Re: Judy - Bone Density--Hips

[Guest guest]

Judy,

You probably can't do much more than inform your surgeon of the results. I have

abysmally poor bone density probably mostly due to not being able to walk for

several years due to fibromyalgia and hip dysplasia. I told my surgeon about my

bad bone density before my first hip was replaced last spring. He said it

wouldn't be a problem. However, when I went for my X-ray and consult a month

after the surgery, he said three times that he " didn't expect that " . I had had

no idea that the pain I had experienced for the first three or four weeks

afterwards was not usual. My prosthesis had " subsided " . It had fallen farther

down into my leg from where it had been originally placed. So everything is

squashed closer than it should be. If anybody wants to see what that looks like,

I do have the X-ray as a jpg that I could put in Photos on this list.

Anyway, the surgeon asked me if it was causing me pain. It wasn't really by

then. So he said we'd just watch it. For my purposes, it seems that hip is more

at risk for dislocating.

So, when it came time to do the second hip in Oct. '09, he put an extremely long

prosthesis into my leg. The X-ray tech had to take two pictures to get the whole

thing in. And I'm only 5'2 " . But it held, and I couldn't believe how pain-free I

was! You might ask your surgeon if a longer prosthesis might be a good thing for

a person with osteoporosis.

Meanwhile, I am taking calcium/magnesium/potassium now. I'm also unfortunately

taking Fossamax. I was started on that when they found out how bad my bones are

when I fell (on a carpet) and shattered my femur two years ago. I knew nothing

about Fossamax when they started me on that in the hospital, and I was pretty

dozy on morphine for a while. They give you assorted pills several times during

the day, tell you to " take these " --and you just take them. :-(

Gail

> >

> > Judy,

> >  

> > I'm sure you informed your O.S. of the low numbers.  What did he have to

say?  I had low numbers, too, but I was quite lucky in that the bones held. 

> >  

> > Lynn

> >

>