The only New Year’s resolution I made this year was that 2014 is going to be amazing and I plan to make sure that it is. So far, however, it’s not going too well because of my weight loss and reticulitis. First, since many have never heard of reticulitis, I’ll start with that.
The definition of radiculitis is
An Inflammation of the portion of a spinal nerve root between the intervertebral foramen and the nerve plexus.
In English that means I have a pinched nerve and it hurts like hell. Apparently I have a couple of discs in my neck that have swollen to the point that they are crushing some nerves. As a result, I have shooting pains running down my right arm, my right hand is numb and my two smallest fingers have hardly any feeling and seem to have mind of their own. My doctor is concerned. In fact, when he received my MRI results he called me and said I could just drop by the office to go over the results. Now, when has a doctor ever suggested someone to just “drop by?”
Okay, so I’m whining about my arm being sore, what does that have to do with weight loss? I’ll get to that soon. Let’s talk about the weight. Here’s my current stats:
Starting weight: 303.4 lbs
Weight in January 2014 : 251.4 lbs Total weight lost: 52 lbs
Weight in February 2014: 259.6 Total weight lost: 43.8 lbs
So, my weight loss goal is to average a loss of 1 lb per week, instead I’ve gained 8.2 lbs and I am not happy about it. One of the primary actions in Weight Watchers is to track (log) your food. It helps to make yourself accountable. Well, I didn’t track during most of this time, which means I frequently had no clue what I’d eaten or how much. Well, okay, I had a clue, but not tracking made it easier to kid myself.
So now let’s get back to my arm. As I said, it hurts like hell and any movement in my body can irritate it. ANY movement – that includes walking. I wear a sling which helps for a while but only for so long. What I’m getting around to is I’m not getting any exercise. Not paying attention to what I’m eating and not being able to exercise are the culprits.
There is not much I can do about the exercise, so, for now I’ll need to keep a closer look at what I eat. I’ve done well for the first two days this week and I need to make sure I continue. I will not accept another week that I gain 5 lbs.
Pulling for you, Bradley. Keep that food tracking discipline up, and hope the neck/nerves get better soonest.
Thank you, Michael, The scale this week really shook me up, so I’m pretty confident that I’ll be turning things around. As for the physical part, I have an appointment with a neurologist next month. That’s when I’ll find out what the next steps are.
I know just how painful nerve pain can be, I hope you get it sorted soon. Good luck with battling the lbs, that’s a tough one
Thank you, Cat. I hope to get fixed asap. The pain has gotten worse since I wrote this post
The best painkiller for nerve pain is Pregablin, otherwise known as Lyrica. Not sure what it will be called in your end of the world. It’s also used in higher doses for General Anxiety Disorder. Apparently, it is expensive, but my Doc gave it on request.
It’s called Lyrica here as well. It’s mainly used to treat fibromyalgia, I’ll ask my doc about it. I am at the mercy of our drug companies outlandish mark ups
I feel your frustration Brad. I gained a ton of weight (I’d say about 30 pounds) in the two and a half years I’ve struggled with my knee. Now that I’m 7 months post surgery I’m moving around more and keep telling myself the weight just HAS to come off. Like I said Brad, I seriously feel your frustration. There are some great things about turning 50, but finding your body is more vulnerable is a crappy part of it.
yeah, I’m learning hard and fast the pains of turning fifty. Fortunately, overall, I’m still feeling positive about life.
Oh shame, Bradley. 🙂
Nothing worse than having an injury when you’ve set yourself a goal. So far I think you’ve done a terrific job and I wish you all the best with your injury. I’m on a bit of a low right now and unfortunately I turn majorly to all the wrong foods. Chocolate cupcakes and fizzy drinks! Soooo bad, I know! I’m trying to not be too hard on myself or I’ll only get worse. Hugs from Oz, Paula xxxxx