If you’re short and skinny (at all), and in your 20s, 30s, or 40s get your bone density checked NOW
- Thread starter swpocket
- Start date
princess47110
New member
@taliessen I’m Canadian and went to a private clinic. Paid about $200 out of pocket 2 years ago, and the bone density scan confirmed that I have osteopenia (at the time I was 31F, 115lbs, 5’4”)
@princess47110 Thank you for sharing!! Prime example of why I wish DXA scans at ages 25 and 30 were commonplace. Props to you for being proactive, even when it was expensive.
princess47110
New member
@princess47110 Regardless of your age, you can take action to improve your situation. (I’m now powerlifting 2x a week and being careful to ingest 1,200mg of calcium per day.)
princess47110
New member
@itsmeisla Yes, I’ve always gotten regular periods. At 120lbs, the DXA scan put my body fat at 24%.
hopeiseverywhere
New member
@swpocket get checked out for HPP please. you could have a metabolic disease that leads to ostepenia, osteomalacia, osteoporosis. check your comprehensive metabolic panels for low akaline phosphatase levels. they would need to be consistently low for more than 3 years. and b6 should be elevated in most cases. im being worked up by genetics for this condition now. it is called Hypophosphatasia (genetic condition that affects the bones and teeth) some people are asymptomatic so thats why im mentioning this to you. you could just have low density due to another cause. However i just want to make sure you are aware of other rare causes of low bone density in young women.
@hopeiseverywhere Thank you! Never heard of this (of course) and will check right into it. Interesting. Where do you go for a “metabolic panel”? (I’ll Google it, just curious where you went to find all this out and get tested.)
hopeiseverywhere
New member
@swpocket any general practitioner or primary care provider (pcp) can order a CMP
( comprehensive metabolic panel)
and i had to do my own research, due to doctors not being equipped to know about every disease in the world(its fair, i guess) but i didnt like doctors dismissing my low ALP levels (alkaline phosphatase) and i had to also prove my ehlers danlos in order to receive the formal diagnosis of it. which i do have now, but it takes time because you have to learn how to research and advocate for yourself. but i dont think anyone should have to do that, so i plan on helping others as much as i can whenever i see someone describing anything that seems familiar to me. here are some articles on hypophosphatasia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8658462/
https://softbones.org/
(here is diagnostic criteria for hpp done by an actual medical professional, showing you the many ways HPP can present on blood work and the ranges and cut offs for an ALP level) he shows a few cases, and explains their chief complaints that led to the diagnosis of HPP
you can have either juvenile onset HPP or Adult onset HPP, infantile wouldve been diagnosed in your mothers womb. but if you check any recent testing from the hospitals youve been to , they may have ordered a comprehensive metabolic panel as a part of your work up. this checks your fluids, electrolytes, liver and kidney function. if your kidneys are fine then its even more of a reason to assume HPP if the ALP (which is a liver enzyme that is responsible for helping your body break down proteins) other causes of a low ALP are wilsons disease, kidney or liver issues(but usually the ALP is high if you have liver or kidney disease) another cause of low ALP is malnutrition but if you have results before you lost weight of a low alp and having this low bone density you can take all of this to a doctor and they will have no choice but to send your butt to genetics. lastly get a b6 test, it will corroborate the very idea of you even having hypophosphatasia. feel free to private message me for any more questions, im not an expert but i can share the knowledge ive learned along the way.
im seeing every specialist under the sun at this point at the age of 25. the day you start questioning your doctors is the day you start to chip at finding true preventative healthcare and find out how much they delay your care when you dont advocate for yourself or atleast dont know how. thanks to people like us, we are giving out warning signs to prevent it for everyone else
( comprehensive metabolic panel)
and i had to do my own research, due to doctors not being equipped to know about every disease in the world(its fair, i guess) but i didnt like doctors dismissing my low ALP levels (alkaline phosphatase) and i had to also prove my ehlers danlos in order to receive the formal diagnosis of it. which i do have now, but it takes time because you have to learn how to research and advocate for yourself. but i dont think anyone should have to do that, so i plan on helping others as much as i can whenever i see someone describing anything that seems familiar to me. here are some articles on hypophosphatasia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8658462/
https://softbones.org/
you can have either juvenile onset HPP or Adult onset HPP, infantile wouldve been diagnosed in your mothers womb. but if you check any recent testing from the hospitals youve been to , they may have ordered a comprehensive metabolic panel as a part of your work up. this checks your fluids, electrolytes, liver and kidney function. if your kidneys are fine then its even more of a reason to assume HPP if the ALP (which is a liver enzyme that is responsible for helping your body break down proteins) other causes of a low ALP are wilsons disease, kidney or liver issues(but usually the ALP is high if you have liver or kidney disease) another cause of low ALP is malnutrition but if you have results before you lost weight of a low alp and having this low bone density you can take all of this to a doctor and they will have no choice but to send your butt to genetics. lastly get a b6 test, it will corroborate the very idea of you even having hypophosphatasia. feel free to private message me for any more questions, im not an expert but i can share the knowledge ive learned along the way.
im seeing every specialist under the sun at this point at the age of 25. the day you start questioning your doctors is the day you start to chip at finding true preventative healthcare and find out how much they delay your care when you dont advocate for yourself or atleast dont know how. thanks to people like us, we are giving out warning signs to prevent it for everyone else
nooneimportant
New member
@swpocket Are you going to the Bone Clinic opened by Belinda Beck (and others)?
My doctor suggested I look at their Liftmor study. Unfortunately I'm in the states so can't go there in person. I signed up for their online program which doesn't have the weight lifting portion. But I found their protocols in a paper after a google search.
I'm getting ready to do the assessment for the online program (I got distracted by reddit). I hope it's full of great info. I have frozen shoulder right now and can't start the weight lifting yet, but will find a local trainer once I can fully use my arm. I have osteoporosis and am looking to make some bone!
I can say that I'm sure I've never eaten this much protein regularly in my life! I wouldn't doubt that that was part of the problem.
My doctor suggested I look at their Liftmor study. Unfortunately I'm in the states so can't go there in person. I signed up for their online program which doesn't have the weight lifting portion. But I found their protocols in a paper after a google search.
I'm getting ready to do the assessment for the online program (I got distracted by reddit). I hope it's full of great info. I have frozen shoulder right now and can't start the weight lifting yet, but will find a local trainer once I can fully use my arm. I have osteoporosis and am looking to make some bone!
I can say that I'm sure I've never eaten this much protein regularly in my life! I wouldn't doubt that that was part of the problem.
@nooneimportant Yes! I attended their weight classes regularly for 3 months, and still follow their recommended nutrition. As I understand, protein (and D3 and K2) assist with the absorption of calcium, which we need 1000–1200 mg of daily. I aim for about 1 gram of protein per my body weight in pounds. (So if I weigh 130lbs, I’d try and get 130g of protein per day.)
I also still follow their weightlifting and plyometric (jumping in a way that reverberates your body, if that makes sense) program. The weight program is simply 3 exercises: squats, deadlifts, shoulder press. 5 x 5.
These days, I basically do the same program (squats, deadlift, shoulder press) but at a much greater intensity than I’d feel comfortable doing at the Bone Clinic.
I’m not skilled or experienced in reading medical studies, and there are a series of them done in conjunction with Griffith University. I’d love to hear any insights you gain from those, or other studies. The Bone Clinic in Coorparoo is highly regarded and definitely has the vibe of a legitimate, research-based facility.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
I also still follow their weightlifting and plyometric (jumping in a way that reverberates your body, if that makes sense) program. The weight program is simply 3 exercises: squats, deadlifts, shoulder press. 5 x 5.
These days, I basically do the same program (squats, deadlift, shoulder press) but at a much greater intensity than I’d feel comfortable doing at the Bone Clinic.
I’m not skilled or experienced in reading medical studies, and there are a series of them done in conjunction with Griffith University. I’d love to hear any insights you gain from those, or other studies. The Bone Clinic in Coorparoo is highly regarded and definitely has the vibe of a legitimate, research-based facility.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.