I am in SO much pain. Surely this can't just be because I am fat?

[herewegoroundthebastardbush]

This is really a question either for the medical or for my fellow fatties - I'm 5'6, about 14 stone (😬) and 39. I used to be around 10 stone. put on a lot of weight very rapidly about 5 years ago when my mum died, and ever since then have struggled with binge eating and the weight has continued to creep up.

So the past 6 months or so, I'm in horrible physical pain much of the time. It started with my knees, which have never been great since I went through a phase of running to work on concrete in my 20s (idiot). But now it's not just the odd twinge, I'll be literally limping and whimpering and climbing the stairs is murder. I've also developed a horrible permanent pain in my right foot which the internet tells me is plantar fasciitis. And I can't ever seem to get comfortable in bed as whichever way I lie seems to pull the base of my spine out of alignment and it feels strained.

I have a busy life, two small kids and one is at nursery and the other at school, so every day after work I have to do a very brisk march march up the road to nursery and then turn and walk very fast back to school to get the eldest (about 40mins fast walking - or jogging if im late!) all told. I've started to dread it with a mortal fear as I am in SO much pain - some days I'm literally limping and gasping with it, but I can't stop because obvs then no-one would pick up my kids (partner has the car as works in a different city). That's the low point of my day, but just getting out of bed and standing up in the morning is horrendous too, it hurts so much and I literally limp like a comedy pirate for the first 20 mins of the day my foots so bad.

The one time I went to the GP about my knees, she did the head tilt and talked to me about my weight (didn't even examine my knees), and that aches and pains are more frequent as we age so its important to take care of our weight to reduce that. I agree I am too fat and need to lose weight. I am trying. But I see people far fatter and older than me who don't seem to be in total agony as they walk around!? So is this normal and fixable by losing some weight? Or is there something I should be worried about?

You are more likely to have something like rheumatoid arthritis with your mum having it and there are loads of treatments now.
You need to go back to the Gp. They aren’t mind readers. They will have 100 go with joint pain and tell them all the same. The majority will get better and forget about it, but one or two have something that needs investigating and they rely on them coming back a few times with more symptoms to investigate those few and not the 98 who got better.

It's rather chicken and egg with hormones @herewegoroundthebastardbush Hormones make you fat and being fat plays havoc with your hormones.

I think a lot of my weight gain came from stress and endometriosis. I had surgery and got that under control in 2015 with desogestrel. More recently I've been able to back on the combined pill and having oestrogen again has done wonders for my energy. Have to watch the endo does not make a reappearance, but have had no symptoms in 12 months of being back on oestrogen.

I has to sort out sleep and cortisol levels first too. Basically I had to change my job, managed to get something three days a week, and now even FT in that job I'm nowhere near as stressed as I used to be. I did a course with Sleepstation to sort out my sleep. https://www.sleepstation.org.uk/ I paid but you might get an NHS referral if that applies to you.

Also went to see this woman about nutrition and she made some very sensible and realistic suggestions which were so helpful. She is in London but I think does video consultations mostly.

https://carolinefarrell.com/about/

Nobody is saying her pain might not have an underlying health issue but losing weight would help her.

See a doctor?

no, alas, I am definitely fat and unhealthy. There is only so much a healthy active lifestyle can do against a binge-eating disorder where you can consume 3000 calories of sugary crap in a trance at your desk in 30 minutes. I wish I was a 'muscly' heavy person, but it's all blubber!

I very much doubt it’s just the weight. I’m a similar height and weigh over 17st and have none of those issues. I walk kids to/from school and run errands etc and even do rugby training with them.
Would absolutely try and lose weight though I am well aware it’s hard to do and particularly hard to stick with long enough to lose a significant amount. In the end even if weight isn’t the cause losing weight might help and it’s better for you overall. I’d also go back and challenge the GP to check what else it might be.

Hi OP, sounds like you are having a really tough time. I had similar aches and pains when I was a bit younger than you, and had also put on weight after my mum died. I saw an excellent GP who ordered every test under the sun, and I was diagnosed with Hashimotos disease. This was about 10 years ago now. I went on thyroxine which really helped, but the thing that got rid of my joint pain was giving up gluten.

It does sound to me like you may also have an autoimmune disease. Keep pushing for more tests, and in the mean time focus more on a healthy diet as although being overweight doesn't sound like the root cause, it can't be helping. I know this is easier said than done, but slowly cut out the junk food and see how you go. Wishing you all the best.

You really need to see a rheumatologist - and to do that you'll need to see a better GP for a referral.

In the meantime, curcumin capsules are helpful for inflamed knees, feet, etc, for many people. Worth getting a month or so's supply in a bottle from a good brand, usually in the supermarket, to see if there is any relief for you there.

Yes it absolutely would but risks ignoring something underlying that she unfortunately is more at risk of due to family history and could potentially cause joint damage and increased risk of cardiovascular diseaseif ignored so sensible to have a 2 pronged approach in this situation of losing weight and having tests to rule out underlying autoimmune disease.

I very much feel your pain but do keep trying as honestly I gave up for a while and went from 13 to 18.5 stone before I got a bit of a grip and it’s now been years since I got down below 16. The more you can at least stay where you are the better

I get horrendous joint pain whenever I’ve been overweight as I’m hypermobile and my joints can’t take the extra pressure of the extra weight very well. Also vitamin D deficiency gave me horrific joint pain. Losing weight and taking a high dose supplement of calcium and vitamin D made a huge difference to me. It sounds likely that your weight is perhaps exacerbating something else, I’d go back to the GP.

Yes, definitely see a different GP @herewegoroundthebastardbush There could well be something else going on.

My GP was brilliant and didn't mention my weight at all when I went with endometriosis symptoms. He also made damned sure I didn't have anything more serious first too. I thought I had an ulcer.

He is great practically. Emotionally I have had to accept he simply cannot help me, at all, and coming to terms with that as well as increasing isolation from my friends (due to just life, really) and losing my mum (who, while it was a bit unhealthy, I had a very close emotional relationship with), is something that has become increasingly difficult for me over the years. Also he is like a whippet and has a really functional relationship with food, so just doesn't understand the BED, doesn't want to hear about it, and is a bit disgusted by it I think truth be told. Which is fair enough, but very tough to deal with emotionally).

Just to say that osteopaths are very definitely medical professionals, a proper registered osteopath has gone through 5-7 years of medical training and is regulated as a healthcare professional. (I'm not one btw, but have used osteopaths for over 20 years and would be in a far worse position without them if I'd had to rely solely on NHS).

Hello op
I'm on my way out so don't have time to read the whole thread but couple of suggestions:

From you description of back pain in bed I think you've probably developed (and I'm no medic) overuse of certain muscles & underused of others so that your body isn't supporting itself in the correct way.

Pilates is fantastic for correcting this and helping with pain and suggest you find a local pilates teacher to give you some 121 instruction - even if just for a few sessions.

If you can't afford that then ask for a referral from gp. Gp practices can refer people to gyms and personal trainers who can't afford to otherwise go but who have a medical need to improve physical health. Many of these people life with obesity & mental health conditions.

A physiotherapist will also help in much the same way, so a referral to a physio is an alternative port of call.

Secondly, I understand why it is so difficult for you to raise the binge eating with your gp. Most districts allow you to self refer for counselling, so I suggest you do so. There's usually a waiting list so do it soon...Assuming you feel able to open up to a therapist, they can report the eating disorder back to your gp, which will also mean you have professional validation of it.

Sometimes local charities also offer counselling so it's worth looking for these too.

I'm so sorry you've had such an awful time with grief. Well done on these big steps forward - you've got this.

Hello I just wanted to chip in as a fellow binge-eating disorder sufferer, and recognise that losing weight in your situation isn’t about going on a diet (in fact, that could make the bingeing worse) but addressing the underlying triggers of the compulsion. I’m sure you know that but wanted to mention as it seems like lots of people don’t understand. I’ve had CBT (not helpful for my triggers) talking therapy (a bit helpful) but in the end did a lot of work and reading myself that made most difference - plus, living with a friend on my 20s who had such a relaxed and joyful attitude to food that some of it rubbed off.

I don’t binge much these days - usually for me it’s when I’m really stressed about something but haven’t consciously recognised it. I’d recommend “fat is a feminist issue” by Susie Orbach as something that might be worth a read.

losing weight may well help with the pain but I hope being kind to yourself about the binge eating and addressing that might also make you feel better about yourself.

Not sure what you're getting out of being so hostile. What did I say was 'impossible'?

What kind of shape are your shoes in btw? I noticed esp. when overweight that my right shoe in particular always wore down very quickly on the inner (ie left) side. The PF insoles that pps have mentioned helped to correct this. But a podiatrist or good chiropodist will be able to analyse how you walk and offer you a specific insole.

I had pain in my knees that resolved after a trip to a podiatrist and wearing orthotic insoles. I was lucky that I could afford to pay, but this is available on the NHS, dependent on the waiting lists.

I was you OP and was convinced it wasn't weight related (I was fit and active lifestyle)
Then I lost 4 stone, partly as I was convinced that knee surgery was in my future and now the knee pain has mostly gone

I'm so sorry you were let down and have so much suffering. i really appreciate the advice. This is the thing, the weight may well be the cause or a contributing factor to my pain but the weight gain didn't pp out of a clear blue sky, it has causes of its own which are not susceptible to an easy solution, and then it's a cycle - God knows no-one WANTS to be this way.

Can I just say OP you sound lovely. Very articulate and self aware. A bit ground down but not defeatist. Hope this doesn’t sound too patronising.

I looked up the HSV and apparently almonds and peanuts can trigger it for some people so maybe that was why… you could try other nuts though and fruit cheese etc. You’re right fruit cheese nuts are more expensive than haribo & dairy milk… but they are a lot cheaper than expensive supplements or private medical treatments to overcome the effects of eating the crap. You’re worth it!

Speaking of supplements are you taking Vit D?

Sympathies on the Byzantine GP appointment system. Ours is similar. It’s shocking and is going to lead to so many people going untreated.

I'm the same height as you but about 3 stones heavier - I started getting PF about six months ago. I was doing all the things with the ball under my desk and insoles in my smart work shoes, but the thing that actually changed everything was that I needed new trainers and instead of buying flat, Veja type ones, I bought a pair of Nike AF1s. The improvement has been phenomenal, much better than it was wearing Birkenstocks - I went on a city break this weekend just gone, doing 20k steps a day and apart from a little stiffness in the evening because it's double the amount of walking I usually do, I was fine. I would have been hobbling around for hours wearing other shoes.

Is it both knees? Or just one? Do you have any redness or swelling on your knees or any other joints?

I would go back to doctors and request a blood test to rule out rheumatoid arthritis especially if your mother had it.

To be honest though when I was 6 stone heavier in my very early 20's I suffered with shin splints, ankle and foot pain. All of which disappeared when I lost weight. Just because there are people bigger than you who don't suffer from joint pain doesn't mean that your weight isn't a contributing factor in your pain.

You are confusing osteopaths and chiropractors. In the UK, osteopathy is a regulated health profession.