Hi, looking for support. 31/f w/ depression, MCTD & fibro

Options
tara425
tara425 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I have been suffering with depression off and on for 12 years. My weight would go up and down within normal range but over the last two years I gained 40 lbs. I was sick a lot and finally diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disorder and fibromyalgia. Soon after they said I was depressed, too. Last year I was too sick to work and was in the hospital four times for about two weeks each time. My weight just keeps increasing, some doctors say it could be the medication, others say it is the depression and some people tell me it's getting older and needing to watch everything I eat.
I've never been very good at following a diet or exercise plan. My average weight was 117-131 at 5'4 and I'm now 174. I'd like to at least be under 140 but at this point the scale is frozen and I'm discouraged.
Any advice and support is very much appreciated!

Replies

  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Options
    Start walking. Today! Just get up and walk for 15 minutes at a pace you'd enjoy. You can add time and speed later. You can do this!

    I have fibro, amongst other things and have gradually worked up to jogging, after losing 40lbs. I'm 51 years old and never thought I could get back into shape.
  • athenaheim
    athenaheim Posts: 496 Member
    Options
    I too am struggling with depression. I am taking medication for it. I am at 233 and cant seem to move out of this spot. I am willing to support you and push you along the way add me if youd like.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Options
    Have you had your thyroid hormones tested? I'm not just talking TSH. I mean, do you know your free T3 and free T4 levels? Also, have they evaluated you for edema?

    (FYI, my pit doesn't wanna seem to produce TSH anymore. This kept me from getting a hypothyroid diagnosis even when my fT4 was below normal for about 7 years. I'm currently at 1.22 with a doctor-set goal of 1.50. It seems the higher it gets, the more fibro and other symptom relief I get.)
  • RobKarmic
    RobKarmic Posts: 108 Member
    Options
    I'll add essentially anyone
  • Shoewhr
    Shoewhr Posts: 14
    Options
    Hi Tara,

    I'm not a fibro sufferer myself but my cousin is and we are very close so I'm familiar with how it impacts your lifestyle. I'm sure its difficult to try to get a good exercise regimen because of the pain episodes but try to find something you like to do,,,,,gardening, walking the dog, dancing, etc.

    I do have experience with depression though. I have seven children and experienced post partum with most of them. I know how it feels to not even want to try; however think of your goals. Find pictures of yourself in the size you want to get back to and if you don't have any find pics of a singer, actress or whomever who may be close to the size you want to be. Put those pics up around the house to help motivate you (especially by the cabinets and fridge).

    I hope this helps but if you just need to chat, please let me know. stilsexyafta7@aol.com or e.lane76@yahoo.com

    Good luck,

    Erika
  • DIG_
    DIG_ Posts: 20
    Options
    It all has to do with what you are putting into your body. there is no money in a cure for any disease so i would start by trying to solve your issues through vitamin therapy and maybe even a wholefood/plant based diet. there are some documentaries you can check out to gain some knowledge but after that you should probably start doing extra research. hang in there. we all have issues, and no ones life is that easy. try watching "Food Matters" and/or "Forks Over Knives". Use them to expand your knowledge on issues like vitamin therapy and other diets, but you don't have to completely change your life. the more you know... the better.
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    Options
    Feel free to add me. I'm younger than you and not suffering any medical problems but I have been a sufferer of depression for about 10+ years now (unmedicated by choice) and anxiety (on and off).

    Just start off slow and keep it in the back of your mind you can do this. One step at a time, one day at a time. Just start evaluating what you're doing and what you can replace to make it better!
  • HeatherSanto
    HeatherSanto Posts: 138 Member
    Options
    Anyone here, feel free to add me. I have had depression for a LONG time. I don't want meds if I can avoid it. I've had them, but I wanted off of them. Biggest thing I ever did to fight it was exercise. No joke. That and I take Niacin and B12 and something else, I gotta look. My doc is a doctor of osteopathy, so she is really into the whole body and understands.

    We can do it. I believe, please add me and we can fight together.

    ~Heather
  • kam5507
    kam5507 Posts: 40
    Options
    You are a spitting image of my issues! I am 39, Have fibro and connective tissue disease also been battling depression. I was always around 115 even after having kids, now with all this i can not seem to get below 160. I did take Elavil for 2 months and gaiined alot of weight very quick. I get discouraged easily. I did notice, that working out helped my fibro stay away longer between flare ups. But if you are hurting at a scheduled work out time, forget it. Seems impossible! Feel free to add me! We can work through it togther!!!
  • swedishwillow
    swedishwillow Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    Hi there, there is hope!!! You are on this site reaching out for a reason
    My suggestions don't involve drugs or even a healthier eating plan

    1. go to a Chiropractor (the spine is the powerhouse of our bodies, get that going in the right direction and little miracles fall into place/TRUST ME I've been down this road)
    2. therapy, not your usual kind but rather with a holistic person that practices with their heart & mind and not just the education they recieved
    3. spent a littel you time everyday thinking positively towards your goals (whether thats writing them down, making a scrapbook etc)
    4. THEN START WORKING on the food and physical plan

    ;-) it'll fall into place, medical doctors don't always have a cure because they overlook the one thing the pharmaceutical bonuses and pushing meds can't fix .... the spine ;-)

    Best of fortune!
  • wildiriss
    wildiriss Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    I have bipolar II disorder, so I definitely see where you're coming from with weight fluctuation - when I'm depressed I eat everything and when I'm manic I barely eat at all. I'm 5'4" too, so if you want some support from a fellow petite lady, feel free to add me! :)
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Options
    It all has to do with what you are putting into your body. there is no money in a cure for any disease so i would start by trying to solve your issues through vitamin therapy and maybe even a wholefood/plant based diet. there are some documentaries you can check out to gain some knowledge but after that you should probably start doing extra research. hang in there. we all have issues, and no ones life is that easy. try watching "Food Matters" and/or "Forks Over Knives". Use them to expand your knowledge on issues like vitamin therapy and other diets, but you don't have to completely change your life. the more you know... the better.

    Please do research the types of food that you are eating. In my opinion, the advice above will do more harm to your health rather than improve it (re plant based, vitamins, or whole food if the above was referring to grains). Yes, choosing to be well does mean we have to "change our life"; and why not? But I do agree that you can cure yourself with food. I have done it myself. My diet fended off type 2 diabetes (I was almost there) and eliminated extreme depression/anxiety/personality disorder, sleep apnea, acid reflux, bloating, gas, intestinal pain, fatigue, joint pain, severe headaches, neurological pain, etc. I also used to experience uncontrollable cravings and was a binger. While I am still over-weight, that issue is also being resolved over time. I spent years trying to fix all these things on a plant-based, low fat, calorie restricted diet, vitamins, and structured exercise routines. The only result was occasional short term weight loss (usually 20 pounds max) and poor health.

    Like it or not, our bodies need fat. Saturated fat too. The best sources are from animals, that are also not grain fed. I also do eat a lot of vegetables, but my diet is fat-based first and foremost. Vitamins do not replace healthy food and are mostly a waste of money. And yes, I have spent thousands on useless vitamins myself, and still get suckered in on occasion. (I live in the Arctic and I only supplement Vitamin D3 because I don't eat enough wild animal fat and organs.)

    Whatever advice you get, do your own research and explore many different angles. Try different foods, or eliminating certain foods temporarily to see how your body responds. Depression, and all diseases, really can be prevented and treated with diet. There's lots of personal experience out there (MFP included) and even research projects and experts who speak against the Standard American Diet. No they aren't well-publicized and there is a reason for that... follow the money. But if the SAD is working for you and pharmaceuticals are more appealing than dietary change to manage your symptoms (inc depression), then so be it. However, I just suggest that it doesn't hurt to TRY something different.
  • tara425
    tara425 Posts: 3
    Options
    Thanks everyone! I did have a ton of bloodwork and they did say I have edema-not sure what that means-my liver function is poor so they are leaning toward a diagnosis of lupus however I can't get a straight answer, which I'm told is normal with rheumatology. My thyroid was fine. I have had shingles twice, MRSA and cellulitis six times since September. Apparently with my weakened immune system, I catch things more easily and I had my gallbladder out in the end of July so they think that's how I got the staph infection.
    Every time I start doing well and feeling good, I get sick again and I get frustrated. I want to stop letting it get me down and being my excuse to quit.
    I am taking Elavil, which immediately added ten pounds. I am weaning off of it per my doctor. I also take Cymbalta and Adderall-which you'd think would make me lose weight, but doesn't and I take a multivitamin, probiotic and I'm currently on 3 antibiotics for MRSA. I quit the lupus medication because it didn't help me. I need to have a liver biopsy before they will start any other medication but I'm afraid of that so my plan is to lose weight, develop a healthier lifestyle and hope that it makes everything better...
    Also, I do see a chiropractor.
  • tara425
    tara425 Posts: 3
    Options
    Thank you, I plan to research more because I am very picky and do not like most food except when I'm depressed then I'll eat anything :(
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
    Options
    Having a dog really helped my mom. After all the kids moved out, she looked for something to give her purpose and to take her mind off health issues. The dog was great because it got her out (even if it was only to sit on the grass on the front lawn and pet the dog), and because it always seemed to cheer her up and the right times. I don't know if dog ownership would work for you...but perhaps something similar that could have a similar effect would be beneficial.

    Add me if you like, I'm working on my own weight loss too (BTW, I also have a dog and she is the only thing that gets me out to go walking. I probably wouldn't be so game to walk for myself...but at the end of the day, before I sit in front of the TV, I know the dog has to get out so I take her at least once around the block.)

    Hope you're having a good day, today :happy:
  • rose_turtle
    rose_turtle Posts: 20 Member
    Options
    Hi there! I have fibro with depression also. Add me!
  • jenns1964
    jenns1964 Posts: 384 Member
    Options
    I suffer from an autoimmune disorder that caused strokes starting at the age of 25. I was diagnosed in late 2011 with fibro, osteoarthritis (knees). I too have suffered from depression for years and the last two years were extremely hard on me and my husband. I haven't been able to work because it exacerbates my pain. I gained 50 lbs b/c of the OA & fibro. It hit me one day that my husband didn't sign up for this when we married so I have taken control of my health. The fibro has decreased quite a bit since summer of 2012 and I started exercising,but finally changed my eating habits Dec. 2012. I have cut out sugar , white rice, potatoes, pasta and flour. I feel so much better eating high protein /low carb.
    I hope you get some answers soon. I know how hard it is not knowing exactly what is going on in your body! Add me if you like.

Categories