Osteopenia & Degenerative Disk Disease!

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dobeday1

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Hello everyone! I'm back! :bouncing:
I wanted to let all of you know my lastest update. I took your advice! And I am so glad that I did. Some of you already know that I own & run a residential/commercial cleaning business. That is very hard work. Especially on those who have severe back problems. I am VERY stubborn, and just kept on working this past year, even through the pain and sufferring that I endured on a daily basis.

I went and had my MRI and new exrays done on my lower back. The results just came back in on Wednesday of last week. I have the DDD, but I also now have osteopenia. I think that is the corect spelling and term. :confused:

My doctor imformed me that if I continued working, my spine would just continue to get worse. And that "NOW" would be a good time to end the labor part of my business. So guess what???? I Did!

I have not been back to work physically for almost 3 weeks now. The pain is semi tolerable. Not nearly what is was, when I was stressing it out.The customers that I have on my own personal schedule have been wonderful. Most have agreed to continue their cleaning service through my business, with a new provider that I am assigning to their homes. I am just waiting to hear from the rest of them. So I am relieved about that. Not to mention, this is giving me alot more time to network my business, and pull in more commercial jobs. That makes me pretty happy! :) Of course I will not be doing the labor end of the business. I work in my office now, and do all of the paperwork, schedulling, and estimates.

I have an appointment on 3/17 with an orthopedic suregon. He will be looking over all of my mri & exray films to let me know where I go from here. Hopefully, it will NOT be surgery. My doctor told me that I have 2 buldging disks. One is at the top of my L5-SL, and the other is at the bottom of my L4-SL. She said that I also have what is called decending nerve root, and nerve encrotching. She explained to me that is where my nerves are exposed, and my buldging disks are pressing up against the nerves. That is one of the reasons that I have been sufferring so much, and almost feel like I can not walk due to the pain, after I physically worked.

So if any of you out there have the same or similiar ailments as I do, I would really appreciate yours, or anyones feedback. Is there hope of a pain free day in the future? Can I get through this without surgery. Are there other options that you are aware of, that I could mention to my doctor if they don't mention it to me first? Any feedbacks at all will be of a great help to me.

Thank you for being here for me. No one truly understanRAB the sufferring, and the frustrations of the intense back pain, and the limitations that I have just doing the simple every day things, unless they have been there themselves, or are there at that point now.

Take care! Hope to hear from you soon! :wave:
 
Hi. I'm sorry to hear of your problems, but glad to hear you have found some relief by not doing so much physical work. I had to reply regarding the osteopenia as I have had the most wonderful experience and news myself recently.

Five years ago I had a bone density scan and was diagnosed with ostopenia. My doctor immediately put me on calcium citrate-300 mg 2 x day, vitamin D-500 iu 2 x day, and Magnesium Citriate-400 mg 2 x day. He told me to walk as much as possible...power walk that is...and to lift light weights to build muscle and bone.

Almost 3 years ago I took a really bad fall and injured my back. I was then diagnosed with DDD and lurabar herniatiations at several levels. After a couple of months of meRAB, rest, and PT, I recovered and returned to my life and really began taking the exercise to heart. I am also hypothyroid and finally managed to regulate my meRAB for that too, so the weight started falling off and I felt better than I had in many years.

Last summer I had another bone density scan. A few weeks later, I injured my back again and promptly forgot all about the test. Well, the doctor called me in last month saying she finally had the bone density scan results. I was thinking, well you know you already have osteopenia, so hopefully she's going to tell you it hasn't progressed too much.

Low and behold, she told me that my bones are just fine! There is no more osteopenia! Obviously this wasn't an overnight cure, but what a miracle!

If they didn't tell you, osteopenia is the beginning of osteoporosis...thinning or lost density of the bones. It usually is found in post-menopausal women and first shows up in the hips and lower back. It can go on to affect all of the bones in the body.

Who knows what this current inactivity will do to my bones. I know what it's doing to my waistline - lol. There are all kinRAB of drugs on the market now to build up bone, but they can be extremely hard on the stomach and have who knows how many side effects. I'm proof that you can turn it around with natural supplements.

With the DDD, you might want to get with a good physical therapist to learn core building exercises. I can't power walk 5 miles a day like I used to, but I still try to do a few core building exercises to give my spine some stability.

Dollbuggy, the more you do to help yourself and the longer you can hold off the surgeon's knife, the better off you'll be. In fact, if this guy says you need surgery, please get a 2nd and 3rd opinion. Surgery should always be the last option.

I wish you all the best. Stay in touch and let us know how you're doing.

Houston
 
Oh my god when I read your message it sounRAB so much like what mom is going through, what meRAB have you been on? what has helped she is desperate and tells me she thinks she will die from the pain since she breaks up in a sweat, and the pain is horrific, she can barely walk or do anything after being such an active woman all her life, please let me know what you have taken and what helps, anyway I will have her see a pain management doc here in fla when she comes, I am not sure if thats teh right kind of doctor for this, she has bulging disks that press against teh nerves, and she has arthritis,osteoporosis and sciatica she is 55 yrs old. if you have any info that can help please tell me thanks so much in advance
 
Hi
I feel for all of you going thru this pain! My father and I have both been diagnosed with DDD His is extremly bad. But i concur with you all surgery should be the very last option i can tell you a few things that we have both found to help. One is there is a contraption you can buy at a medical supply store that literaly stretches your neck and spine. It hangs in the door way and you actually can hang yourself by your head or neck it stretches your spine but is not to intesive(if you are working with a physical therapist you may want to ask them about it) also there are a few back exersizes that help tremendously one is you lay on your back with you knees up and your feet on the ground then you lift your knee just a little off the ground and put it down then you alternate it takes pressure off of your lower back and it strengthens. Aleve seems to help sometimes also, they also have a liquid at sams club or maybe even costco called liquid joint care it takes a good couple of weeks but it has made a diffrence. My dad has lost 20 pounRAB and that has helped too. I wish you all the best hang in there! :D
 
What is the difference between DDD? and DJD?
what about bone spurs? do they go away on their own? I understand that it's not the spurs that actually cause the pain and that spurs are formed when the bone or tissue has worn away and the body tries to heal itself, there fore creating a bone spur.

So you do agree that physical therapy for bone strengthing, plus supplements are the answer to this diagnosis? this is wonderful news. I am very excited that you replied with this good news and now have hope that my spine doesn't have to get worst if I work at it. everything takes work doesn't it?
LInda
 
I too suffer from bulging discs, nerve encroachment, etc... I found that traction has helped with the bulging and encroachment on the nerve - provided you don't do anything afterworRAB to bring it back. Core exercises - I agree with all those who commented on this - critical. My doctors told me I would be in a wheelchair and that if the spine is bad, the muscles need to be strong enough to support the spine and therefore, core exercises are critical. Good luck. I am still working on my issues as well.
 
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