LOOKING FOR DDD AND ARTHRITIS friends
inabottle
Posts: 11 Member
I have deterating disk and arthritis in every joint. it hurts even to get off the couch. that being said I haven't much, because it does hurt. I am so afraid to become addicted to the pain meds, a don't take them as much as I probably should. so the weightgain had added 30 lbs in 3 months. plus the depression of gaining, and not being able to work made a huge difference. I MUST loose this to become more mobile, and be able to loose it, and be more healthy. im only 49, I don't want to be dependent on anyone to help me because I allowed the DDD and arthritis win. but unless you got the illness you don't really truly understand the issues im dealing with. so I would like people suffering the same as I to friend me so we can work together. even if they don't have both. the arthritis is the main issue. the joint pain is unreal...
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I have muscle leakage and severe inflammation which causes severe pain weakness.The every specialist has a different opinion I also have several deteriorating disk which surgery is out of the question cause of my muscle disease which effects my lungs which also are inflamed from unknown source.I hate the side effects from Predisone
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I will join you. I am just coming back after gaining back 20 pounds from last year's loss of 41 pounds. I'm like you in that I hurt just standing up or sitting down. I want to follow a dvd I got... easy yoga for people with arthritis. Look on Amazon. Its good for loosening things up. I was crushed in a car crash and also have lupus, myesthenia gravis, raynauds, periphial neropathy and on 13 meds including prednisione. If I lost weight with all this last year, I can do it again this year!
I'd love to have a group of us living with pain to encourage each other.to just stretch or move any way we can.0 -
How very important for us to keep moving as you say any way we can. The more we move the better it is for us.0
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Hello, I have fibromyalgia, DJD, arthritis, etc., and I'm recovering from some acute injuries/surgeries on top of that. I have had the same problem with the vicious cycle of pain/can't exercise/weight gain/more pain. I have found that the best place to start is in the water. Ask your doctor about aquatic physical therapy. If you can't get that, just try walking around and doing some light exercises in the water. Good luck!0
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Hi, here is my story...I have been struggling with stiff, sore joints and unexplained pain for about a year and a half. I was told I have fibromyalgia some time ago, but have always had doubts about that. A year ago in September I had a severe flareup in both of my wrists and hands and was told I had pseudo gout. Last May I injured my hip running sprints and couldn't walk for several months without extreme pain and then had two more flareups at different times in both ankles. Nothing showed up in x-rays of my hip except the usual arthritis, but a couple of months later I started having increased lower back pain, and it became harder and harder for me to want to exercise. (I too have degenerative disc disease.) I had lost 20+ pounds on MFP and didn't want to gain it back, plus the exercise was crucial for keeping my blood sugar levels down, so I was getting quite depressed.
A recent blood test showed high inflammation, so I was sent to a new rheumatologist who said she did not think I have pseudo gout at all, but may have an autoimmune disease called Palindromic Rheumatism. I am allergic to ingredients in the two medications that are used to treat it, so instead she gave me an anti-inflammatory elimination diet that is quite a bit more restrictive than the Whole 30. I have been on it for almost three weeks and after discovering that nuts are a problem for me, I eliminated those as well and amazingly most of my aches and pains have dramatically diminished. It's the hardest diet I have ever been on, but I am finally adjusting to it and the fact that I am feeling so much better makes it all worth while. I've also lost the weight I gained over the holidays, am starting to do yoga again, and can walk now without terrible pain.
I am really amazed at how much what I eat determines how I feel. It may be something you might want to try. Hopefully I will be able to eventually add back in some of the foods I like , but if not, I think I can live with it since it is making such a huge difference in my life.0 -
Hi All :flowerforyou:
I'm with you all the way in the pain scale, I have been diagnosed with Aggressive Erosive Arthritis, in my hands which is causing my bones to fuse in place and also De Quervain's tendinosis in both wrists. I am very wary of taking meds because I don't want to become dependant on them, but there are days :grumble:
I find anger with myself is a big issue, I'm cranky that I'm unable to use dumbbells or wrist weights, that there are days I just can't move my hands or shoulders or body or that I can't open things or lift things as I used to. I know I can ask for help but I have always been fiercely independent, I've always been the one to help others not the other way around :mad:
My doctor told me this week that "the arthritis is basically burning through my body and he doesn't know when it's going to stop and when it does (apparently it will) what will be left of my mobility" Yep, cheery kinda guy :laugh:
I've lost so much weight and am proud of doing it, but I'm struggling to get rid of that last 10-15kg and the flab.
Does anyone have any suggestions for weight lifting exercises not involving dumbbells? Okay just writing that sounds weird but hey a gals gotta ask
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Hi Friends~
My name is Vicky. I have rheumatoid and osteoarthritis and have been treated for symptoms of Lupus (I don't have the antibody). I've managed to lose and keep off about 35 lbs. I started here 13 days ago and have lost 9 lbs. My pain is not bad most days. I have found that a lot has to do with what I put in my body. After I eliminated Diet Coke from my diet, much of my pain decreased. I also notice that if I consumed something high in sugar that I tended to have more pain. My goal is to lose 95 lbs. total. I hope to have reached half my goal by the end of this year.
With all of this going on, I do find myself lacking in stamina for exercise. But you know what? I'm going to start out slow. I have some Leslie Sansone walking videos, some stretchy bands and free weights. I'll pace myself and I will do this. It just seems good to finally find a group that "gets" the frustration of the limitations this stuff puts on you. I hope to meet others in the same boat and maybe we can encourage each other and reach our goals. Well, thanks for letting me ramble. I look forward to meeting you.
Take Care,
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hi-feel free to add me to your list of friends--I am right there with you on this one ! I had a massive flare of what turns out to psoriatic arthritis (already have fibro ) in August. I was put on high doses of prednisone (aguh), and started on a 'aggressive treatement plan". Six months later, I am finally off the evil prednisone, but my knee is so swollen that I can barely walk. I also gained 18 pounds. It seems like everytime I lose weight, I will get a flare, be back on prednisone or other drugs, and then...poof, I am trying to lose again. The pain is hard to handle, as is the depression. I have finally reconciled with the fact that I need to apply for disability, and that is also causing lots of sleepless nights. I did go through PT which helped somewhat, but this flare is not going away.
I started tracking my food again yesterday, and am going to try and start going to the Y for arthritis water classes. I live in the tundra of Wisconsin, and it is -15 out right now, so this is a big commitment for me.
I would love to connect with others who are dealing with trying lose weight while figuring out how to handle chronic pain..0 -
wow--I just looked up this diet, and actually have found myself eating this way in the last month after my mom was diagnosed with diabetes. There are some differences, but basically the same diet. I really miss bread, butter and deserts though...sigh...
I am so happy to hear of someone who has had good results with this method of eating...do you envision it as being a lifetime type change of making food choices?0 -
Hi
Like most of what you have read I too suffer from Lupus as well as multiple diseases which affect all my joints, muscles and bones.I have severe pain all day long all over. Between all my doctors I have been placed on 32 different medications which 4 of them are steroids. At the first of this year I decided after weighing myself and finding out I have gained over 135 lbs in the last yr. and half. That I am going off all the medicine. I figure how bad could it be after all I just keep getting more diseases because of the medicine so going off them should make me better. I also decided to eat as natural as possible. Taking all natural vitamins and eating a much healthier diet. I have lost 6lbs. so far not bad. I have had to put two of the medications back on my daily routine. for the most part I am doing so much better. Recently I put a stress fracture to my heel and due to walking on that for a week before getting checked I now also have Achilles tendinitis and the thing connected to it is pulled landing me in a boot for the next 8 weeks. I am struggling now with how to exercise in my new found position I too could use help and am looking for those in the same health struggles I have. I want to be motivated to move not find people to whine with. I am determined to lose this weight and to get healthy.0 -
Feel for you - you are where I was about nine months ago. I too was worried about the meds - but now take them regularly. Without them, I would be unable to do anything. Stairs would be impossible - and sleep? Forget it.
I now take so many tablets it's a wonder I don't rattle, but it does mean I have my life back. I can't walk very far at all, and I limp badly with a crutch - but to not have that all-encompassing pain 24 hairs a day is wonderful. I didn't realise how much pain I was in until the meds worked properly. This took quite a few months to sort, and several trips to the doctor.
I know my life will never be the same as it was, but it is now manageable - to the point where I have applied for a full-time job. That is something I wouldn't have thought possible 6 months ago. Now I am able to focus on losing all the weight that has piled on since I've been so inactive. I'm not doing any exercise apart from necessary housework, because I can't. On top of the pain meds, I'm also on steroids. After talking to the specialist, this time I am on a lower dose, which is still effective, and doesn't have me feeling as though I'm starving all the time. I'm counting calories carefully, and the weight is still coming off slowly - about 2 lbs a week.
So you can do it!0 -
I made a similar thread before I saw this one. It reads:
Arthritis in my facet and sacroiliac joints; painful knees, breastbone and shoulder; Willis-Ekbom Disease primarily affecting my pelvis; medications that help you gain weight; stuck on the couch or in bed. The centralized sensitization (what many refer to as fibromyalgia) certainly makes these conditions more painful than they need be. Add in PTSD and emotional eating and I'm a ticking time-bomb for dieting failure.
I pushed to get spinal rhizotomies every 3 months to help me walk again, and I am also pushing to have my osteoarthritis diagnosis changed to psoriatic arthritis; I have symptoms of psoriasis and psoriatic nails, sacroiliac arthritis is typically psoriatic arthritis, and there's systemic medications for psoriasis that sometimes help psoriatic arthritis. I *really* want to walk again. And I don't mean just getting off the couch to use the toilet, but actually getting out there in the world and *walking*.
I could really use some cheering on from ppl who understand the emotional (thus eating) hazards behind living with debilitating pain. At the same time I like the ppl who hold me accountable for my screw ups (nicely) and can help me get past some of these wicked cravings.
37|F|Keto
PS
Feel free to send a f/r
Anyone with arthritis should look into "rhizotomy" and see if it's an option. It does me wonders!0 -
Hi everyone i have facet joint arthritis in my spine and lower back. Makes it almost impossible to exercise. Heck i can only stand/walk/sit so long before it brings me to tears. And when i do try to go out and have a little fun i pay dearly for it days after. Feel free to add me and maybe we can be support for each other! :-)0
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you have done amazing in your weight loss!!! GO GIRL!!!0
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I was dx with arthritis of sacroiliac joints. Some days are better than others. Fish oil and glucosamine help the pain. I take acetametaphin for now but waiting for a referral to a specialist. I also Use topical pain creams which help temporarily. I've recognized that moving helps despite having to move inspite of the pain. So water arthritis classes in the warm pool help out a lot. Yoga is so helpful too for stretching.Heat really helps so I use a heat compress, or heat patches or Dr. Scholl's heat and massage chair. It's become my new BFF. Without it not sure how to get through the day. Ironically sitting for long brings pain so I need to keep moving or lay down on my side to relieve the pain on my tail bone. Saddened that long distance trips are out of the question for now. All of my family live far. Miss them terribly. Hope they can visit soon. Thanks to everyone in this group for opening up about your every day trials. Together we will overcome, day by day and from moment to moment. I hope we can all overcome our every day battles of pain and work towards better health and achieve our weight loss goals. Hope to lose 40 lbs as losing weight will help relieve pressure on joints. May God bless you with health and joy. I welcome any suggestions as I am new to learning how to live with arthritis.0
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I have chronic neck pain due to a few car accidents and now hold a reverse curve in my neck. :frown:
But I've found major relief here www.sdbifano.fgxpress.com with the PowerStrips and my friends got relief from their arthritis too. I thought I'd share the love and you won't have to be addicted to pain meds any longer because it's all natural. Helps relieve arthritis, migraines, back pain, any pain you have really. :flowerforyou:
I wish you all the best!0 -
I have stage 4 osteoarthritis in both knees. It's been over 11 years since I last took a single, solitary step that didn't cause pain. Some days the pain is only a 2 or 3 and I do pretty well. Most days it's around a 5 and sometimes it's up higher that that. I can tolerate very little walking or standing (I'm talking only a few minutes at a time) without serious pain. In fact, I went grocery shopping yesterday and got to the car in tears from the pain.
All that being said, I've used my pain as an excuse to become lazy. I avoid getting up and moving because of the pain and have become comfortable in that. I know I need to adjust how I do things. I need to take more frequent breaks when I'm doing those things I have to do like cleaning the house, etc. And I know I need to avoid some of those activities that aren't necessary and will cause me pain. But I also know that I can't help myself by plopping myself in my chair and not moving.
I'm the only one in my family that deals with chronic pain so while I know my family wants to help me and sympathizes with me, they don't fully understand and they can't. I would love to have some friends who deals with the same things I deal with and who understands the unique challenges we face.0 -
I was diagnosed with arthritis, to later find out it was not arthritis instead it was Vasculitis. My doctor for vasculistis is a rhuematologist since the medicines and treatment are the same. I too will get pain and though like you I am very reluctant to go on daily pain medicines. I do how ever take pain medicines when I know I am going to be out on my feet for a few hours at a party of friends or if I am going to exercise. I would not be able to do it other wise. But what I do is set a few days for doing an all out exercise and the other days I do what I can like housework, gardening etc. I am in pain when I do those but have managed to tolerate and will take something before bed if need be. With my disease I am always with inflammation. I am on daily cortisone as well and it blew me up like crazy. Getting the weight off has been very hard and really it only came off when I reduced the cortisone. I am still on a very high amount and still very heavy, but at least maintaining. Recently I got very very ill with pneumonia and was not able to do anything but getting back after a week of being sick. I am would like to be your friend and help you through this. I will also add the Anti-Inflammatory diet is used often by many I know with my disease and it is very helpful in reducing the pain so if you can incorporate it into your diet maybe it will help.0
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Hi, I live in California, above the Bay Area. I find that walking helps most parts of my body feel better, but it makes my lower back (where I have the DDD) hurt more. So then, I rest too much and then the rest of my body gets achy again. I have been on pain meds for about five years and I am trying to wean off, since I still have pain anyway! I would love to get rhizotomy done on my lower back, but so far, I have not had an insurance that would approve it. I have just heard about a stem cell study that I could do that uses my own plasma injected near the nerves of trigger spots to induce healing, but I would have to pay $1000.00. So, I doubt that I will do it. I don't make much on disability.
A couple of years ago, I did really well dieting. I lost twenty five pounds without even exercising. But, because of the extensive time in the kitchen washing, chopping, and cooking vegetables, and also being the only one in my family eating that way, I gave up and of course I gained it back. I did not have any less pain after losing the weight, but it was nice just to look better. Now, I am menopausal, in addition to having fibromyalgia, severe allergies, asthma/bronchitis, and migraines.
I need a miracle! If I could just get started losing weight, that would be great. The few diets I have tried lately just are too stressful. I am happy to take it slow, very slow. I just haven't been able to deal with the discipline lately. I am very fatigued and want the comfort of what I am used to. I fear the pain, I do. But on the other hand, I will not give up on myself! I enjoy making healthy choices and being active when I can.
Best wishes, everyone!0 -
I'm in this group! RA, OA, DDD, Hypothyroid and others. You may add me to your list if you wish. I could use an ear once in a while. I'm willing to lend mine. Haven't been getting out much. Taking prednisone and plaquenil while waiting for another biological insurance approval. My husband has taken on extra work to pay for insurance and kids college. I can't even get disability because I was a stay home mom. What a mess. I am still holding hope though. God sees. He brings in work for my husband and we can pay the bills. For how long idk. My mom has PAN and vasulitis has destroyed her kidneys and half lung function. Prayers welcome!
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