Other MFPers with health issues?

ajlandon

Oh yeah. I went undiagnosed with Hashimoto's for years. I also have PCOS, chronic severe iron deficiency anemia (side effect of the combined efforts of PCOS and hypothyroidism), some sort of weird muscle-joint pain/weakness thing (they're fighting over whether it is Fibro or some sort of generalized autoimmune thing), high cholesterol, very low blood pressure (last reading was 89/50 - sometimes I fall over when I stand up o_o), insulin resistance, liver problems, migraines, and so on.

I'd been told there was nothing wrong with me, to "try harder" to get a good night's rest, that I was just a little depressed because of the season, that I didn't exercise enough, that I exercised too much, and that I would grow out of it over.. and... over by both health care professionals and family. I finally found a doctor who listens to me about a month ago >.<!!

tiggerhammon

Asthma: just exercise induced asthma, so I dont run
Arthritis: just aches in the cold so 'round this time of year I start not leaving my house unless I have to.
Allergies: also keeps me indoors this time of year, and in the spring.
Two messed up knees: product of an overly ambitious, not that clever teenager playing volleyball in high school. Injured one once, the other twice.
Messed up back: still don't fully understand this one. Doctor's say I have scar tissue between the vertebrates. It has hurt all my life, the best I can figure, it is from the accident I was in as an infant.
IBS-C, this one has caused major milestones for weight loss and has also provided my highest results. The milestones list is long, and mostly not something to discuss. But, when told not to eat dairy, nuts and high fat/high grease foods anymore, weight loss got easier and the distention in my stomach eased a lot.

Currently pregnant, so of course that's stalling progress at the moment. But, no complaints on that one, progress will have to resume later.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I can understand being stuck inside during the winter months. My joints have a tendency to lock up in this kind of weather, which makes doing things like exercising a pain and a half.

I'm sorry about your IBS, but I'm glad that it has offered you a means to lose weight and focus on your nutrition and health. Has altering your diet helped you lessen your symptoms?

Diet changes have helped lessen the painful symptoms but have done nothing for the constipation. That's still an ongoing problem and has complexed drastically since becoming pregnant. I am looking forward to seeing the doctor on Friday because I haven't been able to take any of my medications for almost 2 months now and its steadily getting worse.
Since being placed on a stricter diet I feel that I am eating healthier than I have in years and it comforts me to know that I am feeding my baby a very healthy diet.

lucystacy71

One good thing is that I went to the transplant center back in October and the doctor said I had lost enough to qualify for a kidney transplant and that a new kidney should be imminent. :happy:

I can't wait to get my health back. I'm going to keep losing weight until I'm at my healthiest, but I'm so eager to return to work as an elementary teacher.

EvanKeel

I'm trying to see about a diagnosis for Ehler's Danlos. I was never really into sports as a kid, so I never saw any symptoms until I started getting more active and found that it was fairly easy for me to injure myself during work outs. I didn't think anything of it, until a niece was diagnosed with Ehler's, as were my mother and sister; the diganosis took forever for them though. After I heard about the diagnosis, my seemingly random joint injuries, long healing periods, and unexplained bruising all made sense. Yay for family geneticists, I guess.

I still lift weights, but I have to be really focused on my form. I also limit myself to low impact cardio whenever I can. I think the most annoying part is that I would like to get better at jogging/running, but I don't feel like I can. Every time I try I just get way too anxious about how long I can go without injuring myself. And if my ankles, knees, or hips start to get a little tight, the anxiety just sky rockets.

MagicalLeopleurodon

I have a cardiac arrhythmia and lateral distoid meniscus in both knees.

lucystacy71

For me, the Ehler's Danlos showed up when I was very young but it was misdiagnosed many, many times. It's most obvious in my feet. When I'm sitting, I appear to have arches. When I stand, however, my feet are completely flat and turn sideways until my ankle is actually on the ground. The doctors told my mother I would never walk, and I had to wear these braces that went around my ankles and up to my knees. I hated those things and I have one early memory of trying to flush the braces down the toilet. I could never jump as a child and I had trouble running. By the time I was in first grade, I knew how to massage my ankle back into place. At that time another doctor said there was nothing wrong with my feet but I walked the way I did because I wanted attention. I was 18 before I was diagnosed with Ligamentious Hyperflextivity by a crude doctor who told me my career options now included the circus. Later, Ligamentous Hyperflextivity or Laxtivity was grouped as a type of Ehler's Danlos.

Another symptom to look for is velvety soft skin. My skin never gets chapped no matter what the weather and easy bruising.

I took this picture some months ago to show some friends on facebook about the way my feet bend. It's a good illustrations of this type of Ehler's Danlos.

mank32

add me please (anyone) if you have fibromyalgia! i was dx'd >10 yrs ago, and struggled mightily for most of that time, but i am now kicking its @ss (drug-free) w/ exercise!! :flowerforyou:

keana55

Sorry to hear about your health conditions which are, sadly, similarly painful to mine. I'm 64 and have dealt with Lupus and Autoimmune Hepatitis for 25 years. During this time I have been on various doses of prednisone which caused me to gain 100 lbs. That's only 4 pounds a year but boy does it add up. In March I fell on some "black ice" and broke my femur (thigh bone). Lying on my back in a rehab center was the wake up call I needed. My weight problem was the one thing I could do something about.

I decided to lose the weight slowly and change my eating habits. MyFitnessPal has worked well. I count calories and try to exercise at a gym three times a week. So far, I have lost 33lbs in 6 months. A few doctors told me "You will never lose weight on prednisose" but that is simply not true..

howabsurd

I have severe Chondromalacia Patella in both knees, also Rheumatoid arthritis in my left knee. Currently on injections for them now, but really trying to push my way to surgery soon.

I deal with plantar fasciitis daily.

I had a partial thyroidectomy years ago and I deal with its resulting hypothyroidism.

Also have hypersomnia, so it's extremely hard for me to motivate myself since I'm constantly half asleep.

anwylyd_un

Thanks, it's been a bit of a bumpy ride but hopefully now I can move forwards and not think too much about it for a little while. Healthwise now I'm just waiting for the last of the stitches to dissolve, have a bone scan next week, a follow up with my surgeon in a couple more weeks then I'm clear till next spring when I get to swallow an endoscope again to check stomach, bile duct etc. Once all that is done I'm just going to give my brain a break from Lynch until it warns me that it's on the march again.

Thanks for the add, do you find that the things that make us physically disadvantaged also make us more emotionally determined to excel? I think I'm a stronger person from all this.

_andreamarie

I have high blood pressure and I've been struggling since I was 12 to get it under control.

cafeaulait7

I have a handful of things that are really a PITA to work around, I must admit. I don't like to list them. I think of each as it comes up and try to never think of them all together. Fortunately, I have never had them all flare at the same time! I couldn't imagine, lol.

I will say that my pain tolerance has become a thing of beauty I am so incredibly badass now that way. That's one good thing about it all, right?

I don't have anything life-threatening or very degenerative or dangerous, Thank God. I say I have 'mechanical problems'. I do what I can to try to lessen their impact, but I am still disappointed by how much they affect different things. It could be a whole lot worse, though, so there's always that!

AccioFitness

I will say that my pain tolerance has become a thing of beauty I am so incredibly badass now that way. That's one good thing about it all, right?

I don't have anything life-threatening or very degenerative or dangerous, Thank God. I say I have 'mechanical problems'. I do what I can to try to lessen their impact, but I am still disappointed by how much they affect different things. It could be a whole lot worse, though, so there's always that!

Oh yeah, that totally gives us badass powers! My pain is incredibly bizarre, some days it seems utterly unbearable, but during other days I don't even blink when I whack my knee against something. To figure, lol. My hubs has said several times that he couldn't survive being in pain all the time like I am -- but I guess when you have no other choice you just learn to. That counts as a super power right?

I agree that my disease could be worse; it could be degenerative, or terminal, or who knows what else. While I do have to go about some things differently, I can still do most of it at least some of the time. I count that as a major victory.

Sedna_51

I developed a rare autoimmune disorder at age fourteen (microscopic polyangiitis) that destroyed both my kidneys- I went from being a healthy, nerdy high school freshman to being critically ill in the space of about eight weeks. I'm extremely fortunate in that it hasn't recurred since then. I received a successful kidney transplant at age 16 from my mother (<3 u, mom!) and since then I've been able to live my life fairly unrestricted- I went to college out of state, work full-time, live on my own, am looking at master's degrees. The medications and treatments do have side effects, notably a substantially increased risk of cancer, and post-transplant recipients are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. I have to take medication for hypertension, and reducing my CVD risk profile is one major reason I joined MFP.
The other big thing I deal with is chronic depression. I've been on Paxil for years and years and I've found myself sobbing on therapists' couches many times. (Fortunately they're all used to being sobbed on.) It's not a big issue right now, but I always kind of know it's back there, you know?

tula1980

I have IBD and hyper-mobility which is mainly restricted to shoulders, spine, SIJ's and hips.

Interestingly to the other lady who posted up with hyper-mobility and bloating - my general surgeon said he see's lots of patients with IBD/IBD/digestive complaints who are also hyper-mobile. The two quite often go hand in hand apparently.

vwarring

Yes, I am with you. I have fibromyalgia (FM) too. Yes, very much:bigsmile: :sad: :brokenheart: a nuisance, very hard to incorporate with other aspects of your life especially when you are tying to get back into shape with exercise and diet. I also have chronic pain from a fused arthritic ankle and bursitis growing and spreading around my body.

I have just joined today and I noticed you on site looking for support. Do you want me to say "we can do this together" or "maybe we can do this diet together and it might work with the FM" :laugh: I also run a FM group and gaining weight is a big problem. I just started looking at the diet referred to at top of home page something kinetics..it looks interesting because it talks about sugar issues and that is a problem for me as well.

ok, so .what kind of exercise are you able to do, or have you not figured that out yet? check in with you later and i'll let you know if I have picked up some earthshattering knowledge for us to charge us on the way to losing weight.

AddieOverhaul

Weird, I also have hypermobility and used to have really bad IBS, although it is mostly under control now. I also have asthma, allergies, and pretty bad back issues that do put me out of commission semi-often and just bother me the rest of the time. I don't really think of myself as someone with health problems though...I guess that comes with being an optimist - I know it could be a lot worse (especially after reading through this thread!) I feel for all of you and kudos for doing what you can to work through your issues and towards your goals!

GinaRamp

I have had JRA since age three and am not able to exercise very much other than doing daily housework type activities. I also went on prednisone 3 years ago and that has made me gain weight. I am happy to meet others with health issues. Feel free to add me!!

stryder2807

I have Spina Bifida

cafeaulait7

I have Spina Bifida

Oh! I had surgery at birth for SB, but I was very, very lucky. I am supposed to have surgery on my toes (born crooked) sometime since I was 15, but I just keep waiting because I do fine still (some pain, not awful at all). I always think of the folks with bad SB! I was so close to having major complications. You go for staying so active!!!