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MyFitnessPal Community

Disorders/Illnesses?

bunnyghost

does anyone have any mental, physical illnesses, autoimmune diseases, etc that make food, fitness, and exercise tough for you? what do you have to do differently because of it? do you have things you do to stay motivated and on track? please share your stories and experiences

i'm diagnosed with bipolar disorder and narcolepsy which gets in the way of things a lot. i dropped out of highschool my senior year and had to do online school because of narcolepsy and this also had a huuuuge weight gain effect from the fatigue it caused me, 30 pounds in a few months. with bipolar disorder, the lows make it tough to work out or exercise at all sometimes because there are days where i'm too depressed to get out of bed. so yeah these two illnesses really work against me lol. i started motivating myself by making a schedule and force myself to exercise/go out even when i'm depressed because i know i always feel better once i'm moving anyway, and if you just sleep all day it becomes an endless cycle.

i wanna hear other people's stories and if anyone's struggling with similar things feel free to add me because we can help each other! c:

Replies

singingflutelady

Yes me. I have Crohn's, bipolar 2, anxiety and mostly recovered anorexia binge/purge. Crohn's makes eating painful and I basically can't eat most fruits and vegetables, red meat, seeds, nuts, legumes, spices, carrageenan, lactose, fiber, etc. Along with the chronic pain I have chronic fatigue and I could easily sleep all day, every day. I lift heavy 3 times a week but I need real rest days in-between just to semi function. I don't do any cardio except walking as a form of transportation. It's hard but lifting is important toe and i love it so I force myself to do it.

mbaker566

behcets, myalgia, gerd, depression, anxiety

mostly, i just tell myself to suck it up but i also have to realize some days i need breaks. apparently, i needed a month of rest days. ready to get back at my fitness journey

emsmomtina

I'm almost afraid to respond. Okay...here goes. I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Chiari Malformation, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, depression, and most recently pre-diabetic Type 2. The pain of the 1st 3 make exercise almost unbearable. I need a knee replacement due to previous softball injuries and I broke my back many years ago and the arthritis is rearing it's head. At this point, I only take walks or ride my bike. hopefully once I get some weight off (newbie only here a week) I hope to get moving. I moved to Florida to have better health and I'm so ready to be able to enjoy this paradise.

nitroalley

Ugh - Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis. Treated with Prednisone which is tough to battle with weight gain and affects mood. Had a scare with a positive test for Multiple Myeloma. Went through batteries of test and came out ultimately negative thankfully. Back and shoulder pain - more severe when cold or working out. I tell myself suck it up cupcake.

callsitlikeiseeit

no... i used to say i was allergic to exercise. but that was proven to be a lie

i do have situational anxiety but that doesnt affect normal life (as long as im in total control of whats going on, anyways LOLOLOL)

TehLaughingDog

I have atypical borderline personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, insomnia, ehlers danlos (hyperflexibility type), PCOS, and endometriosis. =P

Borderline and avoidant are my biggest struggles. I try to keep things really positive trying to over come the psych stuff and it's very easy for me to lose myself. I still struggle a lot with feeling alien to the human society around me. I struggle a lot with feeling lonely and self-isolating myself. And I have the extreme mood shifts and when I get too stressed I experience auditory, tactile, and (rarely) visual hallucinations. I actually was working with a psychiatric service dog until we found a good med combo (and my SD lives with me happy retired).

But, honestly, working on myself has really helped me a lot. Self care is important and I had to learn to not feel guilty about that. I'm actually really happy to have my psychiatric disorders because they've exposed me to experiencing life in a completely unique way and I've learned a lot about empathy for others by experiencing these struggles myself. I will always struggle to relate to other people but that's okay - I love my independence and love my detachment from people. Plus it's helped develop my passion for animals and the outdoors. Also I'm really happy to have my fiancée who is my rock and she has supported me for the past seven years.

Please feel free to add me =]

Birkah

Rheumatoid arthritis sucks. There are days when I am so exhausted that I can barely function, and days when I hurt so badly that I can barely move. Fortunately, flare ups have been few and far between as of late. Two of my kiddos are celiac (diagnosed by a GI with bloodwork and biopsy, not the internet). They are both tiny for their ages and struggle to gain weight, since their intestinal tracts are damaged by even trace exposure to gluten. I've found that since we're 100% gluten free at the house, I've felt a kazillion times better, so I guess I'm next for testing, since either hubby or myself carry the genetics for celiac. Eating and cooking for gluten-free is so much easier now with a good variety of GF foods, but there are definitely some duds on the market. Some of the GF bread options have the same texture and taste as a dirty kitchen sponge, and are ridiculously expensive and sometimes difficult to find.

Sweetnsimpleblond

Graves' disease, Hashimotos disease, endometriosis, addisons and pure laziness! Lol
I've found having someone to work out with helps. I tend to put others first, so having someone hold me accountable to get up at 5am and work out is what keeps me going. She's literally at my front door 5 mornings a week.

sbeangel

Gall Bladder problems... which i am suppose to stay away from dairy, raw veggies, red meat, fried or fatty foods, caffeine , alcohol, red sauce. Sometimes other stuff will set it off too. Will feel like i am having a heart attack. I also have high blood pressure, sinus and migrain problems and many years ago i was thrown down 2 flights of stairs and over a balcony which has cause severe back pain and problems and for my right knee cap to pop oitbof place now and then when it feels like it.

charlottemmarks

I have issues with my blood sugar, digestion, and endometriosis. Eating to appease one tends to anger the other. For instance, high protein (animal protein) and moderate carbs at every meal is GREAT for my blood sugar and helps keep things stable, but it completely wrecks my endo and stomach. If I eat to appease my stomach, I end up eating a lot of starches and grains, which my blood sugar is none too pleased about. If I go a more nutritarian (by and large plant foods) approach, my blood sugar puts up a great big fuss. I often feel like I can't win, but I soldier on, hoping that as I lose and get healthier, the pieces of the puzzle will start to fit together.

ZombieSlayer

Hypothyroidism, depression, and general anxiety.

The first two make it hard to find the energy to get up and get moving, so my goal is small... 5000 steps a day (I have a sit down job so it's actually a challenge).

The GAD prevents a gym membership from being a realistic thing, but we have a treadmill in the office and weights that will soon be out again (bought a house, area for weights currently being used for reno construction work)... and my kids love yoga and will ask us to do it as a family; that helps with the motivation too, sometimes.

nitroalley

138shades wrote: »

I am Mental Health Therapist. I have all the Mental Illnesses you can think of daily as they are scheduled or reported during ON Call.

I'm going home to clean.......which is my coping skill after dealing with other peoples' problems all day everyday .

Thanks for the work you do. I spent a day on a pyschiatric hospital floor as part of training. It was amazing what the healthcare workers do. I can't imagine doing it on a daily basis. I was drained after one day.

RoxieDawn

138shades wrote: »

I am Mental Health Therapist. I have all the Mental Illnesses you can think of daily as they are scheduled or reported during ON Call.

I'm going home to clean.......which is my coping skill after dealing with other peoples' problems all day everyday .

LOL....

I call this a winner!

AmyOwl73

I'm bipolar. I've recently come out of a major depressive episode (that lasted about 6 months) during which I gained about 35 pounds. I've always said I wouldn't let BP stop me, but this time it did and I didn't realize what was happening until the depression started lifting. I've got a few other challenges, but Bipolar is by far the most disruptive to my overall health and fitness.

shadows2424

Well my depression leads me to eat. I feel like im failing in my weightloss i get depressed then i eat. Vicious cycle. Also I have schizoaffectve disorder which is a mood disorder (depression in my case) and schizophrenic symptoms. The meds I take for that have caused a lot of my forty pound weight gain.

vingogly

Atrial fibrillation, which means I have to watch the intake of greens and a variety of other foods because they interfere with the blood thinner. The meds I'm on for afib plus to control hypertension give me occasional gout attacks, so I have to watch things like protein intake (I'm regularly taking sour cherry extract capsules which seems to be helping). I had my gall bladder removed 2.5 years ago so I have to watch fat intake (even good fats) and dairy or they will cause digestive upset. It all make menu planning interesting. On the plus side, losing 60+ lbs has improved the quality of my life considerably.

sunnybeaches105

The rest of humanity

bunnyghost

nitroalley wrote: »

138shades wrote: »

I am Mental Health Therapist. I have all the Mental Illnesses you can think of daily as they are scheduled or reported during ON Call.

I'm going home to clean.......which is my coping skill after dealing with other peoples' problems all day everyday .

Thanks for the work you do. I spent a day on a pyschiatric hospital floor as part of training. It was amazing what the healthcare workers do. I can't imagine doing it on a daily basis. I was drained after one day.

kshama2001

My depression is mostly under control these days. I know that I will feel better after I exercise, so when I don't feel like exercising, I just force myself to start, giving myself permission to stop if needed.

We have a good long thread on depression here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10058170/depression-and-weight-loss/p1

TheLittleRedHairedGirl

I don't feel comfortable sharing my history in such a public forum, but I do have a history. If you would like to add me, feel free.

PBWaffleCakes

fibromyalgia, RA, and a pineal cyst. I just started off slow, and kept advancing myself when I felt ready, if my body is sore than I just walk a little in the morning. I never over do it.

Rochellenoone12

You are not alone hun xx i have anxiety,depression and ocd..nuthn for anyone on here to be embarrassed or ashamed abt...ppl that dont have any problems mentally dnt realise the pain or torture goin around in our heads..easier to say an imbalance of brain chemicals...xx

nitroalley

it's definitely draining and takes a strong person to do it well. i wish more of them were skilled at it though, because where i live they're awful. when i was hospitalized for narcolepsy, during a "sleep attack" the psych nurses restrained me saying i was 'hearing voices' and when i tried to tell them i wasn't they didn't even listen to me lmao. when i was having an allergic reaction to a medication they put me on i was completely dismissed by them. they treated anyone with psychosis like children and couldn't tell even the basic disorders/symptoms apart. lmao.
this is the reason i'm studying to become a psychiatric nurse! we need experienced ones here who are educated in psychology and won't just assume every mentally ill person is schizophrenic.
[/quote]

I applaud you. The work these folks did blew me away. We spent a day with doctors explaining the differences in bipolar and schizophrenia and how to go through a patient interview to diagnose. Then we spent hours with patients going through therapy sessions. Then we had a videotape session where we had to diagnose and defend followed by a live interview with a patient where we had to do the same thing. Also an alcohol withdrawal case which can often be misdiagnosed. There were case workers there that were former patients coming back to give back. Most incredible work day I have ever had.

sunnybeaches105

Sometimes self-acceptance can go a long way here. Mental illness can sap your will to move and drain your energy. Get treatment and simply do the best you can.

Dandelie

PCOS, PTSD, depression, anxiety, binge eating disorder, emotional eating disorder.

I am doing the best I can. I am setting goals and trying to make myself happier. Some days are bad. Most days are good. I am glad for it because it can be so stressful when the day is bad. I find that I cannot cut everything out. I do struggle with eating the low carb stuff PCOS requires, but sometimes it falls into place. I also cannot just stop eating particular foods, so I am learning moderation.

Food was my coping mechanism. I didn't face my problems. I ate them. And now, I am learning how to use exercise and other healthy measures as a coping mechanism. So far, I am feeling better, happier, and less tense.

TRVega75

Asthma, fibromyalgia, depression. It seems something always stops me from reaching my goal weight. I am learning what sets it off but I will not give up this time. Goodluck to you all.

beautifulsparkles

I have Bipolar. I'm tired a lot.

jacqueline0821

I am bipolar, have anxiety, and currently being diagnosed with sleep apnea. I have been stable with medication and therapy in regards to my bipolar disorder for 2.5 years now. My anxiety is mostly under control but spikes from time to time. The sleep apnea will be tested mid-April. I have gained a ton of weight over the years and tend to blame it on the depression swings but I know that it is mainly an excuse since I been stable and don't have a problem leaving the house.