Mom was told by her Dr that she is shrinking!

[calledtobehome]

My mom is 54 and helathy but she was told by her Dr this week that it seems like she is shrinking. She has another follow up appointment in a few months. He didn't suggest anything for her to take but I'm wondering what kind of herbal supplement I can research for her. I'm thinking she may need clacium but not sure.

Right now she is taking a multi-vitamin, D3, and B12. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[KidsHappen]

I am not as old as your mom and I have already lost an inch in height. I don't think that it is terribly uncommon nor would it warrent additional testing unless there was some other problems as well. I personally wouldn't be concerned about the loss in height but maybe about unneccessay testing and expenses. IMO, YMMV and all the usual (the word I am looking for fails me right now, but you get the picture).

[Mommyof4ks]

My mom is 54 and she is an inch shorter too. The doc is not concerned. I don't really know what else she would need to take. I will check back for ideas though.

[OrganicAnn]

The odd thing is that your ears and nose can be still get bigger even as the rest of you shrink.

[Renee in NC]

Shrinking as you age is normal, isn't it? I met a 95yo man at WalMart a couple last weeks ago who was 5'9" or 10" but was 6'3" at 20 (according to what he told me.) My grandmother has shrunk over the years as well.

 

I just thought it was a normal part of aging.

[elizabeth]

Aack I quit smoking when a dexa scan showed that I was on the very low side of bone density. Orange juice and Boniva or Fosomax seem to be the course of action for this . I did learn at the endodontists that in a few patients on these medications that a possible side effect is http://www.ada.org/public/topics/osteonecrosis.asp Well shucks, what is a gal to do?? I am opting for no smoking ever again, OJ and a better diet for now but this is certainly a concern and has far more to do with heredity than we want to think...

[Peela]

I think its pretty normal. Its one reason I keep doing my yoga, wearing my earth shoes etc. Good posture is important and can at least defy the image of shrinking :) I have a tendency to slouch, and a yoga teacher told me the other day that my shoulders are beginning to get rounded. It was motivation enough for me to pick up my yoga practice and buy some good shoes to help my posture- I already have back issues.

I would have her take calcium and magnesium and watch her posture, and get plenty of exercise that involves stretching and walking.

[Mary in VA]

Shrinking can be a sign of osteporosis or osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis). If she has lost bone density it would be a good idea to have this treated. Osteoporosis can be a VERY painful disease. My mother had it the last 15 years of her life and it lead to a hip fracture and successive compression fractures of her spine. That pinched her spinal cord and was very painful. I had my bone density checked last year at 50 and was found to have osteopenia. Right now I'm just supposed to take calcium supplements (which I haven't been very good about) and they are watching it. They don't actually give the drugs for building bone density until you actually have osteoporosis because there are side effects to them. It is certainly better to stop bone loss then have to treat it later. If she is in menopause the chances are she is losing bone density, since estrogen helps maintain the bones.

 

HTH,

Mary

[LauraGB]

The odd thing is that your ears and nose can be still get bigger even as the rest of you shrink.

:svengo:

Aack! That's all I need. That'll go great with the new eyebrows that stray to the rest of my face at an alarming rate. :glare:

 

ETA because I forgot to address the original post, lol. I think its pretty normal; my mom had the same thing happen. But she will need a really reliable calcium supplement, unless a bone density scan shows she needs even more help. Does she have one scheduled?

Edited October 30, 2009 by LauraGB

[LizzyBee]

She should have a bone density test. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis at only 44 yo, and my oldest sister was diagnosed before she was 40. My youngest sister won't get the test, but she lost over an inch of height while still in her 30's. Based on our family history, she almost certainly has osteo, too.

Edited October 30, 2009 by LizzyBee

[LizzyBee]

Shrinking can be a sign of osteporosis or osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis). If she has lost bone density it would be a good idea to have this treated. Osteoporosis can be a VERY painful disease. My mother had it the last 15 years of her life and it lead to a hip fracture and successive compression fractures of her spine. That pinched her spinal cord and was very painful. I had my bone density checked last year at 50 and was found to have osteopenia. Right now I'm just supposed to take calcium supplements (which I haven't been very good about) and they are watching it. They don't actually give the drugs for building bone density until you actually have osteoporosis because there are side effects to them. It is certainly better to stop bone loss then have to treat it later. If she is in menopause the chances are she is losing bone density, since estrogen helps maintain the bones.

 

HTH,

Mary

 

My grandmother had it like that too. She had so many fractures we lost count of them. My mom has had a broken hip and broken leg. My oldest sister won't take the medicine because of the side effects, but she did some research and found that there is evidence that acupuncture works to improve bone density. Blue Cross actually pays for her acupuncture, so apparently the evidence is pretty solid. My dr just has me taking calcium for now, but within a few years, I'll have to make a decision about going on meds. The scary thing about the meds is that bec. osteo starts so young in our family, we'll potentially be on the meds for longer than most people, meaning more chance of the worst side effects (e.g. jaw deterioration).