Exercise support group

[[kr...]]

yes I know what you mean! Thats why we need so much reassurance.

Exercise was always my stress relief and kept me feeling young. I  think the timing of this wd sucks being 49 and not sure of my life and the delayed grief/death phobia of losing parents to lung cancer.

 

Anyone out there who dealt with the joint/muscle pain and stiffness and weakness....find it hard to gauge their exercise? get stuck at a plateau? (I think it has to do with the golgi tendon or muscle fascia) or worry about getting injured? (I increased my hiking in fall and tried biking when my si joint locked up, then groin pulls, and I hear things pop and snap alot!)

 

[[kr...]]

Vegan thanks for being understand when I apologize cause I know its hard to hear complaining or worry here.

 

Goin nuts snowed in here so Im going to try clean the house and do yoga since the pain has gone down some. yesterday no exercise just stretching. hoping i get plowed and make it to gym for treadmill walk and foam roller

Hoping the roller and massage will help me along...the pt is really hard!

 

 

[[kr...]]

MT if everything is amplified, it  would make sense that my dying fear will subside then? and the doubting my bf and trusting our relationship again? being struck w injury or illness while emotionally/physically down, worry of never being in shape to enjoy skiing, biking etc, letting go of anger, regrets..

All this stuff and more...anyone else? and how do you turn it off?

Ironically, I would keep busy and workout and had busy jobs where I could ignore "what ifs" and I don't yet have the stamina or pain free muscles to do that!!   meditation is still hard. I remember the times I really relaxed was when I would exhaust myself

Ive been going to therapist but maybe it just stirs it up and makes up extra things to worry about???

[[kr...]]

MT if everything is amplified, it  would make sense that my dying fear will subside then? and the doubting my bf and trusting our relationship again? holding on to anger, being struck w injury or illness while emotionally/physically down, worry of never being in shape to enjoy skiing, biking etc

All this stuff and more...anyone else? and how do you turn it off?

Ironically, I would keep busy and workout and had busy jobs where I could ignore "what ifs" and I don't yet have the stamina or pain free muscles to do that!!   meditation is still hard. I remember the times I really relaxed was when I would exhaust myself

Ive been going to therapist but maybe it just stirs it up and makes up extra things to worry about???

[[Ve...]]

I know you asked MT, but I wanted to chime in and say I had, and still have a little very tiny bit, all those fears you listed. They were so huge in my mind, all the time, impossible to distract from. The general advice on these forums is to distract, distract, distract; so anything you can do to distract from those fears is helpful. I couldn't really find anything to distract myself from them, so I just had to white knuckle, gut it out for a year and a half until they died down. It's possible to survive long enough for them to diminish until they're not a big deal.

 

Exercise is a good distracton!

 

But if you can't exercise, anything that gets you through the day.

 

Good for everyone who does stretching. I forget all the time and I pay for it!

 

Ow.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but I was reading this article about resilience and found it interesting but there isn't really a good place to post it, so I thought I'd post it here:

 

http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-secret-formula-for-resilience

 

Maybe someone else will find it helpful. My takeaway was that this awful experience really can make us better people and that the tools we need to do that are learnable by anyone; yes, even us.

[[ja...]]

I don't get out enough, I just found this blog. It's a good one Drew, thanks for starting it. I walk but need to do some weights for my muscles.

 

Love Jackie :smitten:

[[Wo...]]

Stretching is SO important, especially for us. Our muscles get so tight from the chronic stress. I found it helps with joint pain and the Akathisia.

[[kr...]]

thanks for the link Vegan! just read it. Good to know Im not the only one too with these thoughts. Did you have this problem at all prebenzo? I have but not so extreme

I am getting better at catching myself blowing things out of proportion. Im still on the fence about how beneficial therapy is for me. expensive too.

I notice sometimes I have really great thoughts of what I might accomplish or fun things in the future etc like while im on the treadmill or cooking when a good song comes on the radio and I dance a bit.

 

btw i really want to get my cardio up so i jog on the treadmill for less than a minute now and then (on a good day), or the dancing around the house in a good mood. Maybe because dancing is expressive it can GET you in a better mood!?

[[kr...]]

Wonderova I agree with the stretching. The more I did it seemed to get easier. Now its back I think I slacked on stretching a bit and now it burns to do it.

Im taking tumeric and zyflemmend to help. anyone try anything that helps? These are expensive and dont know for sure how much they help but I keep taking them

[[Ve...]]

Pre-benzo I had issues from suddenly stopping a psych med (either Zoloft or Paxil, I don't even remember anymore) that caused the same symptoms of benzo withdrawal for me. It's part of the reason I ended up on a benzo. The reason I got on a psych med was because of emotional trauma from coming out and losing my family and friends. I hear similar stories a lot around here: people have an emotional trauma that gets them on a psych med (anti-depressant, anti-anxiety) and end up worse off than they were before the trauma. Life was never all that awesome for me, even on the best of days, but now I have a whole new perspective on what crappy feels like.

 

I'm okay now with what would have been unacceptable levels of anxiety and depression. I'm not sure how to best express it, because my life can be pretty awful, but it's awesome and I'm awesome and I don't want to take risky measures to make it better than it is because I know that having a stress-free life is a mirage. Trying to chase that dragon just ends up with me hurting myself.

 

I stopped doing therapy because I found it more traumatizing than helpful. I actually had terrible therapists, though. If you have a good therapist stick with her, cause a good therapist is worth her weight in gold.

[[kr...]]

Vegan so sorry about your traumas. I didnt have the skills to deal w multiple stresses and went to klon. Yea, similar stories around here

This therapist also does hynotherapy. She keeps challenging me to change my thoughts like "name one things that WAS good about last night" Its all reprogramming. My overactive ocd brain is gathering up any bit of psycho problems i may have to tell her about (psychological wd sx overacting??)

What you focus on, grows... so how much truth is there into digging up stuff?

[[Ve...]]

Oh boy, am I really going off topic...

 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy isn't so much about digging up stuff and obsessing about it, really. A good therapist can direct you into looking at the past through new eyes. So, instead of digging up the painful parts of the past and just re-living them, it's about changing our perspective on those events, looking at them from new angles, changing how we experience them. If done correctly, it can take an event I experienced in a wholly negative way and blamed myself for the outcome and make it a non-judgmental positive learning experience. That's sort of the same thing that article was about, how we can learn how to do that ourselves, without help, but it's not a terrible thing to have a good therapist or counselor walk us through the process.

 

A good therapist (or any sensei) will teach you tools for better living and then say, "good luck, you're on your own, you don't need me anymore." That's why they're such beneficial people to be around. Anyone who says, "you need my help, or you're crap" is someone to run away from as fast as possible.

 

This is a good primer on cognitive-behavioral therapy if you're interested in learning the skills to do it yourself: http://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions/

[[MT...]]

Great link, Vegan. There's good stuff on there. I liked your comment about how you've learned to be OK with some unacceptable amounts of anxiety and depression. That's part of what got me interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Accepting rather than fighting or avoiding emotions has proven to be far more effective in lowering the level of overall misery and being able to capture moments of joy.

[[kr...]]

I just watched a video about myofascial release massage...it totally makes sense how tightened up muscles or fascia need to get this treatment. Im going to try it at a different pt place. has anyone else done this??

[[MT...]]

I've had massage therapists do it before. It seems helpful at the time and decreases the pain for a while.

[[kr...]]

My massage girl can do it a little ...probably like any massage therapist.. but not specialized in it. Im hoping it will help me be able to run and play!! That will help the anxiety and depression so much. My head goes to good places when Im out exercising, sports etc vs overthinking myself into bad imagined things while sitting home

[[Sh...]]

I've got this to... used to dance for 10-12h a week before... now nothing except walking, biking... but when my head goes sad from the benzo's and my body is able to it... i go out to run... and feel so much more positive air in my head afterwards.

[[dr...]]

I just watched a video about myofascial release massage...it totally makes sense how tightened up muscles or fascia need to get this treatment. Im going to try it at a different pt place. has anyone else done this??

 

I have done it twice and the first time was incredible.  It was just gentle pushing, twisting, and massaging of my skin.  It felt like nothing and I was ready to poo poo it as new age BS.  I was then really sore in spots I was never sore in my entire life that diminished over about three days.  After that I went my longest stretch without a headache and other stuff.  My neck, rib cage, strernum, and shoulders have never been as tight since then and it was in November.  I went again in late January but this time my scalp pain didn't respond as well but teh rest of my body is still way looser.  I highly recommend it.

 

 

[[Ki...]]

I had it done too and haven't had a headache since. My legs are still tight but they have always been my worst problem (weak, stiff, joint pain). Like Drew, I was pretty sore for a few days afterwards (and a little bit during the massage) but the relief was huge. I now go every week. 

[[Ve...]]

I've just started taking 1000IU of D3 and 250mg of Magnesium, just crappy store brand vitamins, and as much as it pains me to say, I feel like they're really helping! I think I'm going to try taking them before I run in the morning instead of afterwards. It might help me work through some of the pain and stiffness I get during runs. I'll report back if I have any news to share.

 

Also, I was getting blood in my pee after a run and stopped drinking coffee before I run and instead waiting until afterwards. It was happening last year on long bike rides and I went to my doctor about it and got my kidneys good and checked out but they're fine. I guess blood in the pee after strenuous exercise is something that happens; especially to stupid people like me who get good and dehydrated before we go out on runs. Don't think that I didn't go through quite a bit of freak outs and paranoia over that!

 

Much better now that I save the coffee for a post-run reward. I have to say that I miss the extra oomph I used to get from the coffee. I'm down to three mile runs in the mornings, but I'm okay with that. Lots of room to grow.

 

I wanted to re-share this link from nova 1 about athletes over fifty:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/inspirational-athletes-older-athletes_n_1710852.html

 

Going to look into that massage!

[[Sh...]]

Hey all exercising buddies,

 

Question : I'm on 4 mg Diazepam right now... planning to taper down in a few days... when I have had a good night sleep and my body feels up to it... i try to run or bike.. but each time afterwards my shoulderblades hurt... and I feel  I have a deeper breath... the breathing eases up fast but the muscle ache stays all day. I do take magnesium and danced-worked out 10-12h a week before. I need to do this to keep up my mental happiness... if not this i'll go for a walk.  I know this is probably wd sympt but should i keep doing this ? I really have the feeling I gotta get outside when there's no rain. Thanks already for your answer ! Sh x

[[kr...]]

yes Shake  getting outside is good! Just for the nature even

 

Im going to a lady w 38 yrs experience and studied under a dr barnes  disciple for myofascial release. DR Barnes is the authority on Myofascial bodywork. this technique is not paintful but meant to release the layers of fascia binding up everything lot of which could be emotional. anyone familiar with this? there are other techniques by massage therapists grabbing the top layer and by pt that dig and hold and have you move a muscle.

I see her tomorrow morning! Hoping I support letting go as they say. Tissue binds also w misalignment accidents etc. So anyone know if it's really muscles or fascia that's tight?? And then the muscles get weak?

I'm told the tissue can go around the brain too causing depression etcetc

[[Ve...]]

Shake: From riding a bike, I can confirm that the back muscles between the shoulderblades really get a good workout. It seems that during this illness it's much easier to get sore and the soreness seems to stay around longer for me. It seems to get better over time, though. I don't think anyone can say with any authority whether you should keep doing it or not, that has to be up to you, but I keep working through the pain and it seems to eventually go away. As long as you don't have a sharp pain accompanied by redness and swelling. It's probably easier to get a torn muscle during this illness, though I haven't gotten one yet, but maybe I'm lucky. Good luck to you!

 

Kris: The fascia is the connective tissue made up of collagen. It's my understanding that when we are sick like this, one of the things that happens is we have too much of the stress hormone cortisol in our systems which causes us to make less collagen which is why our connective tissue is so crappy right now. No one really knows exactly for sure, though. Whatever you can do that helps you feel better is a good thing, though, right?

 

I don't think the magnesium and D3 are really all that helpful for me, but they don't seem to be harmful. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait to get better like everyone else.

 

Keep being amazing everyone!

[[kr...]]

vegan i wondered if i should supplement w collagen but the healthfood store lady said i pretty young and eat right and should be getting what i need.

I had a saliva cortisol test done which came back normal. I was having an ok day that day if it makes a difference

 

So im wondering if muscle soreness for whatever reason is really the fascia or both?

 

can i ask you how much biking and jogging do you do, when did you start and how long before the tightness went away?

ps i like the positive attitude at the end of your signature

 

 

 

[[kr...]]

I have to tell ya all I have cried several times lately and laughed a few times which I havent done in so long! It was a hopeful feeling that I will run and swim and play hard again!

 

when I spoke to the PT mike, he said he's seen this before (my hips were his focus of concern and I couldve been dealing w an imbalance for years) and I looked him right in the eyes and asked him "can you fix this?" and he nodded and said yes, smiling. I got in my car and called my bf and started crying! The second time that day I cried when the MFR therapist called me back and I described how I felt my body has been vacume packed etc and she totally got it and sounded confident she could help

 

of course i couldn't help myself and did some reading about fascia... now it scares me cause its so important for the body to filter stuff and you can get disease if it doesnt loosen up! And I wonder if a problem w the cortex or some part of the brain can cause the pain?  Am I overreacting??

 

It seems my exercise and pain improved till after the hip problems in Jan. I notice the anxiety comes up with the inflammation burning pain...anyone else?

 

pls wish me luck for tomorrow buddies...I know its not heart surgery but i have my appt at 10 for the myofascial release, and then physical therapy at 4.

Dont know why im feeling nervous!  Keep posting workout buddies.. i love this board.