/ Featured / I Learned to Live With Osteoporosis
by Walter Moore
I am 57-years old and was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis only after decades of painful fractures.
As a child I helped around my family’s farm and was very active: always running, jumping and playing outside in the sun. I also drank “real” cow milk. I continued to lead a physically active lifestyle as an adult.
Then, at the age of thirty, I experienced a rib fracture. At the time I thought ‘that’s normal, it can happen’. I had another fracture at the age of 40 and subsequently several rib fractures. I questioned whether this was indeed normal, but the doctor didn’t take me seriously and reassured me that slalom is a rather dangerous sport and anyone with slippery shoes can fall on an icy street. And of course I knew my self – my mind is always way ahead of my body – so little accidents can happen… There was also no real explanation for the excruciating back pain. I was told that the vertebral discs had become partly thinner, but not to worry, everyone has degenerative arthritis.
As a result, for many years my life was filled with pain and my quest for a diagnosis included visits to various doctors, X-rays, physiotherapy – a frustrating and expensive odyssey. I even spent a whole year working only 2 days a week to see whether my health would improve. This turned out to have no effect – in the end it was always painkillers and “on with life” regardless of the pain.
Five years ago, as I leaned over the back of the chair in our kitchen, something snapped in my chest. My wife refused to believe that a broken bone could “just happen” for no reason. Inspired by an ad in a newspaper, I made one phone call to a private medical center and an appointment for a DXA. The result of the DXA clearly showed that I had very serious osteoporosis.
I took the DXA-results to the company doctor at work and after that to the university hospital. A series of examinations revealed the whole picture: how serious my osteoporosis was and why I had it. I was also diagnosed with silent celiac disease, a mal absorption disorder in which the body’s ability to absorb protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and vitamin D, is greatly reduced. Since both calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health, this partly explains why osteoporosis is so common in celiac disease. This also explained why I had low haemoglobin counts, and suffered from tiredness, weight loss and many infections.
Although osteoporosis had been diagnosed, the official medical center could offer me very little information. I was lucky that I was accepted for a self help course, which was organised by the Finnish Osteoporosis society. I met people who were in the same position as I was. After discussions together and after the lessons held by professionals, I found out how I could cope and move forward with my life.
Now I am retired. My back is fragile and I can’t lift over 5 kg. How I wish that I could lift our sweet little grandchild on to my lap! Shopping bags quickly become too heavy for me to lift safely. Sitting long periods is very difficult – walking at times very painful. But I need to keep myself moving and fortunately I live in a house with a garden and I work there as much as I can. Another hobby is Nordic walking, which I didn’t know much about before my osteoporosis-diagnosis.
Because one reason for my osteoporosis was celiac disease, I follow a very exact gluten-free diet. During the last five years I have taken medicine for my osteoporosis, calcium and vitamin-D tablets. Exercise, which I used to do occasionally, is now a routine part of my everyday life. To maximize my safety in case of a fall, I wear hip protectors every day and in winter I wear spike-soled shoes when I go out.
The good news is that my bones are in a better shape than they used to be. The DXA-measurement last year showed that my bone mass has improved 20 % compared to the results of the first DXA.
I believe that with exercise, medication, calcium and vitamin D, my bone health has improved. That’s why I’m not afraid of aging. I know that by taking charge of my lifestyle, I can positively influence my health – and my bones will continue to carry me into the future.”
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Osteoporosis involves the thinning of bones, and if some measures are not taken, it can lead to excruciating pain accompanied by fractures and forms of disability. For treatment, one should take proper intake of osteoporosis drugs, eat diet rich in calcium, low-fat milk products, vitamin D, avoid caffeine.