Weight loss, underweight

[HerMajesty]

I was doing the Atkins diet for 2 weeks and I lost probably 4-6 pounds in that short time.

That's interesting that you were doing a low-carb diet because I did a lot of that while developing PN. I know my nerve was mechanically entrapped but I wonder what other kind of factors can contribute. The low carb diets and other starvation - type diets (I would do fasts) are supposed to put you into mild ketoacidosis. I know a lot of people with eating disorders develop peripheral neuropathies from poor nutrition. Now I am NOT petite by any means and haven't been underweight for my height since I was 20, but I was certainly at the time pushing my body to be thinner than it seemed to want to be.

Oh well, correlation does not equal causation; it's not surprising that many of us would be dieting whilst developing PN because women in western culture diet way too much.

[susibee]

So the question on my mind is, did those of us who lost weight directly prior to developing PNE, lose the weight with diet only or were we all on a new excercise regimen?

I lost the weight with diet only; I was doing some jogging, too, but not much.

I'm finding this very interesting, that people are replying that they lost weight around the time of their PN starting or flaring. I know of a woman who has a blog (maybe she's here too? or others know her?), and she has an eating disorder. I'm wondering if she had lost weight when her PN started.

Anyway, it doesn't sound like gaining weight helped anyone?? That, of course, was my hope, since I'm still a little bit underweight.

[HerMajesty]

Anyway, it doesn't sound like gaining weight helped anyone?? That, of course, was my hope, since I'm still a little bit underweight.

NOT In my case, anyway. I put on 70 POUNDS total, since having to give up excercise during my period of worst disability, and some recent med changes...I have improved a lot but all improvements have been clearly attributable to other treatments, I have never felt like, "gee feeling better is something that just crept up on me", whilst gaining weight. In fact, If you gain too much (like me), I think it has potential to make you a poorer candidate for some surgeries. I would say after putting on 70 pounds I am living proof that gaining weight does not reverse PN

[JRS]

[Is the person who is doing your blocks really familiar with PN blocks? Are they going to use CT or ultrasound or Xray? I was wondering what your pressure/pain in the sacral area is like? I too have a lot of sacral pain. Is yours only one side or both? Up high or lower towards the coccyx?[/quote]

Faith et all -

I have added my signature...I should have done that before but my brain was in "morontine" mode. The person doing my block is known to be very good at this and seemed to have a real knowledge of my problems and how they are "growing" and has even got me into see a PN specialist who advised upon evaluatinon I am highly tense along the right obturator. He is going to use CT for the block and steriod injection. My sacral pain tends to lean a little to the right and is in and around S4-S5. Months ago it was a little higher. In general I have a lot of buttock pain (right and left) that I have now learned [and veterans feel free to correct me] it is where the pudendal nerve tunnel lies along the obturator that I'm feeling. I have overall leg pain (R&L) and specific burning on the inside of my right thigh and in the back. Seams of clothing hurt me. I hurt all the way down to my heels and I don't recall what normal legs feel like. I went for PT yesterday and after minor maneuvers on the right obturator I actually had normal feeling in my right thigh only for about 4 hours but then everything went back to the me I've been living with for the last 9 months. I have perineum & rectal burning as well. During my 9 months I sought treatment/diagnosis from the following specialists and in this order: gyn, internist, GI, colon/rectal surgeon, gyn/uro, infection disease, vascular surgeon, dermatologist, neurologist, rheumatologist, physical rehab, and finally pain management. I was fine one day, not the next. I had a bite or an infected hair follicle (upper leg near buttock/perineum) that became infected & turned into cellulitis that spread to genital tract and well the burning started and here I am.

[Griff522]

I lost weight before my PN pain began. I was at 128 lbs (I'm 5' 5") and went down to 115. I was not trying to lose weight but was under a great amount of stress and was dealing with massive anxiety and depression. I was sick to my stomach a lot of the time and could not eat as much. I really think that whole episode of my life had a big impact on my body and contributed to my issue. Stress is not good for you and I lived in a constant state of stress and fear for about 3 months. I have put back on the weight but it took awhile. It's only been in the last few months that I have gotten back up to my original weight.

[pianogal]

I had a bite or an infected hair follicle (upper leg near buttock/perineum) that became infected & turned into cellulitis that spread to genital tract and well the burning started and here I am.

two thoughts:
1- have you been tested for lyme disease and are you sure it wasn't a tick bite?
2- in college I got a little pea sized lump in my right labia which the doc thought was also just an infected hair follicle. Shortly after, my frequent urination symptoms began... that was 8 years before my PN pain developed full blown, but I've often wondered if it was causative somehow... as it was right where I feel the most pain. Do you know anymore about how cellulitis spread could cause PN pain?

[JRS]

I had a bite or an infected hair follicle (upper leg near buttock/perineum) that became infected & turned into cellulitis that spread to genital tract and well the burning started and here I am.

two thoughts:
1- have you been tested for lyme disease and are you sure it wasn't a tick bite?
2- in college I got a little pea sized lump in my right labia which the doc thought was also just an infected hair follicle. Shortly after, my frequent urination symptoms began... that was 8 years before my PN pain developed full blown, but I've often wondered if it was causative somehow... as it was right where I feel the most pain. Do you know anymore about how cellulitis spread could cause PN pain?

Tests for lyme disease have been negative. Cellulitis is a destructor of soft tissue and connective tissue. Current thinking, in my case, is that the obturator was disturbed and became overly tense creating pressure on the pudendal canal. In theory, I'm thinking anything that can cause inflammation can affect this sensitive nerve. To note, I had a derma punch done by a dermatologist 4 months into my ordeal and it showed a path report reflective of an inflammed hair follicle (folliculitis) although nothing looked abnormal externally but I burned on the perineum skin horribly and could not sit without significant pain. Can we all just have our own show on Mystery Diagnosis...

[HerMajesty]

JRS, if you are not already familiar do a search on this site about the obturator...somebody was discussing that the nerve to the obturator muscle can be severed, causing the obturator to atrophy and stop putting pressure on the nerve. It is not a situation that applies to me so I was not paying too much attention but if you find the thread, that sounds like something that might be benificial for you to look into.