Does the anxiety or fear of this prognosis ever get better?

@junesiegel I agree that the appellation of "disease" is misleading. Disease connotes abnormality, but if one of every three postmenopausal women is being "diagnosed" with osteoporosis, the finding of low bone density would appear to be normal--or at minimum, a common condition vs a disease. The rationale for calling it a disease seems clearly linked to setting the stage for prescribing meds.

I found the book "Great Bones" by Keith McCormick to be very informative.

Without getting into a long drawn out story, my last Dexa scan showed a significant deterioration in just 2 yrs. I had failed to tolerate a bisphosphonate so I was open to stepping up to another medication. I saw my elderly mother sustain multiple fractures during the last 10 years of her life including a severe vertebral fracture that caused her to need narcotics. I don't want that for myself.

I made peace with the idea that I have to do what I have to do right now to protect my bones REGARDLESS of a preference to avoid medications. It is what it is, as they say. I'm almost 70. If I were in my 50s with osteopenia, I would be proactive with supplements and maybe HRT. But right now I do not have the luxury of "experimenting" with this or that supplement while my bones are significantly deteriorating. Am I going to wait yet another 2 yrs for the next scan to show me even more deterioration? Perhaps have a fracture in the meantime?

My PCP recommended a rheumatologist rather than an endocrinologist. I'm not really sure which one is "better" for osteoporosis. My rheumatologist did a workup and started me on Evenity. I decided I'm going to trust her. I have peace about my decision, I'm not going to be anxious about this. I'm being given a chance to rebuild my bones while still young and hopefully will not have to live out my 80s-90s with pain and physical dysfunction.

Medications all involve risks vs benefits and it's a personal decision. For me, the benefits of Evenity outweigh the risks.

I understand people are more autonomous today and make their own decisions about their health problems but osteoporosis is one of those conditions that is not monitored very often like cholesterol so you cannot know for sure if your lifestyle is helping it or not. One can experiment with supplements and nutrition and get their own cholesterol tests to see how their dietary changes helped their cholesterol. One can't do that with osteoporosis. It's 2 years to wait for the next Dexa scan and by then, your bones could be even more deteriorated.

In 2023 my Dexa scan showed mild osteoporosis so I went on a bisphosphonate and couldn't tolerate it after 4 months. I went off it and focused on nutrition, supplements and weights. This turned out to be the wrong decision for me. I wasted almost 2 years taking matters into my own hands rather than seeking professional recommendations. I should have seen Rheumatology after going off the bisphosphonate. Perhaps I would have been started on the next level of medication. I regret that I didn't look into it. I was complacent. Now I have severe osteoporosis.

Everyone is different. My friend has only mild osteoporosis and is focused on nutrition, supplements and exercise and it sounds like her tests have been stable. That wasn't the case for me.

It DOES get better once you have a plan. I would suggest staying away from negativity on this forum. Every person is different and I notice the loudest voices are the people who are unhappy with treatments. Find an endocrinologist and physical therapist you trust and tune out the noise.

My doctor prescribed Evenity due to my severe osteoporosis. She told me that if my Dexa scan results showed mild or even moderate osteoporosis, her treatment decision would have been different.

I'm pretty sure Evenity isn't prescribed for someone with mild or maybe even moderate osteoporosis. You can't just "choose" to go on Evenity yourself. There are criteria for going on it. The insurance company won't approve it otherwise. I understand it's like $4000 per injection out of pocket. I don't pay this, however.

I was told I have "end stage osteoporosis". For me, it's too late for nutrition, supplements and weights. In fact, I already did all of those things through most of my life. I can't rely on "maintenance" drugs at this point because my spine is already too deteriorated. I need a bone rebuilding drug.

I understand Evenity is like a game changer. Yes, there's a risk of heart attack and stroke. I had to get a cardiac screening before going on it. I'm willing to take such a risk.

Like I said, Evenity isn't prescribed for someone with mild osteoporosis nor even moderate. There are other drugs in the pipeline. It's for someone with severe osteoporosis.

@otherside I have never heard it referred to as disease. It’s more a disorder caused often by our loss of estrogen.

I felt the same way
I found BRICK HOUSE BONES on Facebook. Dr. Lisa Moore is amazing and helped me.