Help.....MD appt. was kind of shocking.... - Osteoporosis Message Board

ThinBones · 02-08-2005, 07:18 PM

I went to see my Endo. today. I do trust her as she is at the top of her field in a big medical center but...... I had all the bloodwork possible done previously. The good news was everything was completely normal. I guess that is good although if my parathyroid was off I guess that would be an easier fix. Anyway, I was shocked to find out I had two thoracic fractures. Not new and she said they were "silent" fractures. No pain, but that may not last. Now she suggested Forteo which we had talked about. I am not in menopause yet but she is worried about the loss when I do go through it. Maybe a year of Forteo to give me some base. I don't know what to do....I know this is familial, my Mom suffered and had severe osteo. with pain that I certainly don't want to endure. How she did it I don't know. The MD also said I probably never had good bone structure. I was told at 20 I had the bones of an 80 year old woman which I just discounted as no one even talked about osteoporosis then. Anyone on Forteo long enough to see a positive result? Hard for me to start something when I have no recent fractures or pain but I know this can be a silent disease for many years..... Thanks....

taape · 02-08-2005, 08:39 PM

Sounds like you it's a good thing that you went to a top specialist at a major medical center. I was in total shock also after my first bone density test with zero pain or indication that I had a problem only to find out how severe it was. Did your doctor suggest that Forteo would work even if someone wasn't post menopausal? I kind of wondered about that myself. My tests showed the beginning of menopause but they gave it to me anyways. I had a bone density test yesterday and when I get my results I'll let you know if there was improvement. How are fractures diagnosed? Do small fractures show up on regular xrays or CTscans? The fractures aren't causing pain which is positive although I wonder why the doctors always say these eventually will. Maybe because the fractures get bigger or something. I hope you can decide what to do soon.

snowmelts · 02-08-2005, 09:53 PM

The way I understand the silent fractures is.. well.. for the effect of visability.. a Hot Dog for example. Hold up a hot dog by one end and think of it as the Spine. Now slice it a few times horizonally. You can see it begin to bend. More slices = more bending. Those slices are like silent hairline fractures onthe spine. Once your spine bends it causes pull and stress on the surounding muscles and nerves. The results are rather painful.

I don't know anything about Forteo, but I wish you good health.

Travel · 02-09-2005, 11:41 AM

I think that I want to research Forteo more before I make a decision to go with it. So far I have learned that the reason it is taken for only two years is that they simply do not know what will happen after that two years. To me that means anything from continued chance for bone cancer, to having your bones lose the benefits gained during the two years and going back to their previous condition.

I wonder why a drug is on the market that is not proven in so many ways. Are they using the American public as their test lab? Right now, for me, I don't believe I want to take it. However, if I was continuously having broken bones all over my body, I would probably do it. My scores from the bone scans are not really high, but I have had several "compression fractures" of the spine. I am right now recovering from one.

As with all things the decision is individual and each of us know how much chance we want to take for the hoped result. I certainly wish all good luck.

ThinBones · 02-09-2005, 08:39 PM

As for using forteo premenopausal, I believe it works the same, it is after menopause that you really can lose more bone mass, quicker. I do have reservations about this drug, any drug for that matter, but there is still some unknown with it. I know I would probably not even consider it but losing my Mom due to osteo had a big impact on me. I took care of her in my home her last 2 1/2 years, she had almost constant pain, morphine every 4 hours. It scares me to death and is really what is driving me. I am built just like her with the horrible t-scores already. I am due to have my next scan in March so I will see what that says, compared to last year. So hard for all of us to know what to do.......