Does anyone in your family or someone you know have bone disease, such as osteoporosis? If so, how has this affected his or her standard of life? For example, has having bone disease influenced any lifestyle choices such as activity level or diet?

Answer 1

Yes, my sister, mother, and grandmother.
My sister and grandmother have early osteoporosis from chronic alcoholism (choosing alcohol rather than milk or other dairy products over 40 plus years). My sister suffers from poor dentition; currently she is 50 years old and has just been told she requires 5 root canals. My sister has been sober for 10 years and is physically active, yet chooses to indulge herself with sweets and too much coffee (she says this is to offset her cravings for alcohol).
My grandmother died at 80 years of age and already had the “dowager’s hump” or curvature of the upper part of the spine. Prior to my grandmother’s death she spent a decade quite hunched over and then her last three years she sat in a wheelchair due to an amputation of her right leg above the knee secondary to poor circulation from chronic smoking and poor dietary choices. Of interest, my grandmother was a twin; her twin was in a happier marriage, did not drink or smoke, chose healthier foods, and was more active. Her twin lived until 89 years of age with a higher quality of life.
On the brighter side, my mother has been diagnosed with borderline osteoporosis. My mother injured her back at 18 years of age during a car accident and it is this precise area that appears to be weakened. Despite seven children, my mother has accomplished an active lifestyle with positive dietary choices that have prevented her worsening her osteoporosis. She walks 5 miles a day, has maintained a healthy body weight throughout her life, does not smoke, occasionally drinks wine, has always been an active community volunteer, and for 10 years participated in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in which she learned invaluable information about her dietary choices that she continually shares with her four daughters and five granddaughters. Next month my mother turns 75 years of age and will celebrate with her large family and be thankful for her lifelong healthy choices.