Osteopenia

During the process of diagnosis the Doctors decided to test several of my nutrient levels. My Vitamin D level (among others) came back low. Because of this they decided that I needed to have a Bone Density test. I must admit that I am truly grateful that we have the technology we do because all that was recquired of this test was to lay on a bed and be scanned. I went into this test thinking "No problem, what could go wrong with this?" (I didn't even have to have my mom come with me!!)
So, the day of my appointment came. I happened to be getting the test done in a Breast Health Clinic. That made sense to me; Old ladies need regular mammograms and bone scans, why not have it in the same place. When I walked in I was definitely the youngest person there, by about 40 years. I got some pretty odd looks. After a few minutes I got called back and was given some instructions to prep for my test. It went something like this:

Nurse: "Undress, completely from the waist up and put your clothes on one of the hangers."
Me: (If I needed to undress at all wouldn't I have to completely undress?)
Nurse: "Here is a gown for you. The opening goes in front."
Me: (Why would it really matter? It's not like I'm gonna have to take it off.)
Nurse: "Are you wearing deodorant?"
Me: "Yes." (Why wouldn't I be?)
Nurse: (Giving me a look of 'you should know better') "Well, use one of those wipes there and clean the underarm and breast area completely.
Me: (Getting slightly nervous as my worst fears are realized) "Why do I need to take off my deodorant?"
Nusre: (With exasperation now) "Because it gets all over the machine and messes up the results of the test."
Me: "I just want to make sure we are on the same page. I'm here for a bone scan, not a mammogram."
Nurse: "Oh... well then I guess you can keep your deodorant on then."
Me: (Right, because that is really what I was worried about. Not, the fact that you were about to send me through the squish-o-matic 20 years too early.)

So everything turned out fine and I ended up getting the right test done (although I did have an escape plan ready just in case). The bone density test was the easiest test I have done yet; No poking with cold hands, no needles, and best of all, no squishing!! All you do is lay on a table and this arm-thing passes up and down you (you seriously feel like you are in a computer scanner; makes the same noise too).

Alright, getting to the whole point of this post... The results came back and I have Osteopenia. The medical definition for Osteopenia is a bone density that is 1.0 to 2.5 standard deviations below the norm. Osteoporosis is anything below 2.5 standard deviations. The norm is the average bone density for a 30 year old woman. The reason the norm is set at 30 years old is because up until 30 you increase your bone density. After 30 you start to lose bone density. So what is the big deal with Osteopenia? Well, nothing really. If you are over 30 and you have Osteopenia your risk for later Osteoporosis is VERY high. In this case doctors may start you on some treatment or just wait and see if Osteoporosis set in. Luckily for someone like me, who has several years before I hit 30, it's not a big deal at all. I have plenty of time to build back bone density once I start absorbing nutrients again.

Here are some things that help increase bone density: Calcium supplements Vitamin D supplements Daily exposure to the sun, unprotected (15 minutes in unprotected sun exposure will give you 1,000 IU of Vitamin D) Weight bearing exercise (This could be something as simple as walking) So right now I will be taking a lot of sunny walks! What could be better than that? :)

An interesting side note... For anyone who has malabsorption problems DO NOT take any Osteoporosis medications like Boniva or Fosamax! When your body can't absorb the calcium it needs from what you intake, it turns and takes it from your bones instead. The way Osteoporosis medications work is it seals off your bones so that your body can't take the calcium from them. If you can't get the calcium from what you intake or from your bones this leads to a serious depletion of calcium which could cause things like strokes. No good!