Living with Osteoporosis
Living with Osteoporosis
Living with Osteoporosis
My parents have Osteoporosis. My Stepmother was diagnosed with it two years back while my Father got diagnosed three months ago. My Dad is about to hit 80 this year and my Stepmom is 77.
Osteoporosis is a problem that comes up once the bones start losing their minerals faster than the human body can replace them. So bones get weaker and a person gets to feel aches and pains in places where there were never any problems before.
Five months back, my Dad started complaining about pain in the knuckles of his hands. At first I thought it was because of too much gardening. (You see the knee replacement he had three years back made him retire from farming but nothing can stop him from gardening.) So I semi-scolded and gave him a tube of Ben Gay. But the he complained again of pain in his knuckles the next day. And pretty soon, he complained that the all fingers on his right hand were painful.
I took him for a check-up and his doctor asked him to have x-rays done on his hands and a DEXA scan. The verdict was, Osteoporosis. He was given a list of medicines that he had to take. Dad suddenly got worried and took more serious notice about his exercises, his diet and took his medications religiously.
And, since we were both experts are taking care of my Stepmom and her Osteoporosis, we were pretty prepared for what was to come.
My parents have always been hard working. They were both born to simple farming families in rural Punjab, India. They both grew-up working with their hands. Now, the Osteoporosis has made them both feel like they have become useless.
It makes me sad to watch my Stepmom trying her best to do stuff she had always been doing all her life, like clearing cobwebs, and finding out that she can't do them anymore. Her joints hurt and she has difficulty even when sitting down. She can't walk as far as she used to be able to. And she feels bad that she now has to be driven to where she used to be able to walk to before.
She gets cranky because she feels like the house is being unattended. And that is not because our home is being unkempt but it was because she couldn't do the cleaning herself anymore. She has trouble standing up and has to brace herself by holding on to the arms of her chair.
With Dad, it is almost the same thing. He is now afraid of riding his old scooter just in case he falls and breaks a bone. He is nervous about using stools or climbing stairs. He is now always alert while walking to make sure he doesn't step on anything that will upset his balance.
Watching two very active people becoming almost immobilized can be painful. They used to be so independent and never had to ask help from anyone. Now they find it hard to have to ask even me, their daughter, to drive them to town. Climbing buses are near impossible for them now.
They are taking weekly doses of calcium aside from their daily calcium and Vitamin D3 pills. They have vitamins and minerals supplements, and pain medication for when they may be in pain. They have a set of pills which they take in the morning and another set that they take at night. They both try to use the exercise bike for half an hour every morning and take walks twice a day. And they guzzle milk by the liter.
Then they hound me to take care of my health and keep the big Osteo away. And, being the ever so obedient (they wish) daughter that I am, I take calcium supplements prescribed by my doctor. I also try to be as physically active as possible and watch my diet. So far, I seem to be able to keep the calcium where they belong on my bones.
My Father appears to be managing better than my Stepmom because she also has dementia, hypertension and asthma. My Dad has no other health issues except for the Osteoporosis. I, on the other hand, try my best to manage with the three of us as best I can.
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