Zoe Weil is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and twice a month we share her blog posts here. Enjoy!
As a 98 lb. white woman with small bones, I am a poster child for osteoporosis. Plus, I have a family history of the condition.
My mother had a spontaneous sacral fracture at age 83 (spontaneous meaning that she was doing absolutely nothing, and her sacrum broke). In excruciating pain, and after surgery and two months in a hospital, she finally returned home – with three alternating aides ensuring her care 24/7 and giving her daily injections of a drug to prevent future fractures.
When I was thirty-nine years old, I told my doctor I wanted a bone scan. That was an unusual request, because thirty-nine-year-old women aren’t at risk for osteoporosis – unless they’ve gone through chemotherapy or have had surgery that puts them into early menopause. But I had already begun losing height (which, when your peak height is 5’ 1 1/2” on a good morning, is a particular drag).
The spinal scan revealed that I was in the middle range of osteopenia…
