Dem bones, dem bones

Tweet

The photo has nothing to do with the post. It shows one of our buck kangaroos. He has a damaged ear. I had an X-ray for osteoporosis a few days ago. The test has a fancy name but I can’t remember it. The surgery called me in today so the doctor could discuss the results. It seems I am quite osteoporotic. I need to have a needle in my tummy every six months and I’m to take Vitamin D and calcium tablets. Osteoporosis affects over 1 million Australians. There is no cure but steps can be taken to slow the rate of the disease. The bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them. This causes a loss of bone thickness or density. The bone becomes brittle and porous making the risk of a fracture more likely from even a minor knock. Any bone can be affected, but the most common sites are the hip, spine and wrist. There are usually no symptoms until a fracture occurs, resulting in osteoporosis often being called the 'silent disease'. It is more common in women than in men, and mostly affects old/older people. I read the information that came with the injection. There is a wide range of side effects but the one that raised my eyebrows said, and I quote ‘contact your doctor if you experience new or unusual pain in your hip, groin or thigh. This may be an early indication of a possible fracture of the thigh bone. This side effect is very rare.’ I should jolly well hope so! After the injection I had to wait in the waiting room for 15 minutes in case I felt dizzy or ill but that didn’t happen so I came home. And the cough I’ve had for four weeks should go away soon apparently. I certainly hope it does.