Can we hear from you?

Options
Wow, 15 members! I'd love to know a little about those of you who haven't posted. How has pain affected your weight? Any tips, ideas, help? Have you found something that worked to help your pain?
«1

Replies

  • Lozzielol
    Options
    Hello!

    My name is Lauren, I'm 21. I hurt my back when I was 18 years old. I burst 3 discs in my lower spine and lack the proper cushioning between the vertebrae, which makes me feel a consistent low level pain. I also feel a lot of sharp pains in my hips which are caused by deflection of the pain. I dont actually have anything wrong with my hips, but the nerves in my back and pelvis send pain messages anyway. I get a lot of numbness, pins and needles etc and I have been tentatively diagnosed with peripheral nerve damage in my spine.

    I put on over 2 stone in a short period of time (around 28lbs) and my weight has slowly crept up since then. I used to be incredibly active, and fit. Since I wasnt able to do much, I got quite depressed and started using food as comfort.

    For me, starting physical therapy has helped the damage to my spine, but there is little we can do just now for the nerve damage, and I will likely always be in pain. Its manageable, and with proper exercises I have managed to come off my medication and deal with it naturally. I would use medication again if I needed it though, but I'm trying to cope as normally as I can.


    Well, that' all about me. :) I'd also like to hear the stories of others, and find out any hints and tips from them too. :)
  • tpt42087
    tpt42087 Posts: 313 Member
    Options
    Hi!


    My name is Trudie I am 24. I have 2 kids a 7yr old daughter and a 8month old son. I hurt my back in Oct 2008 I gained about 60lbs. I have been throw everything you can think of shots after shots. Nothing is helping but due to my age the doctor would not allow me to get surgery. I was in so much pain that I barley had sex with my husband then one night I was drunk as can be and bamb preggo! Lol so here came along my lil man. I was suprised that being pregnant didnt hurt my back as much. Before becoming preggo I started walking eating healthy and lost alot of weight!

    I finally started my weight loss journey Sept 17tha dn I am now down about 22lbs I know its not much but it's better than nothing. I have total lost about 50lbs and I feel great I still have bad pain but I notice as the weight is coming off the pain is getting better.
  • taglientep
    taglientep Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    Hello im Peter and i have.... Back issues.... Lol

    Broke my back when i was 15 in a wrestling match. got bent like a U the wrong way and "POP"!! Not knowing what it was and an idiot athletic trainer i went through the rest of my Wrestling season, Lacrosse season, then basically destroyed it in football. Went through a bunch of sessions of Physical therapy , 21 or 22 now, i lost count to help relive the pain. Works for a while till it slips again. Oh for got to say I have Spondelolasthesis. I have 2 fractured disks that pop in and out of place, with no muscle tissue or ligaments to hold them in place.

    So every now and again it acts up and I have to stop everything. So besides loosing weight i need to strengthen my core.

    Good luck to all of us and getting strong!

    ~Peter~
  • pameladawn99
    Options
    Hi, I'm Pam and I'm a...hurt...lol back atcha Peter. I broke my butt many years ago--fell on the steps and landed right on my tailbone. It was manageable for a long time. A long bike ride put me in agony about 2 years ago, but still managed it. A ski trip last march sprained my lumbar and between the two I get no relief. I am taking narcotic medication, because it's the only way I get relief.

    I am walking, because I need exercise and sunshine so I don't get too depressed, but it seems like the core exercises I do for PT make my back hurt so bad. I started with a new therapist who is starting sooooo slow. She is doing some massage and stretching in order to relax the muscles, then we will begin core again. I'm hopeful.

    The days when the pain is the worse, I don't login to MFP, I don't exercise, and I eat junk junk and more junk. I'm thinking a laptop might be a good idea and I can use it to come to MFP.

    I'm glad to hear from Trudie that losing weight is helping. That is definitely motivation! And it's nice to meet you all!
  • opal24
    opal24 Posts: 205 Member
    Options
    Hi - I'm Christine. I've had back problems for years, but developed really bad sciatica about 18 months ago, which pretty much stopped any form of exercise dead. I finally took the plunge this year and had a two level spinal fusion carried out. It's made a huge difference, but I still struggle with exercise, partly because of back stiffness and partly because of shortness of breath due to my weight. Things haven't been helped by the fact that I had surgery last year as well to put a plate in my foot to repair a separated fracture. Plus I think I may have another stress fracture in the same foot and I know the weight isn't helping that. So my goal is to lose weight so that I can increase my exercise and get back to some semblance of a normal lifestyle. I am seeing a physiotherapist weekly for Pilates exercises - I think that's the only reason I'm doing as well as I am. But I am thinking positively and intend to use this site to move things along in the right direction!!
  • HeyHeyRae
    Options
    Hello all. My name is Heather, I'm 26 years old and live in South Florida. I was in an accident that left my back all screwed up. I was out of work for 4 months and basically stayed in bed that whole time. I can't afford physical therapy so I'm pretty much on my own at this point. It's been over a year and I'm much better than I was but I still get crippling pains if I'm on my feet too much. Unfortunately, I work at Costco Wholesale and am on my feet as a career. I'm also about 150lbs overweight which is NOT helping the situation. I'm going to be buying resistance bands because for the short time my insurance was covering therapy, those helped the most. I could use the sitting down if the pain was too much for standing that day. My biggest problem is self discipline but I'm using this website as an accountability forum. I'm posting everything I eat and do so that others can see it and I'm more motivated to not embarrass myself by reverting back to my old BAD habits! I could really use some more friends on here though. I only have 2 people I know so far. Any of you that are interested in following me and letting me follow you, I'd love a request! Thanks guys! And GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!!!
  • barbwirelaceandroses
    Options
    Hi...I'm Jackie. My back has slowly deteriorated over the years. I ended up in so much pain I agreed to have 360 Fusion for L5
    S1. It was a failure and I live in extreme pain controlled only by medication on most days. Other days I still live in pain. I've gained over a 100 pounds since this started this downward spiral in early 2000. Due mainly to eating regular meals and not being active. I also suffer with CFS, Crohns, HBP and the list goes on from there. So I'm not in good health and I know most of it is due to me being obese. I've tried many times to lose weight, I'd lose a few pounds and fall off the wagon. I can't have gastric bypass surgery due to the Crohns disease. So I'm determined to do it this on my own with help of your good people. I know folks much worse off than me have lost the weight....with everyone's help, hopefully I will be successful. If I can be of any help to anyone going through the similar....feel free to add me. Happy New Year!
  • maykithapn
    maykithapn Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    Hi everybody, I'm Aussie. I pulled some muscles in my back and I've had physical therapy, chiropractic care and a mess of pain medication. I also had an arch fall this year and have some knee pain from a car accident. So I'd exercise, the pain in one or all of the above would start, then I'd quit, nurse my wounds and grouse about it. Rinse and repeat. Mostly, I have been sitting on the couch and eating myself miserable. I finally got to the point where I find it hard to look at myself the mirror and decided I need to change. The group description hit a chord with me - today I broke down crying at the gym after my workout - so here I am. I spent the weekend icing my knee and taking pain meds and the trainer had to make modifications because I am falling apart at the seams. I felt overwhelmed and extremely embarrassed.
    Losing weight is a necessity to get a break from the pain/misery merry-go-round. With the support of friends, (I'm hoping to find some new ones here), I can make that happen this year! It's nice to meet everyone - Happy New Year!
  • dandelion9999
    Options
    Hi, I'm Mary and I'm 37. I have a congenital scoliosis curvature in my lumbar spine, and all of my disks from L2-S1 are in various stages of degeneration. In April, I had micro-diskectomy surgery at L4/L5 because the nerve root coming out of my spinal cord was trapped in a mineral deposit from the ruptured disk. I started my weight loss journey at 319 lbs. because I was tired of being sick and tired, LOL. Before my back pain got completely out of control, I had lost 70 lbs and was walking 3 miles or more a day plus doing strength training. Then it got to the place that the walking really exacerbated my pain, which was when the pressure on the nerve got to be so bad I needed the surgery. Since April, I've gained back about 20 of the lbs. I had lost. I completely relate to whomever it was above who said that when the pain gets bad, I don't log my food, and I eat a bunch of junk. Yesterday I was having an EXTREMELY bad pain day, and all I wanted to do was eat junk, preferably sweets. There's probably some scientific reason for that, like the carbs trigger seretonin release or something. I barely broke 800 steps yesterday according to my pedometer, which I wear religiously even when I'm not logging. I spent most of the day curled up in a ball on the couch crying. Today seems to be better, but I just took my Lyrica about half an hour ago. I've only been on it for maybe a month, and it does not seem to be helping at all. As a matter of fact, I think it's making the pain worse-- I need to remember to note my pain in about 2 hours and see if it's worse. Anyway. looking forward to getting to know all of you. I hope everyone has a terrific day!
  • pameladawn99
    Options
    In reply to Aussie: Rinse and repeat...lol. I, too, have broken down in tears many times, in many public places. Anymore, I just let it go and then tell a friend how I cried at "fill in the blank with an embarrassing place to cry" and we laugh about it.

    I am just never giving up. If I fail every day for months, eventually I will succeed. Lots of pro athletes have storiies about how they have failed more than they succeeded and look where they are now. Well, I'm a pro, too.

    Going to the doc now to decide about pain meds. In the past, I have found that they hide the pain, but they also hide how uncomfortable my body feels. Maybe a happy medium this time.
  • HeyHeyRae
    Options
    today I broke down crying at the gym after my workout - so here I am. I spent the weekend icing my knee and taking pain meds and the trainer had to make modifications because I am falling apart at the seams. I felt overwhelmed and extremely embarrassed.

    Oh my dear, I've broken down at church, at work, in Walmart, at Publix (it's a Supermarket here in Florida), at the bank, at concerts, at my doctor's office, in my car. I had one night where I was in so much pain at work, and I was the closer so I had to go around with shopping carts overfilled with things to put back including TV's, cases of water, soda, and juice and car batteries. I had finally had my fill of the pain, broke down, laid down on the floor in the middle of the warehouse and just cried my eyes out with my legs in the air against a pallet. I UNDERSTAND YOUR EMBARRASSMENT. They wanted to have an emergency medical team carry me out but I refused to let them touch me. You are NOT alone, and you're not going to be alone in this. That's why we're all here. We understand how hard it is for someone with chronic pain to form new habits and build new muscle. Good luck to you, our new Aussie friend. Hopefully we can trade some helpful hints at some point =)
  • maykithapn
    maykithapn Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    Hi Mary, I've heard about some studies that show that sugar is an analgesic and has stimulates some endorphin pathways. Something about dopamine too (?). So I think you are right there. That may of explain why the comfort foods have loads of carbs and sugars.

    Thanks Pamela and Rae for your encouragement and commiseration. You are right, it all about persisting and continuing to work on the new health-building habits It is helpful to me that you can understand the challenges, and I am right here for you too!
  • pameladawn99
    Options
    Cried at the PT today, but I can't say enough good things about Rachel. She didn't let me focus on the negative, she kept the conversation positive. She helped me through my exercises, massaged the muscles around the painful area, and sent me home feeling a bit better. Then I took pain meds and laid down for an hour and now I feel a lot better. But now I am craaaaaving carbs.

    I think my body wants them to help calm the trauma of the pain I was in this morning. I let myself have a big lunch and wrote it all down. Still have 451 calories left. Even if I go over today, I will still track because it will keep me from going waaayyyy over. (sorry for the draaaaammmmmaaaa).
  • teasdino
    teasdino Posts: 228 Member
    Options
    Carbs have been found to have a chemical effect on you. They make you feel good. So it makes total sense why you would crave them while you are under stress or experiencing pain. Maybe give in with a healthy bowl of oatmeal and honey.
  • teasdino
    teasdino Posts: 228 Member
    Options
    Ok, I wrote a blog post about my spine. It is called--My long post about my spine ;-]
    It tells my story. I wrote it on a blog in the hopes that maybe it would reach more people and encourage them to join the group. We can encourage and understand each other. If you want to know about me go read that thing....lol! It is long. Dont be afraid to leave a comment on it.
    Jac
  • pameladawn99
    Options
    Thanks, great idea. I'll check out the blog.
  • jlew75
    jlew75 Posts: 10
    Options
    Hi, I don't have back pain, but my hubs does and I thought that seeing as I'm already a MFP member, maybe I could learn some new information and pass it along to him. He hurt himself a little over 4 years ago at work. He was up on a lift that was on metro rails and it fell off. He was suspended for a moment and then he too fell. The initial injury was to his knee (torn acl, shifted knee cap) which needed surgical repair (and didnt happen for almost 6 months!) but a couple of days after the initial incident he ended up in even more pain in his back. The dr said this kind of injury was a compression injury and said its seen often in equine related injuries, said it was called a "saddle" something. Anyways, because of workers compensation, it was drawn out entirely too long over the last 3 years. after a couple of series of epidural injections and then a series of nerve blocking injections that failed to help, they basically told him theres not much they can do for him (the surgeon he saw said he was way to young to even consider surgery). The weight is creeping up on him and I fear so is depression. He isn't supposed to lift anything over 45 lbs, and as you can probably guess a lot of aerobic exercise is out of the question. we have gym memberships, but no longer have insurance, so he's not seeing a dr anymore since he settled with the insurance company, so I was hoping to hear what other alternatives other people are seeking, maybe something will help him/us.
  • pamelazee
    pamelazee Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    Hi. Just joined this group. Was excited to see there was a back pain group. I have arthritis in my left SI joint and curvature of the spine. Take two ib four times a day for pain and inflamation. It dulls the pain, but doesn't totally remove it. Some chiropractic work does help. Can't do pain meds because of previous addiction problems. Now considering the MRI guided injections. I will never do surgery because I have heard nothing but horror stories.

    Pain had certianly affected my ability to work out. I have pushed myself through the pain before and know now that it is not worth it. I've had times when I've been okay during the exercise, but have been worse off the next day. I really have to take it day by day with the workouts. Haven't found any cardio that doesn't affect my back. Upper body work outs are the only thing that doesn't work that area.

    I'm hoping that taking off some of this weight will help take some pressure off the joint and ease some of the pain. But some part of me just accepts that I will always have to live with this.
  • pameladawn99
    Options
    Hi Pamelazee. I might be the wrong person to talk to right now. I'm having a bad couple days doing exactly what you said--I worked out harder to try to lose some weight and now my back is killing me. I hang on by a thread with MFP, but I recorded my breakfast this morning. I'm so tired of carrying all these extra lbs around. Maybe I'm close to hitting rock bottom. I'm taking narcotic pain meds now and i know that I'm addicted to them. I don't want to take the meds but without them I cry. I hope it gets better soon for you and me. I'll add you as a friend.

    I think we have the same first name!
  • taglientep
    taglientep Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    Hows everyones back today?