[SnowboundChick]

I've heard that loss of libido is a problem for some overweight people. There's another to add to the list.

I sometimes wonder if this is my problem. But i tend to think it's being tired from having two very active little boys to run after all the time.

[nelie]

I think I have the opposite problem Susan, I have too much libido... I've had to learn to temper it a bit.

As far as medical issues:
I've had back problems which were fixed through chiropractic visits
I have knee problems but recently taking glucosamine has helped those
I have PCOS which I think will be alleviated through weight loss

I think that is all

[Less of Lena]

Let's not forget that slender people have these problems, too. They are not solely the issues of the overweight. In addition, there are many overweight people who sufffer none of the above.

I have NO diabetes, blood pressure is great, cholesterol is normal, no joint problems, etc. etc. etc., even though many of those things run in my family, among both the overweight and the slender. In addition, I rarely catch colds (last was 2003, I think) and I'm nearly always upbeat and chipper. Aside from being overweight, I'm basically healthy.

If it were simply a matter of "You've got <insert medical issue here> because you're fat and don't exercise", then slender people and chronic exercisers (not necessarily the same people, by the way) wouldn't have any of these issues.

Problems may be exacerbated by excess weight, but, in my opinion, are not "necessarily" always caused by it. It's easy to blame the weight for all problems because it's so darned visible and it's a socially acceptable answer.

[Jenaya]

PCOS
Fatty Liver (which many overweight people have but don't know about...it can lead to cirrhosis although rare)
Miscarriage
GERD

[ProudNan6]

I am suffering from several weight related issues as follows:

Sleep Apnea
High Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Acid Reflux
High Cholersteral

I have a CPap machine and my sleep Dr. told me if I lost weight the sleep issue would go away, but if I gain wieght back it will return. Sleep Apnea is a deadly health problem. It is compared to SIDS in infants. It takes years from your life if left untreated. It puts a strain on your heart. Please remember me in your thoughts I have to loose this weight. I have 6 beautiful grandkids and 3 sons and daughter-in-laws and a wonderful husband to live for!

[glynne]

I didn't used to have the medical problems I do now ~ but age and the weight aggravating those problems ~ it has all kind of caught up with me. Before all these things happened to me, I thought I had all the time in the world to take care of it. I wish now that I had taken care of it before I had these things that make it more difficult to lose the weight. I guess that is why I hope that the younger ones will help themselves now before it catches up with them.

[DishyFishy]

I was chatting with a doctor friend of mine yesterday, and I was telling him about the wicked chest and stomach pains (plus a heap of other symptoms) I've been having for a few months.

Whilst he urged me to see my own doc (haven't got one yet ), he reckons it sounds awfully like a gallbladder problem, very possibly linked to my recent weight loss. Ironic, eh?

[LakeGirl]

I have seen drastic increase in medical problems for myself the last two years:

Sleep apnea (I now use a CPAP which is OH so attractive

Really bad knees....I can hear them creak as well as feel them ache when going up stairs.

A very active bladder (I assume this over activity is due to weight. Don't know if anyone can clarify that or not)

Heel spurs

Shortness of breath

Cysts

a very painful lower back in the mornings

Mood swings from **** up to two weeks before my TOTM....I've been on Zoloft for two years because of it.

You know what really floors me though and I know that there are some of you here in the same boat....I have absolutely no idea what it feels like to be thin. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. Granted, I have been less overweight in the past compared to where I am now, but it hard to only be able to imagine what thin must feel like.

[buckettgirl]

Gallbladder attacks/gall stones

This has been by far my biggest issue, I have avoided surgery, and the attacks happen less frequently. I didn't even know that is what the pain was until I was so sick I threw up and had to go to ER. After I found out it was a gallbladder attack, I realized I'd been having them for the past 3 years or so, just not very severe. I don't know that it is weight related per se, but it does have to do with fat intake. I know that people who lose alot of weight very often suffer from gallbladder attacks (my dad had them for about a year after he lost over 100lbs on Optifast, then they went way).

My knees used to hurt - that was one of my wake up calls... I knew I was fat, but I didn't think it was that bad. Although I am the same weight as when I found that out (over a year ago), I am much more physically fit and exercise regularly. Since I started exercising, I have no knee problems.

My blood pressure runs slightly higher than "normal" and it didn't always. I run about 128/88; I used to stay around 112/80 when I was about 280lbs.

I consider myself extraordinarily lucky that I don't have any major health issues due to my weight. My blood pressure is stable, my resting heart rate is lower, i have no issues with blood sugar or insulin (after meals, my blood sugar level is around 90), and my back has never bothered me.
I just have to remind myself that this will not always be the case if I don't change my ways and lose the weight.

[DishyFishy]

Originally Posted by buckettgirl

I know that people who lose alot of weight very often suffer from gallbladder attacks (my dad had them for about a year after he lost over 100lbs on Optifast, then they went way).

Interesting. If that's what my pains turn out to be, they'd better go away of their own accord. I don't "do" surgery!

[Bifocals]

I was particularty touched by those who wished they could tell younger obese women to deal with it "NOW".
At 58 I'm in the worst shape of my life. Arthritic knees, ankylosing spondylitis in my back. Pain each and every day. No energy, low self-esteem, etc, etc, etc. Thank God I don't have diabetis or cancer. Was checked for those recently. But I take BP med.
It may not be a 'medical' side effect per se to being obese, but I find the heavier I am, the more disconnected I feel to my 'self'.
From being able to walk 3 miles or more just a few years ago, I'm disabled and need to start from (less than) scratch.
The only thing that gives me any hope is that I pray and ask God to help me. He has in the past.
Bifocals

p.s. would appreciate some pointers on changing my screen I.D. and learning how to add the weight graph.
Thanks.

[ladybugfun]

Gallstones-me
massave heart attack-grandpa
High blood pressure-mom and dad
Asthma-me
always tired-me
allergeys-me
back pain-me
high colesterol-mom
heartburn-me
idigestion-me
acid reflux-me It is the worst! It is so scary. I wake up in a dead sleep choking and gasping for air because I inhaled some stomache acid. It really burns your throat. (SORRY TMI) If that isnt a good reason to lose the weight I dont know what is. It had better go away!!!

When I was pregnate with #1 I had borderline gestational diabetes
with #2 I got preclampsea(SP) after he was born bad.

I also want to add on the health care issue, When I went in a few months back to have my gallbladder removed, The doctors were foriegn and kept comenting on my weight. It was very embarrising and degrading. I hated it. I thought it was rude. Like it was my fault I had gallstones and how gross that I was so fat. Just wanted to add that I agree the doctors need to change there attitudes about overweight people. Its not like I asked to be overweight. Well that is for another thread LOL. I could go on and on.

[LakeGirl]

Those of you who mentioned wanting to warn younger women against obesity made me remember a circumstance from several years ago. My best friend (also overweight) and I were in a restuarant for lunch and sitting across from us was a little girl (maybe 7 or 8 years old) and her (we think) grandmother. The little girl was eating fresh strawberries and obviously loving them. The grandma then takes one from her and says, "Let me show you how to make it taste really good!" Grandma then proceeds to open a sugar packet, pour it out on the plate and dip the strawberry into it to give it to the child. My friend and I were heartsick. Habits are so often established when we are young and what message was grandma giving to this sweet little girl?

[kittymuse]

Originally Posted by christineu

The big issue I have with medical problems & weight is when doctors assume every problem we have is a result of our weight. I know things have been overlooked, and ultimately diagnosis & treatment delayed because they didn't even consider another alternative in my case numerous times.

I totally hear you on this one! I've been lurking in the forums for a week or so, and I had to register to give my 2c. on this! In March of 2005 I started having major stomach and back pain that would wake me up around 3am, about once a month. I was so scared the first time it happened. The attacks would last for 6 to 8 hours - the worst pain I have ever experienced. I went to the doctor and she told me it was acid reflux. Now I probably do have GERD, but there is no way this pain was caused by GERD. Things got confusing because the attacks were not consistent and seemed to go away while I was on medication for GERD. The thing that makes me very very angry in retrospect is that she told me my problems would probably go away if I lost even 5 lbs. I was under so much stress and studying for exams and absolutely terrified about these pain attacks that would totally take me out for a day or so. Finally I got an ultrasound and they saw a stone. I had surgery in December and I have never been happier. I feel SO MUCH BETTER. If you have been suffering attacks, you might not even realize how much the gallstone is keeping you down. I was so tired all of the time (probably lack of sleep among other things) and food became the **enemy** as if it wasn't already. I normally love to cook, and I completely lost my enthusiasm. Why eat if it's just going to bite you back?

I'm not trying to push surgery on anyone... it's just my personal story.

I went through 9 months of pain because of that misdiagnosis. I think there was a combination of me not being loud enough about how much pain I was in, the doctor thinking it must just be GERD because I'm obese, and my symptoms being inconsistent.

Now that I got that taken care of, I'm finding it much easier to have the energy to exercise, and food isn't quite so scary anymore.

So: weight related health problems

gallstones - me, my mom, my uncle
knee pain - me, my friend
high blood pressure - my mom
high cholesterol - my dad
varicose veins - my mom and aunt
heartburn/reflux - me


I think that I tend to think the doctor knows more than I do, but I think we as patients need to be more insistent and stand up to them if they are dismissing our problems and not taking them seriously.

My knee pain is already going away now that I've lost some weight!

[Amy Blue]

Hello all,

Been away a while, but it's great to be back in such a positive atmosphere!

I suffer from a condition known as LIPODERMATOSCLEROSIS. In basic terms, it's sort of like the negative advancement of varicose veins - a venous problem. I have it real bad on my left ankle and it's just started appearing on my right one. It's unsightly and hurts like ****, but the worst thing is I was misdiagnosed for about a year and a half (my so-called doctor kept saying it was exzema when it clearly wasn't ) so it's worse than it should be. I have to wear compression socks which basically stop it from getting worse (worse meaning when the skin gets so hard and tight it ruptures causing an extremely painful ulcer that will require surgery and skin grafting to close).

Luckily, it's not a direct result of weight gain although my new doctor says that weight loss will 'relieve' the condition. So, if anyone out there has the slightest hint of varicose veins, get some compression socks immediately. Yeah, they're uncomfortable, but if my first doctor had given them to me early on it wouldn't be so bad now.

Okay, here are the symptoms:

Dark, scaly/itchy patches of skin on the lower ankle that get progressively hard to the touch

'Pinching' in of the skin around the ankle - sort of like your ankle looks punched in.

If you have varicose veins around the thigh or knee area you could be at risk.

Thanks for listening.