Breaking Point

Experiences of People with Osteoporosis

No picture of osteoporosis is complete without an understanding of the personal impact that this disease can have and people with osteoporosis themselves are the best spokespeople for the condition.

Womens' Stories

Mary Kennedy
Age 58

Osteoporosis has stymied my mother's older years. She is an avid gardener and this condition does not lend itself to such activity. Physically, she has lost approximately five inches in height and has complete curvature of her spine. She has had to adjust her clothes and dress sense to allow for this spine curvature.

Having seen how this disease affected my mother and being aware that it is in part hereditary, I felt it important that all females in our family were checked for the condition. I had a DEXA scan, which revealed that I had spine and hip osteoporosis. Two of my aunts were also diagnosed with osteoporosis via DEXA scans.

At diagnosis, I was aged 48, pre-menopausal and was immediately prescribed treatment (a bisphosphonate) and recommended to take calcium and 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise per day. A recent scan has revealed improved bone density.

I was lucky to be diagnosed with osteoporosis early on. From a day to day perspective, I am far more conscious that I could have a fall which would result in a fracture so I adapt my life accordingly. Thanks to early detection and treatment I have been able to avoid bone fractures and actually rebuild my bone density.

Olive Mc Carthy
Age 62

I was diagnosed with moderate-to-severe osteoporosis of the hip and spine at the age of 50. I have three daughters and encouraged them to have DEXA scans too. Two of my daughters have osteopenia. Identified early on, they are now proactively taking steps to prevent further progression of the condition.

On a day-to-day level, I am now much more aware of falling. For example, I take extra care not to walk on slippery or uneven surfaces. Furthermore, I have taken up Tai-Chi to help my balance and I always wear sensible footware. In 2003, I heard about innovative Canadian originated weight-bearing exercises for osteoporosis patients and decided to incorporate these into my routine under the assessment and monitoring by a qualified physiotherapist. Recent DEXA scan results reveal that these exercises have had a positive effect on my bone density. My advice to the general public would be to remember that osteoporosis can be prevented and there are effective treatments - it does not have to happen to you.

Muriel Hare
Aged 42

I am a very active woman having competed in both the Dublin and London marathons. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 40 and was shocked to hear that I had the bones of a 75-80 year old woman. There was no history of osteoporosis in my family. When I was in my late teens I trained very hard and missed periods. My doctors thought that I was not eating enough calories for the amount of training that I was doing. I was fortunate not to have suffered breaks but the fact that I had built up the muscle structure around my bones had probably helped. I was put on treatment when I was diagnosed and when I went for my second DEXA scan, one year later, it showed a 10-15% improvement in my bone density.

From a dietary perspective, I take calcium tablets, vitamins, and calcium enriched orange juice and I have been careful to increase my calorie intake to balance my training schedule. My advice to the public would be to get tested as early as possible but certainly at my age or post-menopausal - the sooner that you can identify your risk, the better your chances of preventing or controlling this potentially debilitating condition.

Nicholas Flood
Age 39

In 2000, I had just returned from Brisbane, Australia, where I was attending a 2000 World Silhouette shooting Championship. Shortly after my return to training, I experienced pain in my lower back and on advice took a DEXA scan. I was shocked with the results. At the age of 34, and a fit, world leading athlete, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. I began to seek explanations and a few emerged. Firstly some of the exercises and postures in the sport of silhouette shooting can put the skeleton under stress. In addition my diet was lacking - I was not a good eater and the high levels of caffeine I was consuming was leaching calcium from my system.

Since this time, I have addressed my diet, and introduced aerobics and stretching programs into my training regime. Osteoporosis is generally associated with post-menopausal women. However, my case shows that it can happen to the younger male. All men need to be aware that they are at risk of osteoporosis and should not wait until they have broken bones to discover that they have the condition.

MSD Ireland (Human Health) Ltd. would like to thank the people above for sharing these personal experiences via the Irish Osteoporosis Society.