@rudysmom

First, I echo the "your life is not over" sentiment from other members. At about age 52, a DEXA was randomly prescribed by a CRNP in my gynecologists office. Unfortunately, my PCP didn't have a clue, and told me the DEXA revealed I had osteopenia; I asked her what I should do about it and she said, "nothing really".

After a followup DEXA, my rheumatologist told me I had OP at the time of that first DEXA and should've been advised correctly - Vitamin D, Calcium, Exercise . . . He prescribed Reclast which was, at the time, the latest and greatest. Although informed of the adverse reactions, I did Reclast more times than I care to remember, and it worked!

I, too, have sciatica. It can be excruciating and almost impossible to turn over in bed. Much too much PT . . . until I found a chiropractor. It does take time to heal the sciatic nerve and "unpinch" it and I still have pain from it when twisting or sitting for too long, but it's very manageable at this point.

Because of the vertebral fractures, I felt pretty much forced by my rheumatologist to begin Tymlos and it had some nasty side effects. After about 9-1/2 months, I told my doc I couldn't take it anymore. Within days, all side effects disappeared. After Tymlos, I did the full 12-month course of Evenity and my DEXA proved it worked. I can't be sure it was 100% Evenity as I did have almost 1/2 of the recommended Tymlos injections. Because of our friends who have posted on this board, I have refused Prolia.

I just changed insurance companies and found a new rheumatologist. This doc actually cares about OP patients. He ordered tests for everything to actually find out WHY I might have OP. It is his opinion that my kidneys aren't retaining and returning calcium to my bones. What a revelation. After roughly 17 years of worrying about this, that's the reason!!!??? As an aside, this doc told me I have severe OP based on having vertebral fractures. But, it may also be due to DEXA scores.

The goal is not to cure OP, that's impossible as of this writing, it's making a lifetime plan to manage it well. We need to relearn patterns, baby-proof our homes and spaces, and make sure those we live with understand how important it is for us to be steady on our feet. Falling sucks, but it can happen. We all need to put on our big girl panties and get docs to listen to us and be deliberate and careful in our everyday lives. You won't crumble into dust (which is what I felt when I was told of my first VFrax). Keep reading and posting here as there's a lot of really good information. I use websites to dig into things, but my posts are pretty much anecdotal. Did I say wordy? I meant wordy.

Relax and know that you are not alone! Cheers!