Hi there Another member of the MS club here. I am 49, and was dx in '08 with RRMS. I did ok for the first couple of years, but had TWO nasty relapses in '10 (April and September), and my cognitive issues and physical issues were such that I was able to get SSDI fairly quickly. I am happy to say that I haven't had any relapses since then . I've been on Avonex for the past year and a half and just switched to Tecfidera (BG-12) with no side effects after the first couple of days.
Trying to lose weight with MS is hard if you can't exercise like you should. I used to enjoy walking and dancing, now I do stretches on the floor with one of those big rubber balls, and I also have a stationary recumbent bike. Leslie Sansone and I used to be best DVD buddies, but I recently realized that I wouldn't be able to keep up with her ever again and it just makes me wistful, so I donated them.
I started a meal replacement diet yesterday as I just can't keep out of the goodies or do well with portion control. Now it's done for me, and I will stick with it for two weeks and see how it goes. Nice to "meet" you!
Hi, Shooting Star! Nice to see you here too! Your new med-is that the new thing on the market right now? My sister has been on tysabri for a few years, but it's very risky as she tested positive for the JC virus that, with tysabri, can lead to PML, so her doc wants to change her to the 'new med.' She's concerned about side effects, plus, her insurance doesn't want to cover it. She says she may just go off all the meds, as she has read recently that, after a certain age, the progression of the disease seems to slow up and even stop. I, myself, haven't ever taken any meds for my MS. Docs have always thought that the meds would have worse side effects than my symptoms and, now, my diet seems to be making things a lot better.
Anyway, glad you're here! We MS'ers seem to post here slowly, but it's nice to keep in touch and have someone who understands some of the issues related to the disease.
*wave* sup ya'll. been awhile. I'm still pluggin away MS and all.... i've had GERD for like a year now, which my dad has suffered from for 20+ years.... so I'm looking at getting a lot more serious about getting under 200 pounds. Since I'm so tall, I've been okay with my current weight... but GERD has been messing me with too long now, I'd really like to be able to eat spicy food and vinegar salad dressing again
Hi all, checking in here. I'm still plugging along doing the best I can. I need to get out and "walk" more, but when its over 90 degrees it's not so tempting. My job consists of sitting for 6 hours with a 5 minute break every hour, and oddly enough, I am TIRED when I leave.
Time flies so quickly between 3:00 pm and 10:00 pm, it's amazing. One wouldn't think it would take so long to put together a salad out of a bag and cook some chicken, but it seems to. Have a great evening!
Hi! I haven't been here in a while either. It's been a busy, busy summer, but now, DS2 is back to college and DS3's football season has begun, with school starting next week & I'm taking time to clean and organize.
Val-I've heard of some people actually using cider vinegar to treat their GERD. Don't know if it works or not. My DH has the problem, but he relies on OTC stuff and refuses to change his eating. I've also heard that eliminating wheat has helped many with the GERD symptoms. I know I never have indigestion anymore, but I never had a problem that was considered nearly as bad as full-blown GERD. I hope you find a way to deal with it. That's a really nasty thing to have to deal with all the time.
ShootingStar-I also have found 'sitting' jobs to be tiring. I think it actually has to do with focusing attention and the mind rather than physical activity or lack of. I also had a problem working 2nd shift and being tired alllllll the time. Hope the weather cools down for you soon so you can get out more and be comfortable. We've had some really unseasonably cool weather the last couple weeks and have been enjoying it immensely!
So, not much going on here right now. Shredding old paperwork of my dad's to free up some storage. It's taken me 3 years, but realized it was time to go through it and get the unnecessary stuff out of the house.
Sweetie and I are going to one of the local casinos for a little "staycation" and dinner tonight. I love the buffet, I can eat all the peel and eat shrimp and prime rib that I like, and the potatoes don't even tempt me We always feed a machine or two as well, who knows, we might win
The only thing I hate is the LOOOOONG walk through the casino pushing my rollator and hoping I don't biff it on the hard bumpy floor before I get there. I have figured out that it's easier for me to walk on the (very flat) carpet, so I do that any chance I get. Phil just rolls along on his scooter while I'm wishing that mine was easier to pack in the car. Oh well, I count it as exercise, so that's a good thing.
morning! I woke up with gerd symptoms at 5 am today. am trying some fat free yogurt to ease the symptoms now. I've heard about wheat too ronni - i love bread - but definitly aiming on stepping back from breads with starchy veggies. so far so good. I really dont want to suffer my entire life like my dad. I have some pretty heavy prescribed meds that turn off all acid production but the side effects of those arent something i'm willing to live with.
cruisin for a cause is today! all a & w's across canada will donate a dollar for each teen burger sold. the local restaurant is closed - so I wore last year's ms walk shirt to work happy #cruisinforacause every use of the hash tag on twitter equals an extra dollar donated!
how's it going ms'ers? I had gotten down seven pounds, but had a gerd flare (my brother tried to cook for me and nearly killed me with taco seasoning). back at er, finally.
Val-7 pounds down is great!! Keep it up! Hope that gerd settles back down for you. My DH has been having trouble again the last few weeks, but he hasn't been willing to make any changes--stubborn, stubborn man!
I've been having a flare up again and it's making me mad! I'm sooooo tired alllll the time! Not getting anything done around here at all. Seems to be all I can do to get meals fixed and cleaned up and a little housework. Plus, the itching and needle-stabbing pains are worse now than they've ever been. I keep thinking I may need to go back to my neuro, but just can't afford any more medical bills right now, so I keep putting it off.
Just recently dx'd with MS and am really struggling! I'm so tired all the time and some days barely get out of bed.
My biggest issue is that for over a month now I have not been able to have a bm on my own! I've been prescribed lactulose and miralax and still don't go every day. And I'm so bloated.
The constipation is really hurting my weight loss efforts. I get to the point that I can barely eat some days because it makes me nauseous, which the doctors said is normal since I don't go regularly.
I go to neurology on Thursday and am waiting on my gastro referral.
Any tips/pointers on dealing with MS constipation during weight loss? (Oh, I've been stuck in the 170's for several months now! UGH!)
RavenWolf-Welcome! And, yes, like you, I suffer almost constantly with constipation. After figuring out that I had an allergy to wheat & dairy, a referral to a gastroenterologist gave me a lot of information to help. First thing they found was that I'm also totally gluten intolerant, which can be autoimmune-related. So, that's one thing to check to try to become more regular. I had also developed a SIBO infection (google it-there's a lot of info about it out there), which is frequently caused by constipation. I've had to treat 3 times this year with the antibiotic used most frequently for it and have to avoid most raw vegetables. Also, the more wheat I ate, the worse the constipation got. Metamucil made it worse as well. So, the only thing the doc recommended for keeping regular, besides the dietary modifications, was Milk of Magnesia, at least 2 tablespoons twice a week. When I'm having a flare up, I have to take 2 tablespoons every day or I end up vomiting from lack of going. I hope this isn't too much info, but I know how horrible this problem is and it's taken me a couple years to find out what works for me.
RavenWolf-Welcome! And, yes, like you, I suffer almost constantly with constipation. After figuring out that I had an allergy to wheat & dairy, a referral to a gastroenterologist gave me a lot of information to help. First thing they found was that I'm also totally gluten intolerant, which can be autoimmune-related. So, that's one thing to check to try to become more regular. I had also developed a SIBO infection (google it-there's a lot of info about it out there), which is frequently caused by constipation. I've had to treat 3 times this year with the antibiotic used most frequently for it and have to avoid most raw vegetables. Also, the more wheat I ate, the worse the constipation got. Metamucil made it worse as well. So, the only thing the doc recommended for keeping regular, besides the dietary modifications, was Milk of Magnesia, at least 2 tablespoons twice a week. When I'm having a flare up, I have to take 2 tablespoons every day or I end up vomiting from lack of going. I hope this isn't too much info, but I know how horrible this problem is and it's taken me a couple years to find out what works for me.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Yes, I get nauseas and vomit from lack of going. Your body just knows when there is "no more room!"
I'm on Lactulose right now but have to mix it with prune juice for it to work just a little. And then I get awful gas pains and still don't have a complete bm!
I have been thinking of going gluten free and maybe I will have to take the plunge and go. But limit raw veggies? That's a tough one! I love veggie loaded salads!!!
Neuro appointment today, so I will also address this with him, since I don't even have the urge to go! It's not even that I'm straining to go, I just never even feel the need! There is a major disconnect going on and it's really freaking me out!
Thank you for sharing your experience! Yes, I get nauseas and vomit from lack of going. Your body just knows when there is "no more room!"
I'm on Lactulose right now but have to mix it with prune juice for it to work just a little. And then I get awful gas pains and still don't have a complete bm!
I have been thinking of going gluten free and maybe I will have to take the plunge and go. But limit raw veggies? That's a tough one! I love veggie loaded salads!!!
Neuro appointment today, so I will also address this with him, since I don't even have the urge to go! It's not even that I'm straining to go, I just never even feel the need! There is a major disconnect going on and it's really freaking me out!
Bleh...
I'm sure that not feeling the urge is an MS issue. I get that sometimes, less now that I'm struggling with the constipation. Mine used to be that I never felt the 'urge' until I needed to be very near a restroom about 3 minutes earlier! Always running for a seat, you know Now, it's, usually, not always, the sluggish bowel issues. I do miss the salads, too, but found that all those raw veggies make the sluggishness worse, which then leads to the SIBO, which makes the sluggishness and bloating MUCH worse, which leads to……..It's just a vicious cycle. I seem to be eating more Paleo now even though I never intended that to be my healthy-eating plan. I've switched to almond flour and coconut flour instead of the usual gluten-free stand-by of rice flour, as the rice flour, but not rice itself, make the constipation issues worse. Hoping that once I get all systems functioning optimally again, I'll get off this plateau I've been stalled on for the last 6 months.
Let me know what your doc says-I'm interested if they're suspicious of SIBO, as some of your symptoms, especially related to lactulose, sound very familiar. Best wishes!
Another one with Multiple Sclerosis trying to lose weight!
Hello-- I rejoined this forum to get support and see if there is anyone else dealing with MS. I found this thread but no one posted in a while.
I am 47, need to lose 40 lbs (more or less) and have been losing the same weight over and over. I dropped a jean size (yeah!) using WonderSlim and counting calories. Not easy for me.
I am toying going back to WS or Medifast and needed some opinions. I am on a tight budget since I can't work anymore (I am 47, had MS since 1989, SPMS now) -- I do best with simple, don't think about it. I saw a thread in the forum about tricks to save money or coupons. Any other input? I am trying to do WW Smart Start (or whatever it is called... MS brain fog) and I cannot stick with it, I get lazy.
And yes, dieting with MS between exercise issues and for me keeping up with water when I get bathroom issues, is not easy!!! For me, the issue usually is needing to pee often, a few times I have had the other issue. I always make sure i take a fiber supplement because the walking or exercising as much as I should affects things
Hi there! I just joined today, and I was diagnosed with MS in 2011. I was 170 lbs before I was diagnosed and then they placed me on Copaxone and gained weight slowly but surely. I always swore that I would start working out if I ever reached 195lbs. The Copaxone wasn't doing it's job, and all I was doing was gaining more and more weight. I quit smoking and didn't gain any extra weight, but I was sitting at 204 lbs after being smoke free for over a year so now is the time. I get up at 5:15 am every morning, and if I am lucky enough to be able to walk, I go to my gym at work and walk at least a mile. I am using MyFitnessPal app on my iphone to keep track of all of that, but happened on this site when I was looking for SBD recipes.
How long have you had MS?
Another member of the MS club here. I am 49, and was dx in '08 with RRMS. I did ok for the first couple of years, but had TWO nasty relapses in '10 (April and September), and my cognitive issues and physical issues were such that I was able to get SSDI fairly quickly. I am happy to say that I haven't had any relapses since then 
. I've been on Avonex for the past year and a half and just switched to Tecfidera (BG-12) with no side effects after the first couple of days. 
We always feed a machine or two as well, who knows, we might win 
Now, it's, usually, not always, the sluggish bowel issues. I do miss the salads, too, but found that all those raw veggies make the sluggishness worse, which then leads to the SIBO, which makes the sluggishness and bloating MUCH worse, which leads to……..It's just a vicious cycle. I seem to be eating more Paleo now even though I never intended that to be my healthy-eating plan. I've switched to almond flour and coconut flour instead of the usual gluten-free stand-by of rice flour, as the rice flour, but not rice itself, make the constipation issues worse. Hoping that once I get all systems functioning optimally again, I'll get off this plateau I've been stalled on for the last 6 months.
For me, the issue usually is needing to pee often, a few times I have had the other issue. I always make sure i take a fiber supplement because the walking or exercising as much as I should affects things 
