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Hello all. I have fibro, (mild) spondylarthritis and other reasons to complain. Taken years to be properly diagnosed and years more to find some treatments that help. Looking to better manage my pain now thru exercise (and loss of the weight that years of immobility has granted me.) Interested in friends/fellow supporters that understand the challenges of moving a stiff and reluctant body.2
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I typed so much more than that. Where'd it go? Lmao sigh.. too tired to retype it now....I'll come back. Ok... fixed it. Laziness is not a good excuse. Lol1
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Hi.
I am 49 yrs old, 2 adult children 3 grands. I have a myriad of diagnoses but I am back to trying to push thru my pain and depression and regain a grasp on my life. I have chronic pain, degenerative spine disease, ptsosis, nerve damage, carpal tunnel, herniated discs from base of neck to sacral discs, fused cervicle spine and spinal cord injury.
I can have a pretty good day today and tomorrow wake up feeling like I was hit by a train. A few years ago I worked very hard and I lost a lot of weight and thought many of my health issues would improve. I was 20 lbs away from my goal weight, walking 5 miles a day, looking and feeling better, becoming a bit more outgoing even though I still had pain, it wasn't as debilitating. Then BOOM...some discs in my lower back blew. I had to stop training and was in so much pain, I eventually stopped exercising all together. I was put on bed rest, then active bed rest. I was so angry and frustrated that I WAS doing everything possible to improve my health and body but then the lower back betrays me. I went into a bad spiral downwards. Long story short...I gained everything back. I gave up on everything. I am still very angry and ashamed of myself, but I have to fight my way back. Every morning when I wake, I am in excruciating pain. I am not going to any gym or working with a trainer at this point. Right now, starting over, I am getting on my treadmill at home every day, even if I tell myself I can only do ten minutes. Some days I do more, some days not. I am still fighting depression and that is also day by day. Am I going to be kind and loving to myself or am I going to let that inner mean girl make me feel like crap?
Anyways...this became much too long, but I do not have anyone for support. I hope to find people who understand my struggles for support, tips, and maybe friendship!
So, HELLO! 4 -
Welcome, you’re going through an awful lot but it’s good that you’re determined to do the best you can. Taking it day by day is definitely the best way, don’t let a bad day discourage you but keep going. It’s really slow losing weight without exercise but it can be done, it just takes a lot longer!1
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Hi. Just joined. I have arthritis, esp. in my lower spine, tailbone, & back of pelvis. Prob. b/c of a rugby accident. Went to a practice in Aug. (I mean 14 or so yrs ago.) when the ground was baked hard, & no coaches showed up, just 1 other girl & a bunch of guys. A guy said, ‘Let’s scrimmage.’ I was pretty big for a girl, & had played a whole season on a guys’ team, so, thought nothing of it & said OK. Then I had the ball & got tackled. A guy (of course used to tackling other guys) slammed me down on the ground on my back & my leg was paralyzed for a couple minutes. I just thought, ‘Hey, why doesn’t my leg work?…Oh…now it does. Let’s keep playing.’ 😅 (That’s how rugby works, in case you don’t know. You keep playing until you’re incapacitated. Once we ran out of subs when someone had to go to the hosp. for stitches, someone else had a head wound, & I had a concussion & compressed disks in my neck but didn’t know it yet. We latter 2 went back in. 😁 Anyway…) Have never otherwise hurt my back. Several years later I got arthritis in the same spot I hit the ground, & the pain goes into that same leg sometimes. Got an injection in the tailbone b/c it was in terrible pain, so that’s mostly better at least. I use a lot of capsasin cream.
Also my ACL apparently wore out, b/c I had never hurt it, but then tore my medial meniscus b/c of effectively no ACL. Had it reconstructed. Everything was fine for 20 yrs (except 1 minor episode of bursitis) until suddenly instability & aching, & dr tested it & said, ‘Your ACL is gone.’ Again! Crazy. Must have worn out a 2nd time. Had a super-painful shot right into the center of the joint, PT, & brace, but the joint still started grinding. My husband bought me KT Tape, & it actually did stop the grinding, but grinding comes back when the tape falls off. I prob. have to get the ACL redone again. Can’t yet b/c we have a baby (maybe not technically—she’s 2½) who needs me to rock her to sleep every night. Here she is. Isn’t she gorgeous?
Those things are minor (at least right now, mainly b/c they’re manageable) compared to the major problem: chronic mono. It causes, besides of course fatigue:- aching lymph-nodes on sides of neck, lower back of head, possibly earlobe
- sometimes painful pressure under skin then rash over the lymph-nodes
- rash usu. erupting into sm., painful open sores
- aching in the front of the abdomen & thighs
- chilblains (even possibly in A/C in Aug. from wearing sandals), incl. under the nails, damaging the nailbeds
- apparently trouble regulating the body temp. b/c I get chilled easily, but if I get active, or under stress, or out in heat or the sun, I get slightly but unbearably hot
- waking up too hot at 5 AM
- susceptibility to other infections that are hard or impossible to get rid of & sometimes cause painful wounds, e.g. infected toenail, maybe also b/c of chilblains, ingrowing & making 2nd infection. (Have had 2 surgeries, 1 in which the anaesthesia failed, & the dr had already started. He said, ‘You could go to [some other place] & get a nerve block, or I can pull it fast.’ I thought, ‘I’ve been in all this pain for mos. & I’d go home in even more pain, w/ a surgery only part way done, & have to wait who knows how long for another appt?’ So I said, ‘Pull it fast,’ held the bedrail, & bit the pillow…& the nail fell apart & came out in several pieces over several minutes as I felt the instruments of torture digging underneath. 🤢 And the infection was not at all gone. Seemed to be the 2nd time, but in about 1 yr, it was back.)
- Maybe worst of all, I think it gave my baby chorio (potentially fatal bacterial blood infection) b/f she was born, b/c I had zero risk-factors, but weakened immune sys. She had to be in the NICU for 1 wk, had to get a feeding tube, & had to get an IV, which she knocked out of each hand, so it was put into her head. I had to be up every 4 hrs to nurse her while recovering from c-sec. & major excision of scar tissue.
Drs. say, ‘nothing can be done’. All I can do is put Ultra Tiger Balm on the sore lymph-nodes (somehow it relieves pressure) or ice on them, put Caladryl on the rash, & wait to see yet another dr.
Anyway, b/c of all this, I can’t play sports anymore, run, jump, dance, ride a bike… Could prob. still swim slowly in certain temps of water, & XC ski a very little, but haven’t had the opportunities. Can go on short walks in cool weather. And I don’t have the tiny appetite that would suit practically no exercise. And still have to nurse the baby. If I don’t eat enough, I get irritable & crazy-feeling. So I’m prob. supposed to weigh 135 lbs. but actually weigh 175. Bad for my joints. Started MFP to get more protein. I can’t digest meat, so I’m a vegetarian, so I guess I have to make an effort to get enough. Maybe it will help me get thinner. And maybe I can somehow manage to get more exercise.3 -
Welcome, you’re going through a lot, focus on the diet because that really does make a difference if you can get it right and give your body what it needs. Exercise when you can. Weight losss will be slower without exercise but it’s possible.1
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Just restarted MOD yesterday after an absence. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome type OUT which is a genetic connective tissue disorder caracterized by chronic pain and joint instability. I also have arthritis is numerous places and im just short of being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Im hoping this group is still active as i could use some friends that navigate the road of chronic pain. Who knows the challenges of waking up to aching body parts and screaming joints better than someone who experiences the same thing? I'm looking forward to meeting some of you as we journey down similar paths.1
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Feel free to add me as a friend, I log in every day and log my food daily although I don’t always post I do always read what everyone’s up to and visit the groups for updates. We all know how hard it is to wake up every day with the first thought being not oh it’s Monday or whatever but oh I’m in so much pain!2
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Hello everyone, my name is Shelli. I am a 46 yo disabled Veteran. Due to Gulf War Syndrome, I have developed fibromyalgia, severe back and neck issues, IBS, and a list of other issues. Over the past few years, my pain has increased 10 fold and I know some of it is due to my weight gain. I am currently heavier than I was when I was pregnant with any of my four children. I am starting a new meal plan and workout tomorrow morning and am hoping that this will decrease some of the pain that I am going through.3
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First, thank you for your service!! I’m so sorry you suffer from it though! Chronic pain sucks!!1
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Hello!!
I'm Taylor. I'm 20 and I've been chronically ill all my life, more or less. I didn't get diagnosed with fibromyalgia until last year, but I've been struggling for a long time. I'm 195lbs and sick of it.
Nice to see I'm not the only chronic pain sufferer trying to lose weight.2 -
Hello Taylor! Nice to meet you! I’m 51 years old and have had fibromyalgia for as long as you’ve been alive!
So hard to believe that I’ve suffered with this debilitating pain for that long! I have found that eating fewer carbs and no processed foods anymore, has helped me a lot. It hasn’t fixed me but has helped me be able to return to work on a very part time basis. I hadn’t been able to work in 10 years, so that was a huge win for me!
I did manage to lose weight and have kept it off for three years now!
Great to see you here!1 -
Hi my name is Jan ,im 57 ,been medically retired since 2011,had 2 falls ,the last one on black ice fell on coccyx and lower lumber and went from walking at least 7 miles a day and gym 4 times a week for an hour to..walking 40 yards or so before pain gets too much and very down . My back so my consultant said had suddenly aged by 30/40 years lol..osteoarthritis,stenosis,facet arthritis,spondylothesis=chronic pain.
Anyway back to now ,I am slowly attending gym 2-3 times a week ,at present to strengthen core and stretch out with some cardio on bike/treadmill and hopefully soon rower. I sometimes use the pool for workout purely to be weightless and loose the pain . Ive lost just over 2 stone and want to loose 1-1.5 more . Be nice to connect up with others in similar boat for and to give support,laughter,motivation . nice to meet you all2 -
Welcome and good luck! Feel free to add me as a friend if you like, I’m always open to new friends on here and generally go in to my feed and diary every day.1
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Hello. I'm Jane. I am 60 years old and have been suffering with psoriatic arthritis since the age of 12 (48 years) and fibromyalgia since my 30's. I am in pain every single day. Some days it is much worse than others. I have been on and off weight loss programs since I was 13....a never ending struggle for me. I have recently gained back 35 pounds from a 75 pound weight loss. My body is screaming in pain. I'm glad I didn't gain everything back before deciding to try MFP again. I have such empathy for anyone suffering with chronic pain. I could say so much, but lets just sum it up by "IT SUCKS" It doesn't appear that this page is followed by many people. I would like to see more people on here to encourage and share stories with !1
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Hello all from New Orleans!0
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Hello all! I have a number of health conditions. I'm about 10% mobile and reliant on a wheelchair the rest of the time at this point. So, for right now my goal is just to get back into tracking everyday and staying within my calory goal.3
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Hi, My name is Nicole. I am 28 years old and. I have been living with with chronic plantar fasciitis for over 4 years now. It started after running a marathon in February of 2016. I have tried every treatment and emerging treatment for my condition. This year in January I finally had surgery. I was supposed to be "cured" by now, but I'm not. It's so discouraging. So far nothing has worked. Plantar fasciitis is common and for like 99% of people its easily cured with good shoes physical therapy, but I'm one of those few people that isn't so lucky. I've tried physical therapy many times and places, many rounds of shockwave therapy, two PRP injections, surgery and now I'm trying a botox injection. I'm praying it works.
I live with pain every single day. Often it's just a small amount of pain but sometimes it can be a lot. I have had a temp handicap permit on and off for the past several years. At one point I couldn't even walk across the street without limping in pain. I remember one day I drove around for half an hour desperately trying to find street parking near my work, the closest spot was a half mile away and I just broke down in tears.
I try to always have hope but some days it gets depressing. I don't know if I will ever run again like I used to. But some days I can do a lot. On monday I walked over an hour by the beach. Of course that hurt my foot, but I was able to do it. Today I did a 10 minute walk around my block and I was walking slowly like an old lady with a slight limp. I hate it when people say "don't push through pain." What do they mean!? I am always in pain. Walking on the beach causes pain, yes, and so does walking to the bathroom, and so does standing and cooking dinner. I always have to "push though pain". We all do, because we all need to live! We are all survivors living through this.3 -
I'm so happy to see a group for chronic pain people. I have a rare connective tissue disorder, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and weight management has been a huge struggle because I'm not able to do all the cardio I'd love to do. And due to a gastrointestinal disorder, a lot of "healthy foods" are sort of off the table. It's been such a struggle.1
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Hi all. Pain on a daily basis can make weight loss difficult and weight loss can make pain more bearable is my motto for now. I'm 74 with 40 lbs to lose. I have had fibro for 10 years as well as osteo arthritis in shoulders, severe central complex hypopnea and back problems so I can relate. It's good to be a part of a group where we can share positive as well as negative thoughts and not be judged as whiners. Best of days to all of you.a1
