I have belonged to 3FC since Januray and love,love,love it. I have not been on plan as much lately due to travels and other family activities but have stayed with my calorie counting and have not gained a pound. Now though I have a problem...
In 2005 I had surgery for a ruptured disc in my neck and have a titanium plate in there. It was very succesful and no problem. Until now. I think due to lifting kettle bells wrong I have really messed myself up. I am in constant pain, radiating down my shoulder and arm and get horrible head aches. My MRI this week shows another rupture with bone fragments that are disfiguring my spinal cord. I stay on pain meds and have not been able to work out though I do try to walk. My surgery will be the first week of September and I don't know how the recovery will go. I am so afrain of gaining the weight back I have lost!!! I am starting to feel so depressed because I can't do things with my family and take care of myself properly. I know this is long but please pray for me and give me tips on how to stay active or on plan. I try to stay off of the percocet but then I am crying and have to take it and then I am in the recliner for the rest of the day. Why me? AND I turned 50 yesterday and really wanted to look great for that but....
Thanks for listening to my whining. I just feel so awful.

At least you are still posting. You know how many friends you have here. Blessings for what looks to be a rough and rocky road.

The only thing I can say about maintaining your loss is to continue to eat OP.

Keep in touch here every day you can.

You are definitely in my prayers

Oh goodness my heart goes out to you.. It sounds like you're having a really hard time. Just remember that god will not put you through anything you can't handle. You are strong and have already come so far! You can get through this. Just try your best to keep up with the calorie counting, and worry about exercise when your body is healthy and strong enough. We're here for you

Please don't be so hard on yourself. We all do the best we can. I would try to trust God through all of this, He is with you and understands your pain(both physically and emotionally). I will keep you in my prayers!

A tip about pain management: Do not try to "stay off the Percocet." It's really important to stay ahead of the pain. If you wait until you're crying, you may not be able to get relief as quickly. So take it as directed. This is not the time to be trying to "tough it out."

The important thing right now is that you eat nutritious foods. Don't slide back into junk foods or overeating carbs. Stick with balanced nutrition to support your body. Be sure you are eating enough protein.

It will be hard to get an accurate weight for awhile because you could be retaining water from meds. But as long as you are eating right and tracking your foods and keeping within your range, you should be fine.

I hope you get well soon! Hang in there!

Jay

one thing I am concerned about is why are your bones so brittle? you are not that old. Are you on any HRT?? If you are and you do not have any progesterone supplementation I would suggest you see a natural doctor to discuss this. You could just start taking progesterone cream yourself. But that might seem too radical to you. Estrogen helps prevent bone loss. But Progesterone actually helps build bone. Here is a link to a google book with some of that information. You will definitely be in my prayers.

http://books.google.com/books?id=j9d...age&q=&f=false

I am in total agreement with Jayell. Also, now is the time to put the 80% diet into action. As long as you remain faithful on your eating plan, you should not gain weight. My prayers are with you.

Hi hon!
First, a bit about pain. Pain is its own creature -- the current thought is that pain becomes chronic because it establishes its own "pathways" and takes on a life of its own, kind of like its own electrical circuit if you will. And this is why you need to break the circuit soon -- to prevent it from becoming chronic and nagging. Take the meds prescribed. You won't become an addict (unless of course you have a history of previous addiction, in which case you need to speak to your MD about pain management). Addiction is DIFFERENT from physical dependancy, and taking Percocet WON'T make you an addict. You will be able to withdraw from the meds without issue, IMHO. So take the darn meds if you need!

Second, 85% of your results will be directly due to DIET. So don't worry about the exercise. Worry about the diet. And make sure that you are getting the PROPER nutrition to heal properly. Balanced -- protein, carbs, fat. The right amounts -- keep within your daily limits, but make SURE you are eating quality food.

SO, control your pain. Eat properly. You'll make it, PROMISE...



Kira

I agree with Kira. Chronic pain itself can lead to depression.Do not attempt to tough this out without narcotic analgesics.You will not win.Your body will tell you when you can attempt to back off the analgesics.I would guess you will need a surgical intervention here.Hang in there.

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom and support. It gave me much food for thought. I will take my meds as directed and I will have faith all will be better after the surgery. I am working on staying on plan. I am trying to keep it in the forefront of my mind so I don't slip up. I was feeling so wonderful and this just really threw me for a loop. I hate feeling helpless! Thanks for all your kind words and advice.

Ya, you can't control the neck issue. But you CAN control your reaction to it -- get out of pain, give your body a break, feed yourself for healing...

So you ARE totally in control, even if you don't feel like it!



Kira

Prayers ascending and listen to the chickies that have posted, they gave good advice.

Keep us posted on how you are doing!

Hi Buttercup,
We are almost b-day twins, I turned 50 on the 10th. Just hang in there and concentrait on getting through the next few months. I'm guessing after your surgery you will be having physical therapy. Let them teach you the safest wayfor you to exercise. They are pros at getting people back in shape. If you are not offered physical therapy then ask for it. They can give you things you can do that will not injure your neck again, and while some of the stuff might look so easy, lots of times it will kick your butt.
Good luck, and keep in touch, us Fabulous Fifties need to stick together.
Bette K