黑料社

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 42.听

I鈥檇 broken my tibia-fibula as the result of a fall, and asked doctors at the hospital whether I could have osteoporosis, like my mother had. I was initially reassured that my bones were fine, but following some tests I was told that I had 鈥渢he bones of an eighty-year-old.鈥� That was how I was told that I had osteoporosis.听

鈥淚 wonder if I hadn鈥檛 questioned it whether I would鈥檝e even been tested for the condition 鈥� perhaps they assumed someone of my age wouldn鈥檛 have the condition.鈥�听

I started treatment on alendronic acid and had pins put in my leg. I was working as a full-time teacher, I carried on as much as I could after the fracture, but it took time to build my confidence up again. I was really worried about breaking more bones.听

Unfortunately, 12 months later, on the day that school broke up for the Christmas holidays, my hip just went - I crashed down onto the pavement outside my house. It was agony. As I was so young, they didn鈥檛 know what to do, so they put pins in it. After my recovery, I continued with the osteoporosis medication and started going for regular bone density (DXA) scans.听

A couple of years later, while getting ready to head to the gym for one of my regular visits there, I fell down the stairs at home. I broke the metatarsals in my left foot, and was put in a massive plaster cast, which was hard going!听听

鈥淎fter that, I started seeing a personal trainer, and despite never being a sporty or athletic person, I really tried to fight back.鈥�听

I retired in 2015 because I was starting to struggle with fatigue and felt quite weak. I didn鈥檛 feel right, and suffered from very bad depression. I downsized from my previous house, and was beginning to return to my old self. But a year later, I lost my balance in the kitchen and landed on my left hip, smashing it completely. It was horrendous and I felt like I couldn鈥檛 go through it all again 鈥� I knew what was to come with the recovery process, and I had to have a complete hip replacement.听

By April 2022, I was in a bad way. I wasn鈥檛 myself and knew there was something wrong.听

鈥淚 picked up the kettle and immediately experienced searing pain, like someone was stabbing me with a knife.鈥�听

I managed to keep calm and was sent for X-rays and MRI scans, but they couldn鈥檛 find anything. I had to cope with the pain for a whole year, until I had my next DXA, where it was identified that I had two spinal fractures. My back was so weak that I couldn鈥檛 even wear my winter coat.听

So many things have changed since my fractures. I鈥檝e lost an inch in height and the fractures have caused issues with my stomach too, due to the compression on my spine making my tummy feel squashed. I now permanently walk using a stick, and have aids around the house such as a stool in the shower and a toilet lift. My son and his wife help me a lot with daily living and I have to depend on other people a lot more now. Everyone says things like 鈥榶ou look so good鈥�, but they can鈥檛 see the pain I鈥檓 in.听

鈥淢y social life is non-existent, and I鈥檓 not able to go out with my friends for meals or days out as I can鈥檛 eat the full meal or keep up with everyone else, which makes me feel like a nuisance.鈥�听

I鈥檓 absolutely terrified of breaking another bone. I won鈥檛 go anywhere on my own now; I used to enjoy things like going to London on my own to do some shopping, but I鈥檓 frightened about someone bumping into me and knocking me over. I鈥檇 dreamt of travelling after retirement, such as visiting cities in Europe, but the medication I鈥檓 now on makes that difficult because of needing to keep it stored in a fridge.听

I first discovered the 黑料社back when I was teaching biology lessons on the subject, and we chose them for my mother鈥檚 funeral donations. All these years later, being a member of the 黑料社has definitely been a big help. They provide fantastic information and the nurse Helpline is a lifesaver 鈥� they鈥檙e lovely people who are really knowledgeable and have assisted with my medication queries. 黑料社resources, on topics like exercise, are the only things that have helped me with managing the condition.听

鈥�It also helps that I go to the 黑料社support group meetings, where I get to meet people in similar situations to myself.鈥�听

There鈥檚 a misconception that osteoporosis only affects older people, but it can affect anyone. It鈥檚 something that should be brought to the attention of people from as early an age as possible, particularly with young women, so that they are aware of the risk factors and can start to make lifestyle changes early on. No more broken bones. No more broken lives.听