Osteoporosis in Men

This year's annual physical was mostly good, apart from the big bad news. Something that I had worried about in a post September 2008.

Cholesterol good, blood sugar good, blood pressure fine, heart looks OK in the EKG but the bones, they definitely could be thicker and stronger.

I didn't actually say "what do you mean, I have osteoporosis ?" but I wanted to say it. After all I run, get good exposure to the sun for the vitamin D production, my diet has lots of calcium, so my bones should be strong. I was wrong, badly wrong. 

The diagnosis is osteoporosis of the spine and osteopeania in the hips. The femoral neck (both the thigh bones) is OK - good news at last.

I thought I had all the bases covered: I exercise with weights and I run; I'm aware of acid-alkali balance in food (too great a swing to acid causes calcium to be extracted from the skeleton to buffer blood Ph); I try and keep Vitamin D high (sufficient exposure to the sun); enough calcium in my food from green vegetables and from the calcium added to rice milk). 

Next step is to start taking 70mg of alendronate once a week [more on alendronate]. The instructions for taking are quite clear that one needs to take this in the morning and be standing up for at least 30 minutes afterwards. The concern is that if the tablet, or bits of a tablet, get lodged in the throat then esophageal ulcers can result. 

Alendronate is the generic version of fosamax and a lot cheaper. I hope just as effective. 

I really like my doctor but there was something a little cold about, "take the prescription, get lots of calcium [ at least 1200 mg a day], lots vitamin D [at least 800 IUa day], weight bearing exercise and come back in a year and we'll see if the bone mineral density is coming back up.

Worst of all, I might just have to take my own medicine - look at this post of mine from the begining of 2009.