chronic illness people ????

momtothreebabies

So the past four years have been horrid. I went from being a tiny, energetic, ball of fire mom to being a 250 lb exhausted sick mom. I was hit with fibromyalgia 5 years ago then decided to get a epidural Steroid injection for back pain, went in thinking id be doing flips on the trampoline and skateboarding with my son in the next couple of days. The dr messed up and injected the medicine straight into my spinal cord. Cue being paralyzed for six months and pumped full of steroids. Then i realized I'd gained like 100 lbs in less then a treat because i couldn't move and the medicines were just heaping weight on me. Then began the slider into sickness even further. Not only did i have fibro and now a spinal cord injury and severe obesity from it, but my body decided it hated me and i was dx with a connective tissue disease (thinking lupus but ot takes a while to completely diagnose ) plus about a month ago o started having these attacks where the left side of my face and head got the worst excruciating pain ever for about 2 minutes them itd stop for awhile then bam ! Hit again. I was finally diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia. So i went from running and doing yoga and Pilates daily to not even being able to hardly walk. I'm following drs directions with medications etc and I've decided to completely overhaul my diet etc. I don't eat much...and so i don't lose the weight because i have no metabolism anymore etc. So im adding in lots of new things...smoothies with veggie powders etc. Vegetarian etc. Plus adding in supplements and vitamins and i got the ok finally from dr to try "gentle " exercise like walking to the mailbox and back. Ugh that is going to be a problem. I tend to go overboard and treat my body like it used to be. So my goal on here is to find others who have chronic pain and illnesses and support each other !!!! Anyone out there ? You can find me at www.fibrofam.blogspot.com and on twitter @fibromomma. I really really hope we can encourage each other !! Love ~jl aka momtothreebabies

MamaBirdBoss

Inactivity doesn't destroy your metabolism. Lack of muscle/lean mass from inactivity can make it hard to burn off calories without exhausting yourself. The vegetarian stuff will actually make it harder for you to lose weight--it makes getting protein and fats a bit more difficult, and it can leave you with a diet that needs supplementation.

I got an activity tracker and did the 20% approach. I measured how many steps I took in a normal day (averaged over a week) and then did 20% more the next week. That kept me from being wiped out the next day. It took me 3 months to get to 10k steps a day! I've done 30k steps TWICE in the past week now, though.

DementedMinx

I was diagnosed with fibro and RA and Lupus, about 3 to 4 yrs ago now. This all on top of having a herniated disc in my lower back. I was always someone that worked 2, 3 jobs at once or went to school and worked two jobs or a full time job and a part time. I just never sat still. Now working part time is killing me and I'm happiest just sitting on the couch playing video games, not moving. But after the weight crept up to 206, I had enough. I don't take steroids so I know all my weight was my own doing. I do take meds for my RA and Lupus, but I've lessened my doses after stretching and better eating has lowered my symptoms. Now for exercise, on my days off only, I walk laps in my condo. I do 30 mins, brisk, back and forth and around and annoy the heck out of my cat, makes it worth it. I'm already down 20 lbs and as I get more fit, will be adding ankle weights and hand weights, but that's not for a while.

tretoptreece

I am having a flare up today and all I did was go to the store and shop with my daughter, went for a ride with my husband, nothing strenuous or exhausting and I can barely walk. I'm so tired. Was diagnosed last year with fibro. Have had DDD for 17 years and several surgeries, and numerous injections, the surgeons won't touch me now because of so much going on in there. The only thing that has helped me with my Fibro is my chiropractor. I've been on a ton of meds and I can't take them. I was also a runner and weight lifter. You can add me as well.

mialto2722

Is is there a certain diet plan that you follow?

crystrusty

I have fibromyalgia and have recently found that water therapy (water aerobics) at my local community center has been wonderful. Very very low impact and it helps me to get out and get moving

MamaBirdBoss

I was initial misdiagnosed with FMS, BTW. It's still a "wastebasket" diagnosis for many doctors. They know something's wrong but don't know what, and they call it FMS.

Anyway, since I posted, I've managed to start running again...with SHORT intervals. I can't run for a minute solid, even at a slow jog, without my airways closing up. But I could run for :15 at a time, then :20, and now :25 seconds. I jog :25, walk :60, and I could do that for hours when I can't just jog a mile (between my exercise allergy and my muscle disorder). Maybe one day I'll be able to jog a minute straight. I don't know. I've never actually run more than 5k, even when I was in high school and just KILLING myself on the track team, but perhaps giving myself recovery intervals (now that I understand some of the biology behind my condition) will let me keep improving this time. I don't know!