Prednisone and Bone Scans

Every two years since I have been taking prednisone, I have had a bone scan. The drug is known to encourage calcium to leach from bones. The previous scan indicated a bone loss in my spine but not in my hips. Dr. M. said that the hip number is the more important indicator of bone loss.

Osteoporosis has no pain until it is quite advanced and fractures occur. Women are usually shocked when they are told they have thin bones and future problems with fractures. A friend's wife broke several ribs just turning over in bed. Again, there is no pain when bones are losing calcium. Women who are post-menopausal should have a baseline bone scan then others every two years.

If you have had lots of milk, yogurt and cheese all of your life and feel you won’t have an issue with calcium depletion, please beware. You can still get osteoporosis.

A bone scan is a cool test. You lay fully clothed on a table as a small machine passes over you several times. No pain. So simple. The numbers are then compared to the previous scans and reported back to the doctor. Dr. M will phone with the results within a week.