How do you halt the progress of osteoporosis?

I would love to do this! My doctor says I have osteoporosis and need to start Prolia. I want to avoid that at all costs! Where did you find your vest? The ones I see are big bulky things that look like they are for bodybuilders.....not pretty, lol.

As for the bone-healthy diet, I have CKD and need to limit potassium. I take a potassium binder and had to cut out a lot of otherwise healthy and calcium-rich foods.

Yes do indeed avoid that prolia! It has a very negetive effect on many people. I'm on fosamax now and trying to fight it the healthy way.

@colleenyoung

Hi,

All the suggestions here are in the right direction. I have been exercising weight training, gym going, walking, eating bone nutrient foods, using the k2 D3 supplements along with other daily supplements for nearly
8 years since I retired. I still have Osteoporosis but it has not progressed and may be a little lower than the last exam I had many years ago. I was also on osteoporosis meds for many years.

It is important to mention that you should get the bone scan test at the same facility ,if you do so on a regular basis ,as various facilities may have different standards and different instruments that can result in different values. Also the skill of the tech doing the scan can vary. So the results are of course not 100% accurate but a guideline .
The most valuable results about all this exercise and diet, aside from increasing bone growth is that it increases your balance capacities.
The last thing we want to do is fall. And if we do fall, we should be strong enough to get up off the ground by ourselves. Balance exercises are an important part of my gym classes.

Aside from all this...this is a wonderful way to approach life on a daily basis...good nutritious food and exercise promotes a healthy strong body and mind and great energy no matter what your reason is . And the bone strong diet is not really a diet..it is a sensible life saving choice of food geared to whatever your goals are.

Kudos to all you Amazons out there

FL Mary

Hi Mary, what osteo medicine did you take and for how long? what was your t score on femur neck before and after? I also took medicine (actonel) for 6-7 years) and it seems to work on all parts of my body except the femur neck. So for 14 years nothing changed except the femur neck, it went from -3.3 to -3.7. Hip has been -2 for 14 years and spine and extremeties are kind of normal. do you know the most important exercise to do is to do squat. I have not done it until 3 months ago so I plan on doing that everyday and also started Actonel again since 3 months ago. And putting a heat pad on the femur neck to increase the blood circulation since there are only 2 tiny blood lines going into the next of femur so I want to increase blood going there. I am just so depressed and that is why I am here to see if there is anything to help my situation. My doctors swore up and down about Prolia shots. I am terrified and just about to decide not to take them. Did you reject Prolia as well?

@leelinwant
Hi,

Actonel was one of the meds I took about 20 years ago but developed a skin rash from it rather quickly. Was on Fosamax for a while and then Boniva for 5 years which was the max number of years my Doctor said to be on for any meds at that time. I worked for Orthopedic Surgeons then so got free scans every 2 years. Improvement was insignificant after all those years all in the -2.8 for neck and -3.5 range for other parts.

Had a dexascan 2 years ago and all were on the -3.5 range which did increase , especially on the neck, but I did not want to go back on any meds.

My ARNP actually persuaded me to get that scan before the pandemic, which I did, and she was very upset that I would not consider any meds or injections. So upset, she called my daughter who is also an ARNP who said we were discussing it. My daughter and I did discuss it...we talked about the vitamins which I take religiously and she respects my decision not to take any meds. She knows me and my diet and my active life style and knows I am careful in what I do.

No, I would not consider taking any injections of any kind especially those that remain in your system for so long. That’s my personal decision. I did my research but I can understand the fear and confusion. Forums like this are a tremendous asset especially if you are being pressured from the medical community to do it their way.
You should not feel terrified and I blame the medical community for that. If you decide against the shots, you can always change your mind. Not an easy decision to make when your health is at stake.

FL Mary

@leelinwant

Okay, you are obviously scared of Prolia so cross that off your list. I am not sure how old you are or what is prompting this fear of needing a hip replacement. Is it because of what the Doctors are telling you?

I probably have arthritis as I will get stiff if I sit too long. I never had X-rays to determine that. But that goes away by moving and stretching. I am concerned about breaking a bone but not so scared that it dominates my life. I make sure my balance is as good as possible by my exercises and gym classes . My gym guy who is 81 emphasizes balance because he does not want us to fall and fracture a bone.

I do not think about my osteoporosis but I am careful walking up and down stairs, how I stand,
if I am in a crowd etc. iIf you feel you need an osteo med perhaps an oral med rather than an injection type would set your mind at ease. Why don’t you look into a senior class or a balance class at a local gym. Take charge of doing things and eating bone healthy foods to take some of the worry out of your life. The Doctors are not going to help you there. The more confident you become about your ability to navigate through life as you age the better off you will be.

FL Mary

Mary, thank you so much for trying to help me. I am 71 and 5'2" weigh 108 lb
I am extremely active I am still working as a college instructor teaching statistics. I did take Actonel for 6-7 years and stopped in 2013 but just restarted again in Feb. I am doing squats everyday and exercise. I did not do squats at all until Feb so I hope Actonel + squats + exercise + heating pad on femur neck at night for 20 minutes will help Actonel go there to help increase the density.. I am thinking to try for a year and if that doesn't work then I might try Prolia.
I am constantly picturing myself in a nursing home which scares me to death. I do not want to die like that.
How old are you? I know you retired 6 years ago. Mary, you are a really nice person. I will keep you posted about how I progress with my plan. It will be next Feb when I do a scan.
By the way all of my xrays showed no arthritis. it was MRI that showed the problem.

@migizi I’m not quite sure who I’m responding to here but I have osteoporosis and arthritis. I find it very interesting that xrays did not discover arthritis, which makes me think what would an MRI show with mine. Anyway, I have had osteoporosis since my mid 40’s. I am presently 66; 5’2”; and 95 lbs (unintentional loss over the past year). I am presently taking Prolia injections with no side effects. I walk most days and do PT home exercises but do admit I probably sit a bit too much (other health issues challenge me-chronic, not life threatening). My DEXA scores have improved (can’t remember exact numbers) steadily but your experiences with other ps you know have been very scary. The fears you shared I can identify with. I spend some time each day “in the moment” particularly when on my walks and I try to remember to state one thing I am grateful for no matter how insignificant it may seem to someone else. For example, on today’s walk, I was bombarded by a bonanza of dragon flies. They were beautiful, newly hatched, and ready to eat the mosquito population❤️ Take care.

Hi Mary, what osteo medicine did you take and for how long? what was your t score on femur neck before and after? I also took medicine (actonel) for 6-7 years) and it seems to work on all parts of my body except the femur neck. So for 14 years nothing changed except the femur neck, it went from -3.3 to -3.7. Hip has been -2 for 14 years and spine and extremeties are kind of normal. do you know the most important exercise to do is to do squat. I have not done it until 3 months ago so I plan on doing that everyday and also started Actonel again since 3 months ago. And putting a heat pad on the femur neck to increase the blood circulation since there are only 2 tiny blood lines going into the next of femur so I want to increase blood going there. I am just so depressed and that is why I am here to see if there is anything to help my situation. My doctors swore up and down about Prolia shots. I am terrified and just about to decide not to take them. Did you reject Prolia as well?