Thursday, January 5, 2012

Curious George meets the gym...

There was one point a few years ago when I felt that I was getting very physically strong. It was after my PVNS excision surgery, and I was following a strict regimen of physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and I was also going to a personal trainer a few times a week doing general strength training. This is the link to that post. It was almost exactly two years ago.

When the PT and hydrotherapy ended, I didn't do anything to replace them. I was supposed to continue on my own with the PT myself, but I didn't. Then, when the personal trainer I was working with stopped working because she was about to have a baby, I bought a few "props" I'd need for the exercises she taught me. Needless to say, I don't think I used them even one time.

I took to swimming again a year and a half ago. That has been going great. I have been able, mostly, to stick to a schedule of twice a week. There have been lapses of a month a few times, but I got back to it. I have been swimming at a lovely gym right here near my neighborhood, with deep gratitude going to my parents for the gift of membership there. I had always looked at the equipment longingly; I wanted to do other strength training, also. Something kept me from doing it, though. I think I had to feel strong enough to start strength training. Odd, right? I felt safe with the swimming.

I honestly don't know why, but recently I decided that it's time to start the strength training.
I need to be strong, even if I am going to have health issues, right? The gym offers a personal trainer for free a few times a year. Last year I didn't use it. This year I decided to take advantage of the offer. I met with the personal trainer a few days ago- Tuesday (the same day that I saw Dr Z and raised the dose of the Fentanyl patch, actually).

The trainer listened while I explained the issues of my left hip. I also explained that I am pretty weak all around because of all the time spent un-well. He got it. He helped plan for me a work-out routine, and taught me about all the machines and which muscles they are for. He wrote it all on a card for me, so I can refer to it each time I go to work-out.

Enthusiastically, I went back today. The plan was to do the work-out with the strength training machines. I want to do twice a week there; once swimming, and once strength training.

Well, yeah, you guessed it. I overdid it. I am in such pain now. It didn't hurt while I was doing it, but now, a few hours thereafter, I am very sore. I went beyond what he planned for me to do. I tried a few of the other machines as well. Now I see that he didn't do those machines with me because it causes strain to the hip.
I was like Curious George in there... trying everything, feeling like I can do anything, then getting in trouble.

What was going through my  mind was "I'm really OK. Nothing hurts at the moment. Most people who have gone through rare and complicated diseases (?!) aren't even well enough to get to a gym, no less do all this stuff I can do. What do I need all the doctors for, I'm really so OK!".

Never mind the fact that I was feeling OK because of the higher dose of the Fentanyl! That didn't occur to me. When I am feeling well, I honestly have this amnesia thing. It's like I suddenly see this medical stuff as some other altered reality, not *me*. I act as if I have no restrictions, and it's almost like I think of "all that other stuff" as a farce. That *this* now is the real me.

It's GOOD that I am going to the gym and starting to train in ways other than swimming. I have to remember, though, that if I feel well, and am having no strong sense of pain, it's because of the medicine, it's not ME-- there is no unmedicated me any more. Unmedicated me would probably be in bed all day.

I gotta take it easy. Medicated me has to take it easy.
Now that I think about it, it's likely that unmedicated me (in days of yore) also should have taken it easier. I was so hard on myself. Can you tell?

Still learning lessons about what my body can and cannot do. I just pray that this pain I've caused will go away quickly. I'm resting for the remainder of the evening.
This could last a while.
My hip is pretty mad at me at the moment.

1 comment :

  1. shavua tov! kol hakovod for starting the excersising! definitely do not overdo it. listen to your trainer. its great for the body and the nefesh! cheering you along, rochel.

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