47yr old male recent diagnost w/ osteo & celiac - Osteoporosis Message Board

74traveller · 05-05-2007, 01:51 AM

doesn't seem to be many of us males with said diseases.
Would really like to here from some .
Have many Questions.
Finding it real tough with all the changes I have to make in my daily life.
And hard to figure out what is right or wrong to do and to eat.

phylwill1152 · 05-05-2007, 06:56 AM

Hi and welcome to the board. there are men that come here, but i'm not one of them...sorry. We're all scared and have lots of questions when first dx. A good place to start would be to read and educate yourself about the disease. A good book to read is The Myth of Osteoporosis but Gillian Sanson. It's loaded with good info on diet, exercise and puts it in perspecetive. It also helps aleviate some of the fear factors. Of all the reading i did this is the book that helped me the most. The Mayo clinic also has a good book. Once you start looking you'll find plenty of books on the subject.

In a nut shell as far as diet and exercise....For exercise you'll want to do weight bearing exercises like walking, jogging, stair climbing..anything that puts stress on your bones. Weight training is another thing you'll want to start. Do you have a fitness routine that you already do or belong to a gym? If you don't have good balance work on that too. Standing on one foot, then the other for 1 minute 3x's a day is good for that and also helps build bone in the femoral head. Bottom line is to keep active...........A healthy diet is good for all of you. You'll want to get your calcium from dairy, dark green veggies, beans,ect. as well as from supplements. Your dr. can tell you how much you need a day and what else you need to take to supplement your diet. Has your dr. been helpful to you since your dx?

Give yourself some time to get used to the idea of having osteo, once you get used to it you'll be able to deal with and understand it better. There are a lot of smart people on the board that will answer your questions. When i was dx last year they were very helpful and still are. take care...phyllis

osteoblast · 05-05-2007, 10:54 AM

Welcome 74traveller! I know that you will find alot of good information on this board that will help you learn about and deal with osteoporosis. Fortunately for us , the drug companies see a a gold mine in developing treatments for osteoporosis because of the prevalence of the disease and the greying of America. While fosamax and other bisphosphonates have been the drugs most prescribed , there are other types of drugs now being developed.

Does your doctor think that celiac was the cause of your osteoporosis?
What treatment was decided on for you? Does your doctor think that if you
remove gluten from your diet that you will regain bone density that you lost?

74traveller · 05-05-2007, 08:15 PM

TY for your responses.
Yes the celiac was the cause of my osteo. Unfortunately I had severe symtoms of celiac as a teenager but was not aware that it was a lifer disease.I went 20yrs not on the diet but acid reflux was all i thought i had till I had x-rays done for back pain and at that time they found compressed fractures (as well as overinflated lungs) this diagnosis lead to further tests and at present i am doing even more tests for lungs & heart. Just ruling out stuff. I am on a gluten free diet have a appt with a nutritionist monday next week. Doc says the diet will help my body to absorb the niutrients that i need. And as well i have been taking calcium tablets and apo-alendronate(which we discovered last nite on this site that it is in the same family as fozamax). with this treatment plan we are hopeful that i will not lose anymore bone density.
In regards to phylwill1152's Question about exercise....I am self -employed and my job is very physical. As well i live on a mountain and to get to my shop and back its an uphill hike.
And week-ends for me as my wife insist i play on sundays i quad or snowmobile depending on the time of year.
I have another question if anyone knows :does caramel color have the same affect as gluten to a celiac. One of my many struggles is the what to or what not to eat. Hoping the nutritionist will have some answers.
ty for your help.