Osteoporosis Support Group
Osteoporosis is a disease of bone in which bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of non-collagenous proteins in bone is changed. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 worldwide have osteoporosis. It is responsible for millions of fractures annually, mostly involving the lumbar...
Hi,
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis on May 30, at age 44, but feel that I have probably had this for about seven years. I signed on a while ago, and have just been reading.
I found that I was getting injured far too easily playing sports. I have broken toes, and injured my tailbone, but mostly fractured and broken ribs.
The weird thing is, my ribs break so eaily, that most of the time, I don't even get a bruise on the surface, I just feel the pain of the ribs cracking or breaking (and that clicking and grinding that you get when you breathe with broken ribs. Has anyone else had this experience?
The last rib I broke took ten months to heal, and then I cracked another. Needles to say, I have given up playing sports. However, I am running, biking, and going to aquatics with my mom's senior's group. That's a bit weird but they're a nice bunch of ladies and we have fun.
Any info you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and sorry for the long message.
- Barb
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis on May 30, at age 44, but feel that I have probably had this for about seven years. I signed on a while ago, and have just been reading.
I found that I was getting injured far too easily playing sports. I have broken toes, and injured my tailbone, but mostly fractured and broken ribs.
The weird thing is, my ribs break so eaily, that most of the time, I don't even get a bruise on the surface, I just feel the pain of the ribs cracking or breaking (and that clicking and grinding that you get when you breathe with broken ribs. Has anyone else had this experience?
The last rib I broke took ten months to heal, and then I cracked another. Needles to say, I have given up playing sports. However, I am running, biking, and going to aquatics with my mom's senior's group. That's a bit weird but they're a nice bunch of ladies and we have fun.
Any info you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and sorry for the long message.
- Barb
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Hi everyone it's been awhile but I've been trying o maintain of what I remember to be a normal life for me. As the years go by, the symptoms increases. I'm now prepared to go to Rheumy number 3 trying to find out what going on. This week have already started out terrible I feel terrible. The dr. gave me another Rheumatoid panel exam. My ANA still came back positive but my pattern changed from...
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theatre and I are there already. I'm having a very berry tea with crackers, cheese and cherry tomatoes and she's having a joint with some beer and we're both on really comfy recliners on thick pile carpet. we need some help with the decor if anyone is around??
In terms of length of time to heal, you may have a slow bone turn rate like I have. Average bone turn rate is 90-120 days. Mine is at least twice that long. Doctors can gauge this in many ways ( ct scan for increased bone density on the fracture to hematology studies ( rather exotic ones) that measure levels of n-telepeptide, osteocalcin, etc. These are biochemical markers for bone turn rate. My guess is your levels are lower than normal, as mine are, hence a very slow bone regrowth process.
I am 46yrs old and have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 21yrs. Just before I got married in 2008 I was in a lot of pain which I didnt associate with the RA. I was eventually sent for a scan and it was found out I had 4 cracked ribs!. I cant recall doing anything that might have caused this, and now it turns out I also have osteoporosis. I still work full time in a very busy job and was still getting pain from my ribs which still dont seem to have healed. I had a chesty cough about a week ago, and when I sneezed on friday evening I felt my rib go again, so I am now off my workagain, hopefully for not too long. Are you receiving any treatment for Osteoporosis? I have been given calcium tablets and thats it.
Does anyone know if they can do a specific scan of my ribs to see the extent of bone weakness there?
Thanks, clant
I didn't go for treatment at first, because the pain didn't set in right away, and there absolutely no bruising, so I didn't think It was that bad. The next day, pain became rather excruciating, but OTC meds took most the edge off, so I thought it would get better. It was 5 days before I went in for X-rays--and discovered I had fractured 3 ribs, one of which was a bilateral fracture, broken in 2 places, along with a partially collapsed lung -- but no bruising whatsoever!
Apparently, the ribs had absorbed most of the shock of the fall by breaking, which is why there was no bruising.
Hope you get better soon. I slipped on ice and fell down on my tail bone. Ended up fracturing the tailbone and one vertebra, and had to wear a metal body brace for 3 months. There was only pain for 1-2 days. Another time I fell sideways and broke my leg at the knee. That was extremely painful and required surgery to repair the knee and insert a metal bracket to support my leg bone. Ribs are very painful, even if just bruised. I feel bad for you. Best wishes for a quick recovery.