Your tips for healthy living with osteoporosis: What helps?

Hi, fellow osteoporosis/osteopenia friends.
I have somewhat advanced osteoporosis and am dealing with it as well as I can with medication and making sure that I get enough protein and calcium daily. Many people don't realize that protein is as important as calcium - bones are half protein.

When I had my first DXA (that is now the approved abbreviation, not DEXA) in my late 50s my bones were amazingly strong. My endocrinologist believes that being on prednisone for a number of years following a liver transplant caused osteoporosis. Exercise is imperative and using weights, whatever weight works for you, is encouraged for upper body. I must admit, I have not been exercising nearly as much as I should be recently and I hope to turn over a new leaf starting tomorrow and get back to exercising. Part of that was because during the pandemic I couldn't go to my health club, and being on immunosuppressants, my transplant team delayed my return to the health club. I did do a lot of YouTube videos but frankly I got sort of burned out on them. I was walking frequently but the trail I was walking has temporarily closed due to road work so I had to find a different place, further away. My street is hilly and I have trouble with hills. Those are all of my excuses.

I am part of the group OsteoBoston that has zoom meetings monthly with different speakers. Most of the month there is no activity, just the monthly zooms, but if anyone is interested in that I will provide the email address of the woman who runs it. It's a good group and if you can't make the zoom meetings they are out there on YouTube to view afterward.
JK

I am taking Calcium with D3 but can’t find the K2. My aunt, retired nurse, recommended this for my mother and I. I thought it was all one pill. The Calcium D3 is but I can’t find the K2. I am in SC also very close to stores in NC. Do you have any recommendations for finding it? Thank you. I’m overdue for a DEXA scan and to be honest, scared to find out what it says.

I was diagnosed with osteopenia when I was in my mid-40's. That was a big shock as I'd been active with hiking, skiing, and especially with strength training for at least 10 years. My mother had osteoporosis so I was at risk. My mother fell and broke her hip at age 68 and never fully recovered after that. I've been very frightened of this happening to me so I've been tracking the bone loss with periodic bone density scans. Fast forward to my early 60's and my bone density scan showed that I was in the osteoporosis range. I resisted taking any of the medications for a few years. I'd been taking calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D along with some other supplements. My Vitamin D blood level was tested and it was 17 nanograms/milliliter which is low. So my primary care doctor put me on a larger dose of Vitamin D and got it up to 50 nanograms/milliliter. That helped a little but it wasn't enough even though I changed my strength training to target hips and lower back. By age 64, I relented and started Fosamax. I tolerated it well for 5 years and went off Fosamax in late 2021. I had a bone density scan in December, 2021 and I'm back in the osteopenia range so that's a huge improvement. I work with a personal trainer and while that's a huge chunk of my budget it's worth it. I've made huge gains in strength in hips and back and last month I even hauled a wagon of logs for firewood up a hill!

As someone who was diagnosed at 50 years of age (1999)with osteoporosis…. And due to lack of knowledge, even after it was resolved in 2018 (w Osteosheath & k2 & exercise)
I STOPPED taking the supplements but continued with my regular exercise. Did not know that I needed to continue calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc. all needed to build bone!!!!
Fast-forward to 2025 (@76) now have a new “severe” osteoporosis diagnosis!!
Educate & START EARLY and realize it’s a monthly and yearly battle to build bone you can’t stop!! Continue with your supplements and your exercise!!!
TODAY Doctor recommends Evenity 12 mths…
Then, after that, you must go on Prolia once every 6 months, it cannot be missed or rapid bone loss and breakdown of bone built during the 12 months in Evenity!!!

I'm a very slender 79 yr old caucasian lady who hoped that remaining active (hiking, cycling, walking), eating a lot of dairy, and avoiding smoking & drinking would reduce my chances that osteopenia would progress to osteoporosis. But here I am with a 10 year history of spinal compression fractures now resulting in kyphosis, scoliosis, significant back pain and a loss of about 5" inches in height.

@debraida01 do you think by finding out early on at age 57 and following the drugs recommended to build up bone and dieting and exercising daily and taking the supplements daily that you could slow down the progression and live a healthy active life if you do all the right things???? I'm very concerned at 57 years old to have found this out?? Any insight to offer?

@debraida01 do you think by finding out early on at age 57 and following the drugs recommended to build up bone and dieting and exercising daily and taking the supplements daily that you could slow down the progression and live a healthy active life if you do all the right things???? I'm very concerned at 57 years old to have found this out?? Any insight to offer?

@jimmy05 I was diagnosed with osteopenia at age 53. I was on HRT, taking supplements, eating healthy (increased protein) and exercising including resistance training. It was not enough to stop the progression into osteoporosis in my hips at age 57.

I was started on alendronate then and spent over five years on the medication. It did slow further progression but did not reverse my osteoporosis. At age 62 I had a compression fracture even though my spine was still measuring as osteopenia. I was also continuing with lifestyle measures during that time.

So, I think for some of us there may be a genetic component that does not make it easy. I still live a healthy active life at age 64 but am now on Evenity to address the bone loss.