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I had a scan after a period of thyroid tumors in the 80s. Have had a couple scans since.
I think it's good to have an understanding of what my bone density is and to be aware of potential problems.
Also a strong proponent of informed decisions about my heath and I believe there are several methods to address problems. Unless a doctor could convince me that I am unable to provide adequate vitamins through diet I can take care of that myself if I have the information whether it's doing a good job or not.
It never hurts to consider a team approach to taking care of yourself.
I have had two scans and osteoporosis has progressed from a few years ago.
I am not taking medication for it either. I may as I get older if my balance gets bad.
I do some exercises for improving balance , jump rope for impact, a lot of walking.
I had a bone scan about 6 months ago, they said it wasn't horrible for my age but that I should take a drug for it, I refused- I have a friend who was taking Fosamax. She had to have a tooth implanted and when she did, her jaw basically fell apart, they call it necrosis. It was just horrible I will take a chance on a broken leg before I will take on that risk
My wife has Osteoporosis, she broke a finger just putting her pants on. Later we found one of her disks had collapsed. Our doctor put her on Prolia (shot every months) Recent bone scans have shown her bone density has actually improved.
My wife has Osteoporosis, she broke a finger just putting her pants on. Later we found one of her disks had collapsed. Our doctor put her on Prolia (shot every months) Recent bone scans have shown her bone density has actually improved.
That's good to hear. I'd consider Prolia before Fosamax.
Define "effectiveness?"....If a certain disease kills 75 of every 100 victims, and we find a new pill that reduces that to 50 of 100, then it is 33% effective (edit- I should say "improvement') and we need to treat 100 pts to save 25 lives...
...but what about a disease that kills only 2 of every 100 pts and our new pill reduces that to 1 in 100-- it's 50% effective, but we have to treat 100 pts to save just one life.
Is the first drug less effective than the 2nd because it's 33% vs 50% improvement? Of course not. It's the Needed to Treat Number (NTT 4 vs 100) that really counts.
-for vertebral fx- 1.4% with pills vs 3.4% no pills --a 2% improvement with treatment vs no treatment (NTT 50) over 5 yrs (ie- improved by 0.4%/yr)
-for other fx- 7.3% vs 9.3% (NTT 50)
-after a hip is fractured-- treatment improves risk of a second fx hip from 1.3% to 0.3% (NTT 100)
The problem with evaluating treatment for osteoporosis is that the end points (fractures) are not all that common, so there can't be that much improvement.
Yes, bisphosphonates do "improve" the numbers on a bone scan, but they are dumping mineral into the bones in the wrong spots, so clinical outcomes don't improve as much as the bone scan results.
We should say that taking or rejecting this treatment should be a personal decision without a clearly black & white answer.
Define "effectiveness?"....If a certain disease kills 75 of every 100 victims, and we find a new pill that reduces that to 50 of 100, the
Yes, bisphosphonates do "improve" the numbers on a bone scan, but they are dumping mineral into the bones in the wrong spots, so clinical outcomes don't improve as much as the bone scan results.
We should say that taking or rejecting this treatment should be a personal decision without a clearly black & white answer.
Do you have a study showing that that Prolia is "dumping mineral into the bones in the wrong spots"?
All I can say is my wife's bones scan results have improved and she has not experienced any further fractures.
Taking or rejecting ANY treatment is aways a personal decision!
I just had a bone scan two weeks ago, and it came back as my hips were thinning. My doctor prescribed Boniva (ibandronate). I picked it up but haven't taken it yet.
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