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Tymlos results 2nd year DEXA scan results a SUCCESS!!!
Hi everyone! I want to report a HUGE success in my second-year DEXA scan with TBS!!! I had one Reclast with horrid inflammatory reaction but I'm going back to LOCK IN my results! i will take precautions of a smaller slower dose this time around. But after 1 year of Tymlos with very disappointing results (I think it was from injecting in my thigh).
I was STRICT in the second year of injecting in my tummy area. The docs wanted me to change to Eventity but I said NO I want to finish the Tymlos. They also said the second year is expected to be even lower than the first but they were WRONG. My second year caught up nicely and I am SO GLAD I hung in there! Its impossible to understand the assessment so I copied into Google which uses an AI model and this is what I got. Yay, yay, YAY!!!! So hot off the press I am sharing it with you first!!!
"Your DEXA scan shows that you have low bone mass (osteopenia), but there is very encouraging news: your overall bone density has improved SIGNIFICANTLY since you started tracking it. Because of your prior hip replacements and spinal fusion surgery, the radiologist had to adjust how they measured your bones. Instead of looking at the standard areas (the hips and the lower part of the spine), they evaluated your forearm (radius) and the upper part of your lower back (L1-L2).1.
Your Diagnosis: Low Bone Mass (Osteopenia)Your formal classification is based on your lowest score, which comes from your right forearm. Right Radius T-score (-1.4): A T-score compares your bone density to that of a healthy young adult. A score between -1.0 and -2.5 is classified as osteopenia, which means your bones are thinner than normal but not in the osteoporosis range.
Lumbar Spine T-score (0.2): This upper section of your spine actually shows NORMAL bone density.
2. The Big Win: Your Bones are Gaining Density. Because you have a history of taking bone-building and bone-protecting medications like Tymlos and Reclast, looking at your progress over time is incredibly important.
The Spine: Since your baseline scan in 2024, your upper lumbar spine DENSITY INCREASED 6.1%! The radiologist noted that this is a statistically significant improvement, meaning it is a true gain in bone strength, not just a minor testing variation!
The Forearm: Your forearm density increased by 6.2% since last year. While the math shows a jump, the machine considers this specific area's change "not statistically significant" yet, but it is moving in the right direction.
3. Understanding the Surgical Workarounds: Hips: Both hips were skipped because your joint replacement hardware blocks the X-ray from accurately reading the actual bone. Lower Spine (L3-L4): These vertebrae were skipped because your spinal fusion hardware similarly interferes with the scan.The Solution: Because your spine is difficult to read due to the fusion, the report explicitly recommends that your future follow-up scans continue to use the Radius 33% (forearm) site to accurately track your bone health over time.
Direct Comparison Overview: To help you easily track your values, here is how your two evaluated areas compare:Skeletal Site Evaluated, Your T-Score (What It Means, Progress Over Time):
Lumbar Spine (L1-L2) 0.2Normal bone density 6.1% increase from baseline (Significant gain); Right Radius (Forearm)-1.4 Low bone mass / Osteopenia 6.2% increase from last year (Positive trend)
I have always felt that my inflammatory reaction occurred because my body was working hard in the areas where I had the most arthritis and vulnerability so I hung in there. I've had other experiences (like with joint viruses) where I had severe inflammatory reactions while the medicines were doing their job. So I thought this might be the same. I see the doc on Thursday, and I will report back if there is something further to add. Stay with it because there is nothing else that I know of for older women that can add those kinds of numbers to bones! I already ate well and exercised. I took biological science in college, so I always took care of my body and had a sense that this IS the way to go. Warts and all! @gently yay Terry @mayblin @njx58 @heyjoe415 Celebrate with me!!!
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Could we see your before and after t scores? It’s pretty obscure without it. ❤️
Also your injection location helps confirm that there is better absorption in the tummy abdomen (the largest area of subcutaneous fat) .
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1 Reaction@osteopatient2026 Is this what you are after? Its all Greek to me.
DEXA 2026:
LUMBAR SPINE(L1-L2):
The bone mineral density is 1.188gm/cm sq.
Percentage of young normal mean is 102%.
T-score is 0.2.
Percentage age-matched mean is 125%.
Z-score is 2.0.
COMMENT:
L3 and L4 excluded due to lumbar spine fusion hardware. The lumbar spine demonstrates an interval change of 4.8% from the most recent previous study which is not a statistically significant change and an interval change of 6.1% from the baseline study which is a statistically significant change.
RADIUS (33%) Right:
The bone mineral density is 0.753 gm/cm sq.
Percentage of young normal mean is 86%.
T-score is -1.4.
Percentage age-matched mean is 104%.
Z-score is 0.4.
2025 DEXA:
LUMBAR SPINE(L1-L2):
The bone mineral density is 1.134 gm/cm sq.
Percentage of young normal mean is 97%.
T-score is -0.3.
Percentage age-matched mean is 118 %.
Z-score is 1.4 .
COMMENT:
The lumbar spine demonstrates an interval change of 1.3% from the most recent previous study which is not a statistically significant change. L3 and L4 excluded due to surgical hardware.
RADIUS (33%) Right:
The bone mineral density is 0.709 gm/cm sq.
Percentage of young normal mean is 81%.
T-score is -1.9.
Percentage age-matched mean is 97%.
Z-score is -0.2.
COMMENT:
The right radius demonstrates an interval change of -0.4% from the most recent previous study which is not a statistically significant change.
DEXA 2024:
LUMBAR SPINE(L1-L2):
The bone mineral density is 1.120 gm/cm sq.
Percentage of young normal mean is 96%.
T-score is -0.4.
Percentage age-matched mean is 116 %.
Z-score is 1.3 .
COMMENT: Spinal fusion hardware in the lower lumbar spine from L3 through L5. As a result, the L3 and L4 levels are unreliable.
RADIUS (33%) Right or Left:
The bone mineral density is 0.712 gm/cm sq.
Percentage of young normal mean is 81%.
T-score is -1.9.
Percentage age-matched mean is 97%.
Z-score is -0.3.
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1 Reaction@loriesco
That’s a great summary of your results! Thank you for taking the all the time to share it.
I do wonder what your results would have been had you been doing your injection in your abdominal area instead but good anyway. I have seen some reports that some patients do get more results after 12 months. It’s unusual but happens for various theoretical reasons. Would love to keep hearing about your results
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1 ReactionWow! You didn't just hit a home run - you hit a grand slam.
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2 Reactionsloriesco,
🎉 Wonderful news! Thanks for sharing with us first before turning to AI 😄
As I recall, your BTMs showed a clear anabolic response during 1st year despite the prior Reclast treatment. Given how long-acting zoledronic acid is, I wonder if its residual antiresorptive effect may have blunted the BMD response during the 1st year, with Tymlos’ effect becoming more apparent in the 2nd year. Really glad you stayed the course and completed the full 2 years!
Will you be continuing HRT along with the Reclast that’s coming next?
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3 ReactionsCongratulations, those are excellent results. You were so smart to stay the course, and then seal in your results with reclast. Wishing many more years with great bones!
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1 ReactionCongratulations! Great news!
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1 Reaction@osteopatient2026 of course I will continue informing you-all as I go forward with what I think will be two more Reclast injections! (along with any baseline tests along the way) I was told not to expect very much in the second year that the TYMLOS is accelerated in the first year and diminishes in the second. Well, we showed them didn’t we? lol. And as far as the injection site just to be clear I rotated all around, but mostly kept it in the thigh because it was easier to see since my mobility is compromised from my cervical spine surgery but when someone on this forum mentioned that there was no clinical evidence of what happens when you inject in the thigh, I went back and dug deep on the Internet and called the manufacturer pharmacy. It was impossible to even get them to speculate about what could happen if you inject in the thigh so I figured it be best if I went back to the belly. I was extremely disappointed that my first year results weren’t typical. I tried so hard to be disciplined and do a good job but I guess I made it all back in the second year so I’m very pleased. I’ll let everybody know what happens after my doctor visit in the morning!
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2 Reactions@mayblin maybe, I’ll see if I can remember to ask the doctor if the Reclast may have also made an impact besides the thigh injections in blunting the first year result. Yes I am staying on the BHRT for as long as my gynecologist thinks it’s a good idea. I’m dealing with pre-diabetes now and the BHRT is supposed to be a helpful addition to managing blood glucose in addition, I got fat enough and prediabetic enough where I qualified for the new“bridge “program where you pay $50 a month to be on a GLP1. I will talk to the endocrinologist tomorrow to make sure that there is no issue with losing bone density by being on the GLP hormone. My reading has indicated that it’s not an issue. I’m trying to work more resistance exercise into my daily routine of walking. I’ll let you know for sure how it all goes!
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1 Reaction@njx58 I’m glad you think so! I’ve been working hard at this!