determined to get healthy even with a disability anyone?

ErickaEGarcia

I have been diagnosed with moderate/severe Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. It makes it difficult to even walk some days, yet i push through bc i have 2 lil ones who depend on me. I wanna do my part to make sure that i dont end up bed ridden that i can happily and healthily enjoy my grandchildren one day.. I want to hear any stories where determination trumps disabilities..

christchick7

Hi Ericka,

I'm Sue, I'll be 52 in November and I have cerebral palsy. I just restarted my life plan on September 5 and joined MFP on the 14th. MFP seems to be a great place to get the support I know I need. Have 30 pounds to lose by Christmas 2013. Doing a modified ver-
sion of Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home. I say modified because, to give an example, I have to hang on to my walker while walking
and do the arms separately. I wish you the best with your lifestyle change and you can friend me if you want to, God Bless you Er-
icka! Sue

bulbadoof

My boyfriend has fibromyalgia; he's lost 22 lbs on MFP so far and he feels great!

I want to commend you on your determination to persevere in a situation where many people would probably just give up. I know you can do whatever you set your mind to.

hippichickiniki

Had a triple stroke. I have a physical disability in one of my hands, but the ability issue that really is my hardest when it comes to exercise is the lack of energy I have. Every day I get a tiny fraction of the energy to make it through the day that a normal, healthy person gets. Exercising uses up all of that energy. I struggle to get motivated because of it.

stagknight

I have had an arthritic knee since I was 14 and have kept going till now at 47. The odd way I walk and other accidents over the years have left me with some disability problems, but you just do what you can to work round them.
Add me if you want some support, I log each day. Anyone else can add me too.

Gurlyknockout

Hi and welcome.

I too have a disability; I have suffered from chronic back pain since 2002. Last year it got so bad that I required emergency back surgery. Thing where fine until I was involved in a car accident 3mos after. Since then things seem to keep doing downhill.

I try to keep the faith and work at saying fit but the pain is getting in the way. So I need to find a solution soon. I too have a 3yrs old to run after and its not the easiest.

I don’t see many of us in here so feel free to add me.

ValerieMartini2Olives

I think anyone can do it if they have the right mindset. I've seen numerous people at the gym with missing and/or deformed limbs, using wheelchairs or walkers or people who have severe Down syndrome.

melduf

There is a diet that is effective for most inflammatory problems. It's the Seignalet diet. My mother, her best friend and one of my colleague are on it. There was a book published recentrly in French called "How I defeated pain by nutrition".

Big big summary : cut most cereals( and thus the gluten) and dairy products. Those two food groups seem to be responsible pour most inflammatory reaction. (migraine, asthma, coeliac, arthitis, etc.) A strict diet of 3 months generelly allows to stop the progression of the disease and reduce the pain. Afterward, you can slowly reintroduce some dairy or cereals to see what your tolerance level is.

HMD7703

There is a diet that is effective for most inflammatory problems. It's the Seignalet diet. My mother, her best friend and one of my colleague are on it. There was a book published recentrly in French called "How I defeated pain by nutrition".

Big big summary : cut most cereals( and thus the gluten) and dairy products. Those two food groups seem to be responsible pour most inflammatory reaction. (migraine, asthma, coeliac, arthitis, etc.) A strict diet of 3 months generelly allows to stop the progression of the disease and reduce the pain. Afterward, you can slowly reintroduce some dairy or cereals to see what your tolerance level is.

Agree, agree, agree!
Your diet can directly help (or worsen) your condition. If you have Netflix check out the documentary section. There is a lot of information supporting eating clean, organic, non processed foods to help with the pain.

Today can be a challenge, but keep pushing through and stay positive.

Dippymint

Best wishes to all of you, it's very difficult when dealing with pain and lack of energy to exercise. One day at a time is all you can do. But if you have the determination it's surprising what you can achieve.

Did you know that hypnotherapy can help where you have pain as you can learn to control it. It won't be for everyone but it might be worth a try.

Dippymint

grammiejul

I have fibromyalgia. Slowly, over the past year, I've added exercise. I am now working out three times a week. One of those days, I do water aerobics, which really allows more movement and less pain during the workout. I've lost 47 pounds in that time period.


During this same year, I have also mades changes to my diet. I was diagnosed with gluten sensitvity and that change helped with more energy and stamina. Other than that, portion control and removing sugars, all junk food and simple changes like that were made.

Having fibromyalgia makes it slower but hardly impossible. Best to you!

MsP90X

Girl, feel free to friend me... I have suffered with arthritis since my youth and have poly-arthritis and Lupus. I take IV meds to keep me mobile and I am taking this weight off despite all of that and you can too!! I know the pain that you are suffering and would love to support you!

(((hugs)))

Vonnie2006

Hi I'm 43, I have been diagnosed with Lupus SLE, avascular necrosis of almost all my joints and chronic ITP (can't regulate platelet count). Having said all that, I am one of the most determined, STUBBORN people you will ever meet and I will NOT be defeated by eithe of those issues or weight! I'm in it to win. Like my son, I consider myself "differently-abled". I will get to my destination I just may have to take an alternative route to get there.

JenniferNoll

I have fibromyalgia and crohn's disease. I gained 70 pounds on prednisone, and I've lost 30 of that so far. I refuse to allow my health problems define me.

PaleoRDH

Oh Ya I'm there with you. :ohwell: I have May-Thurner Syndrome, which causes blood clots on the left side. Last year I almost died from a blood clot that went from my left ankle to my left kidney. I had to have stents placed and got infused with clot-busting drugs. My leg is "OK", still swells a little and can hurt some days....... but the scar tissue and who knows what else left my left foot very gimpy. it doesn't lay flat right when I walk and I limp some days. The pain is horrific some days too. It's bad enough that I'm the no-so-proud owner of a handicapped placard. But I, like you, don't use that as an excuse to not take care of myself....... unfortunately the anticoagulant drugs i have to take cause weight gain, BUT I"M FIGHTING IT!!! we are tough girlfriend!!!!! :drinker:

Truemoose

Good morning all.....

I am a 55 yr old that joined MFP 60 some days ago. I have a damaged spinal chord that has affected my ability to walk. I have severe nerve pain, arthritis, etc.

In my 60 days I have lost 25 pounds and have initiated more exercize. It is never easy, but if I remember to smile it becomes easier. I recently purchased an adult trike (poor balance to ride a regular bike) that helps keep my wife motivated on her goals.

Do what you can and keep pushing that envelope. Good Luck!

doggiesnot

Have you tried DDPYoga? Search for that site, also YouTube for DDPYoga Arthur. Very inspiring!

Diamond Dallas Page lives with many injuries, and has created a Yoga routine with very low impact, using only your body weight for resistance.

Katanthus

I have a damaged knee (cartilage is badly damaged) that probably will not get better without surgery. I was on crutches and the pain was off the charts around March when I started my journey. The pain these days is around 8/10 days. I have pain standing and walking. Going up stairs is a very slow process indeed.

I started off swimming with ONE leg, because the pain was so bad. When the pain was not as bad, I walked a few steps and bit by bit built up my distance. I bought a pair of Kangoo Jumps

which reduces the impact compression on the joints by over 60%. I can't run or jump without them. They give such a fantastic workout too. I was running 5+ miles in 30 minutes 6 times a week up until the last couple of weeks, when I had some sort of flu.

I also use an Aeropilates machine.

I am 48. Since March 31st I have lost 42lb and 88 inches.

pepeleo

I have arthritis in all my joints, from neck to toes in addition to fibromyalgia but I keep trying. Some days I need to take a break. I try to avoid wheat or at least very little as well as sugar, white refine sugar, which seems to have made a difference.

Just keep trying, that is all you can do. It is better to try than not try at all.

doggiesnot

DDPYoga
http://ddpyoga.com/

Arthur's Inspirational Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448

Briski1411

In 1995 I suffered a closed head injury to my cerebelum. This is the part of the brain that controls your moror functions. I was hit in the right side of the head so it effects the left side of my body. This injury has effected my balance and coordination severly. That happened 17 years ago and I still have problems. Also in 1998 I Shattered my ankle in a car accident. My ankle crushed like a pop can and is in horrible shape now. I have severe arthritist in it plus it doesn't hardly move.

However I am not ussing either one of these two reasons as an excuse to be out of shape. Infact because of these injuries I am much more muscular than I would have been. I use to be a jock in high school, but I can no longer play sports so I use weights to get in my exercise.

helaurin

Hi,

When I was 15, during a high school gym class where we were supposed to go from a standing position into a symmetrical lateral straddle-stretch, the gym teacher was walking behind our line, came up behind me, decided that I "should" be able to go deeper - and with no warning, grabbed both of my shoulders from behind me and shoved me down. That resulted in torn ligaments and cartilage in both knees and a hole torn into my medial meniscus.

Unfortunately, the degree of the injury was not properly diagnosed until much later - the gym teacher called the school nurse to tell her I had "sprained" my knees; who told my mother the knee was merely a sprain, and as a result, my mother refused to allow me to see our family doctor until three weeks after the accident. At that point, he said the damage was already done - the bursae were inflamed of both knees (swollen & hot, clicking noises in the joints from the torn cartilage getting caught when moving the knee, etc.) and we were told I'd live the rest of my life in pain and there was nothing to be done other than one cortisone shot. Arthroscopic surgery was just becoming popular for professional athletes, but not for ininsured high school kids.

I went from being a reasonably active kid (able to do a 20-mile walkathon in one day, or to bike 60 miles a week on an old hand-me-down bike) to having problems walking even a quarter-mile. It wasn't until 1990 I was able to get surgery on one knee - they took out most of the cartilage, sewed up the hole in the meniscus and told me I was lucky I wasn't in a wheelchair - the knee surgeon said he rarely saw so many things wrong in a single knee at a time, they actually ended up taking photos of the knee interior.

Still, even after that surgery, I couldn't even ride a stationary bike - trying to pedal a couple of revolutions brings intense pain - and I didn't understand why, until a few years ago, while walking, in mid-step one of my kneecaps dislocated and I fell, fracturing it.

Went to a different orthopedist; turns out neither of my kneecaps sit where they are supposed to. As he put it, my patellas sit in a position that makes future dislocations a certainty - quoting him "it's not a question of IF they will dislocate again, but a question of WHEN". In the meantime, sometimes I'll fall if my knee suddenly goes weak; getting up off the ground is an art form. Eventually, I'll need surgery, but they are reluctant to do it just yet for a variety of reasons, including my weight - which will make rehab harder than it needs to be.

So there are a lot of activities & exercises I can't do - or are not recommendable, since we'd like to not dislocate my kneecaps if it can be helped. No running, no jumping, no sudden torque-like moves, etc.

In addition, I have low back issues - which resulted one fine Thanksgiving in me deciding to ease the pain by soaking in the tub. My back locked up and I couldn't even sit up, much less get out of the tub. Thankfully, my dog came when I called her, I latched onto her collar and she pulled me - screaming - out of the tub far enough to reach a phone to call for help. She's now training to be my service dog. She's already learned to stand steady if I fall to help me get back up, lending me her shoulders as an external balance point. I credit her with saving my life; once, we were walking in a large (200+ acre) park, late in the afternoon, no one around, and I fell. There was no one to help me back up, and I couldn't get back up on my own - the left knee had decided not to take all the weight anymore. My dog stood rock steady for me, until I could get myself back up; and then she helped pull me up the deceptively-hidden incline to get us back to the car.

Long story, short version, turns out I have some arthritis in my lower back with can cause pretty intense muscle spasms.

My doctor has approved me to have a service dog specifically trained to handle the above issues as well as learning to retrieve my asthma inhaler.

Despite this, I did learn and then teach Tai Chi for 20+ years; that was helpful for general muscle conditioning. I'd love to swim, but can't fit a gym membership into the budget right now. So we are doing a lot of walking, and I'm working on shoulder and back exercises for now.

Gurlyknockout

There is a diet that is effective for most inflammatory problems. It's the Seignalet diet. My mother, her best friend and one of my colleague are on it. There was a book published recentrly in French called "How I defeated pain by nutrition".

Big big summary : cut most cereals( and thus the gluten) and dairy products. Those two food groups seem to be responsible pour most inflammatory reaction. (migraine, asthma, coeliac, arthitis, etc.) A strict diet of 3 months generelly allows to stop the progression of the disease and reduce the pain. Afterward, you can slowly reintroduce some dairy or cereals to see what your tolerance level is.

Thanks for sharing that. I will look into this. I have done most everything to help but I haven’t heard of this yet. So thank you.

My problem is I cant just "push" through that pain. I can deal with the pain; I have for years. Its what happens when I push too hard (running the chance to re-bulging the disc). So its a catch 22 for me. Hopefully I can look more into the "foundation exercise someone mentioned on here (somewhere). And maybe a personal trainer to show me some moves to not aggregate the disc’s, next year.

ErickaEGarcia

Thank you so much for this info. i have already researched food intake and affects.. Ive since then changed MOST of my diet, my snacks now consist mainly of fruits.. I do know i have lil tolerance for red meats, since immediately i see flare ups. I will look into this. I really appreciate it. Thanks a Bunches!!

ErickaEGarcia

Amazing! and inspiring! Dont give up!

ErickaEGarcia

Thanks everyone for sharing its encouraging and uplifting to hear stories such as this i pray we all finish our goal and once we've reached it to look behind us and encourage the next... i leave everyone with this Luke 17:19
And He said to him, Get up and go on your way. Your faith (your trust and confidence that spring from your belief in God) has restored you to health...

LoveToCwtch

Hi everyone. I'm also disabled. I was born with a dislocated right hip that wasn't found or treated until I was 2 years old. I was treated with a frog plaster cast for 6 months, a broomstick cast for 30 month & then a caliper for 6 months. Unfortunately, I was set badly in the broomstick cast with both of my knees turned in. Once the casts came off, I was not given any lift in my show even though I have a half inch difference in the length of my legs. I was diagnosed as having osteoarthritis in both knees when I was 9, in my spine at 20 & in both of my hips at 22. I've dislocated my right knee 6 times since age 15, each time needing to be set in a cast on each occasion. I have had a number of surgeries to try to help the pain and make me more stable. I have also survived breast cancer & I've had a stroke. I'm now in a wheelchair for 8 hours everyday and use crutches for the rest of the time. I'm now 42 and I've tried to live a normal life. I've raised 2 sons (one with a hearing loss & behavioural disorder after meningitis), I work full time in a very busy contact centre, I am very active in my church teaching Sunday school for young teenagers and running an activity twice a month for 8-12 year olds.

i'm on various medications & I will be on most of them for the rest of my life. I've also gone through my diet to see what aggrivates my condition. The triggers for me are citrus fruits, dairy foods & red meat. Physio is still a big part of my day, with 30 minutes twice a day.

I am determined not to let my disability get me down. i always tell people that complaining about it isn't going to make it any better. I want to make the most of the health that I have. Faith and determination can work wonders!

Good luck to you all on your weightloss journey & i look forward to meeting and talking to you all.

Rensy2

Hi!
I've had multiple sclerosis/Lyme disease - it all started with Lyme disease, but it wasn't dx'd right away. Then I was told I had chronic fatigue syndrome, then dx'd with Sjögren's syndrome (by lip biopsy), RA, Myofascial Pain Syndrome, fibromyalgia and so it went until about 5 years ago, 17 years after getting really old & having relapses every year with rehab, steroids etc. I fell several times. I had shattered my left ankle when I was 30. I had surgery with plates screws & pins . Later they had to take them all out. I got sick when I was 34. I had diabetes type 2 while I was on steroids, but after I started a new medicine 4 years ago for MS, my mind came back (it was really bad before) and I got stronger. I'm a very positive person & believe in God. I really believe doing as much as you can to stay connected with positive & happy people. I've gotten better. So much better my real personality & wit came back!!

My children were just 6 & 8 when I got sick. They've never known the real me until now. God has really blessed me with 4 grandchildren (so far) and I'm getting to know my daughter better. My son & I have always been close because he is a lot like me. He's very open with his feelings. My daughter is like my husband. Very quiet & she kept all her anger inside. She's still having a hard time with talking to me like a normal person. She's just holding back. She is closer to my mom & hubby than to me. It is very hard not to take it personally.

But I'm so happy! I've lived long enough to see my grandchildren & to grow older with the love of my life. It hasn't been an easy marriage because we lost 9 babies before we had our 2. Then I shattered L ankle & 3 yrs ago shattered right ankle & they wouldn't operate to fix it because I'd just had MRSA from when they amputated my big toe & part of 2nd toe. At least no more diabetes then! Then in 2011 they had to fuse my right ankle & my left is bone on bone. So walking a lot for exercise is not a good idea.

I would say its been a great experience being ill. It has taught me very much. Pain is a great teacher. Patience, knowing who your real friends are. Most of them left when I got sick, even family didn't talk to me. I was hard to talk to because my mind was really gone. But still it was very painful & taught me even more. Life is not fair - we always told our kids this while they were growing up.

Mine is a success story though it may not sound like it. I've been married since I was 18 to my sweetheart who has tried to be understanding & has taken good care of me. My children & grandchildren love me very much & know me as I really am. How many people get that chance!!

I believe faith, positive attitude & healthy eating really helps! Some drugs help too! So to SUCCESSFUL LIVING WITH A DISABILITY!!!

Yours,

Rensy2
Donita I've been married 37 years to my honey!!

vjohn04

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Rensy2

Amen!!

flarge

In 2011 I had a surgery to remove two very large dermal tumors from my ovaries. As a result, I have extensive internal scarring and a swollen fallopian tube which causes a LOT of pain in my pelvic region. In addition, one of the dermoids grew back, which I'm sure is contributing to the pain. I can't do a lot of heavy lifting, biking, walking or running. However, I've discovered a love for yoga, pilates, & swimming. For a long time I didn't work out at all because I was afraid, but eventually I just got sick of feeling weak and old. Yoga, pilates, & swimming gave me a new hope for losing weight. I've learned to trust my body--it will tell me when something is wrong. And I'm very happy with how much my body is actually capable of doing.
I encourage anyone with chronic pain to keep looking for activities your body can do, even if it seems impossible! Just get creative and be patient, and you'll find something you and your body love to do!