Sherlock is away on a business trip in Madrid right now (ciaooooo!) but sent me a quick note yesterday afternoon reporting on what our endocrinologist (henceforth, she shall be known as Dr. DF) had to say about her bone mineral density test results. Well, Dr. DF exclaimed that these results were so good that they seemed fake. I kid you not.
Sherlock explained that even healthy women nearing menopause lose bone density, so if you add myeloma to that equation, you can imagine what happens…nearing menopause + myeloma = dilapidated bone density. I just read online that we begin losing bone mass after age 35 and even more quickly after menopause. (Note: neither of us has hit menopause yet.)
But, contrary to all statistics and expectations, Sherlock’s bone density has increased in the past year and a half, a relatively short time, said Dr. DF.
Dr. DF excluded that this rapid increase could have been caused by Sherlock’s intake of vitamin D. Nope, she was really baffled. And that is when Sherlock brought up the curcumin and bone density studies. Dr. DF was intrigued and promised to have a look at said studies. So I guess I will be reporting more on this topic at some point next year. I have an appointment to see Dr. DF in February; the topic is bound to be mentioned.
They talked about me as well. Dr. DF commented that it was a terrible pity that I hadn’t had a bone density test before I began taking curcumin (indeed!). She said it would have been fascinating to see if my bone density had increased since then (hey, by the way, “then” = almost three years ago!).
Well, Sherlock has already begun badgering me, long-distance from Madrid!, about having a bone mineral density test…and, after giving the matter some thought yesterday, I concluded, “well, why not? After all, what’s another test?” Our results, Sherlock’s and mine, could be of use to other patients with bone issues. So I will make an appointment in the next few days.
For now, though, I just want to congratulate Sherlock on her excellent results. Bravissima!
Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention that her haematologist (a different one from mine) pronounced her stable, too.
Well done girls!!! The bone density gain is brilliant news. I assume it’s due to curcumin or has Sherlock got a cat too :-).
Re: your post yesterday Margaret, my IgA & IgM are low but I don’t seem to get colds either (touch wood). I wonder why that is. Something strange going on.
Paul
Greetings from Spain Paul. Noooo cats in my life. Margaret knows how well I get along with cats 😉
Margaret,
todays thread is particularly interesting to me, although considering the “gender” diversity, well just a detail, don’t know if results could be comparable.
Anyway, my ostheolytic damages could make a bone density test interesting to me, as I plan to start with curcumin in the near future. Let’s see what DF is saying about this.
BTW, Monday I start my stam cell collection, so SCT will take place probably in January, and yes, this is a different path from the one you and many others here are able to take for the time being. Keep strong and the good results up.
sergio
Yay and hurray! Stable is GREAT! So happy for you! I had similar low Igs on a recent test, and yet, like you, I was the only one who did not get a nasty cold that was going around. Decided then that I wouldn’t worry about the immunoglobulins…seem to do OK much of the time with the low numbers. You are blessed to have such an understanding and supportive oncologist – it really makes such a difference!
Best wishes to Sherlock, too – her bone density is great news!
in bocca al lupo Sergio!!!!
ti pensiamo.
Mi associo all'”in bocca al lupo” di cui sopra, ovviamente. E comunque ti ho già scritto privatamente.
Un abbraccio,
Margaret