OMG Back Pain!

Pre-op I only had back issues when I slept for more than 8 hours in bed.  It was usually only when I slept on my stomach and the pain was only in my lower back.  I figured it had something to do with having so much of a gut and I figured it would get better after surgery.

I became a back sleeper post-op because of the incisions and for the first few weeks I had no pain, but once I started losing weight all of a sudden the pain is horrible.  When I'm sitting straight up I have pain between my shoulder blades and at the base of my neck and no matter how I lie down the pain is in the small of my back.  If I twist my hips a certain way I feel it pinching and that's when it hurts the most.  It makes it really uncomfortable for me to sleep through the night.  I've tried different positions and pillows and even having someone press on my back hurts like they're pushing on a huge bruise.  When I get up in the morning my back feels like when you have a joint that you need to pop but you can't!

I'm terrified to go to a chiropractor because I don't want an adjustment that ends up paralyzing me!  Besides they'll probably just tell me to lose weight and the issues will resolve.  Umm..hello?  The issues really only got worse when I started dropping weight quickly.

I do ok in a chair but after a few hours my tailbone is sore. 

Sorry..I feel like I'm falling apart and I don't want to fear and hate my bed anymore!

 

I think some of this is normal.  We lose weight fast and our bodies don't have time to adjust. I have been seeing my chiropractor more frequently than pre op and it has made a difference.

As far as the tail bone...that is just an issue.  I have been looking for a good lumbar pillow with the tailbone hole in it.  I have an office job, so I sit alot.

I talked to my doctor about my sleeping problems and they said it was pretty normal for sleep habits to change. They assured me it would get better.

Hang in there.  If it gets too bad, call your doctor and see what they suggest.

Thank you for this.  I've never been to a chiropractor before and I've heard various degrees of experiences from my boss who ended up temporarily paralyzed after an adjustment to my friend who has to go every 6 weeks just to feel normal now!  I don't have much extra $ if it isn't absolutely necessary..and I can live through the pain, it's just frustrating to have an issue that is often attributed to being overweight manifest itself AFTER weight loss!

It was suggested in my support group that we go for massages to help with skin conditioning and improve circulation and help with back pain, but I've never been a fan of massages.  Even the slightest pressure hurts me and I give up before it starts feeling good.  I'm so weird..haha.

I LURVE going to the Chiropractor!!!  A few yrs ago I started having this pain in my neck.  I couldn't sleep, couldn't lead a normal life with this pain.  I went to the doctor and got pain pills, but a month's supply would be gone before 2 weeks.  Finally went to the Chiro and I swear he saved my life!  I went every day until the pain was manageable.  Sadly he moved away and I haven't found a new one.

Now lately I have been having back pain again, but I figured it was because we got a new bed.  I've gotten used to it so my back is feeling better now.

My back pain is tolerable and the only time it is extreme pain is when I am trying to stretch out the painful part and I twist just so and feel a sharp pinch.  It's just annoying that it is causing so much pain. 

When I look at my profile I can see that I have a part of my back that is curved just above my hips.  When I try to stretch my back to put that part on the ground or the bed that is when it hurts the most.  I think it is just my body compensating for having to have carried so much weight on my front and having weak abdominal muscles.  I will bring it up to my PCP when I see her at the end of the month and see what she recommends.  I'm not big on having to take pain medicine, so I hope that maybe I can get a referral so my insurance will cover a chiro.

If you are afraid to go to the chiropractor, you might want to try GENTLE stretching.  Could be that your muscles are contracting which is causing the pain.  After you take a shower and you are all warm, try to GENTLY stretch your back, and the abdominal muscles front and side...  You have nothing to lose!
Good luck.  Hope it gets better!