones:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355759
Her is what Texas Urology has to say about using apple cider vinegar to dissolve kidney stones:
https://texascenterforurology.com/posts/self-care-for-kidney-stones/
It appears that it may help to dissolve stones, but also to prevent formation of new stones.

If this is a chronic issue for you, have you consulted a urologist? They can determine the chemical composition of the stones and suggest dietary changes to prevent formation of new stones.

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As I live in Canada and it takes forever to get anything done, I am looking for home remedies. My ultrasound showed I had some large kidney stones but now the urologist wants a c t scan which is not til April 2025. I received a sheet from the urologist saying to try lemon
juice. Have some travel plans coming up and am very concerned.

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itchyd | @itchyd | Nov 18 6:07am
In reply to @sunny65 "Thank you for writing to me. I don’t have a good endocrinologist. I was working with..." + (show)
@sunny65

Thank you for writing to me. I don’t have a good endocrinologist. I was working with PA she prescribed Evenity for osteoporosis ( I had a 5 injections so far) and she left her position. I ended with the doctor who she was working for. She is osteoporosis and fracture specialist but not real endocrinologist she told me to see her in May after I finish my 12 injections of Evenity . I am finding out that not a lot endocrinologists dealing with osteoporosis. They don’t know about medication. I been in debilitating back pain for 7 month now and working with pain specialist. He is not able to help only prescribed Tramadol ( this does not work anymore), I hate it because it gives me bad headaches and he sent me to very young neurosurgeon who told me that my spine has not right posture ( swayback syndrome), cannot do surgery due to very weak bones and sent me to therapy where I was showed a couple exercises, given pictures and sent home. I found a different therapist on my own. He is trying very hard but he is working mainly manually and I afraid to fracture my spine again even he is being very careful and aware about my 4 fractures in my vertebrae. I done MRI , bone scan and CT scans and blood work . Blood work is fine. MRI showed older fractures. Maybe need a new MRI again. I tried to get an appointment with endocrinologist who is dealing with osteoporosis but the wait is one year (!!!) . Not sure if my osteoporosis medication is working for me because my bone density got worse since I started it.Not sure what I am going to do.

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A one-year wait to see a specialist.

Yet, people still crow about how great our healthcare system is.

It's a bad joke.

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1 reply
ripley | @ripley | Nov 18 11:40am
In reply to @itchyd "A one-year wait to see a specialist. Yet, people still crow about how great our healthcare..." + (show)
@itchyd

A one-year wait to see a specialist.

Yet, people still crow about how great our healthcare system is.

It's a bad joke.

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The company has a website: lin.health

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slkanowitz | @slkanowitz | 5 days ago

Sometimes osteoporosis develops because of the inability to absorb nutrients in the G.I. tract, mainly calcium and phosphorus. This can occur in celiac disease, where gluten is not tolerated and causes changes in the intestinal tract that prevent absorption of nutrients there are a couple of blood tests that can be done to rule out celiac, that would be a simple thing to do. I would also find a pain management doctor that’s willing to give you something stronger for pain than tramadol tramadol is the weakest of the narcotic pain medication and something like oxycodone may be needed to give you some relief. The Evenity injections are good to continue so the osteoporosis doesn’t worsen and further fractures occur in the spine. Discs degenerate and herniate and that’s different than the actual vertebrae fracturing. An MRI of the spine would differentiate between the two. sometimes with compression fractures a substance like bone cement can be injected into the bone to stabilize it. That is done by a spinal surgeon. I am sorry you are suffering so and your health declined so rapidly. That is unusual, and I think an underlying cause of the rapid osteoporosis must be sought. A parathyroid hormone blood test would also be helpful to make sure your calcium is not leaking from your bones, causing that rapid onset of osteoporosis. Celiac and parathyroid blood test can be done by your primary care doctor. I do hope you get the help you need and can continue with the injections until the cause of the osteoporosis is determined a good muscle relaxant like Robaxin could give you relief if muscle spasm is present, causing the swayback situation , please keep us posted on your progress

REPLY
1 reply
sunny65 | @sunny65 | 3 days ago
In reply to @heyjoe415 "I'm so sorry that you're experiencing this pain Sunny. I'd certainly find another Dr, and ideally..." + (show)
@heyjoe415

I'm so sorry that you're experiencing this pain Sunny. I'd certainly find another Dr, and ideally get an MRI of your spine to see what's going on.

You said you are in your mid 60s and were very active before taking medicine to treat osteoporosis. Seems like statins cause muscle problems in about 20% of patients. Not sure if the osteoporosis meds have the same effect.

It's strange that this developed so quickly. It may be arthritis somewhere in your spine, but the effects of that usually result in sciatica, causing pain in the back of the legs.

Please let us know what your new Dr has to say. In the meantime, all the best to you.

Joe

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My new doctor told me to keep counting on osteoporosis medication and don’t know how to help with pain. I went to rheumatologist and he prescribed stronger opioids. He knows that I take Tramadol and don’t want anything stronger because it makes me even more sick. I just read that chronic pain for the lower back is not even studied enough and opioids can’t be long term treatment. All I know that I have severe osteoporosis and have a compression fractures in my vertebrae. I am going to do a new MRI at the beginning of December. I can’t have a surgery. Pain is none stop. Not even I laying in the bed. I tried Pregabalin, Gabapentin, etc. Nothing helped.

REPLY
sunny65 | @sunny65 | 1 day ago
In reply to @slkanowitz "Sometimes osteoporosis develops because of the inability to absorb nutrients in the G.I. tract, mainly calcium..." + (show)
@slkanowitz

Sometimes osteoporosis develops because of the inability to absorb nutrients in the G.I. tract, mainly calcium and phosphorus. This can occur in celiac disease, where gluten is not tolerated and causes changes in the intestinal tract that prevent absorption of nutrients there are a couple of blood tests that can be done to rule out celiac, that would be a simple thing to do. I would also find a pain management doctor that’s willing to give you something stronger for pain than tramadol tramadol is the weakest of the narcotic pain medication and something like oxycodone may be needed to give you some relief. The Evenity injections are good to continue so the osteoporosis doesn’t worsen and further fractures occur in the spine. Discs degenerate and herniate and that’s different than the actual vertebrae fracturing. An MRI of the spine would differentiate between the two. sometimes with compression fractures a substance like bone cement can be injected into the bone to stabilize it. That is done by a spinal surgeon. I am sorry you are suffering so and your health declined so rapidly. That is unusual, and I think an underlying cause of the rapid osteoporosis must be sought. A parathyroid hormone blood test would also be helpful to make sure your calcium is not leaking from your bones, causing that rapid onset of osteoporosis. Celiac and parathyroid blood test can be done by your primary care doctor. I do hope you get the help you need and can continue with the injections until the cause of the osteoporosis is determined a good muscle relaxant like Robaxin could give you relief if muscle spasm is present, causing the swayback situation , please keep us posted on your progress

Jump to this post

Thank you for writing such a thoughtful response. A lot of your statements could be applied to me. I been tested for Celiac disease and I don’t have it. I got some unnecessary surgery about 12 years ago and since then I had to take laxatives. I still have to take some but trying not to abuse . My stomach is very sensitive and just can’t take stronger opioids.Besides it gives me headaches and makes me shaky. I was prescribed various muscle relaxers but they didn’t help. I tried pregabalin and gabapentin without any success. Both made me dizzy and nauseous. Trying to listen various apps where they teaching how to live with pain. But pain is so strong and never stops- it’s hard to concentrate on anything else. I am very small person. I dropped 20 pounds since last year and no doctor can explain me why. My blood tests are semi- normal. Probably have to repeat soon. Potassium and sodium is low. Trying to take food with more potassium but sodium is bad for the bones. The most of my doctors can’t answer simple questions. Even endocrinologist who told me about sequence of my osteoporosis drugs told me that I have to use another bone builder after Evenity is totally wrong. I been reading so much and I know that most doctors doesn’t like to be corrected. I am trying to be very diplomatic and respectful but I also know that I have to be my own advocate.

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