Share this @internewscast.com

A few months ago, before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my awareness about bone health was close to zero. I suspect the same is true of many people. Now I am determined to do everything in my power to help others – both women and men – to avoid ending up in my situation.

I found out I had osteoporosis after an accident while training for a half-marathon. It was a blessing in very painful disguise. If I hadn’t fractured my shoulder, I would still be blithely going about my life, totally oblivious to the fact my bones were progressively weakening. My suspicion is that thousands are in the same state of false security.

The thought that I will be vulnerable to more agonising broken bones for the rest of my life is frankly terrifying. But knowledge gives me power. I am taking steps to reduce risks through diet and exercise, and while I am not letting it stop me live my life, I am taking more care to avoid trips and falls.

The diagnosis has also given me access to treatments that can significantly reduce the probability of a fracture.

These are a personal choice, but I’m grateful to have been offered Evenity, a new osteoporosis drug. I hope it will be a potent weapon in my fight.

RUTH SUNDERLAND: A few months ago, before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my awareness about bone health was close to zero. I suspect the same is true of many people. Now I am determined to do everything in my power to help others

RUTH SUNDERLAND: A few months ago, before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my awareness about bone health was close to zero. I suspect the same is true of many people. Now I am determined to do everything in my power to help others

RUTH SUNDERLAND: I found out I had osteoporosis after an accident while training for a half-marathon. It was a blessing in very painful disguise. If I hadn’t fractured my shoulder, I would still be blithely going about my life, totally oblivious to the fact my bones were progressively weakening

RUTH SUNDERLAND: I found out I had osteoporosis after an accident while training for a half-marathon. It was a blessing in very painful disguise. If I hadn’t fractured my shoulder, I would still be blithely going about my life, totally oblivious to the fact my bones were progressively weakening

Corinne Turnbull (pictured) at Everest base camp. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis shortly before her 40th birthday

Corinne Turnbull (pictured) at Everest base camp. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis shortly before her 40th birthday

I began monthly injections in January and have had no side effects so far.

Although I considered myself to be pretty clued up on the health and fitness front, I now realise my bones were a total blind spot. Considering our bones quite literally are the structure on which we create our lives, this is bizarre.

Our skeletons support our bodies. They allow us to move and they protect our internal organs. Bone marrow produces new blood cells to keep us healthy and store minerals such as calcium.

I had thought about cancer, cardiovascular health and all the rest, but keeping my bones strong and healthy was not on the radar.

As for osteoporosis – well, in my mind it was something that happened to my mum’s generation, not mine. I learned the hard way that I was wrong. Bone strength peaks at about 30 and, in women, can decline rapidly around the menopause due to loss of oestrogen.

The medical profession and employers are becoming more aware of women’s health in mid-life. Bone health, though, is largely missing from the discussion.

The whole way we think about osteoporosis needs to change.

The common perception that it is a disease of old age means it is viewed through a lens of negativity and low expectation. These ageist and sexist stereotypes must be binned.

If osteoporosis is detected in a timely way, then with the right support and care people can live very fulfilling lives.

I’m so inspired by the incredible women on these pages. Despite osteoporosis, in spirit they are not merely strong, they are unbreakable.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

As a cancer patient, I’m puzzled by one unusual hospital practice at NHS—here’s my question.

Please can someone who works in an NHS hospital explain one thing…

Facing Death Head-On: Help Me Fulfill My Final Wish

Cancer campaigner Robert Fisk is being brutally honest when he says: “I’ll…

Common Breakfast Choice Connected to Increased Cancer Risk—And It’s Not Bacon or Sausages

Bacon and sausages are often vilified as dangerous breakfast foods, with ties…

Urgent Alert on Deadly Fungal Infection Called a ‘Threat to Humanity’ – Doctors in Search of a Cure

Doctors have issued a fresh alert over a killer drug-resistant fungus dubbed…

Just Like Vick Hope, I Turned My Placenta Into Pills and Saved Some for Menopause, Reveals Celebs Go Dating’s Anna Williamson

A man rapidly pacing up and down the corridors of a maternity…

“I’m an End-of-Life Nurse, and One Hand Symptom Signals Imminent Death”

When a person is in their final days or hours, their body…

Warning Issued: Major Supermarket Recalls Pork Pies Due to Severe Risk

Co-op has urgently recalled a batch of pork pies over fears they…

Dr Max Pemberton: Meghan’s Quiet Response to Harry’s Struggles Reveals Much About Their Relationship – Is This What a Healthy Marriage Looks Like?

Prince Harry’s gap year in Lesotho in 2004 led to him setting…

Woman Overlooks Important Signs for a Year Before Discovering Cancer Diagnosis

In the UK, over 400,000 individuals receive a cancer diagnosis annually. With…

‘I Missed A Deadly Cancer Sign Hidden Under My Fake Nails – Here’s My Story’

A mum is urging beauty lovers to regularly remove their fake nails…

A Growing but Preventable Health Risk Affecting Children

The number of children being poisoned by marijuana is on the rise,…