So I am recovered from back surgery for what its worth. I am kinda crippled as my son and I call it. It is hard for me to walk. If I walk my dogs 1/2 an hour I am in incredible pain. The neurosugeon says its damage to the spinal nerves. I am so depressed I can barely function.

I was swimming an hour a day for 5 days a week, walking (if the pain wasn't too bad) 3 days a week and doing PT exercises and yoga 6 days a week. I just took a week off. I think I was doing too much. I think I will cut down on the exercise until the pain is less. Not stop, just cut down.

I hope the depression doesn't take me over. I feel like someone swooped in and stole my life and left me with this shitty life. I used to camp, hike, be a nurse on the floor and emergency, and now I can barely walk, I can't do my job so I spend the day going through charts and I am in pain all the time and I gained 15 lbs. I used to exercise a lot every day, play Just Dance and other Wii games. Now, not so much. I spent the last 5 months doing everything the docs and PT said and I am no better. I just get slowly worse. I gave up my diet. So now I am taking my life back. I'm back on PP and had the first whoosh of 5 lbs, and I'm going to my body when I exercise, instead of blindly doing it, I am seeing an acupucturist Thursday, and will see about Reiki. Who knows? Maybe I can be normal again.

I feel for you... I know how bad it can get, I nursed my husband after he had a spinal fusion many years ago and that was savage.... I too have had my problems, I nursed for years and did a bit of damage to my back. Last year from September to February this year, I had a bad spell with sciatica, dead leg, pain all the time, couldn't walk a one point. I couldn't even look after myself, let alone my dog. I'm have days I just have a cry, it was so frustrating, and I am alone now. I just went out and walked the dog as far as I could each day. Just outside the door, around the corner, down the road. But I can-t tell you how many times I got stranded... a 20 min walk sometimes took me up to a very painful hour. Walk, its the only thing, plus anti/inflammatory, painkiller and time. Good luck.

I too feel for you.

I suffered a back injury in low lower lumbar and was in chronic severe pain for over 6 months--tried everything including acupuncture--didn't work, just made the inflammation worse--pain killers didn't work. I found relief by wearing a TENS unit about 18 out of every 24 hours. That and tons of ibuprofen. Not knowing where your injury is....maybe a TENS unit. Unfortunately for me, I was still taking call and seeing a full load of patients in the office.

I hope you can get thru this.

Lisa

Losing weight is the best thing you can do for yourself.
I only have arthritis in my lower back but I've gotten severly depressed over. Especially after I first found out.
I just have to say great job!!

Thanks, everyone. I do walk, and swim, and I have a TENS. I take anti-inflammatoris and pain killers. I think I was exercising too much before, I would continue through the pain, but now I have decided to walk every day, swim 1/2 hour a day and do my pt and yoga. Maybe that will work.

Good for you that you are so willing to fight for yourself and not succumb to depression.

Have you tried to workout doing Pilates yet? That will help your core strength too as its very good for those with back problems.

Congrats on the whoooosh!!

I love this guy's work:

Pain Free: a Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain

He cured my bad knee; which had created my bad shoulder. Doctors could never figure out what was wrong and started telling me it was all in my head.

Now I'm almost Pain Free!

He has a method of strengthening important muscle systems to take away the pressure and overwork that is doing the damage. If this thing came on gradually; you will have every expectation that following his advice will help it go away gradually.

It transformed my own life.

Alexander Technique is another excellent movement program to regain pain-free movement. I use similar principles on frozen shoulder and back problems. They have practitioners in a lot of places now.

http://www.amsatonline.org/teachers

I'm sorry! That sounds so hard. Are you doing the exercise more for your back or because you want to lose? I have found that I lose better with no exercise, but will probably add it back in when I get to an easier weight to do it, for the other benefits exercise gives.

I do hope the pain doesn't go on for too long. Hugs!

I do exercise because it is good for my overall health, my back, my heart and I feel better. Besides the fact I like it. My main concern is rehabbing my back but I also lose fat a lot faster when I exercise. I don't care if the scale is not going down as long as I am losing inches. I have more energy when I exercise. Did I also mention I like it? lol. I used to have an active lifestyle prior to the back surgery, I was a nurse on a busy unit in the hospital. I loved my job. I will probably never be a nurse on the floor, but I've found a job in the hospital as a nurse so I am happy. The acupucture helped a lot. As a matter of fact, I feel so much better. I think cutting down the exercise helped too. I will only do 30 min of aerobic and 30 of PT/yoga/pilates. I have looked into the Alexander Technique, but haven't tried it yet.

I am also over the horrible depression. Everyone was telling me to look on the bright side, but I needed to mourn my old life. It was as if someone swooped down and took my life and left me with this crappy life. I just wanted to have my feelings of bitterness and sadness over the loss acknowledged. Having the neurosurgeon agree that it was crappy made me able to leave it behind. I learned that just saying, "I know" makes it better.

Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble and for your support. You guys are awesome!

I had spinal stenosis at one point (no where near as complicated as actual surgery)-- My vertabra slipped enough to press on my spinal cord and paralyze me. Couldn't walk. It took forever to recover. At least a year. It was just awful. I hope you get better. Don't give up on the diet though. being light is better on your back than being heavy.