Any other disabled people trying to get fit

jsp2374

Hi I'm 37 and have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Been at this with MFP for 65 days now. I was wondering if anyone else in MFP land was disabled and trying to be more fit?:blushing:

Smokey19

Hi, I am 48 and disabled with heart disease, diabetes, and many other health problems caused by me being overweight. It is hard to lose weight when you can't get around like you want to due to the pain or other problems. Feel free to add me.

xmisstink89x

I cant really say it is a disability, but my kneecap has shifted 5mm out of place and over exerting it can sometimes get strenuous. When they tested me to see what was causing my flare ups, rheumatoid arthritis was one of the first things they tested, and im only 22. Keep your head up and dont push urself to hard to cause a flare up.

M1chelles5

I'm 35 and somewhat disabled. I severely broke my leg several months ago.
Although the bone is healing on sched, the soft tissue damage is a beast (had surgery). Ive had many setbacks due to swelling & pain but I do what i can b/c no matter if I was healthy, excersize is difficult and requires a certain amount of disciplne!

Having a positive attitude REALLY makes a difference.

Stay Strong and remember to be Kind to Yourself....when it gets especially tough

mommafarr

Hi, I have fibromyalgia, and I understand how hard it can be to get excercise. The weather really affects me, and when it's bad I can hardly get out of bed. I've gained about 10 lbs in the past year, and I'm really struggling to get rid of it.

jhann16

Not physically disabled, but hormonally I am. Making it impossible to eat & exercise like a "normal" person.

Lolli1986

I couldn't exercise my legs or core for the best part of 2 years due to injury. I've just had my 3rd operation for it... the doctor tells me that i'll make a full recovery, but i'm stepping forward gingerly regardless because everything still feels weird and a bit sore around the triple-operation double-infection nerve-damaged site. (and everything WASN'T okay after my second op - I developed another condition in the SAME area).

Getting actually FIT during that period was, as far as I could tell from everything i tried, not an option. However, there is no reason not to be as fit as possible within your limitations, and to use diet to try to reach/maintain a healthy bmi. Sorry, I don't mean to scare you, just want you to look after yourself. Reaching and maintaining a healthy bmi is certainly do-able even with long term or permanent injury, but it's okay if you can't run and stuff. Sometimes can't MEANS can't. x

Take care everyone!

M1chelles5

Hi, I have fibromyalgia, and I understand how hard it can be to get excercise. The weather really affects me, and when it's bad I can hardly get out of bed. I've gained about 10 lbs in the past year, and I'm really struggling to get rid of it.

I was finally diagnosed w/fibro in 2010 and can totally relate.
Try to up your activity level by waking and serenity yoga. It hurts but over time the symptoms decrease. Since i broke my leg and started sports physical therapy i havent needed my meds at all. Except pain meds for my leg.
Wishing u well!

rahmyers

Hi I'm 37 and have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Been at this with MFP for 65 days now. I was wondering if anyone else in MFP land was disabled and trying to be more fit?:blushing:

Yes aside from being born with physical disabilitie affecting my arms, I also have Fibromyalgia, and an autoimmune disease that includes lupus, scleroderma, myositis, and RA. Also i'm verry alergic to eggs, not a disability, but it makes eating trickier. I've lost 58 lbs. Right now I have my autoimmyne disease flareing and it's causing problembs with my stomach and such. So I'm on a break from exercizing temporarily, but still sticking to eating right. Also, i'm 37 too! i've been at this since the end of Aug. I exercize as mych as I can, but when I flare real bad I listen to my body. Have you found that cerain things tend to make you flare too, besides stress and colds, viruses and such?

Vench

28 w/fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis here. Not so fun but I at least want to get my daily eating and exercise habits on track. A smaller *kitten* is just a nice perk :P

southernsweetie1978

I have Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I have already managed to lose 35lbs through MFP. Most of it was mainly through diet change. Losing weight has made it easier for me to do exercising a little more with some of the weight off.

jsp2374

Humidity and extreme heat cause me to flare up badly. I have fibro as well, as well as migraines, and medication induced high blood pressure. We aren't talking taking it easy due to injury either. I have spinal damage as well as both my wrists being damaged to the point of being totally destroyed. I also have bone spurs done my entire spine, and quite possibly in my feet.

The reason I am here is to be as fit as possible within my means. It is why I started this particular journey. I have been on steroids, and they cause weight gain. As well as the biological drugs I have taken. When put on Enbrel I gained 10 Kilos in a month, and I didn't increase my food consumption. I was also more active. It is going to be a long and hard journey but one I am finally ready to undertake. Thank you all for commenting.

rahmyers, have you heard about the IAAM movement. We are doing a well they are doing an International Autoimmune Arthritis Awareness day in May. I also run a Support Group on Facebook.

Renee_Leslie

I have severe osteo-arthritis in both knees and the on-set in both hips. I'm looking at weight-loss surgery in 6+ months to be the first step before getting my knees, hips and wrists (oh! yeah! I also have carpel tunnel in both wrists) repaired. Any ideas for exercises for someone on crutches and/or limited mobility would be of great help. Sign me up.

Kwika

Hi, I am a sight disabled individual. my claim to fame is that in two years, I have had two broken legs two knee surgeries and have been hit by a car and I still keep running. The last surgery I had was a microfracture surgery. The doctor said that if it hadn't been for my age and my fitness level, he wouldn't have done it but done a partial replacement instead. I have also been told by my physical therapist that I am the only one that he knows of that has come back from this type of surgery and am still running. I have no pain when I run. I guess you could also say that my weight is a disability because it puts more pressure on my knees and I really need to lose weight.

bailamulata

omg jsp you look so young... a lot younger than 37.... I am 39yrs old and I also have fibromyalgia along with, gastroparesis, herniated L5, seizures, chronic migraines, bradycardia, onset of Parkinsonian with myopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, and central sleep apnea... it is so hard to really be able to maintain a schedule for exercising... because you can feel good one day or even part of the day and then you exercise... you make plans... goals... you know... all that comes with being fit and healthy within our possibilities... then the next day you feel worse... worse than the average person with no painful conditions would feel after a work out... I had been working out off and on for 2 months and then one entire week I became bedridden due to my back giving out and the fibromyalgia flared up so awful that not even 100mgs of morphine twice a day were helping... but we can do it... we can go slow... at our own pace.. being happy and proud for the friends we make here that are able to do more than us and also feeling proud of our own accomplishments as small or slow as they may come... going to send you a friend request... I think you and I can really relate and help each other.. be there when things are going good and be there even more when things are not...
God bless... Mari

rahmyers

Humidity and extreme heat cause me to flare up badly. I have fibro as well, as well as migraines, and medication induced high blood pressure. We aren't talking taking it easy due to injury either. I have spinal damage as well as both my wrists being damaged to the point of being totally destroyed. I also have bone spurs done my entire spine, and quite possibly in my feet.

The reason I am here is to be as fit as possible within my means. It is why I started this particular journey. I have been on steroids, and they cause weight gain. As well as the biological drugs I have taken. When put on Enbrel I gained 10 Kilos in a month, and I didn't increase my food consumption. I was also more active. It is going to be a long and hard journey but one I am finally ready to undertake. Thank you all for commenting.

rahmyers, have you heard about the IAAM movement. We are doing a well they are doing an International Autoimmune Arthritis Awareness day in May. I also run a Support Group on Facebook.

No I have never heard of that. clue me in please?

saragato

I have Joint Hypermobility Disorder but a lot of people call it being double-jointed. I was diagnosed with it in 2010 after having surgery for my carpal tunnel in my dominant hand but I've had it all of my life. Basically my joints pop, subluxate (half-dislocate), and dislocate from the socket completely. When they dislocate it can last anywhere from seconds to months and the longer it's out the more the muscles surrounding that joint get hurt. By simply moving I pop my joints and shift them in their places (washing and putting on my bra tends to pop out more things than most other activities) which you can't tell until, out of nowhere, I begin to favor one ankle or limp considerably and one minute later be walking normally. I got a job as a barista when I was 20 and on my second day I was scheduled 8 hours, supposedly receiving a break after 4 hours. The woman training me had me do everything from dishes to cleaning the cafe furniture to even cleaning the bathrooms when I wasn't standing at the register. I never received my break, was not allowed to sit, and was even kept 15 minutes overtime because she wanted me to sort packages of coffee in the back. Somewhere on the job I dislocated my left knee and by the weekend I was in crutches because I could not use my left leg at all. An orthopedic specialist had me on 2 months of physical therapy (which just injured other joints) and told me because of my Hypermobility there was nothing to be done for the injured muscles meant to hold the knee cap in place except maybe surgery, but I didn't go through with it. I used a cane for 3 months, stayed on bedrest, and eventually gained the ability to walk without a limp but I can't walk as far or fast anymore.

I feared gyms because it's very easy to not know where my limit is, but hours after I will hurt and it then further limits me because the muscles remember the pain of the joints swelling or popping or even coming out for a second. In fact I can barely walk today because yesterday I had a fitness evaluation at the Y I joined and the trainer accidentally overworked my knees and the same knee dislocated for a few hours.

A lot of people don't know what JHD is and think I'm making things up, even doctors, or making excuses not to push myself that much further. I want this to help take some pressure off my joints, but at this age it won't go away, I'll always have it. I also have several mental disorders that cause me to be emotionally unstable. I gained one week because I fell into a depression and slept five days straight, barely eating. But, I'm determined. I can't let it all rule me.

jsp2374

I have severe osteo-arthritis in both knees and the on-set in both hips. I'm looking at weight-loss surgery in 6+ months to be the first step before getting my knees, hips and wrists (oh! yeah! I also have carpel tunnel in both wrists) repaired. Any ideas for exercises for someone on crutches and/or limited mobility would be of great help. Sign me up.

A friend of mine on Facebook who has limited mobility does chair yoga in Bed. She has been unable to walk more than a few feet, and when she does has to use a rollator/walker. She has told me it has been great for her. The Arthritis Foundation in the US has some stuff on their web page about it.

jsp2374

omg jsp you look so young... a lot younger than 37.... I am 39yrs old and I also have fibromyalgia along with, gastroparesis, herniated L5, seizures, chronic migraines, bradycardia, onset of Parkinsonian with myopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, and central sleep apnea... it is so hard to really be able to maintain a schedule for exercising... because you can feel good one day or even part of the day and then you exercise... you make plans... goals... you know... all that comes with being fit and healthy within our possibilities... then the next day you feel worse... worse than the average person with no painful conditions would feel after a work out... I had been working out off and on for 2 months and then one entire week I became bedridden due to my back giving out and the fibromyalgia flared up so awful that not even 100mgs of morphine twice a day were helping... but we can do it... we can go slow... at our own pace.. being happy and proud for the friends we make here that are able to do more than us and also feeling proud of our own accomplishments as small or slow as they may come... going to send you a friend request... I think you and I can really relate and help each other.. be there when things are going good and be there even more when things are not...
God bless... Mari

Mari, thank you so much. I accepted the request. You are so right I think we can really help each other. It is so hard for people who are able bodies to really understand. And again thank you so much for the compliment.

Demi_86

Hi im Demi, just joined this site a few days ago along with some friends, but i sometimes find it hard to excerise as I have mild cerebral palsy and hyperthyroidism. I am not trying to come up with excusses straight off the bat but just wanted to see if anybody else out there could relate i do go swimming 4 days a week and i walk everyday, but still find myself low of energy and fatigued. I dont want to give up but sometimes find it hard with my legs and thyrid to workout/ eat properly as my thyroid medication makes me super hungry 24/7 lol looking for encourgaging people to help eachother though weightloss journey.

demi

yesthistime

You may be interested in this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1048-losing-weight-with-physical-obstacles

jsp2374

Humidity and extreme heat cause me to flare up badly. I have fibro as well, as well as migraines, and medication induced high blood pressure. We aren't talking taking it easy due to injury either. I have spinal damage as well as both my wrists being damaged to the point of being totally destroyed. I also have bone spurs done my entire spine, and quite possibly in my feet.

The reason I am here is to be as fit as possible within my means. It is why I started this particular journey. I have been on steroids, and they cause weight gain. As well as the biological drugs I have taken. When put on Enbrel I gained 10 Kilos in a month, and I didn't increase my food consumption. I was also more active. It is going to be a long and hard journey but one I am finally ready to undertake. Thank you all for commenting.

rahmyers, have you heard about the IAAM movement. We are doing a well they are doing an International Autoimmune Arthritis Awareness day in May. I also run a Support Group on Facebook.

No I have never heard of that. clue me in please?

Here is the address for the Facebook Page.

https://www.facebook.com/InternationalAutoimmuneArthritisMovement

I have a WAAD poster up in the albums there. They also have a web page

http://www.iaamovement.org/

Everyone that works there are volunteers. They are a wonderful bunch of women who all suffer from one of the AutoImmune Arthritis Diseases. They have a media awareness team as well as so many other things. I am truly very impressed with all they have done and are planning to do.

RA Chicks Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis are also a great bunch of women. Niki Wyre is a friend of mine and she is just lovely. Again that one is on Facebook as well as having a web page.

lsapphire

There are exercising used for seniors with health issues, lots of them from a chair that might be helpful at least to start with or for those bad days. Hope this helps

Demi_86

thanks

jsp2374

You may be interested in this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1048-losing-weight-with-physical-obstacles

Thank you for the link.

rahmyers

I have Joint Hypermobility Disorder but a lot of people call it being double-jointed. I was diagnosed with it in 2010 after having surgery for my carpal tunnel in my dominant hand but I've had it all of my life. Basically my joints pop, subluxate (half-dislocate), and dislocate from the socket completely. When they dislocate it can last anywhere from seconds to months and the longer it's out the more the muscles surrounding that joint get hurt. By simply moving I pop my joints and shift them in their places (washing and putting on my bra tends to pop out more things than most other activities) which you can't tell until, out of nowhere, I begin to favor one ankle or limp considerably and one minute later be walking normally. I got a job as a barista when I was 20 and on my second day I was scheduled 8 hours, supposedly receiving a break after 4 hours. The woman training me had me do everything from dishes to cleaning the cafe furniture to even cleaning the bathrooms when I wasn't standing at the register. I never received my break, was not allowed to sit, and was even kept 15 minutes overtime because she wanted me to sort packages of coffee in the back. Somewhere on the job I dislocated my left knee and by the weekend I was in crutches because I could not use my left leg at all. An orthopedic specialist had me on 2 months of physical therapy (which just injured other joints) and told me because of my Hypermobility there was nothing to be done for the injured muscles meant to hold the knee cap in place except maybe surgery, but I didn't go through with it. I used a cane for 3 months, stayed on bedrest, and eventually gained the ability to walk without a limp but I can't walk as far or fast anymore.

I feared gyms because it's very easy to not know where my limit is, but hours after I will hurt and it then further limits me because the muscles remember the pain of the joints swelling or popping or even coming out for a second. In fact I can barely walk today because yesterday I had a fitness evaluation at the Y I joined and the trainer accidentally overworked my knees and the same knee dislocated for a few hours.

A lot of people don't know what JHD is and think I'm making things up, even doctors, or making excuses not to push myself that much further. I want this to help take some pressure off my joints, but at this age it won't go away, I'll always have it. I also have several mental disorders that cause me to be emotionally unstable. I gained one week because I fell into a depression and slept five days straight, barely eating. But, I'm determined. I can't let it all rule me.

Ugg I just cringed from your pain just reading it! Maybe exercize will make stronger muscles and hold you together better in a few places? low weight with higher reps, ask your Dr first! I understand only slightly what you go through. My autoimmune disease called Mixed connective tissue Disease which is a mixture of Lupus, Scleroderma, myositis, and RA attacks my connective tissue. Which includes the connective tissue that holds joints and muscles in their right places. If I do any exercizes like situps, crunches, etc.. my back and neck goes out of alighnment. Trust me I don't put my hands on my head and it still happens. I use an ab belt instead, and also do core strengthening exercize moves on the wii fit, mostly standing up. I've had my hips and knees, elbows, wrists go out of joint just doing normal things. It hurt like the ****ens! I still never have had that happen any where to the extent you have. Ouch! way more severe. I hope some exercize or anything helps you!

PhatAndy

Depends what you mean by disabled. Disabled, no. On disability? Yes. Mental Illness.

becoming_a_new_me

Well....I have fibromyalgia, degenerative disk disease, 2 fracured vertebrae that won't seem to heal (courtesy of the ex-husband who threw me in a wall), arthritis in my hips and back and knees and ankles. I also have PTSD, but have managed to get that under control through counseling (yeah, it's from abuse). I am also insulent resistant hypoglycemic, and have PCOS. I find ways to work past my disability and never let it get me down. I got to where I was by using excuses, and I am not going to use them any more. Excuses = too lazy to make a change

saragato

I have Joint Hypermobility Disorder but a lot of people call it being double-jointed. I was diagnosed with it in 2010 after having surgery for my carpal tunnel in my dominant hand but I've had it all of my life. Basically my joints pop, subluxate (half-dislocate), and dislocate from the socket completely. When they dislocate it can last anywhere from seconds to months and the longer it's out the more the muscles surrounding that joint get hurt. By simply moving I pop my joints and shift them in their places (washing and putting on my bra tends to pop out more things than most other activities) which you can't tell until, out of nowhere, I begin to favor one ankle or limp considerably and one minute later be walking normally. I got a job as a barista when I was 20 and on my second day I was scheduled 8 hours, supposedly receiving a break after 4 hours. The woman training me had me do everything from dishes to cleaning the cafe furniture to even cleaning the bathrooms when I wasn't standing at the register. I never received my break, was not allowed to sit, and was even kept 15 minutes overtime because she wanted me to sort packages of coffee in the back. Somewhere on the job I dislocated my left knee and by the weekend I was in crutches because I could not use my left leg at all. An orthopedic specialist had me on 2 months of physical therapy (which just injured other joints) and told me because of my Hypermobility there was nothing to be done for the injured muscles meant to hold the knee cap in place except maybe surgery, but I didn't go through with it. I used a cane for 3 months, stayed on bedrest, and eventually gained the ability to walk without a limp but I can't walk as far or fast anymore.

I feared gyms because it's very easy to not know where my limit is, but hours after I will hurt and it then further limits me because the muscles remember the pain of the joints swelling or popping or even coming out for a second. In fact I can barely walk today because yesterday I had a fitness evaluation at the Y I joined and the trainer accidentally overworked my knees and the same knee dislocated for a few hours.

A lot of people don't know what JHD is and think I'm making things up, even doctors, or making excuses not to push myself that much further. I want this to help take some pressure off my joints, but at this age it won't go away, I'll always have it. I also have several mental disorders that cause me to be emotionally unstable. I gained one week because I fell into a depression and slept five days straight, barely eating. But, I'm determined. I can't let it all rule me.

Ugg I just cringed from your pain just reading it! Maybe exercize will make stronger muscles and hold you together better in a few places? low weight with higher reps, ask your Dr first! I understand only slightly what you go through. My autoimmune disease called Mixed connective tissue Disease which is a mixture of Lupus, Scleroderma, myositis, and RA attacks my connective tissue. Which includes the connective tissue that holds joints and muscles in their right places. If I do any exercizes like situps, crunches, etc.. my back and neck goes out of alighnment. Trust me I don't put my hands on my head and it still happens. I use an ab belt instead, and also do core strengthening exercize moves on the wii fit, mostly standing up. I've had my hips and knees, elbows, wrists go out of joint just doing normal things. It hurt like the ****ens! I still never have had that happen any where to the extent you have. Ouch! way more severe. I hope some exercize or anything helps you!

The sad part is, there's no specialist for it here (the orthopedic hand doctor who has done my carpal tunnel and other related surgeries just happened to discover it and know what it was when he examined me post-surgery and my wrist dislocated and he could just pop it right back in) and next to no doctor knows about it or thinks it's real. I was part of a group that was on Facebook pertaining to it, but everyone within the group was much older and lived in the UK where apparently there are doctors for it. What was recommended was all over the map between yoga, water aerobics, all types of over the counter vitamins or pills, and acupuncture. No one person had something that relieved it temporarily or even over time and considering I'm on Disability and lucky to get $1000 a month I can't afford to dip my fingers into every pool, so to speak, and still pay for the medications I take and the doctors I see and other necessities.

I am hoping that by strengthening my muscles a little and losing all this weight will help alleviate some of it, but like I said it's hard when there's no telling where your limit is, no one else can tell you what it is, and you go to get up from a chair a few hours after being at the gym and you feel extreme pain (for instance I tried an elliptical machine for 3 minutes one day and didn't know I'd popped my left leg from my hip socket until the next day when moving it around in the socket pulled the muscles around it) and you have to end up avoiding something that's otherwise good for you.

saragato

Depends what you mean by disabled. Disabled, no. On disability? Yes. Mental Illness.

That's why I'm on disability. I'm Bipolar, have PTSD, General Anxiety Disorder, mild to severe OCD, and several phobias including men. But the Government has me labeled as "Mentally Handicapped" because the state-appointed psychologist they had me see before my hearing was a man and I was trapped in a room with him alone for roughly 5 hours getting grilled.

BeautyFromPain

I have scoliosis, I would not call it a disability but can be hard to live with.

Also... I have recurring glandular fever which is all illness not a disability but it comes back at least once a year which is VERY hard as i have to get so much sleep and for the most part can't do anything at all during the worst of it.

I also did have severe PTSD, anxiety and depression but exercise has pretty much taken it all away (: