Trying to lose weight with chronic pain

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SabreDanni
SabreDanni Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi, I'm not a big forum person to be honest, and on MFP I have one friend and only because she's one of my good friends in the world outside of the interwebs. I don't usually reach out and ask for help or encouragement, but here I am.

Almost five years ago I was in a very bad accident that almost took my life. While I came out the other side more or less whole, I now suffer from chronic pain (oh, hai RSD/CRPS) and have put on considerable weight. I'm getting married in October and have been working steadily for the last month to try and drop some of the excess weight.

The dieting part was going VERY well, until these last few days when I hit a huge pain wall. I've given up taking any type of pain killers because they attributed to my overall blah feeling, which contributed to the weight gain. That and I was finding myself all too eager to go to the doctor for a new prescription. There were big fat warning signs everywhere, so I started weaning myself off of them and haven't had anything stronger than Advil since July. Except for social drinking, that is.

But here I am today, in great pain from over extending myself doing yard work this weekend, and unable to do much more than get out of bed and force myself to go to work. I'm in the midst of a huge RSD flareup and my legs feel as if they are on fire. In and of itself, this wouldn't be too terrible, but in depression I've overdone it the last two days with food and drink (I gave up pain medication, not alcohol in moderation!) and feel the gloom and doom of failure hanging over my head.

If you suffer from chronic pain and have been successful in reclaiming your body, how did you do it? I'm absolutely not going to return to a state of perpetual medication. For the most part I'm able to control my pain responses, but there are days... I'm afraid of failing. Have you been through this? What did you do?

Replies

  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    If you suffer from chronic pain and have been successful in reclaiming your body, how did you do it?

    moving in spite of the pain. not letting it stop me from strenuous physical activity. this is NOT a blanket recommendation I make for anyone else. In my case, the pain is chronic, most likely CNS in origin and NOT indicative of any tissue problems or other systemic issues. and exercise mollifies it. weight has never been an issue for me, just chronic pain.

    nothing has helped my chronic pain like exercise. no drugs for me these days.

    PM or add me if you like. :flowerforyou:
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
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    As a disabled US Army Infantry Soldier of `12 years of service, I suffer from chronic pain from permanent disabilities in the service from some very bad incidents that occurred to virtually every part of my body, both feet, both knees, both shoulders, both elbows, both hands, upper back and neck among others. I do not take pain meds because they are addictive and the pain will always be there, it is not temporary and you can only take them for so long and they ruin your liver.

    I have lost 88 lbs. even though physical activity is very limited. In the year I have been here, I have spent 8 months in orthopedic boots and on crutches. I simply ignore the physical issues and do as much as I can. even in the orthopedic boot and on crutches, I averaged over 3 miles a day, 7 days a week. There is a difference between "It hurts" and actually being physically unable to do the physical activity.
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
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    I agree with Mank, the solution is exercise.

    When you're in a lot of physical pain, holding still makes it worse. Rest makes it worse. You need to get up and go be physically active. Maybe there are some things that you really can't do, I don't know. You have to separate fact from fiction on this. Figure out what you actually can't do and what merely just hurts. I would bet you that you can do a lot more than you realize.

    I have a herniated disc in my lower back. It has given me chronic pain and irritation for the past 7 years. The slip disc caused a pinched nerve on my left side, with numbness and weakness in both my left arm and left leg. Chronic shooting pain in my upper back.

    Heavy weightlifting fixed it. I ate better and I started lifting heavy weights and my symptoms have largely gone away, although there is a tiny bit of residual persistence. What a lot of people don't realize is that heavy weightlifting is perfectly okay if you have a bad back, in fact it can help fix a bad back. Always lift with a full range of motion and good form and you will strengthen the muscles, tendons, the nerve endings, your bones, you will solve a lot of problems.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    dems my peeps
    high five, both of you!
    don gets a salute too :happy:
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    dup
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I have chronic pain in my hip (severe osteoarthritis. I'm having my hip replaced later this month) and the ONLY thing that has lessened the pain is exercise. I have prescription pain pills and I refuse to take them. I take nothing stronger than Aleve and not even that all the time.

    I can tell when I've slacked off on the exercise because the pain gets worse. The more I exercise, the better I feel. That being said, there are days I overdo it and am actually in more pain. You have to listen to your body and know when to stop and when to push through.

    The best thing that has helped me is weight lifting. I have had a few sessions with a personal trainer. He knows my limitations and has given me exercises that fit into my range of motion. I can't afford to see him on a regular basis so I signed up for only two sessions with him and do the rest on my own. It has been a godsend.
  • SabreDanni
    SabreDanni Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks everyone for sharing your stories! I really appreciate it. I was having a pretty rough day and just needed a swift kick in the mindset to get back on track.
  • takethatTM
    takethatTM Posts: 29 Member
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    I have a rare disorder, and my pain is all neurological. I used Lyrica as a crutch for awhile, but exercise helps. Now when I say exercise, I mean light to moderate exercise like walking or water aerobics. If I do something higher intensity it lays me out with fatigue like you wouldn't believe and sometimes causes relapses. No two people are the same, so you have to start small and keep pushing a little harder/further until the exercise starts turning against you. Then plateau yourself for a bit until you build your endurance and then start pushing some more. Only you can find your right balance. I find when I go to hard, too fast it's completely counterproductive. Drinking causes inflammation for me, and it makes things worse... so as much as I love it, I have to really keep it in moderation or I end up in more pain. Feel free to friend me if you want support. I've just started back to MFP a few days ago, and I could use some, too!
  • azymth99
    azymth99 Posts: 122 Member
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    I've had chronic pain since 2005. To make a long story short, I have surgery in 2010 (4-level Lumbar fusion) and in the past year I have developed pain in my hips since the stress that was on my lower back has moved to my hips. I walk with a cane to keep from limping- since the majority of the pain is on my left side.

    I use the pain to motivate me. I'm convinced that if I keep moving I will be in less pain- and so far, that mantra has proved true. I've lost almost 15 pounds (I started a weight loss program last December) and I've found that my "bad days" are less frequent and don't last as long. Since the surgery, I get painful muscle spasms that can last as long as a month (even with muscle relaxers, massage etc.) the ONLY thing that has made any difference is exercise.

    The key to living with pain- is living. I still do everything I want to do, I just know its going to hurt and plan accordingly.
  • Leenda62
    Leenda62 Posts: 96 Member
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    I have chronic pain in my hip (severe osteoarthritis. I'm having my hip replaced later this month) and the ONLY thing that has lessened the pain is exercise. I have prescription pain pills and I refuse to take them. I take nothing stronger than Aleve and not even that all the time.

    I can tell when I've slacked off on the exercise because the pain gets worse. The more I exercise, the better I feel. That being said, there are days I overdo it and am actually in more pain. You have to listen to your body and know when to stop and when to push through.

    The best thing that has helped me is weight lifting. I have had a few sessions with a personal trainer. He knows my limitations and has given me exercises that fit into my range of motion. I can't afford to see him on a regular basis so I signed up for only two sessions with him and do the rest on my own. It has been a godsend.
    Good luck with your surgery. I had my hip replaced almost 5 years ago. I cannot believe how much it helped!
  • Leenda62
    Leenda62 Posts: 96 Member
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    I understand. I have Fibromyalgia and arthritis. Since I started moving It does not always feel better but I always feel better mentally that I am doing something. I have the pain whether I work out or not so I figure I might as well push through it. Good luck on your journey. Please feel free to add me as a friend and I will do what I can to support you! Anyone else can add me as a friend too BTW.
  • azymth99
    azymth99 Posts: 122 Member
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    I have been in pain management since my problems first began in 2005. I see so many people in the program that "give up" claim the pain is too great, become invalid etc. I try not to judge anyone else's situation, but I can guarantee that on my worst days I am in more pain than most of them. But, I push it aside and get to work.

    Exercise is the key to getting your life back. It reduces the severity and frequency of my pain.

    Like you, I had a physical therapist help me find some exercises that I could do. Once I got comfortable with those I was able to move on to others. I now take daily walks, strength train 5 days a week with body weight training and exercise bands (I can no longer lift weights) and it has vastly improved my condition. I am functional enough that I can teach martial arts and yoga.
  • Loss4TheWin
    Loss4TheWin Posts: 249
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    Exercise has helped me. I have arthritis, back pain (L-4 and L-5 disc desiccation, bulge and tear) and Crohn's Disease. I avoided exercise for a long time thinking "taking it easy" was the best route. Then the weight gain set in and my knees and ankles really started to hurt on top of everything else. No way to live. I decided to see a personal trainer with a background in injury rehabilitation. Best decision of my life. He introduced me to heavy lifting - was able to spot weaknesses and strengthen them - he can work around painful/tender areas and give me a killer workout without injuring me. He's been a total game changer. The amount of pain I'm in is drastically reduced...and when I don't work out for a while, I feel it creep back in slowly. Exercise is the answer. It's even helped keep my Crohn's symptoms in check. I'm not one to believe in panaceas...but if there is one, exercise is it.

    Also - massage. I started taking massage therapy classes - giving and receiving a massage 5 nights a week for 7 months while going through class. I'll tell you what, that helped a LOT of issues. Never felt better. I highly recommend getting regular massage. If it's too expensive to work in your regular expenses - see about going to a school for massage. They typically have a student clinic that charges much less than a spa or doctors office. Of course, you miss out on having a therapist that knows your issues, learns your body, your likes/dislikes, and can develop a long-term plan - but better than no massage at all.

    Good luck!
  • CardiacKev28
    CardiacKev28 Posts: 172 Member
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    Have your ever thought of Acupuncture. I have used it and had very good results for pain and different ailments.

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