I lived a normal, healthy life until I broke my hip when I was in my 50s. I just tripped and fell. My hip was pinned and plated and I thought no more about it. However, it took me about three years to recover fully. Eight years ago, I fell in the house and hit my knee on the Liscannor slate fireplace. On that occasion, I broke my patella. Then, two years ago, I broke my wrist when I tripped on a footpath in Sydney, Australia.
The hand surgeon who treated me on my return suggested that there was a bit of osteoporosis there. This was the first time osteoporosis was mentioned to me. In January of last year, three months after my wrist injury, I broke my pelvis when I tripped on the kitchen floor. Once my pelvis healed, my GP decided that I should go for a bone density test. It was found to be low and I was put on calcium and vitamin D supplements.
Everything was fine for a while until I got a serious pain in my upper back. The pain was very extreme and it moved around to my abdomen. I was in such pain that I had to ring my doctor in the middle of the night a couple of times for pain killers. I just couldn't tolerate the pain. Strong pain killers were prescribed and I was given an appointment in St Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire.
After X-rays, the cause of the pain was found to be fractures in my sixth and seventh vertebrae. I was also sent to Loughlinstown Hospital to see if I had cancer of the spine. I hadn't, so I was put on Rocatrol for osteoporosis. I took it only for six weeks because I saw no improvement, and the side-effects included incontinence.
During this time, I looked up the Osteoporosis Society in the phone book and had a chat with Mary Crowley. She mentioned Prof Moira O'Brien in the Anatomy Department of Trinity College as an expert in osteoporosis. My GP made an appointment with her for me and I had another bone density test. The staff there were surprised to find my bone density so low, given that I had got the train and walked from the station to Trinity College.
I was immediately put on Evista, a new drug for osteoporosis, and the effect has been miraculous. The ache has gone from my back and I haven't had any more accidents. I'm walking much better; I can play golf again, and I can run and cycle again.
I was also advised not to rest but to exercise regularly. The exercise which is recommended for osteoporosis is the weight-bearing type rather than exercise like cycling or swimming. So I walk about three miles a day, but I also swim in the sea every day. The physiotherapist in Wicklow hospital also recommended a series of back-strengthening exercises which I do every morning.
I have also made some small changes to my diet although I feel I have always had a healthy diet. For instance, I've never smoked and I drink coffee very rarely [coffee and cigarettes are known to prevent calcium absorption, the essential mineral for good bones]. Now, I always take dried apricots and pumpkin seeds on my breakfast cereal. I also eat as many vegetables as I can, especially spinach.
Only now, in hindsight, I realise that it must have been a weakness in my bones which caused the accidents. Also, I suffered from an ache in my upper back for six or seven years. When I got the pain, I had to go and lie down for a few minutes before getting back to what I had been doing. I now wonder if this pain was an early sign of the fracturing of my thoracic vertebrae.
I believe my osteoporosis is genetic. Although it is by no means life threatening, it does affect the quality of your life. I think my mother [who died two years ago at the age of 101] also suffered from it, although she was never diagnosed.
After my diagnosis, my three daughters, who are 39, 37 and 34, have all gone for bone density tests and discovered that their levels are all below normal for their age. They don't need to do anything about that now but they do need to keep an eye on things.
Generally, I would say that anyone who has muscular aches and pains they can't find any reason for should have a bone density test. Then, if osteoporosis is diagnosed, it is important to get on the right drug. Certain drugs like HRT don't suit everyone. Personally, I would also like to know how Evista is working for other people and to find out if I will be on it for the rest of my life.
In conversation with Sylvia Thompson
The Irish Osteoporosis Society can be contacted at 01-8258159