Health issues

sunshine1

Full Member
Just wondered how many of us have health problems related to our weight.

I Have a horrible skin disease called "hidradenitis suppurativa" this isn't caused by being overweight but i keep getting told that losing weight should help the symptoms.

Being fat is bad enough but being fat and having an embarrassing skin condition horrible. (not a sympathy post, just fact)

Would be nice to know if others either have this condition or anything else that wouldn't be so bad if they were slim.
 
Hi sunshine,

I never heard of "Hidradenitis Suppurativa" before this...so I did a quick Google to find out.

This horribly painful disease manifests as clusters of chronic abscesses or boils, which can be as large as baseballs or as small as a pea, that are extremely painful to the touch and may persist for years with occasional to frequent periods of inflammation, culminating in drainage of pus, often leaving open wounds that will not heal. Drainage provides some relief from severe, often debilitating, pressure pain. Flare-ups may be triggered by stress, perspiration, hormonal changes (such as monthly cycles in women), humid heat, and clothing friction. Persistent lesions may lead to scarring and the formation of sinus tracts, or tunnels connecting the abscesses under the skin. At this stage, complete healing is usually not possible, and progression varies from person to person, with some experiencing remission anywhere from months to years at a time, others may worsen and require surgery in order to live comfortably. Occurrences of bacterial infections and cellulitis (deep tissue inflammation) may occur at these sites. HS pain can be difficult to manage.[2]
HS often goes undiagnosed for years because patients are too ashamed to speak with anyone.[2] When they do see a doctor, the disease is frequently misdiagnosed or prescribed treatments are ineffective, temporary and sometimes even harmful. There is no known cure nor any consistently effective treatment. Carbon dioxide laser surgery is currently considered the last resort for those who have advanced to its highest stage, where the affected areas are excised, and the skin is grafted. Surgery doesn't always alleviate the condition, however, and can be very expensive.
It is possible that there is genetic predisposition to the disease.[3] HS is not contagious, and is not affected nor caused by good or bad hygiene. HS is often called an 'orphan illness', due to little research being conducted on the disease at this time. Because HS is considered a rare disease, its incidence rate is not well known, but has been estimated as being between 1:24 (4.1%) and 1:600 (0.2%).[4]
Hidradenitis suppurativa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So after all these years of having suffered from these painful boils as described above I now have a name for it!:sigh:

I was given antibiotics, used poultices and took vitamins and tonics all in vain.

My condition cleared up whilst on Lipotrim that was four years ago and I have not been plagued with boils since.

I had the condition when I weighed only eight and half stone many moons ago...so I find it hard to believe it is a weight issue but probably more to do with something in my diet or lack of...

I also had very bad psoriases on my hands, wrists and elbows and it cleared up as well...just have little back now on one wrist.

I did have bad pains and aches mostly it was my knees but they are fine now...dark patches of skin around my neck, under my boobs and around my belly, also gone...buffalo hump gone...cripes I was a right old wreck:eek::giggle:

Love Mini xxx
 
I have quite a bad back. Sometimes the muscles go into spasm and all I can do is take valium and painkillers then sleep the day away, as moving isn't an option.

Worse, though, is when my back is not bad enough to cause more than a twinge. I start walking poorly to stop the twinging, which aggravates my hip and suddenly I'm in screaming agony because my hip isn't taking this rubbish any more!

By crikey I'll be glad to be rid of this weight :D
 
I have the obvious weight related health problem - type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, mine is diet controlled and although it cannot be cured it is much easier to manage my blood sugar levels when I lose weight.

I also have chondramalacea patella which effects my knees, although this is not caused by being overweight, losing weight would help to take the pressure off when it flares up.

What I fail to understand is why when I know the effect being overweight has on my body - do I still overeat?
 
Lots of reasons, Vanda. Overeating is most often emotionally-linked though, and can start as "innocently" as being given biscuits and chocolates by your parents to console you whenever you were upset.
 
Thanx for sharing girlies:)
I also get a very painful back when walking for a bit and i also get an overwhelming burning sensation round my "love handle" area, lol where they should be!

I feel that i get down because of what my illness does to my body and then i eat to make me feel better, knowing that it exasperates it.....vicious circle that i am now well and trully breaking.

Mini, have you been left with the horrible scarring that is left behind when the skin heals?

I can't ever imagine being able to wear clothes that might show my armpits or wear anything short enough that might show the horrible scarring at top of and in between my legs.
 
Mini, have you been left with the horrible scarring that is left behind when the skin heals?

Thankfully the scars are not too bad:rolleyes: I have five very small crater type scars around my body and they don't bother me like they did a few years back :sigh: I can keep them covered up:) At least they are not active anymore and the pain is gone which I am grateful for.

Love Mini xxx


Love Mini xxx
 
I don't have any illnesses as such, but I have found that since I've gotten bigger my periods have become extremely erratic. And I know deep down that it's down to my weight. Not as serious as anything you ladies have going on, but it gets me down and worried about bleeding when I'm not expecting it.

It's odd, they can either come for months at a time (constant bleeding, ended up anaemic) or disappear for months and months. I used to be on the pill to regulate them, but have recently decided to come off of it and let my body do its thing whilst I'm losing weight.

I'm hoping that getting to a healthier weight will make my cycle regular again.

When I was pregnant I also ended up developing pre-eclampsia, and symphysis pubis dysfunction. Which I know isn't strictly weight-related, but I felt it was a lot to do with my weight.
 
Hi Sunshine,

I have the same as you,Hidrandenitis suppurativa. Its very painful, and affects walking, sitting, sleeping everything as I'm sure you know. Its also one of the reasons im trying to loose weight. Your not alone, its a painful embarrassing condition and lets stick to our goals to kick it to the curb for good! :)

gem
 
I have Planter Faciitis. It's damage to the soft tissues in the heel. At its worst I could barely walk but since learning to drive and getting a desk job (as opposed to teaching where I was constantly on my feet) it has got a lot better.

Weight is one of several causes but many people who are not overweight get it as well. It has certainly improved since I lost weight but I doubt I'll ever get rid of it totally.
 
Hi Sunshine,

I have the same as you,Hidrandenitis suppurativa. Its very painful, and affects walking, sitting, sleeping everything as I'm sure you know. Its also one of the reasons im trying to loose weight. Your not alone, its a painful embarrassing condition and lets stick to our goals to kick it to the curb for good! :)

gem

OMG, i don't know anyone else that has this horrible disease.
One of the main reasons that i decided to lose the weight was because i was abroad for my 40th last month and had a really bad flare up. I couldn't walk without severe pain for a few days, couldn't sleep because of the golfball under my arm and also had a really bad flare up in my ear.
To be honest, i could handle it if it only left pits in my skin, i am so embarrassed by the horrible dark scarring that it leaves and especially where it is. I would die if anyone saw these marks and were disgusted by it.

So many illnesses that are affected by being overweight......lets nip it in the bud now girls:D
 
My arches collapsed about three years ago. I managed to get myself a job where I had to spend the majority of my day walking from one customer site to the next in London, and decided to use my feet rather than the tube. Which was awesome for my fitness level, but apparently not so great for my feet :D
 
Good idea for a thread! :)

I have Planter Faciitis. It's damage to the soft tissues in the heel
I have this too and have suffered with it for years after an achilles injury. When the weight piled on it got worse and worse and then strangely enough it stopped completely.

However, now i'm loosing weight it's starting up again - i find myself having to wear support bandages especially in the mornings and at night - the past week it has really particularly bad :sigh:

Have you found this too?
 
My planter faciitis was at its worst when I was a teacher; it got much better when I got a desk job and learnt to drive. Since losing weight it hasn't got worse in itself but I am walking a lot more due to improved fitness so I am testing the limits more and have to be careful not to over-do things.

Its always worse in the winter as it is affected by cold and wet so it may get painful soon, especially as I get very cold hands and feet doing a VLCD. I had real problems with my RSI (I'm a wreck!) early on in the diet and I think that was due to my hands getting very cold.

I think it sometimes reacts to unexpected things. I know both my planter faciitis and my RSI are seriously exacerbated by stress and sometimes they play up for no reason at all.

I've recently bought an ultra-sound device which is supposed to help planter faciitis; I've started using it on one heel to see if it improves.

I find the support things you wear at night a real pain, I do use them sometimes but they feel too restrictive and don't really let me get comfortable.

Mostly I rely on always wearing trainers with silicon gel insoles.

I'm going to a rock gig this week and it will the first time I have tried standing through a concert in years; I am not sure if I can do it but they are my favorite band so I want to give it a shot.
 
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I have recently started getting pains in my knees. I also suffer from excess sweating which can be a battle to control.
 
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