did you drink alot of milk when you wear younger?
did you drink alot of milk when you wear younger?
I drank upwards of half a gallon a day growing up. I think that is what caused my calcium absorption issue.
BadBones wrote:
I'm in a similar situation and posted about it here:
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=9331810I'm now at the stage where I'm traveling to see doctors as well, and am hoping to have a clear treatment path soon. Not sure who you've seen, but happy to share a few of the names that have come up in my research.
I'm scheduled to see Dr. Paul Miller in Colorado soon. He is an author on much of the current literature on osteoporosis treatment, and has experience treating young elite endurance athletes w/ idiopathic osteoporosis. In reading some of his case studies, Forteo has been used successfully with several of his patients returning to competition.
You might be interested in talking to Dr. Keith McCormick as well, if you haven't already. He's a former Olympic pentathlete who suffered multiple fractures from osteoporosis in his 40s and returned to competing in Ironman triathlons. He's written a book called The Whole Body Approach to Osteoporosis, which I found helpful. He also does remote consultations, so no need to travel to work with him.
Wishing you the best of luck as you figure this out. It's not an easy diagnosis.
BadBones, wow, very interesting thread you shared. I'm also in the DC area. Small world.
It looks like you are going through all the tests that I already have. You seem to be on the ball with educating yourself and advocating, so keep it up. I've had every test imaginable over the past six years, so my doctors are now trying to examine the smallest possible factors that could have possibly caused this. A new theory that was presented to me last week was a possible link to the drug Accutane. I took it for two extended periods growing up, once in junior high and again in high school. The drug is known for having really bad side effects (many of which I suffered from), and there may be a link to my consumption of this drug during my prime growing years. However, I never broke a single bone until my first stress fracture in 2013 when this nonsense all began.
Are you able to run at all right now? After my latest DEXA scan last week showed that my t-scores were even lower than my last DEXA (especially my spine), my doctor told me it was time to stop.
okfine wrote:
did you drink alot of milk when you wear younger?
I drank literally gallons of milk a week growing up. I don't think it was a factor either way since my calcium blood work has always been optimal when tested and all tests for absorption issues have been negative.
Interest re: the Accutane usage. Some MD friends have wondered if my usage of Advair as a teenager could be a factor, but I haven't found any research making that connection.
Unfortunately, I'm not able to walk much pain-free right now, let alone even think about running. I've had a tibial stress injury on/off for the last year, and have been on crutches for much of the last several months. I'm also dealing with a herniated disc and compression fracture in my lumbar spine now (though unclear if the compression fracture is recent or from a previous injury). I haven't run a step since March 2018. Trying to ween off the crutches but it's been a very slow process.
The scary thing for me is how quickly this has progressed. ~6 years ago, I was running 90 mpw and setting PRs on the track. While I started getting stress fractures ~3 years ago, I was still getting in periods of running ~50 mpw. Over the last year, I've been dealing with fractures despite very limited activity.
I haven't completely given up on running, but my priority right now is getting to daily activity pain-free.
Although you said you got all of these tests in the doctor's office, did they check your body's pH levels? Having an overly acidic pH can be another unexpected factor attributing to low bone density. There are even some individuals who believe that dairy products and other foods are actually bad for bone health due high acidity. Maybe you could check in with a dietitian into looking into a high alkaline diet.
As a quick update, I had my appt with Dr. Miller in Colorado - was very impressed with him and glad I made the trip out. I also had a remote consultation with Dr. McCormick, the crux of which was him being glad I was seeing Dr. Miller and suggesting he be my main point person.
Dr. Miller ordered some additional bloodwork (IFE and PE Serum, Prolactin, Osteocalcin, IGF-1, Free and Total Testosterone, Propeptide Type 1 Collagen, Celiac Disease Panel, C-Telopeptide, and Bone Specific Alk Phosphatase) - I should have the results back in the next week or so.
Pending results of these tests, he suggested coming back out for a bone biopsy to better understand the nature of my low bone density (not building enough bone, breaking bone down too quickly, etc.).
We discussed pharmaceutical treatment options a bit (Forteo, Tymlos, Biphosphonates, etc.), but will wait for results of the testing (and potentially bone biopsy) before making a decision there. Given the nature of these drugs and how rare this is in otherwise healthy young males, we want to have as much information as possible before making a decision on treatment.
My pain has generally been slowly getting better (though today is a bit worse), but I'm very encouraged by the new path I'm on w/ Dr. Miller.
okfine wrote:
did you drink alot of milk when you wear younger?
Steven Riser wrote:
I drank literally gallons of milk a week growing up. I don't think it was a factor either way since my calcium blood work has always been optimal when tested and all tests for absorption issues have been negative.
Milk and other animal products create URIC ACID in the blood. This causes the body
to pull calcium from the bones to try and neutralize the acidity, which makes the bones brittle.
This is a common issue, and has been verified by the high concentration of calcium in your blood.
/ thread.
This is my list, based more on my advanced age than anything else.
Swim (Water aerobics)
Row
Golf
Darts
Pool
Coach
And if you walk, rather than run (a lot do), you might be able to do swimrun events.
Old guy who can't run either wrote:
This is my list, based more on my advanced age than anything else.
Swim (Water aerobics)
Row
Golf
Darts
Pool
Coach
The Skierg.
And the best of all ... wrote:
Old guy who can't run either wrote:
This is my list, based more on my advanced age than anything else.
Swim (Water aerobics)
Row
Golf
Darts
Pool
Coach
The Skierg.
What?
Ten bucks in big rubber bands and I can do that in my garage. One born every minute, indeed!
And the best of all ... wrote:
The Skierg.
[quote]tarckstar wrote:
Ten bucks in big rubber bands and I can do that in my garage.
Oh no, you can not, and you're showing your ignorance.
And the best of all ... wrote:
The Skierg.
tarckstar wrote:
Ten bucks in big rubber bands and I can do that in my garage.
Oh no, you can not, and you're showing your ignorance.
And the best of all ... wrote:
And the best of all ... wrote:
The Skierg.
tarckstar wrote:
Ten bucks in big rubber bands and I can do that in my garage.
Oh no, you can not, and you're showing your ignorance.
I know a few XC skiers from back in the day who can show YOU'RE wrong.
I'm so sorry to hear about this - do you mind sharing what your Z-scores are? I'm curious because I've battled low bone density as well (though mine is linked to a history of eating disorders).
I'm paying for it now with repeated fractures, but no doc has ever told me to stop running. My z-scores are just shy of osteopenia.
Trackstar, wrong. The skierg (talking the concept2 one here) is a fantastic machine. You want to jack around with resistance bands and believe you're getting the same thing? Come on man, that's ridiculous. Your credibility as a poster is about to take a hit if you persist in this line of argument.
tarckstar wrote:
And the best of all ... wrote:
Oh no, you can not, and you're showing your ignorance.
I know a few XC skiers from back in the day who can show YOU'RE wrong.
tarckstar wrote:
I know a few XC skiers from back in the day who can show YOU'RE wrong.
Like this one?
By the way, that's the old model; there's a newer one now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnrxlSoPyO0This is the current model. About $900 and a fantastic piece of gear. Great compliment to the rowing machine (Erg).
BadBones wrote:
As a quick update, I had my appt with Dr. Miller in Colorado - was very impressed with him and glad I made the trip out. I also had a remote consultation with Dr. McCormick, the crux of which was him being glad I was seeing Dr. Miller and suggesting he be my main point person.
Dr. Miller ordered some additional bloodwork (IFE and PE Serum, Prolactin, Osteocalcin, IGF-1, Free and Total Testosterone, Propeptide Type 1 Collagen, Celiac Disease Panel, C-Telopeptide, and Bone Specific Alk Phosphatase) - I should have the results back in the next week or so.
Pending results of these tests, he suggested coming back out for a bone biopsy to better understand the nature of my low bone density (not building enough bone, breaking bone down too quickly, etc.).
We discussed pharmaceutical treatment options a bit (Forteo, Tymlos, Biphosphonates, etc.), but will wait for results of the testing (and potentially bone biopsy) before making a decision there. Given the nature of these drugs and how rare this is in otherwise healthy young males, we want to have as much information as possible before making a decision on treatment.
My pain has generally been slowly getting better (though today is a bit worse), but I'm very encouraged by the new path I'm on w/ Dr. Miller.
BadBones,
As you probably recall, I was the poster who recommended Paul Miller to you (and probably one or two others on similar threads), so I'm pleased that you met with him and were very impressed. He's been my go-to doc for idiopathic osteoporosis since at least as far back as 2012. He had me on Forteo for several years, during which time I was able to continue some running -- which he encouraged -- without any known fractures. Currently, I'm not on any osteoporosis drugs. After a full year without drugs, we're going to see where I'm at and decide what direction to take going forward.
Steven Riser wrote:
After my latest DEXA scan last week showed that my t-scores were even lower than my last DEXA (especially my spine), my doctor told me it was time to stop.
What were your latest t-scores?