Please note that although this post is sponsored by, Hologic, Inc., all opinions & stories are personal to me and are my own. I was paid to write about this brand by choice because I felt the information was relevant to my journey with my autoimmune diseases. And I hope that you will find the information useful.
It seems that once you are diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, like IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), you are overwhelmed with a bunch of questions, which you can’t seem to find a correlating answer for. But the number one question usually is, what is going to happen to me when I’m older? The crazy thing is…you won’t have to wait that long to find out.
Since my diagnoses and the advancement of my diseases, I found myself sitting in a room with a group of people much older than me, but conversing about related symptoms. Mainly my arthritic aches and pains, and the, oh so lovely, hot flashes. Yes, at 33 years old I enjoy hot topics with my 74-year-old grandmother and her 82-year-old sister about how much the weather affects our joints. And it often feels like when I did get my diagnosis at 25, I just wasn’t prepared for what was to come. The effects my disease would really have on things outside of my digestive system. I wasn’t ready for the side effects of the medicine I would take to heal my digestive system. I didn’t understand that certain medications would heal one thing and damage another. Patients who are often exposed to 5mg or more of steroids for three months or longer have a higher risk of developing bone diseases such as, osteoporosis. *Insert my wide eyed scared puppy look here!* Yea, I’ve definitely taken more than 5mg of prednisone and it was definitely for longer than three months at a time. Oh boy!
Bone health was literally the last thing on my mind. I was focused on eating the right thing, gaining weight and keeping myself from passing out on the toilet. I didn’t start to really think anything outside of the gut until after I gave birth to Hippo and my joints really started to ache. The rearing of arthritis’ ugly head startled me into action. I realized then, that I was vulnerable to other diseases. My grandmother who, at the time, had not even made 70 yet had gotten a bone scan. It was routine because of her age and her Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her results came back positive for bone loss. Within the same week, my paternal grandmother, living with Lupus, shared her osteoporosis diagnosis with me. Both grandmothers suffering from autoimmune diseases, diagnosed with bone disease at the same time. I started to wonder & worry a bit. But it wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Spondylitis that I realized; I needed to take preventive care action. It is time for a DXA scan.
A DXA scan is a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry that is an enhanced form of x-ray technology that is used to measure bone loss. Basically it helps predict your risk of breaking a bone or three. As I read on Hologic, Inc.’s website, a DXA scan is painless and takes approximately 15 minutes. That’s less than an exam at my GI’s office. And sounds like a lot more fun with less snapping of the latex! What is Hologic? Hologic is a leading global healthcare and diagnostics company with a focus on women’s consumer health. On their Bone Awareness site, they have some great tips, risk factor info and a few answered questions when it comes to osteoporosis. Why a DXA scan? Does a scan prevent osteoporosis? No! However, with the information given, older women who had a DXA had a 35% reduction in hip fractures during the following three years.. It’s basically a measurement of just how much bone loss you have. With that knowledge you can live & treat accordingly. My paternal grandmother was one of the many women who die due to effects of osteoporosis. In fact, more U.S. women die each year from complications of hip fracture than from breast cancer. A woman’s risk of hip fracture equals her combined risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. You should definitely know your risk factors and continue to educate yourself. Remember to “Love Your Bones: Protect Your Future!” This is the only way to live your best life. This is how you give your family the quality of life you all deserve.
For more information on Bone health & osteoporosis, please visit: http://bit.ly/2dospyr
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hologic, Inc. Hologic is sponsoring this post because the company is a leading developer of innovative healthcare products that enable women to lead healthier lives, everywhere, every day. To learn more about osteoporosis through Hologic, visit boneawareness.com, a website that Hologic launched in honor of National Osteoporosis Month (May).
