How 'bout them bones?

Two years ago  I had a Bone Scan and didn't think a thing of it until I got an email with the results. 

Shocking! How on earth could the results be so concerning? My doctor called me that night and we set up another appointment. My scores didn't just say Osteopenia. The results were considered pretty severe in regards to the lumbar spine. 

In fact I had nightmares about going to do something that winter and literally having my bones burst out of my body and scatter all over the place. 
Wouldn't that give you a Halloween Nightmare!

I sort of explain things in an April 2022 post where my Osteoblasts are fighting my Osteoclasts.

In short, I was unable to continue with the medication that was prescribed the would keep me from losing more minerals. 

I went back to CrossFit and took up Mobility [and Balance] classes, along with weight training to build up my core muscles to protect my spine along with a moderate change in diet.

I have to be honest. I am horrible when making dietary changes. I do eat my veggies, I do eat mostly properly, but I eat as my husband would say 'like a bird'. I don't like a ton of meat. I like soups and stews, but not steak and tators like he does. I'd rather eat a salad sometimes.

I was asked to drink milk and eat yogurt much more. I don't like milk. I like it if it IS chocolate milk once in a while or if it is a MILKshake. But just milk? Ick. And after a few months of all that extra dairy, my stomach revolted.

So I substituted some Calcium supplements along with some vitamins and continued going to the gym. I enjoy what we have in the gym and it is a social relief to be around other sweaty people. Many times it is comedic relief also.

I let the whole Osteo thing sort of slip from my mind. I figured that I was doing what was right for me and being active and amused is better than being afraid and sorrowful. I let it slip away that is until the next scan which was Monday.

The result was:

Two years and there was almost no change. 

One hip got a tiny bit crappier 'score' and one hip improved on its score. 

The lumbar region had ... and I quote "No significant change".

I feel like I passed a big test and didn't flunk it! To me, this means that I think I am doing something right. Now the endocrinologist may think otherwise when we meet next week. However I will listen to her and discuss medication.  

We've tried Fosamax and Teriparatide aka Forteo with some extremely painful results. I suspect she'd like me to try a newer medication that can only be taken for a year called Romosozumab aka Evenity. It is supposed to build bone density up and can be taken only for 12 months before reverting back to one of the previous meds I've already had or suffer loss of bone due to the new med.

I'd like to hear her take on vitamins and diet and what her thoughts are regarding the No Significant Change. I've had no fractures and no breaks ever in any of my bones so what does she think of that?

Eventually the lower back will have a compression fracture[s] that is inevitable. 

But until then I will be friends with my bones and make sure I take care of them in the best way I can.

Testing testing

I guess I should not have looked a the email that came in after my 'bone density scan'. You know, you get some results and instantly a person is curious.

I was reading the numbers and the 'scores'. Hmmmm. 
There were a lot of numbers with a negative sign in them. Lumbar 1 to Lumbar 4.
Then the right hip and the left hip. I expected some sort results regarding my left hip as it seems to be always a bit ... well, a bit of an irritant to me. 

Most mornings I get up and feel a bit like a truck has run over my low back. Usually I can walk around and it gets much better.

I want a good grade, you know? Like an A+ or something. I don't think I got that. 
One should not try and look up test/scan results on their own. 

I decided that I was just fine thank you very much. I would wait for my doctor to call me about that D- it feels like I got.

In other good news. My supervisor, Charlie loves riding the 4 wheeler with me. I had to put out a 50 lb salt block and didn't feel like hauling it out by foot. I put it in the cart and fired up the 4 wheeler.

The Mighty Little Dog came bounding out and took a leap then climbed up my leg to sit in front of me. He stood on the machine and supervised as long as the machine was running.

Just for fun, we took a long tour around the winter pasture to glance at fences and look for some fungi close to the house. Here is a shaggy mane mushroom as it grows and one after it spores out.

While watering the mules in another pasture, I found these by the roots of the stump of an old Ash tree.

Sir Charles also supervised my work when I cleaned out the gutters and tossed wet yucky leaves into my flower garden where they can make nice soil.

Tuesday looks nice and overcast with a hint of rain. I think it will be a good day for a nice long hike. I hopefully will explore a new trail or just do a road walk.

I have one more doctor test to do and I put it off.

The Fasting Lab. I don't dislike the poke or anything. It is the NO morning coffee that gets me cranky. All of my other labs came back just perfect. Let's hope I don't get results in an email that make me go Uh-Oh Again!

And...

I loved driving the hot rod Subaru...Even parked, it looks speedy.