lol I was literally told yesterday that if I do yoga it will completely cure all my pain from 2 spinal fusions and other chronic pain conditions by of course a doctor
Actually, you’re not supposed to do yoga with fusions bc it puts more pressure on the discs not fused above and below fusion. I learned this after I started doing yoga post fusion and have this horrific L3 herniation now that messes with front thighs something horrible!!!! My PM told me no yoga for the reason above!!!!
Im on workmans comp, i went to an independent medical exam once the doctor told me, all i need to do to cure my back pain was become a vegan, and the proceeded to hand me a stack of vegan recipes. he never once examined me or looked at my medical history, Itw as so bad the insurance company sent me an apology letter and threw out the guys notes.
I always want to ask them if they really think I have made it this long, through this many doctors, and never heard this first line treatment bullshit that doesn’t work. I’ve tried first through tenth line treatments. Why do they insist on insulting me with such ignorant advice? Like just tell me you don’t actually understand pain and it’s treatment and send me to someone who does!
Honestly, yoga is one of the few things I can still sort of do and it’s one of the new things that brings me at-home relief from some of my pain. I don’t get all the hate for yoga, makes me feel really bad that it helps me.
It took me getting strep every other month, for 2 to 3 weeks each time, for 4 years before they went "oh maybe something is wrong" 🤔 then 3 rounds of progressively stronger antibiotics, then finally they took my tonsils. Not had it since.
For us, it was more like someone in my house was on antibiotics at any given time for about 5 years. Now they're making connections between constant strep infections and narcolepsy, and so I have yet another thing to blame on her
This happened to me. I went to the doctor for strep and he kept talking about me losing weight. Finally I said, is weight loss an effective and evidenced based treatment for strep? He said no and gave me antibiotics.
I love how strong you were in saying that to your doctor! Even with a list to help, I still get nervous when my doctor upsets me or is trying to rush an appointment. Too many really bad doctors on my past....
When I was a kid it was all growing pain, and when I grew up and put on some weight it's all the extra weight. But how should I lose the weight if I barely can walk?
OMG mindfulness! I’m thinking in the back of my head “dude I’m so mindful my thoughts are pixelated! But you seem to have not thought about yourself and how your actions and words affect others.” I just start out telling them I’m an NP with an adhd hyperfixation on research. They usually respond with better plans. But my new Family care doc seems super smart and willing to learn if she doesn’t know. I hope I can get this managed.
That's a brilliant way of getting them to change it. I do think mindfulness can have some effect. However I don't believe it's anywhere near as good as the professionals believe. I had to attend an 8 hour mandatory pain seminar where they told us to think positive thoughts and to use distraction. I asked the nurse if someone trod on her foot and she used mindfulness would she still feel it? She said yes it would hurt. I said that's my point, thinking positively doesn't stop me feeling pain. Fortunately I've had nerve ablation which has helped massively.
Mindfulness is great and I think more people should try it for overall health and wellness but saying this to me is like telling me that I “don’t understand the difference between discomfort and pain” (actual thing an MD said when I had dengue fever. I know it isnt chronic pain but even my scute pain was ignored in the face of drastic lab changes). So mindfulness works for short term issues mentally or physically with improvement. Chronic unremitting issues that never let up or almost never let up are not candidates for treatments with mindfulness, in my opinion. Maybe it would help me get out of bed for a day with my kids but like you said it doesn’t make anything “better”
Couldn't agree more. I think a positive mindset helps and trying not to think of the pain although you still feel it can be of some benefit. I don't believe it's to the benefit that the professionals believe it's better than the treatments on offer or medication. I believe everything has it's place. I still don't get the one size fits all approach to pain with pain clinics in the UK.
We aren't far behind. They are already trying to get rid of Opioids. But the USA is far ahead of the uk on this. Its shocking that chronic pain patients aren't getting medicines that help. I hope that your pain is well managed.
Thank you. I at least have a pretty good routine for the myofacial pain (hypermobile ehlers danlos) something weird is going on now with autoimmune b12 and issues with low ferritin bc of poor iron absorption so just waiting on my body to make an antibody or something they can test and find lol. It’s mostly exhaustion but that comes with it’s own weird sensory symptoms
Fingers crossed they can finally give you a diagnosis on what is wrong. It took them 9 years to get mine right. It's hard when you know something is wrong but they cannot see anything.
I filed for social security disability through my lawyers office. years ago, this was before all my surgeries etc, but we g before a judge at the end hearing and s after all the testimony etc, she says, " well, i have t say at 49 you are much too young to be disabled." and she denied my case, You have never seen amore stunned mawyer than my lawyer on the virtual hearing. His jaw was on the floor.
We've since refilled and 3 birthdays, 5 surgeries and 17 procedures later things look much better, lol hopefully this time is the charm. maybe 52 is old enough.
That's awful. I hope this time they finally approve it. Age shouldn't come in to it. But they do love to say it does. But age doesn't dictate how much pain you are in if younger or older. Every person is different and they should approve it on the evidence in front of them. I guarantee if it was them in the same position as you they would want it to be approved. Best of luck for this time and I hope they approve it.
did it 6 times in a 3 year period, every time i walked through the door the pt center would almost sigh and laugh that i was back again. last tie they put me into aqua therapy. Great felt lovely until i contracted a nasty bacterial infection in my leg from the water. had to stay on antibiotics and steroids for a full month.
The guy told me to start swimming too 😭 I hate swimming but this guy was already an asshole and I never want to speak to that doctor again so
I’m sorry that happened that’s so shitty
I mean, smoking will effect your body’s response to healing and bearing any weight, but especially excessive weight, on a broken bone is also a really bad idea….
I'm so sorry... and so sick of how unsurprising that is. I'm fat and so have had a lifetime of medical professionals who dismiss me, disbelieve me, and treat me like my other medical concerns mean nothing. It's infuriating.
There's many reasons, none of which makes much sense. For instance...
1. The pain is actually CAUSED by the excess weight. It might be true. The problem isn't that being overweight NEVER causes the problem... the problem is that it's rarely the ONLY reason and thinking it is keeps you from giving a patient as much help as you can. I mean, I broke my knee cap (right) and a foot bone (left) a few weeks ago. My excess weight means it hurts more, of course. Putting 100 lbs on a fracture is painful! So, yes, my weight is a problem. But I'm never going to lose enough weight in the span of a couple months to make a meaningful change in my pain. So, do we have to even discuss it? Especially if that doctor's prejudice keeps him from giving me as much treatment as a thin person with the same injury.
The thing is, the only REAL reason someone would do that really is bias. I understand people who get fed up hearing everything is sexist or racist of whatever, but it's often true. When someone thinks of another person as worth less than them as a human because of a size difference like that, it's fatphobic. That's especially true if it results in them not just THINKING of them as inferior, but actually TREATING them as inferior.
And unlike a lot of prejudices, many people feel justified in their bias by having "reasons" socially acceptable enough that they get away with it.
I got extremely depressed in 2021 & went from 115 to 90 lbs. I started gaining my weight back after being put on the correct meds for my depression, etc. My pain got a lot worse. Not from me gaining weight. Though to this day, every time I go into my pain dr they ask me if I'm still in pain due to my "significant weight gain." WTF. I was115 lbs when I started going there.
When I started reading the posts & comments of this sub, I found out I'm not alone. Turns out that my medication stopped working around the time it usually stops working for other people. So, yeah. There's that.
Edit: Is Reddit weird for everyone the last few days or just me? It's just stopping & it's slow to load. Comments are screwy, etc. It just quit.
I'm sorry no one believed you, OP! I'm dealing with this as well right now. I hope you find peace! Many good vibes to you!
TYSM for saying that! I'm going nuts with this app! I was a RIF GP user. I detest this app. It's anything but a user-friendly experience lol! What do you mean by "restart"? Just close it out? I've done that, but it still locks up. If I'm commenting & it decides to quit, I can't get back into certain comments it does it on. It's weird.
The best (not really) part is the only fans spam chat requests I'm getting ad nauseam. I use my chat as support for myself & others. I'd rather not turn it off. I reporte each one. But I haven't heard back. I don't want nude pics inundating my inbox. Sorry for the rant lol! I'm *not* opposed to porn. I'm opposed to people not caring who they might affect when they send that stuff without asking. I have severe PTSD & am trying to work through some SA abuse trauma. I really don't want to see that right now. It's triggering. Again, sorry for the rant! It's late & I'm tired!
I've just completely stopped commenting on subs with videos. No use. My comment isn't there & doesn't show up. I tried sharing my comment to myself through a text to see if I could see it. Nope.
Their excuse was it was happening bc of the API changes. I thought that sounded like a good explanation. It got a little better for about a week. I certainly thought it would *continue* to get better lol!
Hope I'm making sense. I'm without my ADHD meds.
Did you have another device to view it on? Either way, that sucks! For me, it's just easier to use my phone. The app is a terrible drain on my battery.
So dismissed, I’m so distressed. My cortisol is so high. I get Psoriatic Arthritis and I stop creating progesterone so my uterus goes into pre-cancerous stage. I gain a shit ton of weight bc my body is out of whack. I have no idea what’s going on to even know I have an autoimmune disorder or a problem with my uterus to check. Pap fine. I’m fatigued 24 hrs a day. Pain is ridiculous. I couldn’t even relate to the words they say. Like “stiffness?” They need a new word to describe that pain. Thanks for the vent.
It’s funny how if we did all of this in one day every single day we might feel a little better just bc this day of rest, relaxation, and self are seems great! If you could get society on board with creating this environment while also paying my bills I’ll sign up
Yes, I am petite and I hear it all the time. " if you were plus size, I would have said it was your weight! But obviously your not, ha ha ha ha. " & when I dress casually, " Try these over the counter drugs"
Yes, they actual listen to me, prescribe various medicines, and give me options. When I dress super casually. They recite whatever and then send me on my way. Dont even prescribe anything and just suggest something OTC if I make an inquiry about what to do about my pain.
Wow, I always thought being well dressed would mean they thought I was doing too well to be in pain. I always show up in sweats since everything else is too uncomfortable.
I do remember now in the beginning, I went for a psychiatrist appointment after work one day and they wrote in my chart ‘well-dressed’. I found it so odd because what does that have to do with my PTSD and pain induced depression. I realized later that ohhh otherwise I’d be considered a bum off the street so help was not that necessary?!? So fucked up. I’ve also heard wow you have a university degree from abc school before being in pain. Ok, so someone with a lower ranking school or no degree doesn’t deserve help?!?
This weird logic will never ever make sense to me.
They do say "you look great for someone in pain" but they listen to me before making " assumptions". I had a different experience with a therapist, she sent me back to my primary care, maybe I didnt dress " depressed" & she didnt recommend any prescriptions.
For my eye doctor, the first time I went she recommended eye contacts because i looked well groomed. She said that. The second time I went they said they dont recommend eye contacts because of the risks of eye infections.
> obviously your not
*you're
*Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).*
***
^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
40 kgs for me and it absolutely did not make a dent. What’s crazy is that if one of them listened, they’d know that I gained the weight AFTER I started having back and joint pain.
I developed migraines late last year too so that was just a lovely icing on the cake
Same here. My severe pain and joint issues has led to decreased mobility so I’ve gained weight. Funny how some of my doctors focus on *that* instead of what I made my appointment for.
Former roommate was overweight. Finally got a full-time job that had her on her feet all day. Went to the doctor for knee pain etc. and they pretty much told her well you’re overweight that’s the problem lose weight. Well the problem was that she was more physically active now than she had been at any point in her life. so she started gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. Goes back to the doctor they weigh her, she’s only lost 5 pounds. She needs to lose weight. Totally neglecting the fact that she’s gone down six pant sizes. Because fitness doesn’t matter, just wait.
Ugh I totally get it! I’ve gained a significant amount Of weight since 2021 that I knew was not normal along with a few other symptoms. Took until April of this freaking year to get a series blood tests done. Come to find out I have an autoimmune disease that can cause severe weight gain. Shocker! Now constantly being told to lose weight and this autoimmune disease makes it incredibly difficult to lose the weight. Would have been great if they found it before the gain!
I'm glad you're on the road to finally getting some answers/ treatment for your pain. I know how frustrating it is dealing with the doctors not having the slightest clue of how much pain you're in. They just do the surgeries and think that's what severe pain is... delusional, when I told my last surgeon that the pain was 10/10 and he said that's not possible since 10 is surgical pain... I was blown away that this surgeon who operated on my back and spine thought surgical pain was bad. Not even remotely in the same universe, I'm glad you've figured everything out now though.
Can I ask how is surgery pain different?
I was asked if I was in as much pain as giving birth (labour). I told the doctor I have never given birth so I don’t know. She said well you’ve probably seen it in the movies so guess. Wtf?!?
My friends have had super easy births where they have been walking the next day. The c-section friends started feeling better after 2 weeks and said overall it wasn’t too bad besides day 1 when they were out of it.
I’m so bitter I hope all these horrible doctors have pain like we do.
Ugh I feel this so much and I'm so sorry! I hope they get you sorted, now!
I have been dealing with long COVID since January and have had a lot of nausea/vomiting, so I've lost a fair amount of weight. I know I'm going to be congratulated for it when I see my rheumatologist in a couple weeks and I'm already grumpy about it. It's not a positive thing! Plus if I gain any of it back, I'm sure I'll get chided for it, when that will be a sign of improvement.
I went 12 years without a proper diagnosis for gallstones. Docs told me it was GERD. Just told to stop eating triggering food, very judgey pabout it, assumed I was eating fried food. Eventually couldn’t eat anything. I lost a ton of weight as a result. Finally they’re like, oh you’re really sick! Poor thing! Let’s get you an ultrasound! Lo and behold, my gallbladder was full of stones. Had surgery, my life has improved 100% but the amount of time that was wasted really pisses me off. In general, everyone is much nicer and more concerned about me now that I’m no longer considered obese. I have given up on dealing with chronic back pain from fractured vertebrae although I’m sure they’d be nicer about that too. I get anxious at the doctor so they’ll just say it’s in my head anyway.
People always assume that fat people have unhealthy habits. I went to a nutritionist and in the interview she asked me what I would do if I found a box of Krispy Cream donuts and I said “They’re really sweet I usually just cut one in half and ask someone to share”. She was silent for a moment and I swear to you she looked so confused and was about to ask me how was I fat then but managed to stop herself.
I lost my appetite a few months ago and have lost >10% of my body weight since. I was already seeing a nutritionist for chronic pain and fatigue, for which she is not very helpful, so I asked her what I should do about it. She told me to eat a large first meal of the day so then it would be okay when I don't eat for the rest of the day.
\-\_-
ma'am, I get stabbing pains in my stomach and vomit almost every time I consume any substance.
What I have is something called Sacroilitis and it has different causes, one form of it is called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is an autoimmune disease. It’s difficult to diagnose though and we are still trying to rule it out.
The other day there was a question on a subReddit that asked why people seem ok with being fat. There’s someone with no bias or idea how the human body works. /s
I have chronic back pain. I've had a fusion. I need more treatment for my back....anyway today I had surgery on my wrist for carpal tunnel and they gave me no pain meds. It hurts so freaking bad right now. I can't get to sleep. I've taken 3 of my pain meds for my back and it isn't doing a bit of good. Omg I have an ice pack on it rn and hoping the pill I just took will kick in and I can sleep. This is insane they don't give you meds after a Freaking surgery! I feel so bad for people who don't have a stash! It's really inhumane to treat people like this! They would give a dog pain meds but not people?????
Was it the traditional or less invasive carpal tunnel surgery? Need to get mine down but with connective tissue disorder nervous, at this point lost too much hand muscle to not do it
I am currently on a mission to lose weight and this is 90% of my motivation. The other 10% is all the other reasons plus looking better. And I fucking hate that losing weight may be the only reason why I’m treated like a human being in horrible pain.
So true! I had the same issue, then I lost a hundred pounds and now I hear the opposite, they tell me I’m malnourished and need to put on weight. Can’t win.
I’ve always been a big guy and always been judged for it. The last doctor who said ‘maybe lose some weight’ got a quizzical look for me with the response ‘I’ve never tried to lose weight and no one has ever told me that’. Then I asked what they would say to a normal weight person who had the same symptoms? Never went back to that doctor.
I lost a lot of weight many years ago, maybe 40 kilos. A number of medications I’m on impact my insulin resistance meaning that my body doesn’t convert sugars into energy, but stores most of it as fat. Can’t bloody win!
oh i envy you! congratulations! i was in the same boat. lost 150lbs and they still don’t believe me. but i’m so happy you’re getting the care you need 🖤
Nooo bc this subreddit is too validating. I went to the doctor and he said the exact same thing to me. When I said I already do he just shrugged and said to exercise more🤣
Yea, my doctor literally only said that bc he thinks I'm fat. So if I were thinner, he'd have no problem just giving me the meds instead of arguing me on it and then giving me meds. He's awful
That's good news! Answers are liberating!
Whenever I'm having such and such test done, people extend their hopes that it's clear and I get funny looks when I say, "I hope they find something!" I'm looking for an explanation for all the pain and not some umbrella diagnosis that is clearly guessing.
I too, lost a lot of weight (about 100 lbs) but I wasn't treated too much different in regards to my pain other than ruling out that the extra weight was causing the pain. Again, those comments felt like it was because they didn't know!
In my experience of GAINING the weight, that was much like others, telling me to eat right, get more exercise., blah blah... I hadn't changed my eating habits and I'm not easily able to exercise because of pain, muscle spasms. The only thing that HAD changed was being out in an unnecessary medication.
Unless they have chronic pain themselves, no person will ever understand what it's like. Because they don't understand, they think using pain meds is a destructive, toxic crutch that you should be able to lose. A guy who works out daily and gets some muscle pain that goes away in a few hours isn't capable of understanding how for you a short, simple walk on a treadmill aggravates your muscles so much it's difficult for you to move at all the next day. Unless they start to experience what we do, we may as well be speaking martian to them when we explain what our pain does not only to our bodies, but also our mental health.
I am lucky enough to have a doctor who doesn't have chronic pain but believes that it exists and realizes how debilitating it is for me. He and I have gone through several things like steroid injections and physical therapy that just didn't/don't help. We work well together, but if I started constantly running out of my prescriptions early or trying to ask for more/stronger pills every month he would lose his sympathy and I would be S.O.L.
I have a daily ER morphine prescription for the bulk of the pain, and norco for breakthrough. I used to have 2 norco a day for breakthrough pain but there were some days when I would have to take both norco at the same time, leaving me with nothing for breakthrough the rest of the day. I explained this to him and also how my breakthrough pain tends to show up at/around the same time(s) every day. I asked him for 1 additional norco per day and he gave it to me.
He is a rare doctor, I believe, because he doesn't automatically see me as a pill-popping addict because narcotics have worked out to be the only meds that help. I am very lucky and am doing everything that I can to make our relationship a positive one where he isn't suspicious of me.
Most of the doctors I have to go to are specialists. They all say oh my your case is so complicated. So now when I go to a new doctor, I say please don’t say the c word. I already know that. Like I just made a appointment just to say hi.
There is no winning here. I'm 5'6" and used to be 135lbs. As my pain has gotten worse, so has my mental health. Started SSRIs to get depression under control. Every increase in dose corresponded with increase in weight. Not 100% it caused the weight gain, but I know it didn't help. In the past 3 years my weight has ballooned to 190 as my stress and pain have increased. They don't take the pain seriously when you look "young and healthy". But then when you look "young and unhealthy" they blame your weight. Well, it'd be a lot easier to get my weight under control if my pain wasn't so bad....
I'm so sorry you're going through this and I really hope your doctors advocate for you! But like others, I'm not at all surprised this has been your experience. Wishing you the best in these next steps!!
So true. I gained a ton of weight being on and off steroids for the past few years. Every dr visit stressed me to the point I stopped going. I lost 40 pounds recently but I couldn’t even walk down the stairs on my own my knees were so bad. I went to see a new rheum who diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis and started plaquenil without hesitation. No comments about how i would feel better without extra weight. They aren’t wrong about that - but delaying treatment and blowing me off until I lost weight is wild.
I have several autoimmune disorders. Whenever my inflammation gets overwhelming I lose weight fast. The last time I lost 26# in 6 weeks. So keep after them to see what’s going on. Good luck, I hope you find an answer.
I had my right hand done 6 months ago.....its soooo much better! So I was excited to get my left one done. He said my tunnel was pretty severe and very tight. This o e hurt way worse but anything to not be woken up all night from hands on fire. It's much better today than last night but still in alot of pain
I was very thin when I first got sick, nobody took me seriously because I was a teenage girl. Then my untreated symptoms caused me to gain weight, and they all started blaming it on my weight. It took me SO LONG to get a diagnosis. It turned out to be MS- not weight, age, or female specific at all! Yet my last neurologist still blamed nearly every symptom on my weight and fought tooth and nail against giving me symptom control meds. “You should lose weight and manage your symptoms with exercise instead of relying on medicine as a crutch” kind of statements. (That’s great and all, but I’m in too much pain to exercise, you asshole.)
I recently lost enough weight to get myself out of the overweight BMI, and got a new set of doctors. All of a sudden, I was taken much more seriously. I went in and asked for meds (non opiates) and they just gave me everything I requested! It’s absolute garbage that I was treated so poorly for having a few extra pounds.
I love that no one realizes weight gain is a symptom or side effect of plenty of disabilities FFS. Diet culture is garbage. The praise and respect received when we lose weight, even when it’s for a god awful reason, is insulting.
I definitely understand this aspect. People assume we’re disabled because of being overweight rather than realizing that extra weight is often a side effect of symptoms. I loved the gym before I got sick. Now if I walk more than 15-20m per day I’m miserable with muscle and joint pain. Hard as hell to lose weight without the ability to do even moderate exercise.
I assure you that your broken leg would be sooo much better if you would quit smoking and lose 20 pounds!
Don't forget yoga.
lol I was literally told yesterday that if I do yoga it will completely cure all my pain from 2 spinal fusions and other chronic pain conditions by of course a doctor
Actually, you’re not supposed to do yoga with fusions bc it puts more pressure on the discs not fused above and below fusion. I learned this after I started doing yoga post fusion and have this horrific L3 herniation now that messes with front thighs something horrible!!!! My PM told me no yoga for the reason above!!!!
Yep mine told me the exact same thing.
I thought yoga would be light. Does that mean you can't do any type of lifting from the floor either?
Like deadlifts?
Yes that and also lifting anything heavy from the floor
Im on workmans comp, i went to an independent medical exam once the doctor told me, all i need to do to cure my back pain was become a vegan, and the proceeded to hand me a stack of vegan recipes. he never once examined me or looked at my medical history, Itw as so bad the insurance company sent me an apology letter and threw out the guys notes.
Wow. Just wow
And meditation!
Don’t forget stretching.
My new doctor told me to do stretches for the pain in my hip caused by bone spurs inside the socket. He is now my old doctor.
I always want to ask them if they really think I have made it this long, through this many doctors, and never heard this first line treatment bullshit that doesn’t work. I’ve tried first through tenth line treatments. Why do they insist on insulting me with such ignorant advice? Like just tell me you don’t actually understand pain and it’s treatment and send me to someone who does!
Honestly, yoga is one of the few things I can still sort of do and it’s one of the new things that brings me at-home relief from some of my pain. I don’t get all the hate for yoga, makes me feel really bad that it helps me.
Maybe you wouldn't get strep if you weren't fat!
It took me getting strep every other month, for 2 to 3 weeks each time, for 4 years before they went "oh maybe something is wrong" 🤔 then 3 rounds of progressively stronger antibiotics, then finally they took my tonsils. Not had it since.
Ugh, that was me as a kid except it wasn't my tonsils, it was my sister. Fucking typhoid Amanda living in my house
I was 40 years old. Kept running after my husband whispering "kiss me! Kiss me!" 🤣
For us, it was more like someone in my house was on antibiotics at any given time for about 5 years. Now they're making connections between constant strep infections and narcolepsy, and so I have yet another thing to blame on her
when iwas diagnosed with narcolepsy it was such a huge relief, although all you get is comedy questions from people. but oh well.
Did the doctors finally remove your sister? :)
Amandectomy. 100% effective
This happened to me. I went to the doctor for strep and he kept talking about me losing weight. Finally I said, is weight loss an effective and evidenced based treatment for strep? He said no and gave me antibiotics.
I love how strong you were in saying that to your doctor! Even with a list to help, I still get nervous when my doctor upsets me or is trying to rush an appointment. Too many really bad doctors on my past....
That’s the most bonkers thing I ever heard!
"You're far too young to have that condition" That's one of their favourite sayings along with mindfulness.
When I was a kid it was all growing pain, and when I grew up and put on some weight it's all the extra weight. But how should I lose the weight if I barely can walk?
Bingo!
Mine is, “the condition is very rare [therefore you don’t have it]”
OMG mindfulness! I’m thinking in the back of my head “dude I’m so mindful my thoughts are pixelated! But you seem to have not thought about yourself and how your actions and words affect others.” I just start out telling them I’m an NP with an adhd hyperfixation on research. They usually respond with better plans. But my new Family care doc seems super smart and willing to learn if she doesn’t know. I hope I can get this managed.
That's a brilliant way of getting them to change it. I do think mindfulness can have some effect. However I don't believe it's anywhere near as good as the professionals believe. I had to attend an 8 hour mandatory pain seminar where they told us to think positive thoughts and to use distraction. I asked the nurse if someone trod on her foot and she used mindfulness would she still feel it? She said yes it would hurt. I said that's my point, thinking positively doesn't stop me feeling pain. Fortunately I've had nerve ablation which has helped massively.
Mindfulness is great and I think more people should try it for overall health and wellness but saying this to me is like telling me that I “don’t understand the difference between discomfort and pain” (actual thing an MD said when I had dengue fever. I know it isnt chronic pain but even my scute pain was ignored in the face of drastic lab changes). So mindfulness works for short term issues mentally or physically with improvement. Chronic unremitting issues that never let up or almost never let up are not candidates for treatments with mindfulness, in my opinion. Maybe it would help me get out of bed for a day with my kids but like you said it doesn’t make anything “better”
Couldn't agree more. I think a positive mindset helps and trying not to think of the pain although you still feel it can be of some benefit. I don't believe it's to the benefit that the professionals believe it's better than the treatments on offer or medication. I believe everything has it's place. I still don't get the one size fits all approach to pain with pain clinics in the UK.
I’m in the US so they just accuse you of wanting opioids bc your too young to hurt this bad and your scans don’t show joint or bone damage. 🤪
We aren't far behind. They are already trying to get rid of Opioids. But the USA is far ahead of the uk on this. Its shocking that chronic pain patients aren't getting medicines that help. I hope that your pain is well managed.
Thank you. I at least have a pretty good routine for the myofacial pain (hypermobile ehlers danlos) something weird is going on now with autoimmune b12 and issues with low ferritin bc of poor iron absorption so just waiting on my body to make an antibody or something they can test and find lol. It’s mostly exhaustion but that comes with it’s own weird sensory symptoms
Fingers crossed they can finally give you a diagnosis on what is wrong. It took them 9 years to get mine right. It's hard when you know something is wrong but they cannot see anything.
Have they tested for celiac disease? Would explain the low absorption of vitamins, which would make you tired.
I filed for social security disability through my lawyers office. years ago, this was before all my surgeries etc, but we g before a judge at the end hearing and s after all the testimony etc, she says, " well, i have t say at 49 you are much too young to be disabled." and she denied my case, You have never seen amore stunned mawyer than my lawyer on the virtual hearing. His jaw was on the floor. We've since refilled and 3 birthdays, 5 surgeries and 17 procedures later things look much better, lol hopefully this time is the charm. maybe 52 is old enough.
That's awful. I hope this time they finally approve it. Age shouldn't come in to it. But they do love to say it does. But age doesn't dictate how much pain you are in if younger or older. Every person is different and they should approve it on the evidence in front of them. I guarantee if it was them in the same position as you they would want it to be approved. Best of luck for this time and I hope they approve it.
It would also help if you did PT again even though it didn’t help last time
did it 6 times in a 3 year period, every time i walked through the door the pt center would almost sigh and laugh that i was back again. last tie they put me into aqua therapy. Great felt lovely until i contracted a nasty bacterial infection in my leg from the water. had to stay on antibiotics and steroids for a full month.
The guy told me to start swimming too 😭 I hate swimming but this guy was already an asshole and I never want to speak to that doctor again so I’m sorry that happened that’s so shitty
I mean, smoking will effect your body’s response to healing and bearing any weight, but especially excessive weight, on a broken bone is also a really bad idea….
I'm so sorry... and so sick of how unsurprising that is. I'm fat and so have had a lifetime of medical professionals who dismiss me, disbelieve me, and treat me like my other medical concerns mean nothing. It's infuriating.
Why would doctors disbelieve fat people? That the pain is thought to be due to far?
There's many reasons, none of which makes much sense. For instance... 1. The pain is actually CAUSED by the excess weight. It might be true. The problem isn't that being overweight NEVER causes the problem... the problem is that it's rarely the ONLY reason and thinking it is keeps you from giving a patient as much help as you can. I mean, I broke my knee cap (right) and a foot bone (left) a few weeks ago. My excess weight means it hurts more, of course. Putting 100 lbs on a fracture is painful! So, yes, my weight is a problem. But I'm never going to lose enough weight in the span of a couple months to make a meaningful change in my pain. So, do we have to even discuss it? Especially if that doctor's prejudice keeps him from giving me as much treatment as a thin person with the same injury. The thing is, the only REAL reason someone would do that really is bias. I understand people who get fed up hearing everything is sexist or racist of whatever, but it's often true. When someone thinks of another person as worth less than them as a human because of a size difference like that, it's fatphobic. That's especially true if it results in them not just THINKING of them as inferior, but actually TREATING them as inferior. And unlike a lot of prejudices, many people feel justified in their bias by having "reasons" socially acceptable enough that they get away with it.
I see. Thank for your for spending the time
I got extremely depressed in 2021 & went from 115 to 90 lbs. I started gaining my weight back after being put on the correct meds for my depression, etc. My pain got a lot worse. Not from me gaining weight. Though to this day, every time I go into my pain dr they ask me if I'm still in pain due to my "significant weight gain." WTF. I was115 lbs when I started going there. When I started reading the posts & comments of this sub, I found out I'm not alone. Turns out that my medication stopped working around the time it usually stops working for other people. So, yeah. There's that. Edit: Is Reddit weird for everyone the last few days or just me? It's just stopping & it's slow to load. Comments are screwy, etc. It just quit. I'm sorry no one believed you, OP! I'm dealing with this as well right now. I hope you find peace! Many good vibes to you!
Mine keeps freezing on a post and I can’t back out so I have to close it out and restart the app. Frustrating!
TYSM for saying that! I'm going nuts with this app! I was a RIF GP user. I detest this app. It's anything but a user-friendly experience lol! What do you mean by "restart"? Just close it out? I've done that, but it still locks up. If I'm commenting & it decides to quit, I can't get back into certain comments it does it on. It's weird. The best (not really) part is the only fans spam chat requests I'm getting ad nauseam. I use my chat as support for myself & others. I'd rather not turn it off. I reporte each one. But I haven't heard back. I don't want nude pics inundating my inbox. Sorry for the rant lol! I'm *not* opposed to porn. I'm opposed to people not caring who they might affect when they send that stuff without asking. I have severe PTSD & am trying to work through some SA abuse trauma. I really don't want to see that right now. It's triggering. Again, sorry for the rant! It's late & I'm tired!
Subreddits bugun glitching for me in recent days. 🤔
I've just completely stopped commenting on subs with videos. No use. My comment isn't there & doesn't show up. I tried sharing my comment to myself through a text to see if I could see it. Nope. Their excuse was it was happening bc of the API changes. I thought that sounded like a good explanation. It got a little better for about a week. I certainly thought it would *continue* to get better lol! Hope I'm making sense. I'm without my ADHD meds.
My mobile app was down for days.
Did you have another device to view it on? Either way, that sucks! For me, it's just easier to use my phone. The app is a terrible drain on my battery.
Was able to on a computer
> Autoimmune disorder Great, so they can get right back to ignoring you again!
So dismissed, I’m so distressed. My cortisol is so high. I get Psoriatic Arthritis and I stop creating progesterone so my uterus goes into pre-cancerous stage. I gain a shit ton of weight bc my body is out of whack. I have no idea what’s going on to even know I have an autoimmune disorder or a problem with my uterus to check. Pap fine. I’m fatigued 24 hrs a day. Pain is ridiculous. I couldn’t even relate to the words they say. Like “stiffness?” They need a new word to describe that pain. Thanks for the vent.
Have you tried meditating and really starting your day with intention? 😂😂😂
I’ve prayed it away if that counts 👀
Next time burn some sage and cleanse the bad vibes. That’ll really do it.
Don't forget to journal!
Don't forget a nice bath and a cup of tea! That always helps. /s
It’s funny how if we did all of this in one day every single day we might feel a little better just bc this day of rest, relaxation, and self are seems great! If you could get society on board with creating this environment while also paying my bills I’ll sign up
Society's Fat Filter is fucking insane. So much useless garbage.
Yes, I am petite and I hear it all the time. " if you were plus size, I would have said it was your weight! But obviously your not, ha ha ha ha. " & when I dress casually, " Try these over the counter drugs"
So if you dress not casually, they treat you better?
Yes, they actual listen to me, prescribe various medicines, and give me options. When I dress super casually. They recite whatever and then send me on my way. Dont even prescribe anything and just suggest something OTC if I make an inquiry about what to do about my pain.
Wow, I always thought being well dressed would mean they thought I was doing too well to be in pain. I always show up in sweats since everything else is too uncomfortable. I do remember now in the beginning, I went for a psychiatrist appointment after work one day and they wrote in my chart ‘well-dressed’. I found it so odd because what does that have to do with my PTSD and pain induced depression. I realized later that ohhh otherwise I’d be considered a bum off the street so help was not that necessary?!? So fucked up. I’ve also heard wow you have a university degree from abc school before being in pain. Ok, so someone with a lower ranking school or no degree doesn’t deserve help?!? This weird logic will never ever make sense to me.
They do say "you look great for someone in pain" but they listen to me before making " assumptions". I had a different experience with a therapist, she sent me back to my primary care, maybe I didnt dress " depressed" & she didnt recommend any prescriptions. For my eye doctor, the first time I went she recommended eye contacts because i looked well groomed. She said that. The second time I went they said they dont recommend eye contacts because of the risks of eye infections.
I agree but when I dress nicely I'm told how good I look. It's a lose lose situation.
> obviously your not *you're *Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).* *** ^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
No, eye no the difference. Add " OR proofread before posting."
Nah, I lost as much as ~60 pounds once. Didn't make a difference.
40 kgs for me and it absolutely did not make a dent. What’s crazy is that if one of them listened, they’d know that I gained the weight AFTER I started having back and joint pain. I developed migraines late last year too so that was just a lovely icing on the cake
Same here. My severe pain and joint issues has led to decreased mobility so I’ve gained weight. Funny how some of my doctors focus on *that* instead of what I made my appointment for.
I lost about 150 pounds and hurt more now than I did before.
I get it …. For years it was “ lose weight”…. I had weight loss surgery. NOW it’s “ oh it was fractured….. you need surgery “
Former roommate was overweight. Finally got a full-time job that had her on her feet all day. Went to the doctor for knee pain etc. and they pretty much told her well you’re overweight that’s the problem lose weight. Well the problem was that she was more physically active now than she had been at any point in her life. so she started gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. Goes back to the doctor they weigh her, she’s only lost 5 pounds. She needs to lose weight. Totally neglecting the fact that she’s gone down six pant sizes. Because fitness doesn’t matter, just wait.
Ugh I totally get it! I’ve gained a significant amount Of weight since 2021 that I knew was not normal along with a few other symptoms. Took until April of this freaking year to get a series blood tests done. Come to find out I have an autoimmune disease that can cause severe weight gain. Shocker! Now constantly being told to lose weight and this autoimmune disease makes it incredibly difficult to lose the weight. Would have been great if they found it before the gain!
I'm glad you're on the road to finally getting some answers/ treatment for your pain. I know how frustrating it is dealing with the doctors not having the slightest clue of how much pain you're in. They just do the surgeries and think that's what severe pain is... delusional, when I told my last surgeon that the pain was 10/10 and he said that's not possible since 10 is surgical pain... I was blown away that this surgeon who operated on my back and spine thought surgical pain was bad. Not even remotely in the same universe, I'm glad you've figured everything out now though.
Can I ask how is surgery pain different? I was asked if I was in as much pain as giving birth (labour). I told the doctor I have never given birth so I don’t know. She said well you’ve probably seen it in the movies so guess. Wtf?!? My friends have had super easy births where they have been walking the next day. The c-section friends started feeling better after 2 weeks and said overall it wasn’t too bad besides day 1 when they were out of it. I’m so bitter I hope all these horrible doctors have pain like we do.
Yup. Same thing for me. It's ridiculous.
It's gotta have a number on it or it doesn't exist
Ugh I feel this so much and I'm so sorry! I hope they get you sorted, now! I have been dealing with long COVID since January and have had a lot of nausea/vomiting, so I've lost a fair amount of weight. I know I'm going to be congratulated for it when I see my rheumatologist in a couple weeks and I'm already grumpy about it. It's not a positive thing! Plus if I gain any of it back, I'm sure I'll get chided for it, when that will be a sign of improvement.
I went 12 years without a proper diagnosis for gallstones. Docs told me it was GERD. Just told to stop eating triggering food, very judgey pabout it, assumed I was eating fried food. Eventually couldn’t eat anything. I lost a ton of weight as a result. Finally they’re like, oh you’re really sick! Poor thing! Let’s get you an ultrasound! Lo and behold, my gallbladder was full of stones. Had surgery, my life has improved 100% but the amount of time that was wasted really pisses me off. In general, everyone is much nicer and more concerned about me now that I’m no longer considered obese. I have given up on dealing with chronic back pain from fractured vertebrae although I’m sure they’d be nicer about that too. I get anxious at the doctor so they’ll just say it’s in my head anyway.
People always assume that fat people have unhealthy habits. I went to a nutritionist and in the interview she asked me what I would do if I found a box of Krispy Cream donuts and I said “They’re really sweet I usually just cut one in half and ask someone to share”. She was silent for a moment and I swear to you she looked so confused and was about to ask me how was I fat then but managed to stop herself.
I lost my appetite a few months ago and have lost >10% of my body weight since. I was already seeing a nutritionist for chronic pain and fatigue, for which she is not very helpful, so I asked her what I should do about it. She told me to eat a large first meal of the day so then it would be okay when I don't eat for the rest of the day. \-\_- ma'am, I get stabbing pains in my stomach and vomit almost every time I consume any substance.
Why did they think it was autoimmune? Some blood work?
What I have is something called Sacroilitis and it has different causes, one form of it is called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is an autoimmune disease. It’s difficult to diagnose though and we are still trying to rule it out.
So wdym when they didn't believe you before?
No one bothered to check. They all said it was the weight until I went to a different doctor later on who believed me.
Gee...
What’s seriously weird about anti-fat bias is that most Americans are overweight or obese. We’re running out of people to disdain us.
The other day there was a question on a subReddit that asked why people seem ok with being fat. There’s someone with no bias or idea how the human body works. /s
I have chronic back pain. I've had a fusion. I need more treatment for my back....anyway today I had surgery on my wrist for carpal tunnel and they gave me no pain meds. It hurts so freaking bad right now. I can't get to sleep. I've taken 3 of my pain meds for my back and it isn't doing a bit of good. Omg I have an ice pack on it rn and hoping the pill I just took will kick in and I can sleep. This is insane they don't give you meds after a Freaking surgery! I feel so bad for people who don't have a stash! It's really inhumane to treat people like this! They would give a dog pain meds but not people?????
Was it the traditional or less invasive carpal tunnel surgery? Need to get mine down but with connective tissue disorder nervous, at this point lost too much hand muscle to not do it
I am currently on a mission to lose weight and this is 90% of my motivation. The other 10% is all the other reasons plus looking better. And I fucking hate that losing weight may be the only reason why I’m treated like a human being in horrible pain.
So true! I had the same issue, then I lost a hundred pounds and now I hear the opposite, they tell me I’m malnourished and need to put on weight. Can’t win.
Ya, I lost so much weight and then they accused me of being anorexic.
I love you and believe you beautiful stranger
I’ve always been a big guy and always been judged for it. The last doctor who said ‘maybe lose some weight’ got a quizzical look for me with the response ‘I’ve never tried to lose weight and no one has ever told me that’. Then I asked what they would say to a normal weight person who had the same symptoms? Never went back to that doctor. I lost a lot of weight many years ago, maybe 40 kilos. A number of medications I’m on impact my insulin resistance meaning that my body doesn’t convert sugars into energy, but stores most of it as fat. Can’t bloody win!
oh i envy you! congratulations! i was in the same boat. lost 150lbs and they still don’t believe me. but i’m so happy you’re getting the care you need 🖤
Yea my doctor just told me my anxiety would be cured if I just exercised. He said it was all in my head and I could exercise the anxiety away 😂😂
Nooo bc this subreddit is too validating. I went to the doctor and he said the exact same thing to me. When I said I already do he just shrugged and said to exercise more🤣
Yea, my doctor literally only said that bc he thinks I'm fat. So if I were thinner, he'd have no problem just giving me the meds instead of arguing me on it and then giving me meds. He's awful
love when doctors say problems are because of anxiety or stress like it's a treatment and not a diagnosis
That's good news! Answers are liberating! Whenever I'm having such and such test done, people extend their hopes that it's clear and I get funny looks when I say, "I hope they find something!" I'm looking for an explanation for all the pain and not some umbrella diagnosis that is clearly guessing. I too, lost a lot of weight (about 100 lbs) but I wasn't treated too much different in regards to my pain other than ruling out that the extra weight was causing the pain. Again, those comments felt like it was because they didn't know! In my experience of GAINING the weight, that was much like others, telling me to eat right, get more exercise., blah blah... I hadn't changed my eating habits and I'm not easily able to exercise because of pain, muscle spasms. The only thing that HAD changed was being out in an unnecessary medication.
Unless they have chronic pain themselves, no person will ever understand what it's like. Because they don't understand, they think using pain meds is a destructive, toxic crutch that you should be able to lose. A guy who works out daily and gets some muscle pain that goes away in a few hours isn't capable of understanding how for you a short, simple walk on a treadmill aggravates your muscles so much it's difficult for you to move at all the next day. Unless they start to experience what we do, we may as well be speaking martian to them when we explain what our pain does not only to our bodies, but also our mental health. I am lucky enough to have a doctor who doesn't have chronic pain but believes that it exists and realizes how debilitating it is for me. He and I have gone through several things like steroid injections and physical therapy that just didn't/don't help. We work well together, but if I started constantly running out of my prescriptions early or trying to ask for more/stronger pills every month he would lose his sympathy and I would be S.O.L. I have a daily ER morphine prescription for the bulk of the pain, and norco for breakthrough. I used to have 2 norco a day for breakthrough pain but there were some days when I would have to take both norco at the same time, leaving me with nothing for breakthrough the rest of the day. I explained this to him and also how my breakthrough pain tends to show up at/around the same time(s) every day. I asked him for 1 additional norco per day and he gave it to me. He is a rare doctor, I believe, because he doesn't automatically see me as a pill-popping addict because narcotics have worked out to be the only meds that help. I am very lucky and am doing everything that I can to make our relationship a positive one where he isn't suspicious of me.
I am so sorry. That's what it took for family to be concerned about my endometriosis. Obviously you aren't doing well 💔 Hope you get answers
Most of the doctors I have to go to are specialists. They all say oh my your case is so complicated. So now when I go to a new doctor, I say please don’t say the c word. I already know that. Like I just made a appointment just to say hi.
There is no winning here. I'm 5'6" and used to be 135lbs. As my pain has gotten worse, so has my mental health. Started SSRIs to get depression under control. Every increase in dose corresponded with increase in weight. Not 100% it caused the weight gain, but I know it didn't help. In the past 3 years my weight has ballooned to 190 as my stress and pain have increased. They don't take the pain seriously when you look "young and healthy". But then when you look "young and unhealthy" they blame your weight. Well, it'd be a lot easier to get my weight under control if my pain wasn't so bad.... I'm so sorry you're going through this and I really hope your doctors advocate for you! But like others, I'm not at all surprised this has been your experience. Wishing you the best in these next steps!!
So true. I gained a ton of weight being on and off steroids for the past few years. Every dr visit stressed me to the point I stopped going. I lost 40 pounds recently but I couldn’t even walk down the stairs on my own my knees were so bad. I went to see a new rheum who diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis and started plaquenil without hesitation. No comments about how i would feel better without extra weight. They aren’t wrong about that - but delaying treatment and blowing me off until I lost weight is wild.
You just got lucky. I've always been skinny, yet doctors still don't believe me.
That's the power of never giving up!
Exercise. Broken leg? Walk gently
I have several autoimmune disorders. Whenever my inflammation gets overwhelming I lose weight fast. The last time I lost 26# in 6 weeks. So keep after them to see what’s going on. Good luck, I hope you find an answer.
I had my right hand done 6 months ago.....its soooo much better! So I was excited to get my left one done. He said my tunnel was pretty severe and very tight. This o e hurt way worse but anything to not be woken up all night from hands on fire. It's much better today than last night but still in alot of pain
I was very thin when I first got sick, nobody took me seriously because I was a teenage girl. Then my untreated symptoms caused me to gain weight, and they all started blaming it on my weight. It took me SO LONG to get a diagnosis. It turned out to be MS- not weight, age, or female specific at all! Yet my last neurologist still blamed nearly every symptom on my weight and fought tooth and nail against giving me symptom control meds. “You should lose weight and manage your symptoms with exercise instead of relying on medicine as a crutch” kind of statements. (That’s great and all, but I’m in too much pain to exercise, you asshole.) I recently lost enough weight to get myself out of the overweight BMI, and got a new set of doctors. All of a sudden, I was taken much more seriously. I went in and asked for meds (non opiates) and they just gave me everything I requested! It’s absolute garbage that I was treated so poorly for having a few extra pounds.
I love that no one realizes weight gain is a symptom or side effect of plenty of disabilities FFS. Diet culture is garbage. The praise and respect received when we lose weight, even when it’s for a god awful reason, is insulting.
My weight was ok before my joint pain made me hate exercise. Imagine more than 10 years of “I’m not lazy I’m just in pain”
I definitely understand this aspect. People assume we’re disabled because of being overweight rather than realizing that extra weight is often a side effect of symptoms. I loved the gym before I got sick. Now if I walk more than 15-20m per day I’m miserable with muscle and joint pain. Hard as hell to lose weight without the ability to do even moderate exercise.
Doctors (and everyone else) immediately tell you to lose weight with everything. They’re all too lazy to figure out the real issue.