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?

And good quality gel insoles in shoes help.

I highly recommend shockwave therapy for your Plantar fasciitis. It’s £50-70 per session but you’ll feel lots better after just two. If you work, check the business doesn’t offer medical insurance or a health cash plan

This also worked for me. I had PF for a long time and the "heels off a curb" made a huge difference.

I severely injured my knee playing sport and my GP said I’d just pulled a muscle. After 2 months in pain, I paid £99 to see a private physiotherapist to look at it. I told her I couldn’t afford to come regularly, but I’d like her to give her opinion as a one off and if it was something more than a pulled muscle to write to my GP. She examined me said she thought it was a cruciate ligament injury, and wrote to the doctor saying that.

The NHS GP read her letter and then immediately referred me to hospital for a scan. The scan confirmed that, yes, it was indeed a torn cruciate ligament, so I got treatment and physio on the NHS. It was £99 well spent. Maybe you can try the same tactic, OP, for a one off piece of advice from a private physio or osteopath?

If you are on Instragram there is a qualified physiotherapist on there doing a programme called activateyourseat , it is actually aimed at horse riders but she had a post up the other day for people suffering from knee pain and other pain and had some useful hints and tips about how you walk etc that will help alleviate the pain. Just as an interim measure until you hopefully see a doctor again it might help.

Hate to agree with some others, but after I lost a stone in weight, my back pain drastically reduced. Not eliminated, but reduced. I’m now 12 stone, and will aim to maintain my weight over December, and then start losing again in January.

If your GP is not helpful is there another one at the practice?

You're going to have to be a bit more assertive with whoever you see.

First, it's vital you tell them about your family history and your Mum's RA. So you need to demand blood tests for that and a referral to a consultant if necessary.

As I said, it's often hereditary.

The treatment works by stopping the ongoing inflammation that destroys joints. If this treatment isn't given, the bones and joints cannot be repaired so you need treatment asap.

Treatment has come on leaps and bounds since your Mum was diagnosed. Some people take oral meds, others give themselves injections (same type of thing as a diabetic on insulin.)

You NEED to push for a diagnosis.

Please ignore all the 'advice' about insoles, physio, osteo etc.
That may help at some point but now, you need a diagnosis.

Make a call today to see your GP and be a bit more pushy.

I’m not an Osteopath, but have seen them in the past. I just wanted to point out that lots of permanent harm happens as a result of medicine too. Western medicine is fantastic but doesn’t have all the answers and for some people, other things help. I think there are good and bad osteopaths, just like there are good and bad doctors. It’s always important to check training, accreditation and insurance.

Thank you for this. I have always been quite active and do a lot of brisk walking (just my lifestyle with the kids) but this has been entirely undermined over the years by the binge eating, where I can easily consume double or triple my necessary calorie allowance in a week ☹️ I am starting to get that under control now, at last, but it's not done yet. The scale is definitely beginning to tip I think, to the point where the harm I'm doing myself in secret is overruling the generally healthy and active life we lead as a family ☹️

I'm also overweight. When I was obese I got bad Plantar Fascitis and some knee problems.

The GP referred me to a physio. With exercises, better shoes, good advice, and rest, I went from being in unbearable pain to being basically ok.

Incidentally, it was then much easier to lose weight when I wasn't in so much pain.

Can you see a different GP?

Physios- any decent physio would refer the OP back to her GP for an assessment and blood tests.

With a family history of RA it would be negligent of a physio to treat the pain without encouraging a patient to be screened for RA (and the right treatment.)

Definitely see a private physio, at least for a one off consultation. I know it is expensive, but this could make such a difference, so I prioritise this over other things. I've had bad knee pain in the past caused by my patellas rubbing my femur. With stretches from physio I'm fine now, and know what to do when I get a twinge. It took time and I didn't help myself at the beginning, before I knew underlying cause, as I a rested too much and other muscles and tendons tighten. Physio are best placed to help diagnose and have huge amount of specialist medical training for this sort ot thing.
I really hope you feel better soon.

I'm 39, there is not a cat's chance in hell I'll get knee replacements. My mum was still trying to get them at 60 when she died, and she was in constant pain with RA and had been for years. There's just no way.

I had PF and the GP referred me for a steroid injection in my foot, I was skeptical but it took the pain away within days and allowed it to heel. That was 6 months ago and while the benefit has started to ware off it is still much better.

other things that helped: insoles in shoes, supportive slippers at home, plantar care vibrating gadget, good trainers/shoes.

I could do with losing a few stone too, which will help ease the pressure on the joints, but it’s hard.

You definitely need to go back to the dr and not get fobbed off, especially with the family history of RA there are lots of treatments for that these days too.

Plantar facitis has had me in tears of pain. Resolved to manageable levels (mostly) after a year of exercises, wearing flat, lace up boots with supportive insoles and losing a bit of weight.

It's not a good idea to suggest treatment for the foot issue when it may be part of a much bigger, more serious condition.

RA in the feet or any part of the body can cause pain and this needs ruling out first.

OP- see your GP and start asking for investigations.

@herewegoroundthebastardbush I've posted the same thing a few times now about referring to your Mum when you see a GP but for some reason you don't seem to want to do this.

IF you have RA you need to start treatment or you will end up disabled.

Please make an appt.

I used to cycle a lot when I lived in London - to work and back every day for a couple of years. But I can't be one of those mums with the kid on a child seat attachment riding on the road - I'm way too malco and anxious and would prob kill us all!! And even though my eldest is 6 she can't ride yet - similar concentration and coordination probs to her mum ...

OP, I haven’t RTFT, so apologies if someone’s already posted this - but a short-term relief option for your plantar fasciitis is very cheap and easily done. Freeze a plastic bottle filled with water, then roll it under the soles of your feet a few times a day. It really does help with the pain, though it’s not a cure.

Have you tried losing weight to see if that's the underlying issue? I don't mean that to sound harsh and I haven't read through all the posts to see if you've added more info explaining why that's hard. If you're in pain you can still diet, or take the pills, and maybe that will help
Determine whether it's weight or an underlying issue

Oh yes, autoimmune disease can be treated. And when the inflammation is down, the physiological (not just psychological, it's an entirely separate mechanism) effect of that upon mood is phenomenal.

My number one indicator of a flare is my mood - I could be utterly miserable and on the edge of tears waiting in rheumatology, then one hour after I've had a steroid injection, I'm fine again. And when I have biologics that are working for me, I don't have any mood concerns at all.

Connective tissue diseases are more a case of making sure you don't put yourself into positions to injure yourself - orthotics, although they can be uncomfortable at first precisely because they're altering your entire gait (wear them for short periods and build up), put your foot, ankle, knee, hip, back and head all into correct alignment. Which then gives the muscles and tendons time to heal and strengthen in the correct position, instead of being weakened, uneven and overstretched in places.

A proper blood screen will include CRP and ESR to show any inflammation. Your GP should add them to the request.

I think it goes without saying that your weight won't be helping, but it sounds as though you would benefit from seeing a chiropractor. Hip, knee and ankle/foot pain can be/is likely to be interlinked from just one of them being out of alignment. Your GP, most likely, will prescribe you painkillers and/or refer you onto a pain clinic, who will prescribe you more painkillers, and if you're not careful you'll spend a decent amount of your life relying on them as opposed to trying to resolve the root cause. I know you say you're pretty skint but sometimes you've got to decide what you prioritise, and I would think, something that could potentially stop you from living so miserable should be one of those things.

I am a runner and have had PF in the past and it's agony so I understand how uncomfortable you must be, especially with the added problems with your knees and back.
Unfortunately, PF takes a long time to heal properly (2 years for me) and during this time I had to stop running and do other forms of exercise instead. I did pay to see a podiatrist who made me inserts for my trainers and suggested wearing Crocs indoors (hard floors). I did manage to get the GP to give me a steroid injection into my heel which gave me a couple of months of relief, and over time it got better. I would definitely go back to the GP and ask for the steroid injection. You shouldn't be in this much pain.
Sorry for your troubles.

I have knee issues due to injury which is confirmed by MRI. You need medication, I'd go back and ask for MRI and medication - I take strong painkilllers along with diclofenac which helps.

Saying this as gently as possible because I’m at odds with virtually every poster. I’m a similar height to you and went from around 9.5 stone to over 14 stone quite rapidly about ten years ago. If you or anyone else on this thread thinks that the problem with your knees is unconnected with the rapid gain of 56lb then I think that’s where the problem lies. It’s easier to try to blame something else than to recognise you’re overweight and it’s putting a strain on your joints. I had problems with my knees and my hip. It took me over 12 months to lose the extra weight, but it solved the problem with my joints and made my mobility much better. Try engaging with your GP and lose some weight - you’ll probably find it solves the problem. If it doesn’t, then that’s the time to be looking at other causes.