Introductions

Emwalker3406

Hi all! I have been a member of MFP since 2011 but stopped logging when life got rough. I am a 37 year old mother with hEDS and chronic illnesses including NCS and GI issues. I recently underwent ankle surgery w/ cadaver replacement which cause my part time walker/wheelchair use to increase to almost total except for PT. Now that I'm slowly regaining mobility albeit permanently limited I am looking for support and accountability in becoming a healthier me from people who understand the struggle just to make it through the day with the limited spoons we are handed.
Elizabeth

Boringfakename

I'm glad to see this group here! I used to be pretty athletic as a distance hiker, martial artist, and dancer. I got Long Covid a year and a half ago along with chronic fatigue and pain. Since then I've basically been a shut-in, but today my doctor approved me for a power wheelchair. It'll take a while to navigate the red tape with my insurance, but I think it'll be worth it.

One of my providers suggested an anti-inflammatory diet, which is how I used to eat all the time. Since getting sick I've done a hard pivot toward comfort foods and emotional eating and put on 30 pounds. When I saw my doctor this morning to talk about the wheelchair the weigh-in was the last straw and I want to do better. I hope to meet with the dietician at the Long Covid Clinic for suggestions. It's so nice to meet all of you!

Cathie111

Hello everyone, I am an on and off member since 2011 and haven't been on for a long time (...it really looks different now!). I am 5' 1.5" tall (so, short) and I hit 200 lbs a while ago and hover between 198 and 200, but fortunately, don't go over. I'm 43, and have hypermobile ehlers danlos. I've had chronic pain in both feet since spring of 2015, and currently have an impinged right shoulder, and something going on with my right calf (might stem from spraining my ankle during a hike last June). (EDS people don't heal as fast) I go to PT 2x per week. I went to my doctor finally and told him I need to lose weight to be able to do the things I want to do. Because I have a hard time with a lot of things (especially right now), and have ADHD (usually unmedicated...I am a student again, so I've used short acting meds while needing to study, but that's it), he suggested a long acting ADHD medication to help not only with my ADHD but I guess some people lose weight on it (Vyvanse). But, I needed to go through a cardio workup first because my heart rate went up to 155 bpm when in heat the other day...I'm sensitive to heat (which I knew). (heart monitor showed nothing wrong, so I guess I'm good) I need to get back in to get the medication this week, so we'll see. My doc ultimately wants me (for now) to focus on calorie-reduction only weight loss (and if I get in a hike or two once in a while, great!). I'll be honest, it's SO MUCH LESS STRESS not having to worry about the exercise part. I kind of hate exercise (probably because a lot of it hurts). Anyway, I'm on day 5, am focusing on eating around 1370 cals per day and in those 5 days have lost just over 2 lbs (I'm sure that won't continue as a trend). We get our dinners from Hello Fresh, which tells us how many cals are in the dinner...that makes it super easy for dinner to be recorded. I'm super picky, making it difficult. My goal is undefined, really...I just want to take it one day at a time...when I hit 190 I'll be super happy. (I do have a dream goal but recognize I may not hit it and it's ok) I am in college (making it super difficult when busy) to become a Wildlife and Terrestrial Ecologist (I'm focusing on invasive plant species), and currently volunteer for the DEC's local PRISM extension to track invasive species in our area while hiking.