Calcium and bone density seem like things only “old” people need to worry about, but now I’m thinking that’s just not true.

When I was a small child I broke several bones. I wasn’t a huge milk drinker, but I did enjoy cheese and ice cream. We chalked up my broken bones to being Little Miss Clumsy, and went on with our lives. I lived through my teen and young adult years without breaking anything but a toe here and there. While I was on a keto diet for years and years, I never once thought about how much calcium that diet naturally provides. Once I realized my body no longer was responding well to cow’s milk I eliminated it from my diet entirely. I never thought about how the lack of dairy could affect my bones.

Back in January it was really icy and cold. Our driveway is steep and curvy and our car was sliding backwards into the road. I came down to give my husband a helping hand. I slipped on some ice that I never even saw. When I fell I extended my arms and saw and felt my left wrist completely break.

I shattered part of my ulna and broke my radius in more than three pieces. It was one of the most physically painful things I’ve experienced. It required surgery (ORIF), and it was an incredibly long recovery.

After all of it was done there was a lightbulb moment of “maybe my bones have lost strength and density due to the missing calcium in my body”. Since then, I’ve been taking supplements, and also trying to get more calcium from non-dairy sources. According to healthline good non-dairy sources of calcium include: seeds, tofu, amaranth, fortified foods and drinks, spinach, salmon, almonds, sardines, kale, figs, and white beans. There are others, but here’s a good start for anyone curious about what foods have a good amount of calcium.

If you’ve experienced low bone density or broken bones, let me know about your experiences and if increasing your calcium intake helped.

One year ago this month we celebrated our sweet Olivia’s birthday. The very next night we were startled by a frantic banging on our bedroom door. I heard fearful yells from upstairs. I sprinted upstairs to see my second daughter, Lillian, putting Olivia in the recovery position as she was in the middle of a tonic clonic seizure. David had woken up to the feeling of her kicking him on the trundle bed he sleeps on right under her bed. He has a pretty broad knowledge of health related facts for a kid. He recognized she was having a seizure and needed help.
She had a couple more little seizures between the first big one and us getting her to the hospital. They started her on anti-seizure medication and sent us home.

When she was a little kid she had a different kind of seizure called Panayiotopoulos syndrome (occipital seizures), but was not on medication. She also had ”spells” during her period which we now believe were catamenial seizures.

Fortunately, she has done very well on the medication and being mindful of her lifestyle.
We are also very blessed with a close friend who runs a nonprofit for women and girls with epilepsy called My Epilepsy Story.
She is full of knowledge and a great help when looking for resources.

Epilepsy has changed our lives in some ways, but overall things are mostly the same. We are fortunate to have a great neurologist and support system. Not everyone is as fortunate. If you or anyone you know is affected by epilepsy I’d love to hear from you on what has been a blessing on your journey. Please check out my friend’s site for more information on women and girls with epilepsy.