HEALTH
My Spouse Acts Like a Daredevil,
Despite Her Thinning Bones... NOW WHAT?
My partner is 65 and was recently diagnosed
with osteoporosis after a bone-density test.
She remains active—almost recklessly so. She
insists on climbing a ladder to clean our gut-
ters and takes unnecessary risks, like hiking
the steep mountain trails near our town. I hesitate to
quash her spirit of adventure, but I also don’t want her
to break every bone in her body in an avoidable fall.
What can I do? —A Concerned Spouse
Q
ANSWER: We know why
you’re scared. The word
osteoporosis creates visions
of shattered bones and
rounded backs. In reality,
though, it may just mean
your partner has a higher-
than-normal risk for frac-
tures. And in the past 15
years, doctors have learned
a lot about how to prevent
those breaks.
Your spouse may need
to change her behavior a
little, but she’s not a porce-
lain doll, says Ethel S. Siris,
M.D., director of the Toni
Stabile Osteoporosis Center
at New York–Presbyterian
Hospital. “Just make sure
she takes enough calcium
and vitamin D every day.
I generally recommend
1,200 milligrams of calcium
from food or supplements,
and 1,000 to 2,000 inter-
national units of vitamin
D.” Her doctor may also
prescribe a bisphosphonate
drug such as Fosamax to
lower fracture risk.
