Many friends, both readers of this blog and elsewhere, have asked about what’s happened since I underwent a little bit of medical drama the week before last. I figured I’d write an update since people are kind enough to actually give a damn (and I thank you for that).
The results: good! The DEXA scan results indicated that my bone mass is actually better than originally estimated. I am still a bit below normal, but I fall in the low-normal range instead of osteopenic range throughout most of my body. The areas that did turn out osteopenic were my right hip and, interestingly enough, the right vertebrae of my neck. Why one side of my vertebrae is eroded and the other isn’t will forever be a mystery to me, but that’s what the results show. Bloodwork showed that my calcium is well in normal range and my parathyroid is working perfectly, so no worries there. My levels of vitamin D were dismal, however, so my doctor wrote me a prescription for a massively-concentrated supplement. My orders are to take the green jellybean-shaped pill twice a week for the next six weeks.
I cannot freakin’ tell you how amazing my body felt after the first pill. For the first time in who-knows-how-long, my bones didn’t hurt. The change was an instantaneous: I went from the aches and groans of 87-year-old bones (perceived age) to the rather painless and happy bones of a 27-year-old (actual age). The effect started wearing off as of yesterday (so now they feel about 40), but I’ll take another pill today and probably feel good-as-new again. Awesome. So now I know why I’ve been feeling like such an old woman: not enough vitamin D!
A vitamin D deficiency is not uncommon for people at this time of year due to lack of sun exposure over the winter. Most of the vitamin D we give our bodies on a day-to-day basis simply comes from being outside. We all need to make sure we give our bodies enough vitamin D, because without it, the body does not properly absorb calcium. For people like me who cannot afford to lose bone mass, this is crucial. From now on, I won’t halfass it.
My newfound discovery of the joys of vitamin D doesn’t eradicate every concern I was having, but at least it helps. Now I know where I stand with my bone/parathyroid health and can put all the speculation to rest. I feel good about going through all the shit I did, and will – that is, until the bills arrive. Then I’ll need a bit of maintenance on my mental health.
