Question about pushing yourself ... too far??

[jjs]

First, I was not too sure where to post this, so I hope it's all right to post it here?

I have been feeling very, very terrible these last several days (over a week). Extremely weak, ache, burn, vibrate, etc. Sleeping a lot. Hard to function. Hard to think. You know the story. You've been there.

I had the idea the other day: since I'm going to feel terrible anyway, I might as well continue on with my stretching (gentle yoga) and rebounding (lightly jumping on mini-trampoline). I usually stop exercising when I do not feel good because I feel like i need to save all my energy for normal duties like cooking, cleaning, etc. But I feel terrible anyway, so why not just do it? I do however lessen the amount of time i spend exercising.

Q: In 'just doing it', am I causing more harm than good?

It just seems like my body is wasting away. I used to be so active ... my children and I LOVED to go hiking in the woods on difficult trails. Now it's hard to just simply take a walk on a flat sidewalk or trail!! I used to be able to lift and carry heavy things and my daughter was the 'weaker one'. Now she has to carry things for me. Well, I'm sure you all know this story too.

I am not officially diagnosed. I had doctors appointments (testing ordered by neuro) set up but kept cancelling them thinking it would just go away. Well ... it has not gone away and sometimes comes back in full swing and really drags me down. (set up the tests again; am going the 31st, Lord willing)

How do you all stay fit? It is my understanding that even though my muscle might still be strong, sometimes the nerves that operate the muscle are not functioning properly, right? But yet ... if the muscle is not functioning properly, it's going to get weak sooner or later for lack of use!! So, maybe that would be a 'secondary symptom' or whatever you'd call it?

Any advice, encouragement, etc.???

[MyGirlsMom]

Hi JJS!

Sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. It can be so discouraging to get weaker amd weaker and more and more fatigued, especially when you have been quite active. I know that you haven't been dxd, and I can only share my experience. For me, my MS is RRMS, which basically means that it relapses and remits. During periods of a relapse I have gone from a woman that could play several hours of tennis to barely walking around my block. Early in my diagnosis it freaked me out as I felt like I was losing myself. I had three years of back to back flares, so I would finally start getting better and then seem to go backwards.

This summer has been my best since my diagnosis on 2009. I have been biking quite a bit and traveling too. I hope to maybe even ski this year. (Kinda gave up on the tennis...maybe next year.) For me I kept exercising, but just only did what I was able to do. It was very, very discouraging at times and I didn't think I would ever be able to do the things I have done this past summer.

So don't give up or lose faith! MS is such a crazy disease, and just because you are weak and fatigued today, it is hard to know where you will be in a month or year from now! Hopefully stronger than you can even imagine. You are not alone!!

[Cat Mom]

Hi Joanne, it really is difficult to be as active as we once were without some kind of punishment smacking us when finished! If you're worried about keeping in shape (remember... round is a shape too, lol) may I suggest individually working out smaller muscle groups rather than a whole body workout.

For example, if your legs are giving you a hard time, don't push yourself to involve them in your workout, just do your arms or even just 1 arm. Grab a can of soup and do some arm exercises while sitting down.

A workout doesn't have to be done all at once to be effective. Personally, I found out the hard way that when MS fatigue sets in, there is no 'second wind' and I end up feeling way worse. Listen to your body, don't push it too far and cause it to be overworked.

Take care and please keep that appointment on the 31st!
Jen

[DianeD]

I miss my energy

For me, it's hard to push to much. If I plan something, like a Holiday get together, I have to do it little by little. I find I have to plan it out well.

As far as exercise I do some weights and stretchy bands. Try to do it regularly, but things can get difficult. People push me to walk more. Aside from the grocery store where I hang on to a cart, I just have no 'legs' or stamina.

I feel like I'll be walking on my knees after I have walked a bit. The muscles just don't co-operate. Now days I have learned to stand my ground; won't be pushed into it or 'shamed' If people choose not to 'get it' then so be it.

Diane

[Waydwnsouth1]

Well I am the King of pushing yourself too far. I spent this last week cleaning and painting my new office. Well after 3 days of work I have spent so far 4 days and counting in H**L. It started Wednesday night with me dropping things. Thursday a visit to my Neuros office followed by a fall after returning home. Fortunately for me my son was with me and was able to pick me up. That was followed by additional dropped glasses and Thursday night a dropped plate. Friday was spent at my PCP's office. I should say that through all this my ability to walk was severely compromised, I had the twitches in my legs and hands my speech was severely compromised and my memory was non existent. Saturday was spent at the hospital for bloodwork followed by a trip to my PCP's office for the results. I was RX Plavix and heavy doses of Powerade and water. I have more bloodwork next Thursday with a follow up visit to my PCP on Friday.

So with all that said it DEFINITLEY DOES NOT PAY to over do it. If you feel like you may be overdoing it then stop and rest. Over doing it can have dire consequences.

[mirandal1958]

I agree it's important not to push yourself too hard. I was also very active, a runner, lots of stamina and energy. I was used to pushing myself for so many years. That's part of being competative and athletic. This disease has taken that away but I adjusted and became satisfied with taking walks, which became shorter and shorter walks. I lifted weights when I could in hopes I could retain some strength. I tried yoga.

Where it became too much for me was at work. I continued working for 6 years after my diagnosis. I would have flares but would keep pushing myself. This past year I really declined and suffered from mostly cognitive issues. My memory got worse and worse. I got slower because my brain needed more time to absorb information and all of my tasks took longer. I started missing work. I started making lots of mistakes. I would forget to do things. The tingling returned, tremors returned and the vertigo came back. My right leg became very weak and the foot drop returned.

I finally realized I HAD to slow down before I got any worse. I went out on short-term disability. It was time. I've been home a month now and feel so much better. I'm able to cook dinner and do a better job of keeping house. I have the energy to see my friends (the few I have left) and talk on the phone. I had really quit talking on the phone completely. I'm starting to walk again, but taking it slow. I started by walking one block, now I'm up to 3 blocks.

I have limitations and I can accept that. I will never be an athlete again. But my goal is to get as healthy as my MS will allow. I've learned to slow down and not to push myself.

[JerryD]

It seems to me that you have pushed too hard before and need to take a longer time recovering. That's how I feel most of the time.
Maybe the best course is to establish the boundaries of 'too far'. I go to a Aqua Aerobics class 3 times a week. And, if I feel up to it, I add a day or 2 more. After an hour of that workout, I am worn out, but not to the point that I will not recover.
Try to figure out the limits and don't cross that line. but you need to establish those limits and understand what happens when you don't observe them. Good luck

[Special Kay]

Only you can decide what is too much and it will change from week to week.

You might consider keeping a log of what activities/exercise you do on any given day and how you feel during and after. This might help you manage your activity and your life responsibilities better.

Personally, I draw a mental distinction between "being sick" and "feeling sick." By being sick, I mean making my MS worse. My feeling sick, I mean feeling the existing symptoms, which may be hard, but is not dangerous, or causing my MS to advance.

I was/am a runner and ran hard and high mileage for something like 15 years before I got MS and the kind of pounding and debility that comes with that kind of training never triggered my MS. (It was a little virus that did that.)

So after treating myself with kid gloves the first few years I had MS, it dawned on me that physical activity probably wouldn't be a trigger for my flares now. And sure enough it hasn't been. So I've gradually increased my mileage and activity level.

I will say, however, that in my first year of getting diagnosed, the doctors continually told me I was running too much and my body couldn't clear the virus. This didn't make sense to me but I cut WAY back anyway. And that is the only regret I have had in this whole process. Because the building-back-up is so much harder now.

[Spydre]

My husband used to think I should push myself, and push through it, but then he saw what it did to me - I would feel like I was kicked when I was down. It literally took me out for days at a time. This was hard for him to swallow, as he generally pushes through feeling bad, and his limits, and mother always did as well (still does unless her husband makes her sit down when she's sick).

[dogkeepr]

I constantly push myself & overdo things. It's actually part of my problem... I want to do everything I can while I still can. My husband is always after me to rest, lol.

I think each person is as different as MS is. Each of us knows our bodies & where the limits are. If I know an activity will have me in bed for a week, I weigh out if I think the activity id worth it. My vacations to the beach are worth it to me. Other things are not. It's all about choices to me.