 Posted 04/09/2011 16:16:37
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Can anyone help? Am very confused and this looks like a good place to come for advice. I've just had a letter with result of osteoporosis screening with calcaneal ultrasound, just my heels were done. It seems I've been diagnosed with osteoporosis, which is confusing because the T score was -2 which I thought meant osteopenia, could it be a misprint or are the scores for ultrasounds different to DEXA scans?
The letter says "these scan results are consistent with osteoporosis" and recommendations are calcium and vit D and I should consider treatment with Bisphosphonates. For follow up scan in 2 yrs.
I'm female, 61 yrs old, never had a fracture but am celiac with lots of food intolerances, I can't eat dairy products so have taken calcium and vit D3 for years, I pay for vit D testing because GP won't do it and last test 10 months ago was in the optimal range (75ng/mL) so have carried on with 1000iu a day.
I will be discussing with GP of course but wanted to have as much info as possible. Is it reasonable to be diagnosed with osteoporosis (with T score -2) and be advised to start taking Bisophosphonates without having a DEXA scan? I've read that the heel scans are not diagnostic but it appears that they are in our PCT.
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Posted 04/09/2011 17:50:27
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| Dear Maximus I have nothing sensible to offer on what you describe; only support, as at 48, I too have been told the same (but via a Dexa, not heel) that my results indicate OP - I am at a loss as to which way to go, given my Mum reacted so badly to the bisphonates (I know we are all different and they are probably fine for most people) - I have stuck my head in the sand about it for the moment. I look forward to reading how you get on with GP and what other advice you might recieve via this helpful forum. Best wishes Libby
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Posted 04/09/2011 18:16:02
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| Thanks Libby, there's a lot to take in isn't there? I've been reading about the medication and don't fancy it at all, I've just about sorted my digestion out and don't want it all to flare up again.
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Posted 05/09/2011 13:45:45
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| Thought I'd come back as just spoken to the helpline. Info may be useful for others living in areas with cash strapped PCTs. Calcaneal ultrasound isn't a reliable test for osteoporosis but its cheap. The T score I was given, -2, is meaningless because t score values relate to DEXA scans. So will take NOS leaflet explaining this to GP and he'll probably send me for a DEXA scan (was that a pig flying by......?). Will most likely end up paying for a scan as I really want a baseline so can see if treatment working in a few years. Will try to get written information on PCT osteoporosis screening. They don't seem to be following NICE guidelines.
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