REAL CAUSE OF BROKEN ARM OVERLOOKED
LINDA BEIRNE, 60, an admin assistant, lives in Birmingham with her husband Francis, 60, a retired civil servant. I’VE always been fit and full of energy and imagined I would always be. Then, while visiting an aunt in hospital in December 2019, I slipped on a wet grass verge as I got out of the car.
I knew immediately I’d done something to my left arm as the pain was awful. It turned out I’d broken my wrist in three places. I was surprised how bad the break was as I hadn’t fallen from a height — I’m only 4ft 10in — and the grass was quite soft.
Both of my sisters-in-law had broken bones in the past few years and, afterwards, were offered a bone density scan — known as a DEXA scan — to see how strong your bones are.
I thought I’d ask for one after the cast came off, just in case there was some underlying problem. I was concerned because I’d been through the menopause in my early 40s, which is a risk factor for osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones and makes them more likely to break.
But the doctor said a scan was unnecessary, and that when we get older we tend to do a bit more damage when we fall. I wasn’t happy and kept pressing for the DEXA scan.
I was finally given one in July 2020, seven months after my fall. The consultant then called me and said I had moderate to severe osteoporosis. Hearing this, I felt utterly let down. I’d been made to feel like a clumsy woman who was ‘getting on a bit’ when they should have checked there wasn’t some underlying reason for such a bad break. While there’s no cure for osteoporosis, I now take calcium supplements and alendronic acid pills to slow down the breakdown of bone. EXPERT VIEWPOINT: Arvind Sinha, a consultant rheumatologist at University Hospital Birmingham, said: ‘Osteoporosis is not a straightforward condition to diagnose as it doesn’t cause pain in itself, but it’s more common in older people — especially post-menopausal women because bone density is maintained by the hormone oestrogen. ‘Red flags include if a woman has had an early menopause — as Linda did. It is referred to as a “silent” disease, as it rarely causes symptoms until a fracture occurs, but can be slowed down with treatment if detected early.’