pain and weight gain

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Sun, June 22, 2008

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Happy Sunday afternoon everyone.

As most of you know, if you have read my posts, I've been in a major car accident in 85 and was diagnosed in 2003 with a non-malignant spinal cord tumor that will eventually take the use of my legs. Now I have always lived with pain, but as the years have progressed the pain has taken a lot of the quality of my life away from me.

I've never been "ultra" thin and have had my years of being heavy (now isn't that a relative term?) and years of being at an almost normal weight for my 5'2" frame. It seems though as my quality of life has decreased the weight has increased up to my present weight of almost 200 pounds. I have never ever in my life been this heavy, two years ago I weighed 145 pounds. I find that the more the pain grows the more I eat. Now I know that part of this constant eating is the fact that I have no control over my life and in the area of food I have control I just choose not to, now that makes sense doesn't it? Another component is depression, I can't do the things I once did. I know, I know I say I've adjusted but do any of us really? And then there is the Lyrica, it works wonders for my neuropathy but reeks havic on my brain, it doesn't shut off when I'm full, I know that I should be full but I don't feel full, if that makes sense.

I tell myself every Sunday morning that this is a new week and I'm going to start eating healthy and for the most part I do, well if you exclude chocolate, I just eat to much of it. Yet by Sunday afternoon it's back to the same overeating and the same hating of myself for doing it.

I have decided to stop taking the Lyrica, while it is a God send I know it is part of the problem. I know I should exercise but it is hard. Even with pain meds I can't walk very far. I bought the palites machine and yoga tapes and was wondering if anyone else with limited mobility of their legs (my right leg doesn't work very well) uses these or if anyone else has any suggestions on exercises that people with limited mobility can do.

I would also like to know if there are other people out there in the same boat as me and if you would like to get together and talk in this forum or start a new one. I think it would be helpful for me and maybe others if we didn't feel alone. Pain separates us so much, from the so called "regular world" as it is maybe if we could talk, encourage, and gain insight from each other it would be one less thing that separates us.

If anyone has any ideas or if they have any suggestions on exercise (and don't say swimming, I'm a great swimmer but there is no way I'm getting in a suit right now :) ) let me know

Thanks

Vickie

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Amazed

6/22/08 6:08pm

Hello there dear Vickie: I too have alot of the same things as you going on with my life right now. I will be going under the knife the 16th of July for lower back surgery. About 5 months ago I guess it was I weighed about 165 & now I am pushing 206. All though it don't seem like alot it is when all your clothes don't fit you right & you have rolls of extra skin hanging over your pants & makes all the things you put on look like crap. I am takeing cymbalta for depression with my FM the only thing with that is that it raised my blood pressure so now I will have to take medication for that in order to keep takeing the Cymbalta. Please e-mail me at anytime you would like to chat maybe we could talk & try to help eactother out. Amazed

jody

6/23/08 1:04am

I could really relate to your post. I have gained weight too since being ill and it isnt very helpful for our self esteem nor does it help us become less isolated. I get so depressed from being sick that I just cant get out of it for weeks sometimes. Eating is an escape. Especially Chocolate cause it raises our endorphins at least temporarily. I have Muscular Dystrophy and I seem to be getting sicker lately. I take methadone for pain but I do have the pain pump in me. I couldnt tolerate Morphine or Dilaudid so I had to just stick with Methadone and I wish I could just throw all of it in the trash. I know if helps the pain and I am grateful for that but the other side effects sure are no fun. I would be very happy to talk with you on a regular basis either by email or some chatting program just let me know. I will also include you in my prayers. I sure pray things start getting better for you whether you contact me or not.

Jody

Mattsmon

7/ 3/08 8:21am

I am so sorry you are having such a difficult time of it. Being in constant pain gets more and more difficult to describe to people as you live with it, so try and hang in there. I, too, had a tumor inside my spinal canal 14 years ago--it was benign, Thank God, but they were able to remove it. Is yours inoperable? I cannot even think what you must be feeling knowing you will lose mobility. Chronic pain takes over your life like a monster if you let it and the key is NOT to let it! I hear strength in your words, even if you currently do not. The one area I would NOT beat yourself up over is your weight. I took Paxil (only antidepressant that did not give me intolerable side effects) for 14 years and have gained 40 pounds.....I am the same height as you. I walk 2 miles a day and do my stretching exercises as well as staying to a 1200 calorie diet TO NO AVAIL. At least the doctors know now that weight gain is a serious side effect of most of the antidepressant meds. There is simply no explaining to people how you only THOUGHT you were depressed and then you gained the weight with meds crucial to your health and now you are in the highest size you can wear. I have a wonderful colon dr. who said to me "You can be overweight and healthy and happy or you can obsess what will probably never be again and be miserable." HE IS RIGHT. Try to do the best you can and please, please do not take away a medication that is helping you just because of the weight. Are you on any antidepressants currently? I have finally switched to Celexa, but nothing helps like the Paxil. I wish I had better news for you, but I too, have just come through 4 hours of neurosurgery to get old screws taken out and to fix a disc and bone spurs which were all ganging up in the same place. The hard part for me was that I have a morphine pump and people think when you have one of those, you are in lala land all the time, which is ridiculous. There's not much they can do to control surgical pain on top of all else and when the nurses say "Here's a nice Valium for you" it's all I can do not to laugh. Please hang in there......you are part of our family now and we worry about our own. Do you have a counselor or someone close to you? Sometimes family members are just too close and are tired of dealing with the day to day stuff. I don't know if you believe in God, but He is there and your path is chosen. It's better to try to make peace with what you have.........in the hospital I was on the oncology ward as an overflow patient, and believe me, just when you think your story is bad, God sends a little reminder that your cross is not so big as some.

Bless You.

Matt'smom

Calico

7/ 3/08 8:37am

Hi, Vickie, I relate to everything you said. I, too, have pain from my spinal cord. In my case, it affects my arms, so I'm very limited in what I can do with my upper body. BUT I did find that I can do a series of arm exercises using weights and have also been able to build up from very light weights to heavier weights. I built up very slowly. Given your description of your disability, it sounds like you might be able to do these kinds of exercises, too. You'll gain muscle mass, which will help you burn fat, release endorphins, and increase your self-esteem.

You ended your post by saying you were a great swimmer but wouldn't dare get in a bathing suit right now. There's hardly a woman on the planet over the age of 30 who likes how she looks in a bathing suit! You MUST get over this! You're letting it stand in the way of your weight, your health, your self-esteem, and your happiness. You get in that pool and SWIM, girl!

rockabillychick

7/ 3/08 10:32am

Vickie

Thank you so much for your post!!!

I am sure they are many of us who would benefit greatly from a group dedicated to the issue of pain and weight gain!

I also have a terrible time with my right leg- it may not be the actual source of all my pain but it is where it hangs out and gangs up on me! Some days I wonder what would happen if I cut the thing off- I guess my brain would still make me feel the pain there! Crazy Spinal cord! Who needs one- LOL!

I was a professional martial artist for years, then I had my accident (almost 6 years ago!) and I tried to continue to teach martial arts and work like I could before but I ended up causing far more damage then the accident had already. I was clueless and without real medical care-living in a small town. All I knew was that my familiy depended on the martial arts school my husband and I owned and I never imagined I would be unable to use my amazingly fit body like I was used to!!! HA HA! Gradually I gave in to the pain and started laying off some of my physical duities, after trying to continue to be a working martial artist for 5 years post accident I had to quit! I was dieing and constantly in the hospital for a fractrured this and a broken that. The story is too long to write and I know each and everyone of us has one. We gave in after 5 years and sold our business, moved to a new state and I found a new doc who adventually sent me to a pain clinic. Now it is almost 6 years and I am finally getting proper care and my family and I are learning to make adjustments and to look at the future differently but at teh same time with hope that I will not constantly suffer, with the proper med and life changes I will be able to smile and enjoy moments everyday.

My body is different- I went from a rock hard 130# bod- 5' 8" to a soft 190# bod. I got to 198 for a while! I did get my weight down to 160 at one time- I ONLY ate weight watchers and Lean Cuisine frozen meals for lunch and dinner and a low calorie cereal in the am with fruit and veg through out the day. That was my attempt at a nutri-system type program. It truely worked- the first week was hell but then my stomach stopped growling all the time and it was working!!! It was also incredibly expensive. I was spending about $12 a day on my food alone. I have a husband and 2 very hungry teenage girls too- I was spending less on teh 3 of them combined. I did it for maybe 6 months and got form 198 to 160! that was wtihout any exercise. After we sold our business and moved I went back to school and my husband is now supporting us on his own so I stopped the expensive meals. I put the weight back on quicker then I took it off- ofcourse. That is a downside to a program that requires you change everything about your eating habits.

I know how you feel about the bathing suit thing! I face that feeling too! But it is a good excerise for people who are in chronic pain, the water bears our weight. Maybe look into your YMCA and see if there are times that the pool is relativly empty. I know our Y has time when there is maybe 1 or 2 older people in the pool just doing laps and enjoying the quiet. They will certainly have a water excersise class that is designed for people with very limited mobility. Those will also be overweight women. YMCA always has programs designed for people who have limitations.

Weight gain is such a hard side effect of chronic pain- the meds cause it, the limited mobility causes it. It is depressing and hard on our bodies physically as well, I laugh alot about it- here I am with all these issues that wiehgt gain can amplify- yet the treatments cause weight gain! and man do I crave Chocolate- like never before! I eat it everyday! last night I caught myself eating some chocolate chips I had for making cookies for my church!

I have come to terms with my weight gain more then I thought, after all "a little weight never HURT anyone!" It may be harder to find clothes that fit- but when I do I buy it quickly and wear it everywhere! Maybe think of it this way- you will never be a woman who is secretly wishing for a breat enlargment! LOL!!

rockabillychick

Waleli

7/ 3/08 9:40pm

Hi Vicki~Yes I can relate to some of what you are eperiencing. I am 41 and only an inch taller then you at 5'3" and of a "petite" build. However I have lupus and dysautonomia. The pain from which causes me to be much ore sedintary then I was prior to getting sick. Also I have ben on prednisone for a long time and as a reult I have the beginnings of cataracts, rotting teeth, and added weight with fluid. I went from about 110lbs to just over 200lbs in about 3 yrs time!

The added weigth adds to my pain level and makes it hard to "get around" even more so. I have not necessarily experienced an increase of appetite[which is common with steroids] but have managed to gain the weight none-the-less.It is very uncomfortable and I am hoping to do something about it soon!My doctor has recommended pool therapy and I must say it is something I have done before and found it to be very beneficial. The water is much easier on your joints and body in general.

Perhaps this might be an option for you.Especially with the spinal tumor you mentioned and as youyr legs may become weaker, pool therapists actually can get into the water with you as a suppor. I have neurological problems associated with my disorders and for me this has been a comfortable and easy activity that can potentially alleviate the addd weight gain and pain.

I hope my comment is of help to you and that you will find other ways that migth be of help to you as you battle this issue.

manicbeatz

7/ 4/08 12:11am

Hi, My weight gain of 40 pounds came after I started taking Lyrica. I am still on the med but I am fighting to get the weight pff. So far I have lost 10 pounds over rhe last 6 months. It DOES effect my self esteem. I am so aggravated especilly in this summer weather. No bathing suit for me except when I go to water aerobics. I am the youngest one there. Quote " That's all I gotta say about that." Forrest Gump

I will keep you in my prayers!

Hang in there

Anonymous

7/ 8/08 7:42am

Hi, I am 5'2" too and my weight at first after getting sick went down, but then on the meds (I think) and being sedentary (SP?) I did start gaining weight and couldn't stop .

I just came off the Duragesic Fentanyl patch (partial morphine) . (That was a month of hell.) So my dr wanted me to start Lyrica. I started it last Monday and by Wednesday, started loosing balance, falling over, blurry eyesight, slurring words, etc.

I called the dr to stop the med. and did. Now he says there is nothing else out there. Is that true - nothing close to Lyrica? I am already on Cymbalta. Anyone have the reactions to Lyrica?

Anonymous

7/ 7/08 2:53pm

Wow Vickie, you have written so much of what I too, am going thru!!

First of all, the weight gain. I have been at a relatively same weight for more than 12 years; I am 48 and soon to be 49. I started taking Lyrica at the max. allowable dose in Oct. of last year. Ever since I started at that high dose I have put on at least 20 pounds. Twenty # doesn't maybe sound like a lot but I have chronic back problems with extensive neuropathic pain and even a 5# wt. gain adds about a 20# "load" on the back from a biomechanical point of view. Yes, the Lyrica has been a godsend in terms of dealing with pain-esp. now because my doctors are not prescribing me narcotic pain meds. Now, I am on neurontin because my insurance wouldn't pay for the Lyrica. I am on a relatively low dose of Neurotin (for what reason that is, I don't know) and again-one of the side affects of this drug is weight gain.

I tend to think the primary reason for the weight gain is from these nerve pain meds (ie. Lyrica, Neurontin) vs. other reasons, although I cannot discount other changes going on too. I needed to stop working because my back problems were getting far worse with work. I am an Occupational therapist and my jobs/work environment have always been physical and I frequently felt like I was working out 8 hrs a day due to the nature of my work! However, I have gone thru other periods of time when I did not work-one time I wasn't working for 2 years and I didn't gain weight then.

My weight gain may also be peri-menapausal, given my age and all. I have never had a weight problem before and have considered myself relatively fit, muscular and healthy. Keeping thin has important advantages in dealing with a bad back. But, I do know what you're saying about the brain not clicking in with that "I'm full" message like it did before. I too, had thought of stopping the Lyrica (or well, now its neurontin) but I NEED this medication to function...I think in the past I had been prescribed pain meds instead of Lyrica, however Lyrica/Neurotin deals more with the numbness pain I have but I still have other types of pain too. Plus-in order for me to get thru a work day I needed substantial medication, or else I would have needed to stop working a long time ago. I worked until I absolutely couldn't anymore. I think though, that in "masking" the pain with meds, I probably did more damage. Lyrica/Neurontin does not produce the same results as pain meds and therefore I am less likely to do more structural damage. But I too, have been grateful for the functionality and am now trying to adjust my self-image rather than stop the meds entirely. I also understand the frustration, depression and all the other stuff.

Thanks so much for your post, you helped me today in not feeling so alone!

~Mari Lynn

vickie bouten

7/13/08 7:57pm

I'm glad to know I'm not out there fishing for answers and help all alone! I'm not sure if we could start a forum on this website to chat about pain and weight gain but if anyone is interested in chating in a group setting email me and we can set it up in messenger or yahoo or what ever. my email address is vickiebouten@hotmail.com. We can get a general idea of where and when we should meet and go from there. I think it would be great if we could all talk and give each other advice and support in a realtime setting even if it is over the internet!

I am starting a food journal tomorrow to see just what I am eating and if it gives me any insight into the weight gain (okay fear and loathing at that idea who wants to see in writing that they eat none stop!) I'm going to do this for a few weeks and go from there.

I have lost about three pounds in the last week or so but I don't know if that is from not eating much or the fact that I stopped taking the Lyrica. I hate to admit it but if I don't take the Lyrica I have to take more pain meds which I admit I did for a day or two only one mind you! to control the shocking and pins and needles. I don't want to get into that rut so I'm going to have to find a happy medium between the two.

My lovely supplemental insurance UNICARE (which sucks if you have it) won't cover Lyrica because I don't have fybramoliga (sp) and they will only okay it if you have what is covered from the FDA. How dumb is that I finally find a drug that will help the neuropathy and I can't get coverage for it! I swear insurance companies only care about themselves no matter what they advertise. Luckily my doc has a whole cupboard of samples and gave me about two months worth. I will probably go back to taking them at night so I can sleep without the leg pain. Sleep now that is a concept!

I hope that everyone that wrote in reads this post because I want to thank you all so much for writing in. I would love to talk with all of you again. Thanks again.

We can get through all of this with laughter and weight loss or at least accepting of not losing it if we stick together and keep talking!

love to all of you

Vickie

pain and weight gain

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