If getting the diagnosis of breast cancer and bone cancer wasn’t traumatic enough, learning that I also have osteoporosis was the real shocker. As far as I knew, only older white women appeared to be its victims as they were the only ones used to advertise and talk about it in TV and magazine ads. Never had I seen a black woman even associated with the disease. So finding out I had osteoporosis was very revealing, and something I thought important enough to share with other black women who may be in danger of having it and being unaware even of the possibility.
The type of breast cancer I have is a rare form contributed to by excess estrogen. According to my surgeon who diagnosed the cancer, the bones also produce estrogen, so the medicine they are giving me to reduce the estrogen feeding the cancer could also possibly cause osteoporosis, which is why he tested me for the problem, but we found out I already have it.
As a result, I will need to take calcium and vitamin D to build up my bones to avoid the possibility of fractures from the slightest trip or fall. Like most black people, I remember being told we have heavier or thicker bones than other ethnic groups, but regardless of that being the case, we are in need of more attention to our skeletal structure than we previously have been led to think.
Women over 40 should have a Dexa scan for bone density to be sure that they do not require a boost in their calcium intake, along with a mammogram to test for breast cancer (which I had refused for years). With the lactose intolerance from which so many black people suffer, we need to know that we should look into ways other than consuming milk to keep our bones healthy. We often hear it said that we “learn something new every day,” so I hope that this information will be something of value to your continuing good health.
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