I'm getting my motivation to lose weight purely for the pain relief it will afford. I've got a prolapsed disc L5 which is causing my muscles to go into spasm, and has severely restricted mobility for a while. Not to mention being very painful indeed! I've noticed that since losing just 8 kgs the pain is much more manageable - imagine how much better it will be when all the fat is gone!

I'm also asthmatic, have ulcerative colitis (evil bowel disease) and have PTSD/ depression. What a lovely combination. I'm on disability for it all, but intend to get off it within the next 2 years.

Hopefully losing weight will make all these conditions easier to manage.....

Gosh, I wish I could give everyone here a big (gentle!) hug.

I can certainly relate to a lot of you, as I have a few issues of my own. It's all been a lifelong struggle, and it makes losing weight so difficult. Interestingly, once I hit my 30's (I'm almost 32), the weight loss became even harder - makes me mad at myself for waiting this long to do something about it.

I have had Crohn's disease since I was 11, and got an ileostomy at age 15 because of it. I battle the disease daily, and I really have to watch what I eat because I have to take extra special care now that I only have small intestines left! And, as with most autoimmune diseases, they tend to come in multiples, especially when you start at such a young age! So, I also have RA (focused mainly in my feet, hands, hips, back, and knees. My knees also have degenerative cartilage and tissue loss - I was told total knee replacement is in my future, probably in my 40's. So, I neeeeed to lose weight!

I also have hypothyroidism, fibroids, and clinical depression - bleh.

But, I know my weight loss will help a ton to alleviate some symptoms with several (if not all) of my issues, and I get mad at myself and beat myself up on a regular basis for letting myself get this big.

I have incorporated more exercising into my days for the last two weeks, and I feel pretty good from it, except for my knees. But, I am pushing through - I figure if I'm going to have to have my knees surgically corrected someday, I may as well push myself through the pain now and worry about fixing it later!!!

Good luck to all of you - I truly hope everyone gets some relief very soon!

In March 09 I had anterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery on l4/l5.
I have degenerative disk disease, spondylolisthesis, spondolyosis, retrolisthesis.
I started using the wii fit a couple of months after surgery and am now healthy/strong enough to take some cardio classes at my local YMCA.
I am happy that I can mostly keep up with the class and that it is not obvious to observers that there is something 'wrong' with my spine.
Exercising when you have physical limitations is rough but I just do as much as I can

my back and my feet, can't have a job where i have to stand up all day, can't find a job where you don't, can't go to a doctor without a job to have a paycheck to pay the bills. so thats basically why i am here, one thing i am looking forward to losing weight is to be able to get a job. even if its a crappy nasty fast food job, which i tried 10 years ago, a lot lighter, couldn't do it then.
and then i have depression, but really who doesn't! lol.. i think i have borderline personality disorder, i have thought that for years, and then my sister was diagnosed, i found some of my moms old medical junk, and she was also diagnosed..so im thinking i probably do and the therapist that i had was not the greatest. i even had a girl at my old job..we were just talking she had just started working there, like that day, but we hit it off, and out of the blue she said you have borderline don't you....umm lol..

but compared to some of you other members, i have nothing to complain about.

Hi,

I am 34, on mental disability for my mental issues too, in addition have fatty liver, iron deficient anemia, hypothyroidism, gerd, minor arthritis in my ankle, asthma, migraines.

You're not alone!

Thinking of ya

First, to everyone!

I am 38. I injured my back in December 2005.

T5 plate fracture that damaged pain receptors and nerves.
T4-T7, facet joint damage
L4 and L5 vertebrae shifted out of 'proper' alignment requiring surgery.
Thoracic & Lumbar - DDD, arthritis
mild scoliosis and hypo-kyphosis (thoracic spine is too straight from the side)
insomnia (13 years)
depression associated with injury

It's difficult for me to exercise. I cannot sit, stand, move around, or lay down for extended periods of time.

For a little over 4 years, I went through facet blocks, epidurals, numerous pain medications / doses, tens units, PT, etc...without much relief. The biggest relief that I have found is a combination of acupuncture, yoga (modified for my physical limitations), and pain medication.

Best wishes to all of us! Here's to kicking our obstacles butts!

but I focus on what I can do

Same here.

Since I made myself stop thinking about all of the "can'ts". I have been a much happier person.

3 years ago I injured my shoulder and upper torso so badly that I couldn't walk or breathe without pain. It pretty much brought my life to a screeching halt, because virtually all of my activities were physically based... climbing, hiking, running, yoga, horseback riding, etc. It was really, really hard for me to cope with the pain and everything when I had no physical outlet.

Since I was active my metabolism was super high, and I didn't think to adjust my diet when I became sedentary. So, I gained 40 pounds. Then I couldn't lose it because I couldn't exercise. I could diet, and that helped me feel better, because I healthier, but I was still all soft and squishy in places that I didn't even have before (back fat, anyone?).

Now I've decided that the pain is just a minor inconvenience compared to the health benefits of getting back in shape. I can whine and hurt, or I can die young from some horrible disease caused by obesity. So, I ignore the pain as best I can and just power through.

~~~~My blog (follow me! please?): The Waif Cometh