Osteoporosis in Teenager
Discussion
Hi. My son who is 13 this week was diagnosed this week with osteoporosis. Came as a big shock. I know to google it is a bad idea but everything I find on the net is this in old people and does not make nice reading. Doctor did say it's very rare in kids and is likely caused by a gastro problem he has which up until today I was fobbed off on and made to think he was making it all up. Suffice to say doctor is saying he probably hasn't been absorbing nutrients and lack of vit D and calcium has caused the osteoporosis. Big consultant Gastro doctor has been given our case and will see us urgently. Bloods/stools done, everyone was suddenly jumping about making things happen.
I'm in equal terms livid I/my son have been fobbed off for so long with relieved we've finally started to get somewhere with a proper medical diagnosis.
Thing is I want to know how this will impact his life. There's already some degeneration of the spine and this disease killed my maternal grandmother after she hunched over and basically crushed her lungs and was unable to eventually breathe.
I'm trying not to get him worried, he's happy this will permanently exclude him from Rugby in Games which he detests but underneath I'm really scared and have no answers yet. Has anyone heard of this in a young person before?
I'm in equal terms livid I/my son have been fobbed off for so long with relieved we've finally started to get somewhere with a proper medical diagnosis.
Thing is I want to know how this will impact his life. There's already some degeneration of the spine and this disease killed my maternal grandmother after she hunched over and basically crushed her lungs and was unable to eventually breathe.
I'm trying not to get him worried, he's happy this will permanently exclude him from Rugby in Games which he detests but underneath I'm really scared and have no answers yet. Has anyone heard of this in a young person before?
I don't have a good level of knowledge of osteoporosis, but I did have a experience related to vitamin D deficiency in a young person.
When my son was 10 years old he went through a horrible period of having alopecia. Initially it started losing just a few strands of hair, but soon large clumps of hair would just keep falling out.
This was diagnosed eventually as being caused by vitamin D deficiency. As you found with your son, there wasn't an issue with his diet, just for some reason his body wasn't extracted the nutrients from the food he was eating.
He was given a course of high dose vitamin D supplements and, even though the course has long since finished and his hair has thankfully returned to normal, we do keep up his supplements.
The super painful part was sitting with him in the doctors when we weren't sure of the cause. I'd have done anything to swap places with him. I suspect that is how you are feeling right now.
In terms of the impact of osteoporosis, one of my team who is 30 years old has recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis caused by Celiac disease. From what he has told me, there are very different levels of osteoporosis, some far more mild than others. In his case, he needs to take care with his food and his activities, but it doesn't materially stop him living his life to the full.
So from the sound of it, you are getting your son the right level of medical expertise which will should allow him to receive the correct medication and advice on any adjustment he may need to make to his lifestyle.
When my son was 10 years old he went through a horrible period of having alopecia. Initially it started losing just a few strands of hair, but soon large clumps of hair would just keep falling out.
This was diagnosed eventually as being caused by vitamin D deficiency. As you found with your son, there wasn't an issue with his diet, just for some reason his body wasn't extracted the nutrients from the food he was eating.
He was given a course of high dose vitamin D supplements and, even though the course has long since finished and his hair has thankfully returned to normal, we do keep up his supplements.
The super painful part was sitting with him in the doctors when we weren't sure of the cause. I'd have done anything to swap places with him. I suspect that is how you are feeling right now.
In terms of the impact of osteoporosis, one of my team who is 30 years old has recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis caused by Celiac disease. From what he has told me, there are very different levels of osteoporosis, some far more mild than others. In his case, he needs to take care with his food and his activities, but it doesn't materially stop him living his life to the full.
So from the sound of it, you are getting your son the right level of medical expertise which will should allow him to receive the correct medication and advice on any adjustment he may need to make to his lifestyle.
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