Obesity Comorbidities

I had a ventro-peritoneal shunt placed in 2000, but it got removed in 2003. It's unknown if I got meningitis from the Botox study I was in at the time or if I just got meningitis. They were the best 3 years of my life as far as migraines went. Unfortunately they couldn't replace the shunt due to a very large pocket of infection in my brain. I had been relying on spinal taps to remove some of my spinal fluid until I had to have back surgery in 2013. That kind of put a stop to the spinal taps and began the twice a day maxide. My migraines are kind of, sort of controlled at this point although changes in the barometer wreak havoc on my head. I am on the maxide, phenergan, rizatriptan for the prevention of & treatment of the migraines or I end up in the ER for narcotics. I can't take Prednisone for more than 3 days or I'm awake for days on end. So, I don't know if my migraines are well controlled or not. I've had them for the last 44 years and have learned how to deal with them, work with them, ignore them and finally give in to them. The hardest part was being a mother to 5 children with them, but they all made it to adulthood and only 4 of my children get migraines!!

Oh, that is so hard. Is there someone you can make a pact with to go to the gym together, even if it's just once a week? I was having similar issues until my son started going to the YMCA to supplement his training for track. To my shock, he actually asked me to tag along. It sort of "broke the ice" for me to go with him.
Congratulations on the 23-pound weight loss! That's awesome! I hope you are able to continue losing weight at a comfortable and steady pace. I am impressed you were able to lose that much with all you have going on. - Lori (Team Member)

Hi . Thank goodness you are in remission. I am glad they caught your cancer early enought to treat it. That must have been a scary and stressful time. When weight gain comes as the result of treating another medical condition, people can often feel defeated. You trade one condition for another, but I hope the trade-off was worth it for you and that the bipolar medication is effective. I have a friend who is obese and was on track for bariatric surgery, having lost about 40 pounds on her own in the six months prior. Then she started Abilify for bipolar disorder. She regained most of that weight and took herself off the surgery list, but she wasn't upset. She says she feels happy and in control for the first time in decades. I wish that for you. Please know we are here for you whenever you need support or a place to vent. Hugs. - Lori (Team Member)

I too am happy to hear you are in remission. I feel having multiple health conditions makes it even harder for us. Just wanted you to know you are not alone.

Thank you so much for sharing this. Depression can be really tough to navigate and is so much more common than a lot of people think. I also have depression. It comes and goes in waves/episodes. How do you experience your depression? If I may ask, do you have someone you can talk to like a therapist? I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I find it helpful to have someone outside of my everyday life that I can share and reflect on things with without judgment or pretense. Do you do anything that seems to help life some of that depression when you feel it coming on? Thank you again for sharing. Really appreciate it and really glad that you found us here. 💙 Kayleigh, Obesity.net Team Member

Welcome to the community, . I am glad you found us. Those are some challenging health conditions. Do you take medication for your PsA and Lupus? If so, does it help? Is surgery an option for your brain tumors? I can imagine all three disorders make it difficult to exercise and to get a good night's sleep. I hope your doctors understand the impact of your comorbidities on your weight and that they treat your weight as a symptom, not as a cause. Do you have much support? We have sister communities for people with Lupus and PsA that might interest you as well: Lupus.net and Psoriatic-Arthritis.com. Thanks for joining the conversation. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member)