Losing weight with chronic pain, anyone else?

TurtleFeature
TurtleFeature Posts: 3 Member
edited 9:45AM in Getting Started
Hey everyone :) I'm new here. Looking for some weight-loss buddies. I'm 20 years old and I have a slipped disc and a vertebrae out of place resulting in a pinched nerve. I'm looking forward to some major back surgery in the summer and hoping to lose about 50lbs before this surgery to make recovery easier. In the long run I want to lose 100lbs but that's definitely not going to happen before this surgery so I'm focusing on that first 50 right now.
Is there anyone else here trying to lose it with any sort of chronic-pain injury/illness?

Replies

  • tahliakate162
    tahliakate162 Posts: 29 Member
    I've put on over 15 kilos in the last two years since I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. So sometimes it's impossible for me to exercise because of my joint pain. I've also had on and off back problems with an inflamed disc, so I know how hard it is.
    Keep trying, you can do it :)
  • ImSooHigh
    ImSooHigh Posts: 19 Member
    I have bad arthritis after my weight loss. (I was obese) I'm currently bulking, and starting my diet soon. Feel free to add me. :)
  • pewpewkapow
    pewpewkapow Posts: 13 Member
    Honestly, weight loss is about 30% exercise and 70% diet. I have a terrible back as well as pernicious anemia which makes anything above a slow walking speed exhausting to the point of fainting and I need to conserve what little energy and B12 I have so I do very little exercise. I have managed to lose 43kg so far over the last year just from eating 1300cal or less a day. If I have spare energy I will go for a 30min walk or lift 5kg weights for 15mins but I don't do much. I'm looking to do more simply to tone up but you really can lose weight by diet alone, trust me. Exercise will probably speed it up a bit and help you tone up more, but it's still possible to lose large amounts of weight with very little to no exercise.
  • _Figgzie_
    _Figgzie_ Posts: 3,506 Member
    If you can, surgery should be considered the last resort. If you have a lot of weight to lose, do that first!!! every extra pound you carry on your front puts 4 pounds of pressure on your back! if you need to lose 100 pounds that 400 pounds of extra pressure on your back..........I was in the same boat as you, L4 / L5 / S1 slipped and misaligned causing extreme chronic pain and my Doctor told me point blank "I'm not going to let you have surgery until YOU have done EVERYTHING you can to help mitigate the pain" without relying on surgery..........I work with a couple guys that are overweight and had back surgery and within 6 months the pain was back because they did not solve the source of the pain. Concentrate on your weight loss and I'm sure you will feel better!! Weight loss and physical therapy to strengthen your core and your pain will be gone if not manageable. Good luck!
  • cryptobrit
    cryptobrit Posts: 200 Member
    edited January 2016
    I can fully understand how difficult it is to exercise with chronic pain as I am in this situation myself. I would suggest trying what I do as a starter to see how you go; and that is doing Qiqong a mild form of Tai Chi. It is based on breathing and slow movements which is ideal for trying to get back into a form of exercise. I know how disheartening it can be as I try to use the Wii and my results have mainly gone downhill from 6 months ago - mostly unranked with even lower scores than before. But the Qiqong I can usually manage. Anything that is a struggle can be adapted, even to sitting down.
  • LernRach
    LernRach Posts: 286 Member
    I have lupus and RA and have had days where I can barely walk... and others when I can go for a 10k run... Its definitely manageable, but use your drs advice, go for slow walks to begin with and don't push it or you will put yourself out even more.. I strongly suggest logging your food, get obsessed with that... anything else just compliments..
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    pewpewkapow wrote: »
    Honestly, weight loss is about 30% exercise and 70% diet.
    Nope. Weigh loss is 100% diet. Exercise is for fitness and to allow you to eat a bit more than you could without it and still lose weight.

    You do not have to exercise to lose weight.

  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
    I have a friend who went through surgery for the same reason as you. It did not help him with pain. I think all it was for is to put the disc back in place. I'm not positive about what it actually did for him. I also have a sister-in-law that has the same issue, but she's a bit of a druggie. She relies on pain killers for everything and has been for a long time. I can't compare the pain of a slipped disc to what I went through because I've never had a slipped disc. For me I had a damaged sciatic nerve that happened when a store shelving unit fell over on to my leg. It was very painful and there were days when I could not get out of bed. Even the weather would effect how it felt that day. My intention was not to heal myself because I was told I will have to live with it for the rest of my life, but wanted to lose weight. I began walking and eating healthier. Then I started running which I could not do before because I had a bone spur on the bottom of my heel that was also very painful. The bone spur went away and my sciatic nerve no longer bothers me. When I was learning about nutrition I came across something that said basically blood is the healer. Exercise promotes oxygen and blood flow. For me even though I was in pain I did exercises that I could do and eventually the pain went away and was able to do more.
  • Orchid4mom2
    Orchid4mom2 Posts: 14 Member
    I have Plantar fasciitis so there's not much of being on my feet these days ,if I only knew how to get rid of it ..also have Osteo arthritis pains ,makes it hard to be active but I do what I can.
    Please feel free to add me as a friend,we can support each other!!!
  • Bostonbee79
    Bostonbee79 Posts: 40 Member
    Orchid4mom2 wrote: »
    I have Plantar fasciitis so there's not much of being on my feet these days ,if I only knew how to get rid of it ..also have Osteo arthritis pains ,makes it hard to be active but I do what I can.
    Please feel free to add me as a friend,we can support each other!!!

    I had severe PF, that left me bawling on my living room floor one night. I swore I was never going to walk normally again. I went and saw a chiropractor who specialized in A.R.T. And he used a metal thing. He scraped my feet, Achilles' tendon, and calves. It hurt like hell when he did it. We did about 8 sessions with that. And it worked. I am pain free now. My feet still get tired and tense after a long day if walking and standing (I'm a teacher), so I stretch and roll a ball under my feet lots of nights. I won't hesitate to see my chiro again if my feet begin to hurt the way they used to.
  • TurtleFeature
    TurtleFeature Posts: 3 Member
    pewpewkapow wrote: »
    Honestly, weight loss is about 30% exercise and 70% diet. I have a terrible back as well as pernicious anemia which makes anything above a slow walking speed exhausting to the point of fainting and I need to conserve what little energy and B12 I have so I do very little exercise. I have managed to lose 43kg so far over the last year just from eating 1300cal or less a day. If I have spare energy I will go for a 30min walk or lift 5kg weights for 15mins but I don't do much. I'm looking to do more simply to tone up but you really can lose weight by diet alone, trust me. Exercise will probably speed it up a bit and help you tone up more, but it's still possible to lose large amounts of weight with very little to no exercise.

    I didn't know that, but that's awesome - that weight loss can be done without much exercise. And congrats on your weight loss!
  • TurtleFeature
    TurtleFeature Posts: 3 Member
    _Figgzie_ wrote: »
    If you can, surgery should be considered the last resort. If you have a lot of weight to lose, do that first!!! every extra pound you carry on your front puts 4 pounds of pressure on your back! if you need to lose 100 pounds that 400 pounds of extra pressure on your back..........I was in the same boat as you, L4 / L5 / S1 slipped and misaligned causing extreme chronic pain and my Doctor told me point blank "I'm not going to let you have surgery until YOU have done EVERYTHING you can to help mitigate the pain" without relying on surgery..........I work with a couple guys that are overweight and had back surgery and within 6 months the pain was back because they did not solve the source of the pain. Concentrate on your weight loss and I'm sure you will feel better!! Weight loss and physical therapy to strengthen your core and your pain will be gone if not manageable. Good luck!

    Huh... I may have to look into that and reconsider my doctor choice. Because my doctor told me very similarly that this isn't going to get better without surgery. That losing weight might help a little but that surgery will be the only way to greatly reduce teh pain. Hmmmmm.... But hey, if I do start feeling better after losing weight I'm NOT doing that surgery. At least not right now. Thanks for that info and good luck to you as well :)
  • Orchid4mom2
    Orchid4mom2 Posts: 14 Member
    TurtleFeature wrote: »
    _Figgzie_ wrote: »
    If you can, surgery should be considered the last resort. If you have a lot of weight to lose, do that first!!! every extra pound you carry on your front puts 4 pounds of pressure on your back! if you need to lose 100 pounds that 400 pounds of extra pressure on your back..........I was in the same boat as you, L4 / L5 / S1 slipped and misaligned causing extreme chronic pain and my Doctor told me point blank "I'm not going to let you have surgery until YOU have done EVERYTHING you can to help mitigate the pain" without relying on surgery..........I work with a couple guys that are overweight and had back surgery and within 6 months the pain was back because they did not solve the source of the pain. Concentrate on your weight loss and I'm sure you will feel better!! Weight loss and physical therapy to strengthen your core and your pain will be gone if not manageable. Good luck!

    Huh... I may have to look into that and reconsider my doctor choice. Because my doctor told me very similarly that this isn't going to get better without surgery. That losing weight might help a little but that surgery will be the only way to greatly reduce teh pain. Hmmmmm.... But hey, if I do start feeling better after losing weight I'm NOT doing that surgery. At least not right now. Thanks for that info and good luck to you as well :)[/quo
    Bostonbee79 wrote: »
    Orchid4mom2 wrote: »
    I have Plantar fasciitis so there's not much of being on my feet these days ,if I only knew how to get rid of it ..also have Osteo arthritis pains ,makes it hard to be active but I do what I can.
    Please feel free to add me as a friend,we can support each other!!!

    I had severe PF, that left me bawling on my living room floor one night. I swore I was never going to walk normally again. I went and saw a chiropractor who specialized in A.R.T. And he used a metal thing. He scraped my feet, Achilles' tendon, and calves. It hurt like hell when he did it. We did about 8 sessions with that. And it worked. I am pain free now. My feet still get tired and tense after a long day if walking and standing (I'm a teacher), so I stretch and roll a ball under my feet lots of nights. I won't hesitate to see my chiro again if my feet begin to hurt the way they used to.

    Thank you, I see my doctor tomorrow and if she can tell me I have pf for sure, I will go to a chiropractor too...
    were your ankles swollen?
    Thanks!
  • Orchid4mom2
    Orchid4mom2 Posts: 14 Member
    Bostonbee79 wrote: »
    Orchid4mom2 wrote: »
    I have Plantar fasciitis so there's not much of being on my feet these days ,if I only knew how to get rid of it ..also have Osteo arthritis pains ,makes it hard to be active but I do what I can.
    Please feel free to add me as a friend,we can support each other!!!

    I had severe PF, that left me bawling on my living room floor one night. I swore I was never going to walk normally again. I went and saw a chiropractor who specialized in A.R.T. And he used a metal thing. He scraped my feet, Achilles' tendon, and calves. It hurt like hell when he did it. We did about 8 sessions with that. And it worked. I am pain free now. My feet still get tired and tense after a long day if walking and standing (I'm a teacher), so I stretch and roll a ball under my feet lots of nights. I won't hesitate to see my chiro again if my feet begin to hurt the way they used to.


    Thank you, I see my doctor tomorrow and if she can tell me I have pf for sure, I will go to a chiropractor too...
    were your ankles swollen?
    Thanks!
    [/quote]


  • Bostonbee79
    Bostonbee79 Posts: 40 Member
    edited January 2016
    @Orchid4mom2 - not that I can remember. Just always very stiff.
  • KendraMonster
    KendraMonster Posts: 46 Member
    Every day! I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Fibromyalgia, both are painful but also make me extremely tired. I also currently have been dealing with Piriformis sciatica. Everyday I wake up and have to force myself to do something, I am hoping one day it won't be such a struggle. I do what I can everyday and pay particular attention to what I eat. In the end I am doing something I take pride in but also am making a conscious effort to be healthy. It's not an easy road to travel for sure. Good luck with your weight loss!
  • tookylove
    tookylove Posts: 2 Member
    Your an inspiration KendraMonster. Thank you for sharing!
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    I'm also in the chronic/daily pain group, but I manage to get beyond it. I have arthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and also take a medication that causes joint pain. I wake up every morning stiff as a board with severe pain in my feet and hands. I hobble out of bed and start to move around as best I can. As soon as I'm able, I start with gentle stretching and yoga movements. I normally progress to either a 30 minute slow yoga routine or Qigong (DVDs and YouTube videos). As the morning wears on I'm loose enough to continue normal activity and I even do aquasize classes and strength training with weights. You can often overcome chronic pain as long as you're patient.

    OP, you are quite young to have back surgery. I would consider a second opinion and possibly visit a chiropractor or other alternative practitioner. If you can tolerate it, I would also think about doing some water exercise like aquasize. Moving in the water is a lot easier than on dry land. The instructor can usually give you modifications to put less stress on your back or other areas of pain or injury. Good luck on your weight loss journey!
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    I'm not in constant pain, but I can tell you that I've had to stop exercising for a couple of periods since I began this weight-loss program, but I kept losing the whole time. It's all about setting your calorie limit. You don't have to worry that being unable to exercise for short or long periods makes it impossible. It does mean that you'll have to eat less than if you could be more active, which is a shame, but there you are. If you can get lighter and healthier, it will be that much easier to become active eventually.

    I had terrible plantar fasciitis several years ago. I had a very, very painful massage treatment from a skilled friend, which to my amazement actually helped. I'm very careful to wear high arch-support shoes (Birkenstocks or inserts in tennis shoes). Podiatrists also can propose treatments. The condition really can be improved; and then of course getting the weight off is critical. Our feet aren't meant to bear this much weight.
  • carakit
    carakit Posts: 126 Member
    I am 33 and was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis last year after dealing with joint pain, and a couple of knee surgeries. I use to be a long distance runner and had to give that up, when I did that about 8 years ago I started steadily gaining weight which only made joint pain worse. I live in Indiana and the cold weather in the winter makes joint pain unbearable, I hurt everyday all day. I take Tylenol and Aleve on a daily basis, it doesn't make the pain completely go away but at least I can function. My physical therapist and doctor said the most important thing for me to do is strength training. So I started working with a personal trainer in a small group atmosphere (its cheaper than one on one). My trainer knows I have knee and back pain so they can alter movements or exercises so that I still get benefits from it but don't have the pain. I can definitely tell a difference since I have started gaining muscle. Its been a tough road but I've finally started to lose weight since I got my nutrition in order and have been weight training.
  • pewpewkapow
    pewpewkapow Posts: 13 Member
    TurtleFeature wrote: »
    pewpewkapow wrote: »
    Honestly, weight loss is about 30% exercise and 70% diet. I have a terrible back as well as pernicious anemia which makes anything above a slow walking speed exhausting to the point of fainting and I need to conserve what little energy and B12 I have so I do very little exercise. I have managed to lose 43kg so far over the last year just from eating 1300cal or less a day. If I have spare energy I will go for a 30min walk or lift 5kg weights for 15mins but I don't do much. I'm looking to do more simply to tone up but you really can lose weight by diet alone, trust me. Exercise will probably speed it up a bit and help you tone up more, but it's still possible to lose large amounts of weight with very little to no exercise.

    I didn't know that, but that's awesome - that weight loss can be done without much exercise. And congrats on your weight loss!

    Yep, it really comes down to what you eat. Some people can work out all day and not lose a single kilo if they continue to eat over their daily calories. If you maintain a basic calorie intake of 1200-1400 a day you will lose weight, even without lifting a finger. Trust me, it works. :)
  • focusonme14
    focusonme14 Posts: 4 Member
    I have fibromyalgia and other chronic pain issues along with arthritis. It is hard to move most days. I am about 60 pounds overweight and have other horrible habits that I am sure contributes to my pain; most days I feel horrible. I just don't seem to have much energy.
  • roxymuller
    roxymuller Posts: 29 Member
    I have an under active thyroid and suffer from bones in my feet fracturing for no apparent reason that the drs can find. I also have issues with my back and recently found out that I have a thinning of a disc. I also have to lose 100 lbs and want to lose 50 of it by May. I would first try to lose the weight before going for surgery as losing the weight may help you enough to not have to have the surgery. I have only lost 7 lbs in the past 4 weeks but feel so much better. I have been able to exercise at all due to my feet issues. I really watch what i eat and I measure my food. I also cut down on sugar and sodium and carbs. I don't deprive myself but I really watch what I am eating. Good luck. feel free to add me as a friend. Roxy
  • LMHG2015
    LMHG2015 Posts: 5 Member
    Me too! Same boat. Herniated disk L5/S1 that is only deteriorating. Other discs that are heading that way also. Additionally have plantar fasciitis and osteoporosis (when I was 30!) multiple stress fractures in both feet. Am at least 60# overweight. Takes a toll on ya, doesn't it. Sometimes it's all I can do to get down on the floor and play w my kids and I feel constantly like I have no energy. At times, seems like a relentless cycle. That being said - would love to be friends w anyone else going thru similar chronic issues. I'm really not wanting to have back surgery. Need to get/stay motivated! Today my 1st day on MFP.
  • Walltumbler
    Walltumbler Posts: 1 Member
    edited February 2016
    When I started loosing weight I was 320 lbs almost exactly 1 year ago (I'm 26 years old, 6 feet 2 in tall). I had lost 60 lbs and was feeling great then after a vigorous exercise session at the gym I went to bed and woke up with a bulging disc. This was so disheartening and painful that I lost all the momentum I had build up. I stopped loosing weight and I gained 20 lbs over the summer. Since the summer weight gain I have been unable to loose anything but the silver lining is that I have not gained anything. I have just recently decided to start again but this time I'm doing it with mild but chronic back pain. My end goal is to loose 62 pounds live a heart healthy lifestyle and strengthen my core to reduce back pain and prevent further damage. I know this is a huge lifestyle change and I have found that the best thing to do is to talk to my friends and family about it. I tell them equally about my failures as I do about my successes. In the end the only person accountable for my health is myself, and speaking about my progress helps me take control of my life and not let any pains, fears, and desires get in the way of my will. With G-d's help I will stay vigilant. That's my story hope it's helpful.
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