Dexa Scan - Help With Images

[alevoy18]

Hi,

I am a 24 year old male with Celiac Disease and have just went for a DEXA scan. When leaving I saw on the machine an image of my hip. This is a color enhanced DEXA machine. The majority of my hip bone was blue and there were just a few random yellow/orange spots. According to the legend, blue means low and yellow/orange means high.

Do anybody know whether this is referring to low density/high density, or low/high risk for fracture. Maybe nobody knows this answer, but I was just curious. I will be getting the results in 2 weeks, but I just wanted to check here to get it off my mind. I doubt I have bone issues at 24, but my Celiac damage was severe, so my doctors want to make sure.

Thanks all!!!

[Emilushka]

The DEXA is doing a density scan of your bone, so those colors refer to the bone's actual density, not the likelihood of fractures. With severe Celiac damage you could have lost bone density for sure, but the nice thing is that, as a 24-year-old male, you're going to get it right back quickly once your gut heals.

However, keep in mind that a radiologist will read your scan and give back some numbers to the doctor. The numbers will quantify the damage more succinctly.

Make sure you're taking calcium supplements and doing weight-bearing activities (walking is actually the best). You're in a good spot, being so young and already diagnosed and obviously in good medical care. So yes, you could have bone damage, but don't worry too much until you get the numbers. Start turning it all around by exercising and following the diet. You'll be just fine in the end. Bone is very dynamic stuff, especially in young people, and your bone will be happy to make itself nice and dense as soon as it can.

[Simona19]

Hi!

I just got back from the same scan today. I saw my scans from hips too, but I didn't know what should I look for. I think they were white and blueish, or something. I will know the results two days from know. I hope they will turn ok. I didn't have very big damage in my intestines, but I'm vitamin deficient or on the border line (Vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, iron....).

I hope that everything will be better for you in the near future. Good luck!

[alevoy18]

Hi,

Thank you both for your responses. It has been hell in the recovery process so far. I was diagnosed in November, 2009. At that time I already had a pacemaker for bradycardia/severe vasavagal syncope, on meds due to low blood pressure, mildly anemic and had many concussions due to blackouts (bp related). Since then, I am now on Betablockers because I've been getting inappropriate sinus tachycardia. My neurologist has told me that it is due to autonomic nerve damage due to undiagnosed Celiac disease. Basically I don't have structural damages to my heart or anything, but without the pacemaker meds, my heart would beat slowly sometimes down to 30 during day or as high as 250 as soon I would do anything more intense, all due to my autonomic system being damaged. Also my blood pressure sits low all the time and when I stand up it can drop 30/40 points on a bad day even with medication.

Since my gluten free diet, I was getting better for a few months, but then started going downhill again. My antibodies went down, but not very much. My vitamin levels are all within normal range, the only one I know could use some work is my B12 at 260. I am so worn down everyday and I am still having episodes of blacking out. I hit my head 12-15 times and had multiple concussions before being diagnosed, so I already experience headaches, but with each fall I am getting worse (no damage to brain, just multiple mild concussions).

I have worked for RBC since 2007 and have been off work since June 2010 because I collapsed and my hit my hard again. I just haven't been feeling well and my doctor wants me to take it easy, so I have been off for a little over 4 months now. I am just afraid to lose my job, as I was off for three months when I had my pacemaker surgery as well and now four months as I am trying to get better. I am listening to my doctors though and am trying to get better whether work like it or not. My doctor said stress will increase the likelyhood of autonomic issues and she want to limit stress until I improve.

It just feels like I am not going to get better. When I was diagnosed, I was at Marsh 3B and had gastritis. I just don't know what to do really. My new GI doctor says the autonomic issues with my heart and BP may never get better. I just want to stop feeling fatigued and having these headaches, dizzy spells. My GI doc is now sending me for a lot of tests including blood work, the DEXA, small bowel x-ray and a colonoscopy.

Sorry for the rant, but just wanted to let you know my story, in case you had any advice.

As far as the DEXA scan goes, I assumed the blue areas meant low density, but I was confused as some online sites showed the color legend meaning fracture risk. The image was quite high tech compared to most images online. It looked like infrared, with bright areas (yellow/orage/red) marked as "HIGH" and dull areas (purple/blue/black) marked as "LOW". I have found a few online images like this, but nothing really that is helpful. I'm assuming you're right, it does mean low density, but I also feel you're right that is just one picture and the radiologist will give me the true answer. I just don't see how I could have bone issues since my vitamin D and calcium levels are normal, they are on the lower end, but normal. Also this is likely irrelevant, but during my scan, the technician started me off on my back with my knees bent. The machine went over me for about 10 minutes, then after looking at the images, the technician put a black pad between my legs. He told me to push my left toes inward, so my left hip was more exposed. Then he ran the machine again. I thought he would do the same with the right side, but he didn't. So the image I saw was of my left hip he did at the end. Is this mostly likely because he saw something on the left side during the first scan and wanted more details or would it be normal to do only the one legs. Anyways, I will be quiet now haha.

Thanks a lot!!

[mushroom]

Over a period of five years my hubby, who is more than 40 years older than you, went from having the bones of a 20-year-old to having osteopenia (one step before osteoporosis). Since going gluten free and taking calcium and Vitamin D his bones have improved significantly in the last 2-3 years (just recently had another DEXA). So even an "old" man can rebuild bone.

[alevoy18]

Thanks for the positive words. I am happy to hear your husband has improved :-)

I actually just received my FNA results right after my last posting. Unfortunately it has left me at square one:

SPECIMEN ADEQUACY

------------------

- Unsatisfactory for evaluation

DIAGNOSIS

----------

- Unsatisfactory for evaluation

- Few scattered inflammatory cells

Now I will likely just have to sit in the wait and see approach :-(. Oh well. I'm not sure if anybody has had an FNA before but does the few inflammatory cells mean anything, does that mean more likely benign?

Thanks.

[mushroom]

Thanks for the positive words. I am happy to hear your husband has improved :-)

I actually just received my FNA results right after my last posting. Unfortunately it has left me at square one:

SPECIMEN ADEQUACY

------------------

- Unsatisfactory for evaluation

DIAGNOSIS

----------

- Unsatisfactory for evaluation

- Few scattered inflammatory cells

Now I will likely just have to sit in the wait and see approach :-(. Oh well. I'm not sure if anybody has had an FNA before but does the few inflammatory cells mean anything, does that mean more likely benign?

Thanks.

Here is the Wikipedia description of inflammation:

"nflammation (Open Original Shared Link, inflammare, to set on fire) is part of the complex biological response of Open Original Shared Link tissues to harmful stimuli, such as Open Original Shared Link, damaged cells, or irritants.Open Original Shared Link Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process. Inflammation is not a synonym for Open Original Shared Link, even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection. Infection is caused by an exogenous pathogen, while inflammation is one of the responses of the organism to the pathogen. Without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal. Similarly, progressive destruction of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, chronic inflammation can also lead to a host of diseases, such as Open Original Shared Link, Open Original Shared Link, and Open Original Shared Link. It is for that reason that inflammation is normally closely regulated by the body.

Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of Open Original Shared Link and Open Original Shared Link (especially Open Original Shared Link ) from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local Open Original Shared Link, the Open Original Shared Link, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells present at the site of inflammation and is characterized by simultaneous destruction and Open Original Shared Link of the tissue from the inflammatory process."

The lymphatic system tends to trap and isolate an infection in the lymph nodes (think 'swollen glands') and the neck is a common place for lymph nodes to swell, as is the groin. This is part of the functioning of the immune system (strictly speaking from a laywoman's point of view). The immune system could be responding to any one of thousands of different stimuli.

I am sorry, that is all I can tell you. You will have to find out what your doctor has to say in this particular instance.