"But Exercise Makes Me Feel Worse"

"Exercise improves your pain threshold,” says Trent Nessler, PT, DPT, MPT, a vice president with Champion Sports Medicine in Birmingham, Ala. “With chronic pain, your pain threshold drops -- in other words, it takes less pain to make you feel more uncomfortable. With cardiovascular, strengthening, and flexibility exercise, you can improve that pain threshold.”

“Exercise improves your pain threshold”  

Lets think about that for a minute. 

Ok minutes up!

Who wouldnt want to feel just a bit better if they could just from getting a little exercise? 

The first thing you think is "when I exercise I feel worse". 

The next thing you think is "I am so sick of people telling me to exercise!"

(Its ok, I dont get offended)

But you have to realize the only reason people say it all the time is because generally its true. NOT always, but generally.  (I'm not talking about those who think exercise and a good nights sleep will cure you!) Just as changing your diet "generally" helps. I always point out that I am never ever a one size fits all person. I don't like blanket statements because I am smart, experienced and open enough to know that not everything works the same for everyone. 

There is such a thing as exercise intolerance. 

Impaired oxidative phosphorylation not only causes muscle fatigue but also muscle cramping with or without tenderness, or a feeling of extreme heaviness in the muscles. These symptoms are especially severe in those muscle groups being used, and patients often complain of discomfort in the legs or even muscle spasms.The discomfort may be felt immediately following the activity or later on, waking up the patient from sleep. Following more prolonged or intensive activity, the pain or heaviness can persist into the next day(s) despite rest. A subset of patients has pain associated with elevations of CK and intensive exercise can lead to frank myoglobinuria; there may also be associated lactic acidemia (DiMauro, 1999).

With that said of course if you are going to hurt more you are not going to want to do it. And it takes a special determination to do it anyway knowing what lies ahead. One of the most common statements you hear from a Fibromyalgia/ME/CFS patient is  "I'll pay for it later"

Its part of our permanent vocabulary. But lets put this in perspective.

You drink foul tasting cough medicine because you know it will help your coughing. 

You take antibiotics when you dont like prescriptions because it will help your infection.

You spend $500 dollars on a brake job because you know it will save your life. 

You do so many things as a parent that "hurt", because you are trying to shape, protect and teach your child.

Something we are very guilty of is doing too much because we dont like to say "no" to others. We KNOW its going to hurt, but we do it anyway. We just decide to "pay for it later".

Well, a permanent part of my vocabulary is "you are in pain anyway". You are in pain anyway so why no make it count for something. Why not endure just a little more pain now, to prevent even greater pain down the road? I don't say that off the cuff, I don't think "if I can do it you can do it" and  I don't think its easy. 

BUT..aside from the abundance of articles, studies and "opinions", you do experience this yourself that....

The less you move, the more it hurts. The more it hurts the less you move.

 So it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. It hurts so bad you stop for a while and when you try again you want to die because it nearly kills you. And that's real pain, not an excuse to avoid exercise. 

The first "exercise' you should do is with your fingers! Do some research. Look on the internet, ask questions in support groups, read blogs and see what types of exercises and modalities seems to have the best results.  Make a list and then rate them in order of effectiveness. 

#1 Would be the most common, popular or least painful to incorporate. #2 Would be the next most common answer. 

Example:

1. stretching

2. walking

3.yoga 

(certain types, not the twist in a pretzel type!) 

etc....

Then, call the doctor and make an appointment to discuss the best way to go about getting some exercise. Bring your list and your research. DON'T FEEL FOOLISH. Most times coming armed with information will make them take serious, and provide specific answers. Don't let them tell you "go get a trainer", or "just start walking". That's not a plan. 

A plan is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something, OR an intention or decision about what one is going to do. You need to decide what to try first, at what intensity level and how often. It might be to even get a referral to a physical therapist or exercise physiologist to get the proper advice and program.

For example, If you decide to walk you shouldn't just walk 2 miles after having done little to no exercise. You could cause a flare and/other reactions. Graduated walking is best.  Decide with the doctor based on your condition how much and how far. Starting with only 10 minutes (any pace) 3 times week for 3 weeks. Then try to increase it to 15 minutes or just try walking a little faster.Then 4 times a week for 3 weeks (or simply increase to 15 minutes still 3 times a week), and so on. If it does not agree with you you will know right away. Maybe you have to cut back to 2 days, walk slower, or move on to the next thing on your list.  

If you chose yoga, start with only one class in a week. Wait and see how your body responds for the next few days. (Try looking on Meetup , facebook,  or local papers, gyms and studios for a free class in your area before you commit to the cost of a full session in case its not for you. A lot of studios also offer a drop in rate to you can try just one class) Its also not a bad idea to talk to the instructor ahead of time via phone or email and make them aware of your medical issues and what your goal is. They will be able to give extra instructions for your benefit, provide blocks or straps for you to modify some of the common moves so they do not cause you great discomfort and make sure you are in the right class, or tell you which one to try.  In my experience, Hatha, Svaroopa and Restorative are the top most effective types for Fibromyalgia and whole body pain related issues. Especially for beginners. 

The key is to find something that works for you. Don't judge  yourself or compare yourself to the others, especially "healthy" people around you. Each person has their own challenges, progresses at their own level and are motivated by different reasons. I beg of you to keep trying. Just keep trying and don't get discouraged by setbacks. 

I actually took that word out of my Rolodex because it has too much of a negative connotation. It's not a setback, its simply a communication from your body. Just as a dog has to bark or a baby has to cry to communicate, your body has no voice. It has to tell you when you have pushed it too hard somehow doesn't it? Its just a message to "slow down', pace yourself and in some cases when you seem to get no feedback, its actually saying "hey that wasn't so bad! you can probably do that again!"

1. • tention or decision about what one is going to do.

Matthew Jones, researcher at the University of New South Wales who led this study   said “the results remind us that the longer we stick with an exercise program, the less physically discomfiting it will feel, even if we increase our efforts ... The brain begins to accept that we are tougher than it had thought, and it allows us to continue longer, although the pain itself has not lessened.” (A less technical article that translates the study can be found here.)

*This is not to say you will be healed, that you won't or don't need additional therapies or medications. Exercise it is just an additional tool for your arsenal to help combat pain. Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. 

The Secret to Joint Pain Relief-Exercise

A Beginners Guide to 8 Major Types of Yoga
Yoga Diciplines- Different types of Yoga
Relieving Pain Through Exercise-Not Medicaion

Lil' Bub Birthday Paw-ty!

Nothing like a good old fashioned birthday to get your mind off pain! 

My 7 year old was turning 8. She wanted a party at home and of course my first thought was 'oh my gawd'. The stress, the cleaning, the errands, talking o other parents, and planning....blegh

But then I realized might be exactly what I needed. Winter depression, pain, and the long wait for spring maybe be dulled a little by the excitement of planning a party. I used to love it, so maybe I can love it again.

I was right.

She is obsessed with Lil Bub and wanted that to be the theme.

Since you can't exactly go to IParty and get Lil Bub decorations, I was left to making my own. I scoured Pinterest and the internet for anything related to cat parties, kitten parties, Lil bub and basically took a few things from here and there. I got ideas, thought of a few things myself and I got it together. 

We printed out lots of pictures of Lil Bub  to use everywhere
(Personal use people!! To "whom it may concern": Dont sue me!) 

Pictures of Bub in frames

A cat mobile with cats from the dollar store around
wooden knitting rings covered with yarn.

Cattails and Pussy Willows around the house!
 Although I only got a "cute" from everyone else, I thought this was hilarious and it tickled me to no end! Sometimes you have to entertain yourself!

  

I weighted the balloons down with balls of yarn and cat toys

Even the bathroom had to be done! (wood burner)

Clay poop and a (NEW!) cat scooper and crinkled paper both from the dollar store

I rolled yarn around different size Styrofoam balls and wooden mini spools and placed them around with toy mice

I printed out Lil bub in different sizes and put them all around the house.

$1 wooden letters from the craft store painted to match  the decor.

"Meow Mix" 

Purr'fect Punch

I made at paw cookies for the kids to take home.

I used my Cricut to cut out "It's A Pawty" letter for the banner

Boas to choose your own "tail"

They picked collars and added beads and cat charms to make "Kitten Collars"


Boy oh boy did they have fun prancing and crawling and meowing around the house. It was much louder than I anticipated, but they had fun and it made all the tedious work pay off.

Called in a favor with some nice old ladies at the local supermarket who pulled this off !!! So cute right?!

The birthday girl was very very happy. There were a lot of little details that were time consuming and back breaking, like making tons of tiny balls of yarn, and hanging them from doorways and ceiling fans, but I did not apparently take pictures of everything. I blame "fog".

I still did stress. Type A's do that most of the time no matter what. Everyday I thought of something new to do and everyday I had anxiety that I would not get it done in time. My hands and fingers ached. I had to use patches, Aleve, heating pads and Icy hot a lot for a few weeks. Getting addresses and making sure people got invitations even seemed draining to me but I kept on because I wanted her party to be great. 

They slept over and after they were all finally gone I just crashed, on the couch...whew..over. It was so fun but also draining. I happened to have had ZERO help getting this all together, and my body paid for it afterwards. But as many things involving our kids ..

#TotallyWorthIt

My middle girl happens to have been born on the fourth of July so every year it's sort of a big deal. Either  a trip to six flags or a lot of shenanigans and a rented bouncy house in the backyard. 

There's only so much you can do in the winter, so I wanted it to be just a big deal for her. Her favorite thing was the T-shirt we made (iron-on) because she can keep "forever". Or...as long as she loves Lil' Bub anyway. She is a pretty cute cat I must say. I wasn't sold in the beginning that I could create an entire party around her, but once I spent a minute reading her story and looking at that cute face I was hooked! And seeing how happy my baby was.....yeah

it was totally worth it!! 

I Love the Cold, said This Fibro Patient Never!

                   
Yesterday feeling like the "master" of my body decided to NOT work out after 2 hard days of insanitary in a row. I can feel the signs and even though every type A bone in my body want's to push through and act like I am "fine", I am getting better at holding that back.  Good for me right? I still had to work an hour with my 11 year old because school was cancelled. It was too cold..go figure.

That fractured my attention span into a few pieces and made work a little scattered and stressed.  But I survived. I ate a healthy lunch, rested, chilled with my girl..
Well, late in the day on the way to bring kids to dance I saw my gas light was on, and had been on...(for a while apparently). I am talking BELOW the last line.
 I was driving on less than fumes. I pulled into the gas station..and of course I had NO forms of cash/cards on me whatsoever. 
Trying to be comfy and get out of "real" clothes and into sweats, everything was home......I made it to dance, called hubby and he would come with the gas card. I had to wait an hour for dance to finish anyway. 
No gas in the car means I couldn't leave the car running, so no heat. No heat on a day when school was cancelled because it was so cold! Awesome. At the 45 minute mark the pain in my back was excruciating, every muscle tense and my neck so stiff it felt like my skull weighed 200 pounds resting on it.  There are NO words for what I was feeling so let me give you this visual...

I fidgeted, twisted and turned, wrapped up in everything that was available in the car and I was almost in tears...then my husband pulled up. We switched cars so I could sit in the heat while he took my van to get gas.

 It felt so good. I felt like I was thawing out, slowly. My bones still ached and it still hurt but felt good at the same time. 
Fast forward to 2 hours after I'm home...Everything still hurt. It made me nauseous, dizzy, extremely fatigued and my head was pounding.  Warming up was not the end. It was temporary. I wasn't cold anymore but the pain never really left. I went to bed to lay down a few hours earlier than normal because even standing and sitting put too much pressure on my spine. It lasted all night. Sleeping was awful and getting out of bed today was like many other days. It was slow, painful and walking resembled that of an ape. Today was going to be a day of working out and cleaning but looks as though its downtime again. Maybe some light stretching. 


Thank you  cold intolerance and thank you sensory issues said no one ever!