Chronic Pain and Weight Loss

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BunnyGirl1986
BunnyGirl1986 Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
Hello ladies & Gents,

I am 27 and have lived with chronic pain for 3 years, i have had bursitis bad for 4 months and sciatic pain for almost 1 year on top of the other stuff. I have gained 20 lbs in the past 2 years, i have been really struggling and trying to convince myself that the scales are lying to me. I have since lost 7 pounds in 2 months, I have struggled through each pound and am just trying to see if there are any ideas or advice?
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Replies

  • r_balogh
    r_balogh Posts: 42 Member
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    Eat clean, work hard every day, log it and get a good network of friends to support you. Feel free to add me if you like
  • Tessyloowhoo
    Tessyloowhoo Posts: 504
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    I am 21 and I have chronic illness as well! I suffer from Dysautonomia which causes me awful pain in my legs.My pain is muscular, tight and spasmodic. I have really got into walking and interval training because it actually oddly enough has started to help my pain. The endorphin's i get from working out can help increase my tolerance to the pain. I cant give you advice because pain is different for everyone but if you would like to add me for support i would love to have you on my friends list.
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  • Italiano7
    Italiano7 Posts: 382 Member
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    I also have sciatic pain :sad: feel free to add me
  • HeatherBriggs1970
    HeatherBriggs1970 Posts: 59
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    Congratulations on your loss! Slow and steady...long term weight loss takes time and especially for those of us with chronic pain issues. I was dx with Fibromyalgia in 1998. I have to be sensitive to certain types of exercise so as to not instigate a flare. This journey isn't a "one size fits all" so experiment w/ different activities and be patient. Before long you will find a routine that is a great fit for you! In the meantime, eat healthy and keep moving. And celebrate your achievement!!
  • ELEANOR43da
    ELEANOR43da Posts: 166 Member
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    I suffer from chronic pain now for 7 years. I have Atypical neuralgia plus bursitis in my hip which sometimes leaves me walking with a cane .I take many medications which cause me to gain ,but since joining I have found exercising when possible, logging and the support of friends makes it possible to stay focussed and positive. If nothing else I am eating healthy and becoming a better me .:smile: Feel free to add!
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
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    I have dealt with sciatic pain in the past. It's a beast to deal with! I would suggest walking and some gentle stretching (tight hamstrings can irritate sciatica). Clean eating is also the way to go!
    Don't give up. Take it easy and give your body time to heal. It will get better, I promise.:flowerforyou:
  • nursenelson
    nursenelson Posts: 295
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    I struggle with plantar fasciitis in my left foot (have had it for a YEAR straight!) and Achilles tendonitis now in my right ankle (from compensating for so long probably) for about 8 weeks.
    I trudge thru it.
    I still workout.
    I am hoping that once a certain amount of weight comes off that both injuries will get better.
    Good luck to you and everyone else

    To everyone: feel free to add me for support.
    Let's kick our *kitten* together :wink: :happy:
  • Caitlinhillson
    Caitlinhillson Posts: 8
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    I have Fibromyalgia and have had constant shoulder pain for over 2.5 years. I also have arthritis in both of my knees which makes life a bit difficult. the Fibro has also caused some tendonitis in my shoulder, as I sleep funny to try and ease the pain. So all around I'm a bit of a disaster area.

    Bunnygirl, I highly recommend you read Manage Your Pain (3rd volume) by Michael Nicholas. It's a bit dry and boring but it has excellent chapters for pacing out exercises and also relaxing and desensitisation, so you can slowly build up your tolerance for working out and get the best results without getting discouraged.

    It's helped me to the point where I can concentrate on my pain and it will go away for a while.
  • ddky
    ddky Posts: 381 Member
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    I had joint pain for years, and then found that black cherry or tart cherry juice helped ALOT with the pain. Bad news is that it also has a good amount of calories. It also helps you sleep. A good nights sleep and less pain during the day might make it worth having to figure in the calories. Good luck to you.
  • MetalPisces
    MetalPisces Posts: 261 Member
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    Hi everyone! I'm 30 and have suffered from chronic pain from arthritis in my back diagnosed at age 22 when I stepped out of bed in the morning in college and fell to the floor because I could not stand straight. I always was an athlete for years and after slowing down all of my injuries from playing have caught up to me (bone spur in left knee, tendinitis left arm, weak ankles from multiple sprains, surgery right hand). On top of it I have chronic neck pain from having giant boobs (inherited sigh). I've wavered back and forth gaining, losing, gaining, losing. But most recently my gain weight is post baby (10 mos old now). It's been tough to fit in exercise and concentrate on logging food. But that's the ONLY way I lose weight, knowing what I put in, and what I put out! I'm such a numbers girl!
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    I'm in the same situation, trying to lose weight with chronic pain/illness. It definitely adds a whole new layer of difficult to the process.
  • m0ll3pprz
    m0ll3pprz Posts: 193 Member
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    Sorry to hear that :-( I've been dealing with back issues as well. Osteoarthritis and disk degeneration in my upper and lower back. I had 2 shots (steroid) placed in my spine last year to take down the inflammation and pain. I was lucky, it seemed to help right away. I also asked for physical therapy and I can't stress enough how much it helped! Turns out that I had been doing a lot of exercise and stretches that were actually making my injury worse :-/

    Now I use Naproxen Sodium or ibuprofen and ice it when necessary. The thing that has helped me the most is exercise. I just do whatever I can to build the strength in my back and core. Walking has been a relief too. After I spend some time walking or taking a really minor jog, my back feels lubricated and strong. I have recently started lifting weights again too. I didn't think I could do it a year ago, I had only hoped!

    Are you able to see a physical therapist or osteopath or some kind of sports med dr? Best wishes on feeling better soon.
  • muffle1969
    muffle1969 Posts: 96 Member
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    Hi! I have Fibromyalgia and a couple of compressed discs in my back and neck. The best thing in the world for me has been swimming. No impact, and I can do a lot of things in the water I could never do in "normal gravity". I started out just moving back and forth across the pool, and now I do backstroke, crawl and breast stroke - 24 laps in about 30 minutes, and then two additional "whatever" laps in 5 minutes as a break or a cooldown. As a result of the swimming, I can now do beginning yoga, and I'm looking into DDP yoga which is supposed to be no impact.

    I joined LA Fitness to have access to a pool regardless of the weather or what part of town I'm in. I highly HIGHLY recommend trying swimming. Best of luck to you!
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
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    Hello ladies & Gents,

    I am 27 and have lived with chronic pain for 3 years, i have had bursitis bad for 4 months and sciatic pain for almost 1 year on top of the other stuff. I have gained 20 lbs in the past 2 years, i have been really struggling and trying to convince myself that the scales are lying to me. I have since lost 7 pounds in 2 months, I have struggled through each pound and am just trying to see if there are any ideas or advice?

    I've had a lot of success in reducing sciatic pain with yoga. It did more for me than any painkiller or heating pad ever did. I just use it for the stretching and I started out very gently -- you don't want to get all crazy and end up hurting yourself. Your body will get more flexible as you do it, but don't push yourself past what you are comfortable with. The videos I used when I started:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsKHQ81Cbdk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1Y4OV3QlA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO3racIlTcg
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6netzXNlvAI
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DavfjAoWdvE
  • samuelsson
    samuelsson Posts: 74 Member
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    Like all the others who replied to your post, I understand where you're coming from. Chronic pain is such a bugaboo (yes, I just used that word) because it affects SO. VERY. MANY. ASPECTS. OF. OUR. LIVES. It's hard for others to understand and truly empathize with, although they can be supportive. I have a degenerative joint disorder and am currently recovering from a very major knee/tibia reconstruction. This means I'm on crutches, which makes exercise that much harder.

    Building strength can be your biggest ally. The stronger you can get your muscles (safely, slowly, over time, with physical therapy and moderate exercise) the better you'll feel. It will help with the weight gain, too. It's hard because chronic pain so severely limits our functionality and mobility.

    If you feel like you need to lose some weight first before you have less pain to exercise, then dieting smartly might be the way to go. I also do seated chair cardio and arm/upper body workouts almost every day. Look for Coach Nicole's seated exercise videos on SparkPeople!
  • Robertsollady
    Robertsollady Posts: 56 Member
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    I also have sciatic pain :sad: feel free to add me
    i have been having pain in right knee and all the way down the same leg.it comes and goes, i have it for about a month then it goes a way for a few months and now it came back. i just slowly walk and hope it gets better
  • TinyChestnut
    TinyChestnut Posts: 26
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    It can be done, I have chronic pain in my rt knee and chronic headaches r/t sinusitis..it is just more difficult...I always feel better after I work out though!! Always do
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    Sciatica, arthritis & 2 bulging dics in my lower back. Weight loss helped with none of these for me. I'll never work again unless it's a job where I'm walking all day without sitting at all. I walk all day to make sure I don't have to take painkillers & can only sit for a few mins a day. I still workout daily, Zumba, running, walk at home (not as easy as you think) HIIT on my bike, and anything else I can find that is cardio just cause I can't lift.

    I'm only 38 & my life is basically reduced to walking, working out & losing weight. That's it. But I refuse to let the pain stop me. Sciatica is easy to deal with, I just move. Back pain is harder....I got to actually KEEP moving, the moment I stop or sit...the pain comes back. The arthritis is a bit harder, plays up in the cold, and in the heat. I just keep moving. Everything comes down to moving.... I believe that totally. Our bodies were made to move, not to sit down all the time. The more I move the less pain I am in, not cured...but not in as much pain.
  • muffle1969
    muffle1969 Posts: 96 Member
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsKHQ81Cbdk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1Y4OV3QlA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO3racIlTcg
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6netzXNlvAI
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DavfjAoWdvE

    Thank you for these...I'm going to check them out next time I do yoga!
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    Might want to try dropping gluten for a week or two to see if that helps the bursitis. Gluten can be inflammatory and ditching it might help.

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