I am new-not diagnosed but want more info

Submitted by Lisaew on November 6, 2015 - 6:13pm
Body: 

Hello,

I am new here. I have not been diagnosed with anything in particular but that is probably because I have not been to a gyno doctor since my early 30s. I am now 53 and still get pretty regular periods but I have had a horrible time with pain the past three years (off and on).

About 2 years ago, I lost 100 pounds. During the process, I had terrible, ride-side occasional hip and lower back pain at night and several times, I also had what felt like a "pull" (like a stitch in the side) near where my right ovary or appendix is supposed to be located. I did have quite a "fat apron" from the loss.

Well...I am ashamed to admit that I gained about 2/3 of the weight back and my fat apron seemed to inflate very quickly. It seems heavier than when I was at my heaviest. If I lift it up, I feel much better. But, the right side pain (lower back, hip, place where my thigh attaches to my hip at the front and near groin and place where ovary and/or appendix is) has also seemed to have gotten worse. This seemed to correlate to the increased size in the fat apron.

I have been wondering if the weight of the fat apron has been pulling my insides down and causing some of these problems. I know that only a doctor can diagnose this for sure but I am too afraid to go to see one now, as I want to lose more weight before I do so. In the meantime, what resources should I focus on, first. There is so much on this site I am not sure where to begin. I also welcome anyone's thoughts and possibly shared experiences that are similar. Thank you for reading.

Forum:

Aging gracefully

November 6, 2015 - 6:42pm

Hi Lisaew,
During my time working in nursing homes and hospice, I did see people lose large amounts of weight, and then have aches and pains that were different than when they had the weight on. Excess weight is very hard on the body in general. Some of the people I worked with even felt unbalance and had to use a walker and go to therapy to relearn how to use their bodies again.
What you describe is not unusual to me, but that is just my opinion, not medical advice.

Are you having any problems with prolapse? Just wondering since this site really does focus on that mostly, although we talk just about everything else here too.

Lisaew

November 6, 2015 - 6:53pm

Thanks for your reply. I have not been diagnosed with prolapse but I noticed that when I lift my fat apron with my hands that most of my pain becomes very tolerable. A girdle or support garment helps when I go for a walk but is too uncomfortable to wear all day. So, I am wondering if I have a prolapse of some kind.

I probably have to lose about 50-60 more pounds to get to where I am the top part of the "normal"" weight category for my height.

Aging gracefully

November 6, 2015 - 7:03pm

Hi Lisaew,
Here is a copy of the prolapse self exam:

https://wholewoman.com/library/content/articles/prolapseselfexam.pdf

This comes from The Saving the Whole Woman book, and is a great resource to finding out if or what kind of prolapse you may have. We all tend to end up with prolapse at some point in our lives, but lucky for us, we have Christine's work to help us through it.
Check it out and see if anything clicks for you.

Lisaew

November 6, 2015 - 7:15pm

I did look this over but I am not sure I understand it very well. But, I will also check out the book.

Aging gracefully

November 6, 2015 - 7:24pm

Hi Lisaew,
Maybe look it over a few times to let it sink in. Many of us didn't really understand what prolapse was all about until we experienced it. Are you having any bulgy or tampon feelings in your vagina? Trouble getting a complete stream of urine going? Trouble having bowel movements, stool feeling trapped? These are some of the signs of prolapse, and if you are experiencing any of these, you may have some form of it.
The most important thing though is that this work is important for all of us to do, and it is never to early to start it.
Wishing you the best.

Surviving60

November 7, 2015 - 5:22am

Whether or not you have a prolapse, I think you should look into the Whole Woman work quite seriously. This posture correction is essential to every woman. Restoring lower lumbar curvature seats the torso correctly over the hip joints and will go quite a long way to help prevent future problems of the spine and hips. It lengthens and strengthens the torso and I think it could somewhat offset the pulling effects of that "apron" - you would be strenghtening the shoulder girdle to help hold up and support that extra flesh. Extreme weight fluctuations can indeed affect pelvic organ support, and being overweight is not in itself bad for prolapse - what counts is holding the organs forward, and using gravity and posture and proper breathing to keep them there. And all of this is vital, whether or not you have prolapse symptoms now. - Surviving

Lisaew

November 7, 2015 - 10:03am

Thank you for your replies. I usually do not have a hard time with the urine stream but I definitely have to push a but to eliminate the bowel movements. Lately, I have had mostly softer stool that can vary in type but I have recently switched to a strict diet to lose weight. I have tried different yogurts and wondering if it is a newly developed lactose intolerance or an intolerance to an artificial sweetener (Splenda) that I am not used to having. I have also been consuming an Emergen-C packet once a day for energy and B vitamins and because I am not eating a lot of food, that might also be a problem.

As for the tampon feeling...I know what you mean! I have that feeling a few times a month and mostly feel it when I have to have a bowel movement. It feels the way I used to feel back when I used tampons and would have to have a "#2." I do not use tampons any more but I do know that feeling.

I will check into the materials as well.

Aging gracefully

November 7, 2015 - 11:36am

Hi Lisaew,
Losing weight can be greatly improved by simple getting the beneficial bacteria back into your gut. Fermented foods are a great source that can help feed the natural lactobacilli in the gut. Some great sources are fermented saurkraut, kombucha, a fermented tea that I love, yogurts, dairy and non dairy. There are also many homemade fermented foods that are really simple to make. And, don't forget honey. It is very beneficial for our guts as well as our vaginas!
When I cut out the dairy and started adding more fermented foods and whole foods, I started to lose weight again after years of failure. Perimenopause didn't help!
I lost the weight slowly by the dietary changes I made and long walks and bike rides. You said that you take walks, so I would continue doing that. It's a great way to work on the posture as well.
Best wishes.

Lisaew

November 7, 2015 - 1:14pm

Thank you for sharing your experience and ideas. I had tried probiotics and got cramps from them so maybe I tried the wrong type. I have had Kombucha but never on a routine basis. I have had yogurt every day the past week and a half but wondering if it has given me the cramps and soft stool. Every day I seem to have some type of pain somewhere so I am very fortunate when I can get in a mile walk. I try and get 7000 steps a day.

Aging gracefully

November 7, 2015 - 1:32pm

That's wonderful that you are getting the walking in. Walking is the best thing we can do for ourselves. It is low impact and beneficial in keeping those joints moving.

I just want to say that starvation diets never work. Any diet that is temporary will only temporarily last. People always gain the weight back once they go off it. I have definelty been on my fair share of them!
Adding whole foods and taking out the junk helped me so much. I ate and still eat a ton of food and have still been able to whittle away those pounds without feeling deprived or hungry all the time. Good food nourishes you so much that you don't feel hungry anymore. I didn't believe that could ever be true for me with my binging behavior, but it has. It did take time though for my guts to get healthier. I did it all slowly, adding in what worked and taking out what didn't. I also did a lot of research. I am getting the feeling that you have too.
Just keep working on it. Maybe try the non dairy yogurt, and see how that feels?

Lisaew

November 7, 2015 - 4:06pm

I do find it easier to lose by intermittent fasting because I am just not active enough. I have a sedentary job and although I do try and get 7000 steps a day, that sometimes does not happen. As it is, I can only walk slowly as the pains that I have had recently make walking fast a bit difficult. I do eat very good, whole foods, 90% of the time when I am dieting. Even when I cheat, I eat well...no junk. The flavored yogurt I have had recently is probably the most "junky" thing I have eaten as it is processed and not organic.

I would like to try to get the proper bacteria in my gut. Last time i took pro-biotics that gave me a tummy ache/cramps so I have to try and find the right ones.

Aging gracefully

November 7, 2015 - 4:31pm

I took probiotics for years, and they did nothing for me. I even went from the grocery store brands to the fancy, expensive, refrigerated kinds from the health food store. Still nothing. What helped me the most was the fermented and whole foods.
Everyone thinks their diets are fine until they really start looking at how they actually feel. I had so many plateaus until I started looking even deeper into my dietary habits. I found that there were still changes I needed to make along the way.
More food for thought.

p.s. You don't need to walk fast, just keep a pace that is comfortable for you. Long and slow is really the most beneficial. Working up to that will help you the most, not fast.