working out

Really happy to have finally made it into the zone where pushing myself when i'm working out does not mean a setback in my health.

That's a really tough balance when you are struggling with autoimmune diseases- figuring out how hard to push yourself when you're exercising. You want to make progress with your fitness, but if you push too hard, you'll end up flat on your back not only *not* exercising, but not doing much of anything.

Been there, done that, and thanks to 6 months in physical therapy rehabbing my weakened shoulders and back (due to tendinitis and the poor posture I was holding in defense against the pain) and my weak back/ legs (due to inactivity, which was due to the chronic pain from the tendinitis).... well, those 6 months of work have paid off and I am able to push myself and do challenging workouts, just like all those other "earth people" out there who have never had to deal with the challenges of chronic pain and an easily perturbed immune system.

I can't give *all* the credit to PT; I also have changed my diet a lot (gluten free, no artificial sweeteners or MSG, and in general eating a lot more fruits and veggies, no meat and very little dairy). And I take some herbs that were recommended to me by the health counselor at the wellness boutique. They help my energy and my sleep.

I also started drinking nopalea, something I saw on a tv commercial (!) that is supposed ot reduce imflammation. I'll post about that later this week.

Meantime I'm enjoying having muscles that are sore from a good workout. I can enjoy that sort of pain :)
3 cheers for PT!

If you're thinking of getting some PT (and I highly recommend it, especially if you've been injured or laid up for a while), and you're willing to do the exercises at home on the days you don't have appointments... definitely ask around to your neighbors, support group, facebook friends, family, for a recommendation for a great PT facility near you. I went to one that is a sport medicine facility, and it's really inspiring to be surrounded by athletes getting back on their feet.

Totally sold on PT

For those of you who follow my blog, you know I've been dealing with chronic pain in my upper body for 18 years. I (and my doctors) blamed it on lupus and fibromyalgia. But then all the other pain went away (after I changed my diet, got acupuncture, and did qigong daily). And the pain in my right shoulder remained, and it was driving me crazy, keeping me up all night, and so relentless that no pain medication of any kind worked on it any longer- not advil, not aleve, not heating pads, not icy hot, not even vicodin or percocet. Not even 2 percocet at once. So, finally, I went to the urgent care clinic and tried to get a diagnosis. An MRI and 2 XRays later, we now know I have a tumor in my arm, which is probably benign (we're watching it for the next year or so), but the real problem is tendonitis and an impingement, both of which have responded really well to physical therapy. PT was my idea, by the way, not my doctor's. I had to ask for a prescription, but thankfully, he was happy to write a Rx and it has worked like a charm. I have been pain-free for about 4 weeks- I haven't taken anything at all for pain.

A couple words of advice on PT- like doctors, they are not all the same. Ask around to your friends for a good, effective PT, and see if you can get into a sports medicine clinic. Those folks are completely focused on getting you back to doing what you were doing before.

Well wishes and happy trails.
Carla
http://www.thesingingpatient.com

PT

my latest adventure in healthcare: i'm getting physical therapy.
For the chronic pain in my upper body. The pain meds don't work anymore, and the pain has been keeping me up at night and driving me batty.
It seems I have overworked the front of my torso with guitar playing and swimming and typing, and totally not used my back and shoulders.
My evaluation was illuminating- they could just about literally push my arm down with a feather. No strength at all.
So, we're working on strengthening the back/ shoulder muscles.
I get heat (ahh), a brief massage (ahh), then she pushes on my spine (ugh!), then we get to exercising, then ice.
word to the wise: all PTs, like all doctors, are not the same. I asked a neighbor who is a PhD in PT, where I should go, and she sent me to a sport medicine facility. these folks were great diagnosticians and their goal is to get you back to doing the things you love- not to tell you that you just have to live with the pain and limit activity.
A cool little apparatus I came home with: the backnobber. You can basically massage yourself with this thing, get those knots out of your upper body. Very cool for me, because my back recreates those things pretty quickly after they are rubbed away.



So far, I am seeing improvement, and at this point, that's enough to keep me going back.