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Cathie
Member
08-16-2000
| Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 8:53 pm
I have had bone density tests the past few years that show my bones are in great shape, no danger of osteoporosis. I never broke any bones in my first 56 years of life but have broken my foot twice since November, same foot, different bones. I got the first cast off last Monday, and in the same way (foot twisted off a curb) I broke it again today (start of 8 more weeks in cast.) The doc said today's break was a more serious one, the bone is likely to split even more if I don't stay off of it. Any other over-50s out there with breaks for the first time?
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 10:07 pm
Oh wow, Cathie, I'm so sorry! That sounds like just terrible luck, get one cast off and go right back into the next one.
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Jagger
Member
08-07-2002
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 5:19 am
Cathie sorry to hear about 2 broken feet one right after the other. Hopefully the time spent off your feet will help speed up the healing time. I am lucky to never have suffered a broken bone, lot so other problems but never a broken bone. ( knock on wood) so I can't help you out.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 6:25 am
Not yet and hoping to keep it that way...so sorry about your broken foot! What are the doctors saying about the this? Is it nothing more than a coincidence? Have you been put on Fosamax or any of those bone-building meds?
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 6:33 am
That is weird, Cathie. I'm very sorry to hear that, as well. I'll poke thru my Ivanhoe.com source and see if I can find anything related for you. Are you taking calcium citrate (a form that is easily absorbed in your bloodstream) regularly? I take Citracal Plus Magnesium (a calcium citrate my doc recommended --with magnesium) because the addition of magnesium makes it even better for you. Are you wearing heels? Maybe it's time to retire them. Do you jog or were you a jogger? Maybe your stride has somehow resulted in more force on that one foot--creating a hidden weakness. I know you can get orthopedic shoes (nowadays they are fashionable) with extra cushioning built in. Cndeariso and someone else here wears them. In the meantime, I'll be checking my sources for anything that might shed light on why this is happening to you.

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Cathie
Member
08-16-2000
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 8:57 pm
Thanks for the responses! I take calcium twice a day, and have for the past 2 years. My bones are supposed to be very strong, according to the bone density tests. I think my podiatrist thinks I am just clumsy, but my primary doc told me today that it is likely related to my diabetes and neuropathy. I have had neuropathy in that foot for almost 20 years, although I have only had diabetes for the past 8. I think it has maybe gotten worse lately, and that I am probably stepping off the curbs wrong because I can't really feel where my foot is all the time. Now that he has told me that it makes a lot of sense and I feel like, duh, I should have realized that. I know that I can't drive for much more than an hour before I begin to lose a sense of how much pressure I am putting on the gas pedal, and have to watch the speedometer carefully to make sure I'm not slowing down or speeding up too much. Luckily, most of my driving destiations are within 20-30 minutes of home.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 9:16 pm
Oh, Cathie, stop in to see Cndeariso. She will recount for you the times she has fallen, too--due to another problem which has left one of her feet (and her whole leg, I believe) numb. My mom had diabetes and neuropathy, too. Her walking got rather clumsy in the last 5 years of her life. Is your diabetes juvenile or adult-onset? Is it under control? Here's an article that might be helpful to you if you are a Type I Diabetic: Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported July 19, 2000 Know Your Sugar Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs ŠIvanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. July 2000 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People with diabetes are not only at increased risk for heart disease, kidney failure and blindness, but simple routines such as walking down a hall can become dangerous for them, their co-workers and their families. It's important for everyone to know the signs of low blood sugar. Simple tasks like vacuuming a rug or working in the garden can literally be dangerous for a person with type 1 diabetes. Even light exercise can lead to severe low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. John Zrebiec, a clinical social worker at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Mass., says, "Many of the patients I see who've had many serious low blood sugars have had serious consequences, such as broken bones, car accidents, near drowning." Jo Ann David Kasden, who's had diabetes for a decade, understands the terror of low blood sugar. Last year at work it sent her walking -- dazed and confused -- down a hallway. Jo Ann says, "I ended up with a fractured shoulder and a fractured thumb on the other arm, and I was basically disabled for probably six to 10 weeks." Jo Ann went to the Joslin Diabetes Center, where clinical social worker John Zrebiec teaches classes on low blood sugar awareness. John explains, "The longer you have diabetes, the more likely it is that the traditional symptoms of the low blood sugar fade away." Family and friends take note: Diabetics who appear shaky, weak, sweaty, have a hard time concentrating or have poor coordination, may have dangerous blood sugar levels. Jo Ann now checks her blood sugar up to 10 times a day and hopes no one ever has to call 911 for her again. Besides frequent testing, Jo Ann carries glucose tablets with her at all times. In case her sugar is low, she can treat it right away. Family and friends of diabetics can help by keeping a supply of snacks handy. If you would like more information, please contact: Marge Dywer Joslin Communications Office Joslin Diabetes Center 1 Joslin Place Boston, MA 02215
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 9:33 pm
Here's another: Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported September 13, 2005 Add Soy to the List of Bone Protectors (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research clearly shows another benefit for soy lovers. In a study from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., researchers found postmenopausal women who consumed high daily levels of soy protein had a reduced risk of bone fractures. Right after menopause, women go through accelerated bone loss at a rate of 3 percent to 5 percent each year for up to seven years. This bone loss increases the risk for fractures. Hormone therapy could help, but it comes with potentially serious side effects. In fact, the FDA and new clinical guidelines advise against the use of hormone therapy as a first-line treatment to prevent osteoporosis among postmenopausal women. Instead, alternatives like exercise, calcium, and vitamin D are stressed. Now, there may be another alternative to add to the list. Researchers studied soy consumption and the risk of fractures in more than 24,000 postmenopausal women. The women were part of the Shanghai Women's Health Study that included about 75,000 Chinese women between ages 40 and 70. The average age of the women in this new study on soy was 60. The women's dietary intake was evaluated once at the beginning of the study and then during follow-up, between two and three years later. The women were divided into five groups according to how much soy they consumed. Researchers took into account soy protein and soy isoflavones. The lowest intake group consumed less than 4.98 grams of soy per day. The highest intake group consumed 13.27 grams or more per day. After about four and a half years of follow-up, 1,770 fractures were reported. Results of the study show women with the highest intake of soy protein had a 37-percent reduced relative risk for fracture when compared to women who consumed the lowest amount of soy protein. Those who consumed the highest amount of soy isoflavones had a 35-percent reduced relative risk when compared to the lowest consumers. Study authors conclude, "We found that soy food consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of fracture, particularly among women in the early years following menopause. The potential impact of timing on the skeletal effects of soy needs to be further addressed in future studies." SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2005;165:1890-1895
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 10:26 pm
I broke my first bone ever at age 49. Ankle bone. Unfortunately it was on day 3 of an 8 day bus tour of the Canadian Rockies. One of those dawn to dusk nonstop activities deals. I didn't think I had broken anything, so I didn't go to a doctor until after the tour. Luckily I did not do any damage by not going to the doc earlier. Mine was similar to your curb misadventures. I was walking along the sidewalk in Jasper, Alberta, and stepped on some uneven pavement, and my right ankle just rolled under. Very weird. I have not broken anything since. (I just now knocked on wood) But I am now very, very careful of looking down where I am walking. I hike a lot, but if I want to look at scenery, I stop and look. I don't take the chance of looking at the scenery instead of looking where I am placing my feet. One thing that I was eternally grateful for was that the doctor let me have one of those removable casts after the first week (because I was flying somewhere, and he didn't want to risk my foot swelling inside the cast). That removable cast made a gigantic difference in lifestyle. I could take it off for ten minutes to take a shower. Otherwise I wore it faithfully. Oh, when the doctor cleared me for no more visits, he casually commented that I would probably feel the break for the rest of my life. I was shocked. When I was still feeling it a couple years later, I resigned myself to the fact. However, I haven't felt it in years now, so I guess he was wrong. Uhhhh ... I am just a little younger than HP. 
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