broken rib, dexascan

Well, as you know life has been a bit crazy. Just after Christmas, I broke a rib :) and the next day a toe. Both events occurred in rather uneventful manners. The rib was during a rather exuberant bear hug and the toe from a casually tossed book (falling no more then 1 foot before landing on my toe. As these seemed a bit ridiculous and I am at increased risk, I requested a dexascan for bone density. They scan your lower arm, hip/leg and lumbar area. My arm and leg bones were normal. My hip (neck of femur) has notable bone thinning and increase fracture risk called osteopenia (the step before osteoporosis). My lumbar area is severely osteopenic and on the verge of osteoporosis. I had the scan about a week ago and saw my doctor the day before leaving for Vegas. They do not put you back on hormone therapy anymore, as it has not been proven to be overly helpful. I must continue my 3-6 days a week workouts and increase my calcium intact to 1500mg per day in 500mg doses. I guess the body can only process up to 500mg of calcium at a time the rest in wasted. Of course, I will also be taking vit D & K or magnesium to help with absorption. So, with the natural decline that comes with aging, I can be back within normal limits in a couple of years...provided I can maintain or increase my density. There are medications to help with osteoporosis, but they are not safe for long term use and have a limited period of use and effectiveness....I am not there yet. It is best to save those for later, if needed. So, although this sounds alarming, I am doing all I can to keep up my health and decrease my risks and with Jan around to ensure my compliance....I should be great in no time :)