Hi folks, we have had quite the week here in NC. We had an epic snowstorm and last night, an earthquake. It was mild, but kind of freaky !
In any event, right before all of this happened, I had been going to the Y almost every day for about two weeks and walking on the treadmill, which I was really starting to enjoy ! I love, love, love that endorphin rush at the end. if only I could bottle that and drink it 24-7. I had worked my way up to 2 miles at 2.8 mph! All of this, after living like a potato for the last 2 years !
After the second week, I hit a massive wall of pain and fatigue that I have not ever experienced to date. it was very discouraging to say the least. So...while I have been shut in the last 5 days or so ( because of treacherous road conditions) I am doing a prednisone burst and taper and feel a LOT better and I am ready to get back to the Y as soon as the road in front of my house is clear.
I do not want to overdo it, but I want to keep going. I plan to talk to the trainers at the Y, but the 2 that I have consulted with are young bucks who have never heard of PsA, so I am not sure they can really advise me.
They do have a water class and I guess that would be a good thing to do as it is not as jarring. Have any of you had this happen when you started an exercise program, and how did you find the balance between challenging yourself without hurting yourself?
You’re having quite the excitement there. I was in Asheville 10 or 11 years ago when there was a mild earthquake. Disturbing but mild.
The water class might be good, but you would want to start off limiting yourself. If it’s a half hour class, maybe start off with 10 or 15 minutes, and then just float and rest.
It sounds like you’re having a flare, but I’m questioning whether it is directly related. I would have expected it to happen sooner if it was directly related. Feel better soon.
Hi Lamb ! it happened before the snow, the flare that is. I had been going every day to get my fix. That first 20 minutes after the workout is amazing, I am looking forward to going back. Hope you are feeling better.
I have found it very challenging to figure out what is overdoing it, what is a flare and what is too little exercise. I think I have finally figured it out for myself; I hope it maybe of use to you.
If I exercise steadily I flare less. If I overdo I have many pesky areas of pain and swelling which I think of as superficial: tendonitis, bursitis, etc. They respond to more rest, salonpas, heat and warm water. Deeper pain and fatigue that is overwhelming signify, for me, a flare. I rest much more and pull back on all exercise. My exercise at this point is walking on flat surfaces and warm water exercises. I have to take all my meds routinely to prevent both flares and tendonitis, etc. mtx. NSAIDs and bio. But I am usually pretty poorly controlled so I have to change bios about yearly.
Michael, I like the way you think ! I did my mile at 2.8mph on the treadmill, keepin' it level and jamming out to Kool and the Gang and James Brown singing "Get Up Offa That Thing and Dance Till You Feel Betta." it got me through and I got my squirt of endorphins. We'll see how I do tonight and tomorrow when I start the pred taper.
I think I can relate to the poorly controlled club. Hugs.
I think the biggest thing is to make sure you listen to your body. I'm finding my activities change daily, depending on how I am functioning. It's sometimes hard to manage with out burning out due to fatigue or pain. I have been walking as much as I can and find that moving really helps, however if I over do it I pay. I went from training for a half marathon last spring, to now sticking to walking.
My husband, mother in law and I recently went snow shoeing for 3k in a beautiful flat meadow. My mother in law is 67 and this was her first time snowshoeing. The next day I ended up having a flare in my right foot...currently on day 5 of not being able to walk due to the increase swelling and pain. Would I do it again...absolutely! Did the snow shoeing cause the flare...I highly doubt it as I have done more walking and snow shoeing in the past with out any issues....but I was having some overall joint pain prior to going and maybe should have waited for another day(should have listened to my body). I'm thankful for the memories, it was a wonderful day :-)
I am glad you had your day in the sun even if it caused a flare. Those memories mean so much.
Over the years I have had to give up skiing, snow shoeing, the list goes on, but today I boogied down and shook all my "money makers" while listening to music. I am very glad no one was looking but damn it felt good. I think it is more about enjoying what you are doing not so much about activities you can no longer do. So let's boogey on! <3
I too listen to my body, at the moment because I have a fairly active job I’m not doing more than my tai chi to keep me supple, and short walks on my days off. I’m too fatigued to do more. Hopefully get back to the swimming and bigger walks when the weather improves and my fatigue wanes
Well, I am listening to my body and it is pissed, apparently. I did my exercise Saturday, took a day off yesterday because going every day seemed to aggravate things, and last light I had one of those "worm in hot ashes" squirmy, painful nights and I got up at 3:00am and took pain meds. I finally got back to sleep around 7 and slept till 8:30. Now I feel like something the cat dragged in.
I don't know if I should do the treadmill today or not....Maybe I will just do some yoga today.
I don't have any advice for you but wanted to let you know I am thinking about you and am proud of how proactive you are with your exercise regime. Love the tunes you listen to while on the tread mill, they will get your body moving and heart a pumpin
It sure is a hard balance isn’t it? I’ve been working up slowly for about 9 months now, and its often 2 steps forward and one step back!
I’m with Michael though - that massive wall of fatigue is most likely to be a flare, while the tendonitis type issues are most likely to be an overdo.
As for the worm in hot ashes, have you started the taper yet? Because that will certainly do it! If not, you might find that your body needs some movement every day to keep a bit more comfortable (this happens to me, though it took months to develop once I started exercising again). If so, yoga might be a great idea (I do a very light yoga - Rodney Yee for beginners AM) on my off days and find that effective.
But mostly, the key is to just keep going! my gym has a spa, and if I am hobbling around and feel I can’t do anything, I go sit in the for a while, just to keep the habit alive and remind myself how good exercise is
HI, I started the taper yesterday, down from 20 to 10 for 5 days and then back down to 5 per day. I did go and walk my mile today. I think I will go every other day for awhile and see how I do. I just need SLEEEEEP. Ya'll are so great. Thanks for listening, empathizing and sympathizing. It's so good to know others understand. <3
Hi ! So....for anyone who may be interested, I am still plugging away at my exercise and have enjoyed the recumbent bike the last couple of days. I think I like it much more than the treadmill and have less pain while doing it, even though I am working hard and getting a good cardio workout. I did 6 miles at level 5 ( out of 15). I have created an awesome station on pandora.com of workout tunes. I am a little nervous because I drop back down to 5 mg prednisone tomorrow, and I pray I can keep going.
Do any of you like the recumbent bike ? I tried the one with the regular seat, but OWWWEEEE. That's all I want to say about that !
Great for you mimiB trying a recumbent bike. I have never even seen one but I may look at my gym and see if they have one. Good for you to remind us to try new things. Sometimes I seem to focus on what I can't do any more and forget to check out what I can do. Thanks for the reminder <3
MimiB, I’m so happy for you for exercising and sticking with it. Let me make a plug for deep water exercise. I was assigned to aqua therapy by my physical therapist and then started taking DWE classes to keep up the PT program. The warm water helps your body and the compression of the water on your entire body can help reduce inflammation. So, it’s a win, win.
If you can consult with a seasoned physical therapist rather than “trainer” you might get some more useful tips. Both of my physical therapists (land and water) were really knowledgeable about PSA and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. They were able to help me figure out how to do enough and how to work on cardio and strength while maintaining flexibility. If your insurance covers it I think it is well worth a few visits to a physical therapist to get some tips. My doctor sent me because of massive pain in my hips and I had lost an incredible amount of flexibility and strength. Ten weeks later and I’m almost as good as new. No kidding. I was convinced that I was going to be on crutches or a walker at the beginning of December. But now I’m taking three heated yoga classes and two deep water classes a week. I’m amazed.
Thanks my friends ! janeatiu, I woke up today with my knee really swollen, BAH ! I may not make it to the bike today and I totally agree with you about the aqua workout and physical therapy. I am just waiting until I loose a tad more weight so that my swimming suit will fit. it's a wee bit tight and I don't want to have to buy a new one. I think, in a couple of weeks, it will fit again.
Today, the trainer at the YMCA, who is armed with info from my rheumatologist, will guide me through upper body and strength training. One day at a time, right ?
