Looking for friends who have similar struggles with Multiple Sclerosis, Hypothyroidism & Depression.

LoobylouL

Hello

I am a 47 year old woman who needs to lose 30lbs, which started to pile on in the last six years. I have had depression and mood swings for many years but feel they are related to my thyroid being out of whack. I had a hemithyroidectomy in 2015 to removed a suspicious goitre. I haven't been able to shift the weight since and now I have multiple sclerosis to deal with, which limits my exercise capabilities. I don't eat gluten, corn or buckwheat because I am intolerant to it, which means my diet is clean. I also tested for a yeast intolerance, which I try to avoid but have a couple of glasses of red wine at the weekends because I haven't got much else to look forward to! I have been told I have low progesterone and to lose weight but despite eating below 1500 calories most days, it will not shift. My GP has referred me for further tests on my remaining thyroid and suspects another goitre. Are there any folks out there with similar struggles and diagnoses that would consider being my support system? I never know what symptom is coming from what medical condition! I try my hardest to walk everyday but my gym and aerobic days are over because it makes my fatigue and MS symptoms worse. It would be nice to hear some success stories and I want to shift this weight to help all of my medical conditions and feel some quality of life.

LoobylouL

I guess it is only me then!

Ming1951

Sorry didn't see this post till now, I don't have similar problems but I can understand it is difficult. I have a family member with ms but they still exercise mostly just walking. Its important they find the right ms medication for you. I know she has to inject her medication daily. If you want to lost weight you will have to weigh and log everything you eat everyday. Put in your stats it will probably put you at 1200 calories a day if your sedentary. Just stay at it. For awhile I wasn't losing like aI should and I noticed in my macros that I was going over on sugar. It was coming from fruit I ate too many tangerines. LOL So now I watch more carefully. Good luck it takes some time on here to find friends. It seems many want to friend then you never see them or they log for awhile then disappear. But that is the way life is people come and go. I sure you will find others with similar health issues.

vettegirl2008

LoobylouL wrote: »

I guess it is only me then!

I also have MS and because of it, a severely paralyzed stomach. I've gone back and forth with my weight due to having the ability to eat sometimes and other times not at all. Over the summer I had better luck eating and so I ate everything. I'm trying once and for all to find some way to be more consistent in diet & to be where I want to be physically. I used to be hooked up to TPN (IV nutrition) & had a feeding tube. I never want to be there again. With the MS, I want the strengthen my muscles and be as strong as I can vs just giving up and letting the MS take over. I'd ultimately like to lose 50-60lbs but am focusing on strength & endurance. I'm not ready to give up enjoying life because of my condition.

Right now I do Zumba 4x a week for fun, stair stepper thing, walking, weights, exercise ball. I do what I can when I can-- about 5 days total for around an hour. When I started, I could do Zumba for only ten minutes and now I do it for an hour. I lost feeling in some of my toes and thought it would hold me back but it hasn't. This winter I started cross country skiing too. It's a hard road but I keep pushing. All of this has me feeling more energetic than when I first started (was always tired). I'm frustrated to be back on a liquid diet temporarily because of the stomach paralysis, but I'm still working out. I'm shocked at how I haven't been lethargic, which usually happens when I am on a liquid diet. It's really important to me to keep my legs and arms/hands strong because I don't want them to become too weak from the MS.

Anyway, I know where you're coming from and I'll help you with support! I don't have thyroid issues but the MS I get! Feel free to friend me/ message me

fattymcrunnerpants

Hi, I only have part of a thyroid as well. Previous to the cancerous tumor I had on it I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and also have Celiac so I'm gluten free too! I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and some days am in a lot of pain. I have also had a complete hysterectomy with bisingual oophorectomy (no ovaries). It's hard for me to exercise because exercise will send me into a flare. I hate flares. I've got a good 100lbs to lose which is daunting. I've yo yo'd so much it's not funny, usually I'll be good with balancing my hormones and it'll be easy to lose weight on a 1500 cal/ day diet. THEN my thyroid will act stupid and my medication will need to be adjusted but because of how long it takes to do that I'll gain the weight back. If my thyroid is out of whack I can only lose on a super low calorie diet, about 700 cals/ day. And that's just not sustainable. I've been losing the same 20lbs now for YEARS. I've been working with a nutritionist for the last year as well. I was actually in a good place prior to this, I was overweight but super active. Once the tumor started it threw off my whole body so I've been trying to fix it. Then I was in a horse back riding accident and basically crushed my left side so I have issues there on top of the fibro. I walk now when I can, dance when I can, Zumba when I can. Good luck with everything!

VintageFeline

I think when your activity is limited you have to be incredibly accurate with your logging. What are your stats? That will tell us if 1500 seems appropriate.

I'm very sedentary a lot of the time though I can and do exercise when my brain lets me. However, knowing my incidental daily activity is quite low usually I make sure to log accurately. I use a food scale for most solids (100% of the time if they are calorie dense) and try to avoid liquid calories as much as possible other than the milk in my coffee.

You can lose weight but I also think it important to make sure there are no underlying medical issues complicating things first. Getting into the habit of accurate logging will help hugely in the meantime.

kportwood85

I have MS too. And, I fell off the exercise wagon right after the diagnosis (and hospitalization) but, I'm trying to get back into it now. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you want.

LoobylouL

Thanks for all the replies. I was starting to think I was the only one struggling with all these horrid illnesses, on top of trying to be healthy and active. I don't feel so alone now.

phantoma72

Well, I have had MS for many, many years and use an electric wheelchair etc. I feel so annoyed by the ads telling me to do kickboxing and fast strenuous workouts! but, apart from that, this app is really good. I HAVE lost weight and the advice others gave about being strict about the diary is the key. I have stuck to 1200 calories for fifteen months now and I have lost 22 pounds. Weight loss is really very slow if you can't move much. I have a glass of wine every evening which is a decision some would criticise. Mainly I eat unprocessed food, hardly any bread, seldom cake or biscuits and I eat slowly. My BMI is now 23 and I feel much better, so it can be done, but it will take a lot longer and it is more accurate weigh your portions etc. The app is a good teacher, and the knowledge gives you control again. It is a life long discipline, I have accepted that.

RemarkablyUnremarkable

Hi there! I can relate to you so much so you're definitely NOT alone! I have a stack of auto immune diseases as well that cause me pain and crazy flare ups etc... Can I offer a tough love bit of advice? It helps me anyways, First I left all my auto immune type groups for my various illnesses. At first I felt support and not alone with so many others, than I realized it was bringing me down more. Everyone goes there to vent and complain, talk about crazy symptoms etc. It exhausted me and made me dwell on the fact that I am not well! Now I try and surround myself online with as much positivity as I can. It really motivates me. Second, get up and move! Even for 5 minutes a day, add a minute week if you have to buy get moving! Yes it hurts but if you are like me you're probably already hurting anyways! Get angry with your body for giving you hell and fight back! It's pretty hard to ignore the pain, nerves twitching and fatigue that leaves me dragging but I almost always feel better after having worked out! I wish you the very best of luck! You might feel like you're at a disadvantage with your illnesses and weaker than most but your not! Each day you bravely face your struggles and that makes you STRONG!! You can do it!

Control_Dopamine

I have hashimotos ..My thyroid is completely dead as a result! You are not alone.

LoobylouL

Thank you. I try to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, sometimes I have to have a bed rest day but I don't beat myself up about it because I listen to my body and some days it says 'for goodness sake woman, will you just rest!' I know what you mean about support groups and I stick to positive ones like The Wahls Protocol and the HSCT for MS groups that bring hope. I'm a tough cookie and have got back up more times than I can count. To shift the weight, I think I'm going to have to shift from eating 1500 calories to 1200. I lost a load of weight a few years ago but had to restrict to 700-900 calories and that really isn't sustainable or healthy. When I had a relapse, it came back due to low physical activity. Being middle aged doesn't seem to help either - I used to be able to lose when I was younger but now I feel I have the metabolism of a slug!

Ming1951

I do not have any immune disorders or ms but I have a family member with ms and my good friend has auto immune problems, I guess she has em all. For the past year she is wheel chair bound, she lost the use of her legs during her last flare up, her legs look like they have tons of fluid, especially knees and now newest is her hands which is how she can move herself around. I wish they could find something to help you all and her. They can't even figure out whats going on with her, tests upon test to no avail. So sending a visual hug to all of you.

niyra17

Hi all , I am so glad I looked up MS today ..I have MS and have struggled like you all, in and out if wheelchairs ,use a walking stick or crutches at times. I am finding it hard to lose weight too and 42 pounds to lose and feel so stuck.
I am taking 1300 calories and do feel hungry at times , others have said to go up in calories . so I did last week and this week stayed the same. Its so hard for us as I am sure you all are not so mobile and I feel we dont burn so much as we dont move around that much.
I am also totally lost and even my hubby doesn't know what's going on as he see's me try so hard.
Have any found out anything else since this post to help you ? Maybe you can share ..Your not alone we all struggle and need to find that balance.

PoundChaser2

Thyroidectomy 6 months ago (cancer) on synthroid and CAN NOT lose weight...annoyed by this whole process but, I won't give up this disease won't win.

crooked_left_hook

I don't have MS but my partner does so I can sympathize with your struggles. Thankfully he doesn't have mobility issues yet, but he suffers from fatigue, muscle stiffness, and his vision gets bad sometimes. He amazes me every day with his mental stamina, and some days I can't even keep up with him. I can only credit this to his positive attitude and persistence in maintaining his exercise routine. He has walked his 10,000 steps everyday for almost 2 years, even on bad days...sometimes he does a really long walk, sometimes he chips away at it a little at a time, some days he walks while I do my run. I help him do his stretches every night so he doesn't get tight and he says feels a lot better when he is consistent with a stretching routine. I've been trying to getting him into some gentle strength training.

Have you tried working with a physical therapist for exercise? I have a degenerative connective tissue disease that causes some symptoms that are similar to MS (fatigue, muscle pain and stiffness, nerve pain, mobility issues) but many can be manage more easily if the joints are strengthened properly. Many of the exercises I've been prescribed are done with rubber bands, and could easily be done from a chair or wheelchair. I've tried working with trainers, and going it alone, but it wasn't until I started meeting with a PT every other week that I found something that worked and started feeling better (and insurance pays for it). There are also gentle yoga classes/videos that are geared toward those with mobility issues. Any movement helps right?

I try and learn everything I can about MS so I can be a supportive partner. It's hard not knowing the future so we just focus on doing the best we can today. Feel free to add me as a friend.

MiamiSeoul

LoobylouL wrote: »

Hello

I am a 47 year old woman who needs to lose 30lbs, which started to pile on in the last six years. I have had depression and mood swings for many years but feel they are related to my thyroid being out of whack. I had a hemithyroidectomy in 2015 to removed a suspicious goitre. I haven't been able to shift the weight since and now I have multiple sclerosis to deal with, which limits my exercise capabilities. I don't eat gluten, corn or buckwheat because I am intolerant to it, which means my diet is clean. I also tested for a yeast intolerance, which I try to avoid but have a couple of glasses of red wine at the weekends because I haven't got much else to look forward to! I have been told I have low progesterone and to lose weight but despite eating below 1500 calories most days, it will not shift. My GP has referred me for further tests on my remaining thyroid and suspects another goitre. Are there any folks out there with similar struggles and diagnoses that would consider being my support system? I never know what symptom is coming from what medical condition! I try my hardest to walk everyday but my gym and aerobic days are over because it makes my fatigue and MS symptoms worse. It would be nice to hear some success stories and I want to shift this weight to help all of my medical conditions and feel some quality of life.

Auto-immune disorders, panic disorder & chronic depression. All I can say is take advantage of the good days & try to watch your intake/eat clean on the rough days. I'm pleased with my progress (over 1/2 way there), but it's not easy.

Day by day; decision by decision. Best

geraldiopal

I have MS too!! Been diagnosed 4 years now...I take Copaxone a daily Injection for it.....from July-Oct last year I couldn't walk without the use of a cane or walker...I finally got fed up and said its time to make some lifestyle changes ...on Nov 5th I started my Journey weighing in @ 220lbs (I'm 5'9) as of last week I weighed in @174lbs this was through just diet alone!! I joined the gym in January and honestly have only gone to workout maybe 8 times I just go now to tan and use the massage chairs ....the intent is there but this disease just makes you so damn exhausted... And with the summer heat coming as I'm sure you know it makes our symptoms 10x worse ugh

bobbiMS

I was diagnosed with MS 20 years ago. During this time I have slowly gained 40 pounds. My activity level has gone up and down depending on how much time I've had to I've between my work and raising my 2 boys. Recently I retired, my boys don't need me as much, it was my plan to focus on my weight and I've been trying very hard for the past 5 months with no success, I'm in an aquatic exercise class 3X a week for an hour and the other days I either try to walk or do chair exercises (depending on my fatigue level).
I'm getting very frustrated! I'm 5'9" and weigh 195-200 . I'm diligent about taking my meds and seeing my doctors, they've not been very good about giving me weight loss advise except "eat right and exercise" well.... I do but I'm nothing happening. I try to keep my calories under 1200 everyday, I don't drink soft drinks, never eat fast food, I have minimal caffeine, and limited processed and fried food.

ssgv5

Count me in your club...30 years with lupus and taking steroids for it; 5 years with MS and hypothyroid and weight gain drugs there. Some days I could exercise and some days I'm not able. I need to get the attitude to do some every day....somebody kick me in the butt so I'll do it. I'm only 7 days into the MFP diet, but feeling good about keeping to my 1200 limit and nutrients. I'm used to dieting for weeks and giving up, but this board is making me realize I'll never reach my goal (30lbs) that way. Here's to all of us fighting the fight despite it all........