Kaycee's shock after receiving same diagnosis as her grandmother: 'She's in her 70s'

Kaycee Ling was in her early twenties when she decided to get a full body check during a holiday in China in December 2023.

These medical checks are readily available in the country.

"I was like, 'I'm here, I might as well just get it done', because you can literally just make a booking a day before and go in the morning and get everything done," Ling, 24, tells 9honey.

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"They just put me through all the scans, I got my blood drawn, just all sorts of different tests," she says.

The Canberra resident wasn't expecting any problems to be discovered.

"I was kind of just expecting everything to be OK," she says.

"If anything, I wanted to check my lungs to see if there were any post-COVID symptoms, but other than that, I wasn't really expecting any health issues."

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It took just three days for the results to come in, and what Ling was told came as a huge shock.

She was told she was suffering from a condition normally seen in women much, much older than her.

Ling was told she was suffering from osteoporosis, described by Healthy Bones Australia as a condition that sees bone become compromised, weaker and less dense, increasing the risk of breaking.

"I was really shocked because my grandma, she got diagnosed that year as well ... she's a lady in her 70s."

In Australia, 1.2 million people are estimated to have osteoporosis and a further 6.3 million suffer from low bone density.

Causes of osteoporosis can include calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, a lack of exercise and habits like smoking and excessive alcohol intake.

"They told me, 'Oh, you have osteoporosis' and they told me all these different things I could do to prevent it because apparently it's on the rise because of several factors," she says.

"One thing they said that was really interesting was that because people are now so conscious of being sun safe, especially females, we avoid going into the sun."

The Cancer Council now recommends a healthy balance of sun exposure and sun protection.

"In Australia, we need to balance the risk of skin cancer from too much sun exposure with maintaining adequate vitamin D levels," they state on their website.

"Sensible sun protection does not put people at risk of vitamin D deficiency."

Ling had also taken to drinking alternatives to dairy milk, including almond and oat milk, to try and clear up her acne.

A new study by Dairy Australia has shown only 20 per cent of young women believe it is important to get enough calcium in their diets for strong bones, with dairy products providing the most calcium.

For those who are allergic or intolerant to dairy products, they can add more calcium-rich foods such as broccoli, fruits and almonds to their diets.

However, Dr Sandra Luliano, bone health specialist and a senior researcher at the University of Melbourne, says non-dairy sources of calcium often do not provide sufficient nutrients for bone health such as quality protein.

"While these foods offer some calcium, dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt are a richer source of calcium and have good bioavailability," Dr Luliano said.

Ling was told to get more vitamin D and calcium, stop drinking carbonated drinks, and do weighted exercise.

"I've been trying to [exercise] because my job is super sedentary, so I try to get a workout in sometime during the week, and I've been trying to drink more milk," she continues, adding she is also taking a calcium and vitamin D supplement.

Ling plans to have the testing repeated later this year to see if her condition has improved.

"I'm thinking I might just book it in for my partner and me, just to get it done," she says.

While the news shocked her, Ling hasn't let her condition stop her from living her life, enjoying a recent snowboarding trip – although, she admits that in the back of her mind she was thinking, "Oh no, what if I break my elbow?"

"It hasn't stopped me from going to all those little things, but I am more conscious though. I am constantly aware that I have brittle bones," she says.

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