My rough patch - UPDATE 27th February - YouLookFab Forum

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My rough patch - UPDATE 27th February

anchie

Veteran

I mentioned that I am going through some rough patch recently in the main forum and want to explain/vent more. It is mostly health related. I had awful dental surgery that I am still recovering from. The area still feels numb and uncomfortable but I hope that it will get better with time. My lower back pain and sciatica is back with vengeance and I am in physical therapy at the moment. I haven’t seen any improvement yet and not being fully mobile is affecting my mood. And I am getting worried about my weight loss. Even though I have reached my target weight goal a while ago and I am not actively trying to lose more weight, it is still dropping at steady speed at 1kg per month. Even things I bought in Seattle are starting to feel loose and will probably require little nip soon and what I bought as recently as September is a size too big now. I have done some blood work, checked my hormones, thyroid and sugar but everything came back normal
, menopause not in sight. Not sure if I should check for more or wait to see if my weight will eventually stop going down.

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45 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Anonymous

Oh no Anchie! Sorry to hear- hugs!

Sisi

Veteran

Sorry to hear this Anchie. I wish you to feel better soon. What does your doctor say about the weight loss? I would check for more.

anchie

Veteran

She doesn’t seem very concerned but recommended doing colonoscopy which is part of regular check up after age 50 here. She gave me contact but I haven’t made appointment yet.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Best wishes for solid medical advice/care and getting better, and rid of pain.

Chris987

Veteran

Wow that's a lot to have on your plate. I would imagine the dental issues will resolve with enough time. You are wise to keep watch on the weight loss, which does seem unusual if you are doing nothing to encourage it. Do you normally lose weight when under stress?

What I can definitely commiserate with is the enormous energy drain that goes with constant pain. I had a severe muscle spasm in my back over a year ago and things have still not entirely healed, so I have some amount of pain almost every day. It just sucks the life out of you, and on top of that you usually end up feeling depressed about how many things you cannot do, which just makes it worse. I too am working with a phys therapist and may find that I have to do certain exercises 2x a day for the rest of my life...I would be totally happy if that works to resolve things but it has not happened yet.

Take it easy and try to be good to yourself. It's so difficult to have to realize that we are not always in control of our bodies.
xxxxooo

rachylou

Veteran

Oh dear! Sending good vibes your way...

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh no, that sounds so uncomfortable, and concerning. I hope you feel better soon!

Sisi

Veteran

Anchie, sorry if I sound nosy and annoying, but do also a gastroscopy.

Tina

Veteran

This sounds more like a crisis than a rough patch! Severe back pain is debilitating and pain meds will wreak havoc in the long run. The weight loss makes sense to me given what you have been through and continue to experience. You are unwell. My husband has had severe back pain many times in his life. It is life changing.
I am not downplaying the weight loss, not at all, i can just see why it may be happening. Having tests done to rule out other factors is wise, however that is also stressful and time consuming. Mobility is a very real dilemma when you are constantly in pain.
I just had a tooth pulled several months ago (they called it a complicated extraction), it took weeks to recover! Sometimes we are taken by surprise when our bodies don’t bounce back the way we would like them to. It takes a lot of energy to heal while at the same time our appetite is not what it should be due to the pain.
Hang in there and I wish you continued recovery!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I am so sorry to hear this!

I agree with Tina and others that the weight loss might be connected to stress from the sciatica and other pain. Have they also checked into digestive disorders/food sensitivities? I'm glad you're in PT and hope that starts making you more comfortable soon. I don't know anything about the Austrian health care system--hope they want to get to the bottom of this, and not just get you ok enough that you keep quiet.

Hope you can have cozy, not overly active or stressful holidays!

taylor

Veteran

Anchie,
Please hang in there. I recently (August ) had major abdominal surgery , and dropped a significant amount of weight (for me). I understand , I was actually terrified . It was truly a result of pain and stress.
Your body is going through a lot of stress right now . Pain is also another factor . And the fear of there being something else wrong also creates stress. It becomes a vicious cycle .

I agree with others who say pain is debilitating...it truly stresses the body like nothing else . Continue seeing your Doc’s and I wish you all the very best in resolving this !
Feel free to PM me .

anchie

Veteran

I am sorry to hear that others are going through similar painful issues, it sucks. Chronic pain is the worst and it really affects quality of life.
I am trying hard to stay positive and convince myself that my weight loss is only result of my dental issues when I could not properly eat for days. That is why I am hesitant to make additional examinations even though my dr told me that she would recommend the same thing regardless of weight loss - that it is just smart and recommend thing to do at my age.
I am in minority here that don’t have social health insurance but private one. And doctors here love private insurance- when I mention that I have one - I usually get appointment the same day, otherwise I would have to wait at lest few weeks. But then I am never sure when they prescribe additional tests and procedures- is it just to get more cache from me. I am not saying that this is case now, just my previous experience.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So sorry to hear this, Anchie. Dental pain and back pain both at once?! Yikes. That is hard. I wonder if the dental issues are also contributing to continued weight loss?

My own experience when I lost quite a lot of weight was that I did continue to lose for a while even after adjusting simply because my metabolism had changed somewhat. But eventually it leveled out (and then went up again, over time, and with decreased activity ha! Now I'm getting ready to set my goals again.)

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I'd definitely get the colonoscopy-my husband's weight loss was due to previously undiagnosed celiac disease.
So sorry you have so many things to heal from. Pain sucks.

Helena

Veteran

Anchie, I'm so sorry to hear this. What a lot of stress, and why do things always happen in threes? Isn't one problem at a time quite enough?

Sending hugs as you work through all of this. xoxo

JAileen

Veteran

I’m so sorry. I hope things improve for you, very soon.

Sal

Veteran

My best wishes to you in this tough time.

I too think get a test done - better to find out and hopefully put your mind at rest.

Style Fan

Veteran

I am so sorry to hear this, Anchie. This is a lot to deal with all at once. Having chronic pain is very draining. I have been there. All my best to you.

SarahD8

Veteran

Oh no, Archie, I’m sorry to hear this! Like some others upthread I wondered if the weight loss could be related to the dental pain. I am glad you are getting more tests. I hope they rule out serious causes and your back and mouth pain resolve soon!

anne

Veteran

Sorry to hear about all this Anchie. I hope you get some answers re the weight loss and diminution of pain.

RobinF

Veteran

Oh no, sorry you are going through this! Back pain is not fun and to have dental pain at the same time - yikes! Definitely get the tests done, at least then you'll know either way.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Stress is one of the biggest reasons for back pain I think - I wonder if you can maybe get a full body massage (maybe schedule a couple of them, one each week)? Also, you could start logging what you are eating for a couple of weeks to make sure you are getting enough calories/nutrition.

Castor oil packs and heat can be very soothing and many say also healing for your back. Get good quality pure castor oil, put it on a soft cloth - apply it to the sore spots and cover with plastic or an old towel, then lay on the heating pad for 20 mins. once a day.

And of course look up
Stretches for Sciatica Pain Relief

and you might find some you can do to relieve some of the tension and pain.

I remember when one of my doc's was persistent about the need for a
colonoscopy, but then when I asked when he last had his, he turned red
and had to admit he had not had one ever (he was slightly older than
me). It does make me pause that the doctor himself didn't want to have it done.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Oh, Anchie, I'm sorry to hear about your pain. It is bound to get better, with your efforts to seek the right care. I'm sending healing thoughts your way.

Eliza

Veteran

Sorry to hear this. Lots to navigate at once. Most dental procedure pain resolves with time, yet sometimes there is something further going on that the dentist can address. I am hoping you have been reassured that things are on the right track. Best with your back, too. I know how brutal that can be. Hang in there.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Back to say when you do get this figured out, please let us know what’s causing the weight loss.

About the sciatica—do you maybe have scoliosis like your daughter? My dad and niece do, and now my son has been given a referral to check for it, so it seems to run in families.

The Cat

Veteran

Anchie, you have my sympathy. I know how painful dental surgery can be. And a few months ago, I suffered from terrible back pains, the worst I've ever experienced. However, back massage by professionals (and initially, mild/moderate pain killers) have helped a lot.

Could it be that your weight loss is caused by lost appetite because of dental surgery? If so, nutritional drinks might help.

Weight loss can also be a result of too much stress. I just read an interesting article series with advice on how to find relief of stress. I hope you too will find it helpful. Here is the link: https://www.jw.org/en/library/.....0-mar-apr/

Warm hugs and best wishes.

nemosmom

Veteran

Ugh, Anchie! I am so sorry to hear you are going through this. Chronic pain can be so debilitating; hope you find some answers soon! Sending you big hugs and get-well vibes! xx

Bijou

Veteran

Anchie, so sorry to hear this. I can remember once getting very sick and losing so much weight, it had me worried, it is a scary situation. I hope the doctors get it resolved quickly.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Hi Anchie. I’ve been having a similar experience with back pain. I started getting back pain in June and haven’t had a pain free day since. I agree with Chris that it really sucks the joy out of life. Because it’s gone on for so long, I’ve been struggling with stress and depression wondering if it will ever get better. I now have intermittent stomach pain, which I strongly suspect to be a stress induced by-product of the back pain. If it continues, I may have it investigated further down the track. And I’ve lost 7 kg (definitely stress related for me because my appetite has been affected).
I’m on to my third therapist, and feeling a little more hopeful and positive going into Xmas. My advice on the back pain is:
*If it is not getting better, think about seeing someone else. Different practitioners use different protocols. And different protocols work for different people. Backs are complex. I did see a chiropractor. Now I’m seeing a physiotherapist. So far I prefer the physiotherapist treatment protocol.
*Stay as active as you can. Moving is good for us, physically and mentally.
*I found videos posted on YouTube by “Bob and Brad” (American physical therapists) helpful. They have a lot of stuff on back pain.
Good luck with it, and with your other issues. I am very sympathetic.

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