My goal is simply to maintain my weight during a difficult time in my life, and to focus on a few healthy habits that I can, should, need to maintain.

I am suffering from severe sciatica and hope to be operated in the next week or so. I am currently taking a lot of different medications for pain control, and am pretty much immobile and house-bound. Hopefully this thread will see the evolution from this acute crisis to full recovery and weight loss to go along with it, but for now just keeping a few healthy habits & focus enough to not gain weight will be a big success and an emotional victory.

My goals for this week:
Track water intake and be certain to drink at least 8 glasses a day
Keep taking my vitamins
Fiber intake from food over 25 grams a day
6 fruits and veg servings per day
2 fiber supplements per day
Create a medications table where I see exactly when I took my breakthrough pain control drugs.

Sounds like a good plan. I really hope you get your surgery soon and are on the road to recovery.

I think that is a good idea to chart when you are taking your breakthrough doses of pain meds. You may be able to decrease the amount you take if you can see a pattern as to when your pain starts and take some thing before the pain gets too bad.

That sounds like a good plan! What are you taking pain medicine for?

excellent plans for this week sarah :huggs:

Thanks everyone

I am always so pleasantly surprised at how good I feel about myself & my efforts every time I gind the courage to come back to the forum (well, in this case, switch forums!). Just the act of doing something for myself that puts me on the right track is such a huge relief.

I just spent a few minutes creating a spreadsheet where I can track meds, fiber, water & fruit each day and for the week. Since I really cant control much more than that right now, it's a good strat. I have been pretty good about avoiding high-cal foods & sweets from the past few weeks (where I was fighting to maintain my weight to fit into my wedding dress!) so as long as I dont slide backwards that should be ok, since that habit is pretty well established.

Thanks for the encouragement about the pain meds -- I am taking various things, all are to control the pain of severe sciatica, and most of them are narcotics. I am not usually a pill taker, but in this case I have very little choice before the surgery. I often try to under-dose the pain meds, but the more I read the stupider that seems -- there are lots of recent articles about faster recover times with adequate pain control -- so I try to pretty much do what the doctors tell me. Still, I have 2 different drugs I can take beyond the regular ones when the pain 'breaks through' and I dont always pay attention to which one I took or exactly when. I'm almost certain I am not over-doingg it, but my doc told me I shouldnt tell him I have inadequate pain relief until I am taking every tablet I can and still dont have relief. In any event, the suggestion to figure out the timing in hopes of taking something BEFORE the pain gets too bad is a very good one --thanks!.

In any event, I see the surgeon this evening, and I am praying he will schedule the surgery for the next few days. I've been living like this for over a month, and the sciatica is just getting worse and worse, and I just need to get it handled for good. I would have pushed for the surgery sooner were it not for my wedding last week -- I wanted to make it through that before moving to surgery.

Good luck to everyone on their weight loss efforts this week!

OH you poor girl. I hope you get some relief from the pain soon. Hang tight!
My thoughts and prayers are with you! :huggs:

I am praying for you also Sarah!! :huggs: I think you have a very smart and stable plan... one that will not put too much undo stress on you, but that will keep you focused! Again, I am keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for a successful surgery as well as a complete and perfect recovery!! :huggs:

Sarah,

:huggs:

Your research and doctor are so very right about the pain meds. Do NOT let the pain get too bad before you take something. Pain causes a whole inflammation response in your body and once the pain gets too bad it takes way more medication to get it under control.

Also, don't worry too much if you are having to take more meds. Since you are taking narcotics your body does get used to them and you may have to take more. Keeping track of your breakthrough doses is great because if you don't have adequate pain relief with your scheduled and breakthrough doses, your doctor may want to increase your scheduled medications.

Take care of yourself and I hope things go well for you.

Hey Sarah, so sorry to hear you have sciatica and I really hope the surgery sorts things out for you. Sounds like you are well equipped and organised with your spreadsheet. I will keep a track of your progress :huggs:

Thanks everyone.

Well, the surgery is not scheduled until next Monday! A bummer because this is not fun at all to be at home, in pain & not able to do anything at all bc I am loopy from the drugs... But, this surgeon is highly highly recommended and if I start trying to find someone else now the difference in time would be a day or two for a less-renown doc, so I'm just going to grin & bear it.

My spreadsheet idea has worked out well so far, it gives me something else to focus on, especially the fruit, veg & fiber, and it also is very helpful on the pain meds. Thanks to the spreadsheet when I woke up in the middle of the night in pain, I didnt hesitate to take a rescue dose, which I usually battle w myself over for a long time before taking it. Result? I was able to go back to sleep & actually got a decent night's sleep for a change (ok, the doc also gave me a sleeping pill yesterday, but since I havent slept more than 45 min at a stretch since last Wednesday, it's still a huge relief).

Thanks for all the prayers & encouragement. I am trying really hard not to throw myself a pity party, and to focus on the many positives in my life. Even as far as severe pain conditions go, this is much better than many, in that there is a known cause & a solution w a high likelihoood of success.

Youre doing extremely well Sarah, I had a friend with the same condition and it floored him - he is great now after his op and hasn't been troubled with it again but I have an idea of what you are going through.

Hang in there :huggs:

:huggs:

Sarah take care and I'll be thinking tons of good thoughts! :huggs:

Thanks, everyone.

I go into the hospital this afternoon, surgery is tomorrow morning, and I should be home for the weekend.

My weight was at 185 this morning, all week it's fluctuated between 183-187, so I'm doing ok on maintaining while being immobile. It helped a lot to be tracking the water and fruits & veg every day -- most days I made the 6, and several days I overpassed it. I tried to keep up the fiber as well, but that's been harder.

I'll let you all know how things go next week.
Thanks so much for your support, it helps a lot!

:huggs:

:huggs: :huggs: :huggs:

Take care of yourself!!

:huggs:

I'm back home today!

The surgery looks to have been a success, at least the sciatica pain is gone since Monday, and everything appears to be healing normally. I am not in too much pain but I am not able to do very much yet. I just got out of the hospital today, and am under doctors orders to take it easy for the next 3 weeks.

Thanks for the warm wishes, everyone!

WOOOT! Thank you for checking in Sarah!! :huggs: Take it slow and easy, heal well!!

i'm so happy that the surgery went well! :huggs: I hope things heal up as they should, in their own time...soon things will be back to normal for you :danceparty: :wooohooo:

Thanks, Shy & Teach.

I am under strict doctor's orders to take it VERY slowly, I am not allowed any rehab until Sept (they want the surgery site completely healed first) and not even swimming for sport until 5 weeks from now. The most I can do is walk leisurely for 30 min a day, but even today I see the impact of the weeks of pain & now the surgery on me -- just the effort to come back home from the hospital has me completely exhausted.

I have promised my husband that I will be good & take it easy, so now that I'm back w internet access I imagine I'll be around here a lot more -- I plan to eat a very healthy diet for the next 3 weeks, to keep a balance on the lack of mobility.

That's great that the surgery went well. I'm glad that your pain is better. Ýou'll probably feel incredibly tired for about 6 weeks after surgery since your body heals most when you are sleeping.

Take it easy.

:danceparty:

Take it easy Sarah! :huggs:

Don't do anything to jeapardise you getting well. I'm glad it all went smoothly for you and you aren't in too much pain now.

Take care :huggs:

I didnt know that so much healing happens when you sleep -- it makes sense, though. I know that I am MUCH more tired, and I am doing NOTHING. Some of it also may be the effects of anesthesia, I've heard that can affect the body for quite some time.

Well, so far, so good. Being home is definitely more tiring than being in the hospital, but it's such a relief too. I've been good about taking it easy so far, so I just need to stay the course. That said, I already see the challenge that will pose, as I am already itching to help out around the house & be independent.... I'll need to really fight to keep myself in check, especially as the pain from the surgery is getting less & less each day -- without that reminder it will be harder to keep doing NOTHING.

I will report tomorrow on my weight, but the lousy hospital food & the 24 hrs without eating seem to have removed a few pounds -- but I dont know how permanently. I had one friend who brought me a big box of chocolates in the hospital, but I promptly gave them to the nurses -- didnt want to see what happened with a big box of French chocolates & extreme boredom in my hospital prison...

Good news Sarah, glad it all went well and that you are home in familiar surroundings :)

Thanks, Righ

Well, I am cautiously moving my ticker down 4 pounds, but I wont be surprised if I regain a bit this week or at best stay the same -- I think that's a lot of loss for one week, hospital or not.

I have managed to stay pretty focused on eating well since I've been home, which is nice, because I wasnt sure that would be the case. I am going to go out for my walk in a little bit, my goal is to walk a total of 10 minutes. Before this sciatica thing happened (late April) the only thing I "counted" as exercise was real sweat-breaking gym time. Now, I am starting from scratch, and a 10 min light stroll around the neighborhood seems daunting. But, I can only work from where I am today, not where I want to be or where I was... a good reminder, as that is always true for us, not just about exercise, but about life in general.

Hi Sarah, I don't know how I missed that you had your surgery (except I was out of town and the kids finished school). In any case, I'm glad your pain is much better - everything else will follow. Take it easy and I'm sure the healthy eating will help your recovery not just the weight. :huggs:

You've got such a great attitude Sarah.

Hope your walk goes well and I'm glad you are feeling so much better.

:bouncy:

Sarah I am so relieved that you are past the op and on the road to recovery. You have shown real commitment by maintaining your diet and weight through healthy eating (and even resisting the chocolates! ) despite everything that has been going on with your sciatca and being immobile. You mentioned that you used to consider a proper work out working hard at the gym and no you are starting from scratch...It must be tough not being able to go for it with the exercise after taking some steps back but you have the determination and patience to build it up again. You are an inspiration! :huggs:

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I gave a lot of thought to my goals for this week, and I am going to build goals to keep my recovery moving SLOW and steady, not jumping back & pushing myself (and then setting up for problems later). I figure if I can keep up w fruit & vegetables, water and my prescribed exercise that is a success, and I shouldn't be trying to do more this week than get back to a semi-normal state after surgery and weeks of immobilization.

So here goes :
- 8 glasses of water a day
- at least 5 fruit & veg per day
- dessert max 2x this week
- breakfast of cereal every day
- my daily walk within 5 minutes of the day's limit (yesterday I overdid it accidentally)
- 8 hours of sleep a day, minimum (so add a nap if necessary)

I have not had an easy time of getting back into healthy sleeping habits. One is always constantly awakened in a hospital, and for 3 weeks I was on sleeping pills due to the pain, PLUS I think the after effects of anesthesia wears out your body (liver toxicity, etc). I am more and more comfortable in my bed, but I have yet to sleep more than 6 hours a night.

I decided not to track calories for this week -- since I'm home all day without a lot of outside interaction I just dont want the temptation to become that obsessive... been there, done that.. no thanks!

Good on you. All the best with your recovery. :)

Thanks, Fluff.

I was incredibly tired yesterday, a mix between not sleeping well, overdoing my walks on Monday & Tuesday, and aching abs from all the "sucking in" (the only ab exercise I'm allowed). So I skipped my "daily" walk, because my body was screaming for rest, and my doc & physical therapist were both really firm on NOT pushing myself. I did go for my walk today, and did keep it to the allotted time today.

I have seen my weight gently gliding back up to where it was before surgery, which makes more sense than the big drop I had from being hospitalized. I am not exercising & have not cut calories to a point that I should lose weight, so maintaining (which is my goal) makes more sense given the circumstances. Ok, I admit, I was a kind of happy to see the drop on the scale after the hospital, but I was also realistic enough to think it wouldnt last long... and it hasn't.

Either way Sarah, you are doing great...there are times when maintaining is just as good as losing and this is one of those times! :huggs:

Well, thought I'd take inventory of where I am before the weekend (often helps keep me on track, especially since I just discovered we live near one of the top-rated bakeries in Paris, specialized in desserts , and my hubby wants to give them a try this weekend...). The find is a mixed blessing in my new daily walks -- finding all kinds of local businesses I didn't know. I shouldn't have told him about this one, however!

Goals :
- 8 glasses of water a day - yes
- at least 5 fruit & veg per day - yes, but somedays its been close!
- dessert max 2x this week - one down, one remaining
- breakfast of cereal every day - yes -- weekend is the challenge for this
- my daily walk within 5 minutes of the day's limit (yesterday I overdid it accidentally) - skipped Wednesday because I was too exhausted from over-doing it Monday & Tuesday, but yesterday was right on schedule
- 8 hours of sleep a day, minimum (so add a nap if necessary) - Not on Tuesday night, but the others ok. Seem to be adjusting to life without sleeping pills, especially now that I am in less pain from surgery. I have actually been trying to sleep 10 hours the last 2 nights because I can tell how much my body needs rest.

All in all, I am doing pretty well in terms of healthy habits. I skipped 2 days on the scale this week, too (major for me, as I am usually a daily weigher). I am getting some good ideas for goals for next week, too!

You are doing well, Sarah. It's good to see that you are easing into it gradually, so you don't injure yourself. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

:huggs: Hope you are well.

I'm hanging in, but barely...

I am actually meeting my fruit & veg goals, my water & walking goals. But my weight is slowly drifting upwards & I've had a lot of extras in the past week and a half.

I need to get back on the stick -- I'm pretty sure what I need to do is add in the food diary, so I'm going to commit to doing that for next week. On Monday I'll update my weight, but it's definitely beyond the 183 that I had maintained for weeks around my wedding & before surgery. Better to face the music now than continue in la-la land....

Yes, always better to face reality as soon as you can do so. :huggs:

In all fairness, i think it is very hard for you to remain on track at the moment while you are healing, so i think it is great that you are trying to do so. :yourock:

After the surgery you have been through, it is admirable that you have remained so focused with the weight Sarah. Once you are healed and feeling better you can really get back to it. :bouncy:

:huggs: :huggs: :huggs: :huggs: Hang in there Sarah! :yourock:

You guys are the GREATEST !!!

I really like this forum a lot -- it's full of caring, supportive, nice people, and feels like it's people who know you & will be in it for the long haul w me.

I felt a lot better after my post yesterday, and today's been easier to stay on track.

And thanks for the encouragement for the post-surgical circumstance -- it would be tempting to use it as an excuse to go hog-wild, but I'd only be hurting myself. I prefer to struggle a little bit w a few pounds every week than to gain a bunch and struggle for months to get back to where I am today.