determined to get healthy even with a disability anyone?

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

.

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!