At the hospital an X-ray then a CT scan revealed that two of the vertebrae at the top of my back had broken into pieces. The fragmented bone had grazed my spinal cord which caused numbness in my legs. The hospital had limited facilities and all my doctor could offer was morphine for the pain.
I was also strapped into a back brace, a metal and leather corset which is moulded to the body to keep it from bending forward. The aim is to take most of the pressure off the fractured vertebrae so they can heal. I remained in the hospital for seven days but once I could sit up for at least two hours at a time in the brace, my doctor agreed to let me fly home.
The following day I went to the casualty department of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital where, despite further X-rays and an MRI scan, doctors still couldn't give me a reason for what had happened.
However, since the fractures were stable I was told they should be left to heal. They also advised me to wear the back brace for six weeks.
For almost two months I lived on pain killers, increasingly frustrated by the fact that my spine didn't seem to be healing. Obviously, I could-n't return to my job and spent the time flat on my back, just about able to crawl from the sofa or bed to the bathroom.
What also concerned me deeply was that I seemed to have lost some height and was now around 4in shorter than my original 6ft 1in. I later learned this was because the bone in my spine had crumbled away.
When the back brace came off in October 2002 I was referred to a spinal surgeon who told me the fractures were in fact unstable and could cause further damage. He advocated surgery.
The four-hour operation involved placing small titanium cages between the vertebrae to give me support and aid the healing process.
I spent ten days in hospital, but as I recuperated at home it was clear the pain in my back was even worse.
My spinal surgeon referred me to a bone surgeon in December 2002. He believed my back problems might have been caused by a multiple myeloma, a type of cancer, so I can't describe the intense relief when detailed X-rays involving a barium dye were cancer free.
However, what these new scans did show was that I also had 12 different rib fractures. It was then the consultant suggested I might have some kind of systemic bone disease and in February 2003 referred me to osteoporosis specialist Mike Stone at Cardiff Llandough Hospital.
I was baffled by this latest development since I assumed the disease was something which affected only women.
Mr Stone arranged for me to have a DEXA scan which is used to measure bone density. The results were incontrovertible. I had severe spinal osteoporosis which had caused some of the bones to collapse.
I knew I had a typical unhealthy executive lifestyle. But though heavy drinking inhibits the absorption of calcium, and smoking can affect bone cells, my consultant explained that in nearly half of all men the cause of osteoporosis is unknown.
I was prescribed a daily drug treatment called Fosamax which slows the rate at which old bone degenerates. However a short time later I read about a new daily injection called Forsteo, a synthetic version of a bone-stimulating hormone, which could increase bone density and improve resistance to fractures.
The treatment, which is only effective for 18 months, was expensive and hadn't been licensed for men. However after pressuring my local health authority, Cardiff NHS Trust, I was prescribed the treatment in February 2005.
I finished the course this July and during that time scans showed that my bone density had increased by 10 per cent.
Having exhausted the possibility of any further wonder treatments I am now taking Fosamax again as well as a cocktail of painkillers to deal with my constant discomfort.
Thanks to a company pension I don't have financial worries. But osteoporosis has severely limited my life. I can no longer do simple things and can barely walk more than 15 yards. I also suffer constant fractures - over past few years I've had 14 rib fractures, three neck fractures and three spinal fractures.
Just when I think I have made some progress, something sets me back. Julie has given up her job as a hairdresser to be my full-time carer and my greatest fear is that I won't be able to walk my daughter down the aisle .
What drives me on is an urgent need to spread as much information as I can about osteoporosis. I urge men in particular not to dismiss this as a women's disease and ignore warning signs such as fractures.
It's also vital that children eat a calcium-rich diet so they build a healthy skeleton to sustain them in adult life.
I don't know what my future holds but I'll do what I can to stop other people suffering a similar fate.
National Osteoporosis Society Helpline: 0845 450 0230. |
