Celebratory Coffee Date
Woohoo! Thrust that dumpster fire mug to the back of the cupboard- things are looking up. Get out your most cheerful mug and join me for a cup of delicious Earl Grey tea (or coffee, if you must.) I have some good news to share from my doctor appointment yesterday. But let’s back up. Four years ago I had my first bone density scan, and the results showed that I had osteopenia- ack! I was very surprised by this- I remember saying to my doctor “But I run and lift weights!” She wanted to prescribe Fosamax, but I didn’t want to take it. Instead I started taking a calcium supplement and increased my Vitamin D supplement. There, that should solve everything. Two years later I had another scan, and it was even worse. The numbers for both my hip and low back put me in the osteoporosis range (eek, so scary!) My doctor again recommended Fosamax (again I said no) but she also said she had heard good things about a supplement called Osteo Vegan. She didn’t suggest it because I’m vegan; it’s just a supplement containing every bone-building mineral you could imagine, and she thought we could give it a try. You take nine pills a day, and because it’s not a prescription drug, it’s not covered by insurance. But at this point I was scared enough to shell out the $77 a month, and obediently began swallowing my pills. This was also around the time I started lifting heavier weights, because I heard that helped with bone density. But I have to admit I was feeling pretty worried. I have a lot of risk factors- my mom had osteoporosis, I’m post-menopausal, and I have a very small frame. Oh, and in my teens and 20s I drank a LOT of soda. Strike four! Fast forward two more years. I had another bone density scan and honestly was afraid to hear the results. BUT GUESS WHAT. The osteoporosis is reversed, and I’m up into the osteopenia range- so far up that one of the areas barely showed osteopenia at all. ‘ My doctor was astonished. She was just hoping that it hadn’t gotten any worse- she truly didn’t expect improvement like that. We discussed the Osteo Vegan, and the heavier weightlifting, and she said “JUST KEEP DOING EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING!” She said if I make the same improvement again in two years, I won’t have osteopenia at all. I’m not sharing this to brag about my bones, (Obviously, there’s still work to do there.) I just want to say that THERE IS HOPE. If I can get my bones this much stronger, think what else I could do. My muscles can get stronger, My ankle can get stronger! Things can actually get better- we don’t have to just deteriorate until our bodies crumble to pieces. Do you have any areas in your health where you’ve made improvements? Or are there any health issues you’re concerned about? Please share! You never know… I’ll bet there’s a solution out there. Top photo by Miska Sage on Unsplash