Jamal Saleh, Bahrain
It was only 10 months after I established the Bahrain Osteoporosis Society (BOS) that I discovered I have the very same disease "Osteoporosis". I was diagnosed to have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) 2 years prior to that and I stopped taking dairy products then. When I had my first Bone mineral density scan I could not believe the reading, I had to have the test repeated. When my bowel disease took an acute turn I had to go on a long course of Corticosteroids. The Calcium supplements I was taking before were not enough at that stage and when my BMD reading reached -2.6 I had to take Bisphosphanates.
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| Dr. Jamal Saleh speaking at the IOF World Wide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies |
I am an active orthopedic surgeon, but when I started working to establish the BOS 6 years ago I never thought that I would be a patient with the disease I was working to prevent - certainly not at the age of 41.
Now I have a hidden fear of fracturing my hip or my vertebrae, I am very careful not to fall; I stopped lifting heavy weights in fear of that. I worry about my posture in case my spine becomes fragile and deformed. Although taking the medications is supposed to reduce the possibility of future fractures, deep inside I have a sense of insecurity, I am not sure I will ever get rid of that feeling.
Now Osteoporosis is not only the disease I dedicated my self to fight, but also a personal challenge. I now sympathise with and feel the fears of osteoporotics. I also search the literature to keep myself very updated with the latest information about the disease. I have a lot of faith in the medical community and believe the researchers will develop new safe and effective remedies.
Dr. Jamal Saleh
President
Bahrain Osteoporosis Society
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