Diagnosis of Osteopenic and I'm only 27.... Some words of advice would be greatly...

I am only 27 years old. I had my gastric bypass surgery November 22, 2010. I am down 91 pounds and I feel better than ever. I have however had prolonged pain in my low spine and right hip and I couldn't figure out the cause. I recently had a bone density scan done at my surgeons office and it found that I am osteopenic. I am really concerned about this because I am so young. My blood tests showed that my vitamin d levels were high and my calcium levels were normal. Any advice, or something to give me peace of mind would be appreciated. Thanks for reading

Wow you are so young.

The best I can offer is that I have a close family friend who had the onset of osteoporosis and she was prescribed a once a month medication (it's the one that Sally Field advertises .. sorry I can't think of the name). She took that pill for 2 yrs, just had another bone density scan done and her doc took her off the pill. Said her levels looked good. Maybe that is something you could discuss with your dr (?).  

I hope everything works out for you.

I wish I had some words of comfort for you.  This is really something you need to speak to your doctor about... preferably a specialist.  They will be able to tell you far more about this condition that those of us on this board.  The fact that your vitamin D and calcium levels were okay (high D is better than low!), seems like a good thing. 

I would say I am glad you got in to get the bone scan. From what little I know about labs, they can read fine for calcium but that may be because our systems are stealing calcium from our bones.

I don't know much about osteopenia but is it something you can catch early and manage?

How high was your last vitamin D level?  Below 80, you're at increased risk for bone loss (according to the Linus Pauling Institute).

The calcium level in your blood doesn't really tell you much because what happens if you're not taking in enough calcium is that you leach it out of your bones to keep the level in your blood good.  That's because if the level in your blood gets too low, your heart won't beat right and your body thinks your heart is more important than your bones.

What was your PTH level?  A high PTH suggests you may be leaching calcium from you bones, though it can mean other things too.

How much calcium do you take?  Your'e taking calcium citrate, right?

the best part is that you got scanned and found out before you things got too bad.  You say your vitamin D level was high and your calcium level was normal - can I ask what they both were? Also did you have a PTH done?  It is very odd for a 27 year old to have osteopenia

I posted my bloodwork results. They did not test the pth. I really appreciate your input and responses!!

Hi Everyone. Thanks for the responses. I just wanted to post a reply because I found my bloodwork paperwork. My vitamin D level is 132 and my calcium was 9.5mg/dl. They say normal calcium is between 8.6 and 10.2 mg/dl. If this means anything to anyone, I would really appreciate the input. Thanks everyone!!

Not to undermine your doctor, but you had a bone scan at your bariatric surgeons office? There are so many ways to get a false reading from this test if it's not performed correctly. If you are truly concerned, I suggest going to an orthopedic doctor.