I CANT SAY I DIDNT TRY!!!! SORRY I JUST NEED TO MOAN AGAIN xx

[MandieR]

Last week both my partner and I got a bike....I have steadily put on more and more weight both with steroids and a less busy and 'on the go' lifestyle. I used to be on the go from dusk till damn every single day and loved it, even then when I was a lot fitter and a lot healthier I still struggled with my weight.

I have now got to my heaviest EVER.......over 17 stone ffs!!!!!!! and it kills me every day. My confidence is in my boots, nothing fits me anymore, I feel and look like a hippo.And to top all that I am meant to be getting married this year, maybe in 5 months time.

I find it very hard to walk anywhere due to chronic pain and also, even though I know walking is good excercise for my weight, it is also my weight that makes it so damned hard to do.

SO, going back to the bikes I thought that I may be able to cycle once a day or maybe two or three times a week. So on Friday the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day so my guy and I went for a nice cycle ride, nothing too strenuous for me, just a good ride that took about 50 minutes. I came back exhilerated. I have not felt that good, that happy and that excited that I could actually do something positive for a very, very long time.

So Sunday morning off we went again, happy again as the previous days ride had not done any damage and had still left me feeling happy, I had almost forgotten how good it feels.

Enjoed every minute of my weekend. Then Sunday night it came to putting my Dad to bed. Sadly his legs buckled and he was unable to take his own weight so he collapsed.

Luckily Mike was there (phew) but between us we had to lift a 6 foot tall man who was a dead weight up off the floor and onto the bed.

And now......guess what?

I am unable to move!!!! I have the most dreadful, unbearable pain in my middle back all the way down to my ankle. The only thing I can do to be comfortable is to sit with my feet up in a recliner with a pack of frozen peas in the small of my back.

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo pissed off that after finding something that I can do and thoroughly enjoy, I now cant do it.

I just hope and pray that this will all pass and I can get back on my bike, sooner rather than later.

Thaks for reading this guys as it is great to know that there are people who do actually care outside my own four walls xxxxxxxxxxxx

[lillyanne]

Hi Mandie. So sorry to hear that your suffering again. Isn't it the way though. You think you've turned a corner only to find that someone's parked a bloody big van on that corner and you can't get past!! I felt a little better today too so thought I'd tackle the ironing. Big mistake! Now in agony with my back. You WILL have more good days though when you WILL get back on your bike, its just that you have to take a little time out to let your body adjust (I know I may be talking sh** but its how I get through). Keep smiling and polish that bicycle helmet for next time

[MandieR]

Hi Lillyanne. Thank you for your message. It was nice to read. It is such a shitty condition/illness and I am so damned fed up with it holdning me back from everything that I would love to do, but you are right, we have to make the very best of what we have when we have it.

Sorry to hear of your back problems too, I hope you get some relief very soon

stay strong and positive xxx

[copdber]

I understand how defeated you must feel. I also have put on weight last Tuesday I went swimming with my sister who is 10 years older than me. Of course I tried to keep up with her Wed I was exhausted and every joint and muscle in my body was in pain. I was so upset over it. I just wanted to be normal. Well you take care of yourself and I reassure yourself the pains will ease. You might have over done it going on the second bike ride on the Sunday and what happened to your dad well you did what you had to. next time take it a bit easier on the bike.

[pattismith]

So sorry you had the accident lifting your dad. Maybe the two long bike rides just tipped your muscles over the top.Don't give up, especially when you enjoyed it so much. Think of yourself as an athlete and you have to keep up with steady training and build your muscle tone up gradually to make it stronger, its not something you can rush . I know it's hard and easy to get carried away especially when your having fun. Try a warm bath after cycling to relax the muscles and keep pacing yourself. Better weather due soon so hopefully you will be able to get out and about again. As for the weight worry ask can you be referred to a dietician to help plan for you. Hydrotherapy is a calmer way to exercise while you build up muscle tone gently.Try not to worry about the weight it will come off slowly and remember your beautiful on the inside Always. Great news about the wedding

[custardpot]

Mandie sorry to hear this I think Slimming World would help with your weight. I have always struggled with my weight and 2 and half years ago I was 18st 2lbs I am now 10st 6lbs.

I am like you cannot exercise a lot in fact I could not ride a bike. I can only walk short distances as well.

Please try slimming world I would recommend it to anyone with a weight problem it is not a diet it is healthy eating and you can still have little treats.

[Melinda]

Lupus always has a delayed reaction. I can't walk far so i've being doing tai chi. Pretty harmless you would think, but i must have done something while doing it because by the time i went to bed, my leg hurt like hell and i couldn't sleep. However after a few days the pain had subsided and i was able to resume tai chi.

Don't give up Mandie, you'll soon be back on the saddle. I've also gone a size up since taking steroids.

[Hidden]

Hi Mandy, sorry to hear you are feeling this way. I totally understand how you feel. I'm also trying to loss some weight as the weather is starting to look better, I tried walking but can only manage it whenever my body allows, which is not very often. A friend of mine got me the mel c wii fitness disk in February, I finally managed to try it out on Sunday (big mistake), now my abdominal, spine, back, thigh has being aching me...had to call in sick for work yesterday and today. It's not a nice feeling at all when you think you can do something but your body has other plans for you. I've managed to loss nearly 2 stone since last year May but its coming off very slowly. I just eat small portion of meals, try to stay away from sugar and bread...which is actually helping. Please just focus on getting better for now, and when you body feels 100% again, you can get back on your bike. Keep your head up.

[Slowmo]

Oh Mandie, well done you for getting on your bike and getting out there. I totally understand how you feel, my mobility and active lifestyle has changed so much recently I've gained so much weight, and coupled with giving up work I'm now the size of a house, and move very little. Hopefully you will soon recover and get back out there, but well done you for your levels of motivation!

And I'm sure you will look lovely on your wedding day!!

Slowmo x

[MandieR]

WOW!!!!!! WHAT CAN I SAY?

all your lovely words of encouragement and kindness has really cheered me up, I hope i can repay that compliment whenever it may be needed.

I went to the chiropractor today and had numerous xrays taken of my spine and simple movements to see just where i was struggling, which actually seemed to be the majority of my spine lol.............I may be under them for some time now lol.

I am going back to have the results a talk next monday and my next appointment is next Tuesday. Thank God for the Groupon offers online otherwise i would never be able to afford it.

Hope you have ALL managed to have a good day and soaked up some of those gorgeous rays of sunshine.

Love to you all xxxxx

[sollyn]

Hi All!

I am giggling with all your fitness antics!

Just over a year ago, I joined a gym with a pool sauna etc. The first day I went I managed 10 mins of swimming using a float to help me stay up. It took me 6 months of 3 times a week to get up to 20 lengths with a float and then a further 6 months to progress to swimming the same amount without the float.

I remember the aches and pains and the frustration of not being as good as anyone else at it!

I have now progressed to the gym! again I started of really slow and steady on the bike and the treadmill and a tiny bit of rowing. Over that time I have managed to loose 2 stone and have gone on to a maintenance calorie amount.

In the beginning it hurt like hell every time I added a length or added a minute, but now I feel the healthiest I have for over a decade.

I think I am trying to tell you all to take it really slow, jumping in with both feet and punishing your body doesn't work for us lupies. But slow and steady does. Don't give up on any of it, just reduce it all to manageable steps. You will be glad you did.

Big tip is to stretch lots! It really does save injuries. You don't have to do massive stretches, just enough to lengthen everything a little bit.

Good luck to you all. I will watch with interest. Maybe you should have a thread devoted to exercises that people have found helpful along the way. It seems to me that fitness is as big issue for us lupies as the rest of the population, so we all feel better when we are fitter.

I really hope you all have a great active summer!

[EllieB4]

Hiya Mandie (& fellow Loopies),

I can really sympathise with the struggles of trying to exercise with our condition & th frustration of drug induced weight gain. Since my diagnosis and subsequent high steroid usage I managed to gain 3-4 extra stones ! In trying to remedy this I found exercise routines impossible to stick to or maintain as I have little to no control over how my symptoms will be on any given day.

I am pleased to say I am now 2 stone lighter, weightloss achieved in 14 weeks ... so far! I intend to get the next 2 off as soon as possible. I joined slimming world - the only 'diet' i've ever been on where you do not ever feel hungry. It puts you in complete control, something us loopies do not get very often. Exercise too has helped yes but irregular! (My mum & best friend have also lost over 5 stones between them too - amazing)!

Wanted to share what is working for me as I too had the same exercise related frustrations. Good luck to you all & have a good day xXx

[overnighthearingloss]

This is what you need.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13571482

Sorry to hear about your aches.