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Does anyone else feel like exercising makes your symptoms worse?
Hi everyone! I have started to have some improvement after starting vagus nerve stimulation therapy and finally felt like I was able to start exercising again! I have a Peloton bike (leaderboard is @stephbea27 if you want to add me!) and I started doing 20 minute rides last week. The first day the ride itself felt amazing and I felt so good while working out, but the next day all of my symptoms were back and I felt terrible. When I take a rest day, I notice the symptoms feel better the next day but when I work out, I just don't feel good the next day. It's like my body is using all of it's energy during the workout and leaves nothing for other processes. Has anyone experienced this?
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You’ve made progress though. Bravo!!
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2 ReactionsI relate. It’s very tricky when you feel you have some energy and want to use it, then Baget blowback. Boy, it’s a real management process isn’t it?
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3 ReactionsMe, too! Gardening is my passion, my therapy, & now I can only do a few minutes . Even worse, if I pick up my 18-month-old granddaughter & walk a few minutes, I'm struggling with SOB. Grocery shopping means I have to collapse & rest of nap an hour or more. I want my life back! Thanks for listening!
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3 ReactionsIt did for me for months-it's called post exertional fatigue. But there is hope. It is slowly getting better since July 2022. I had to really watch electrolytes even when I wasn't exercising, as that definitely helps with the fatigue. Doctors also recommend stopping an activity before you start feeling tired or you'll crash. Learned that the hard way. I am trying to do anti inflammatory diet (mostly low carb, no grains, no sugar or sweeteners) to help my brain, as well as acupuncture, healing meditation videos, qi gong/tai chi (great for energy) and massage. Those have been game changers to my progress.
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1 ReactionYes, celebrate the progress! It's so easy to get bogged down in the chronicness.
Also pace yourself. Sounds like you are learning what your body can handle and maybe daily workouts aren't the way to go at the moment. I know it's frustrating. Maybe shorter rides daily. Or gentle rides. Cardio workouts can exacerbate, even though that seems counter intuitive.
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1 Reaction4 months ago I was riding my bike,working all day now almost bed ridden,no more golf my stomach pain and gas pains are horrible, my blood pressure is different now,I have lost 23 lbs I am miserable.
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2 ReactionsI have the same issues. My gardens all suffered last year as I could not do more than 15 minutes at a time. Grocery shopping starts out ok, then half way through (15 minutes or so) I am leaning heavy on my cart.
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2 ReactionsHi, I see that you wrote this over a year ago, but if you’re still willing to talk about it, I would love to. It sounds like your situation back then is very much like mine for the last 3 years since I got it. I finally got much better last fall. I was able to be more independent and I adjusted to a new normal. However, I’m in a significant relapse now. I’m starting over, and having a hard time pacing - I keep crashing. I know all about PEM and I’ve had an OT, but still I am not getting my pacing right this time around. If you are willing, would you please IM me. I think it would help to talk it over with someone who’s actually lived it in a way that sounds very similar to my experience.
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1 ReactionExact same thing for almost 1.5 years! Two consecutive rounds of prednisone finally fixed it. Now I'm recovering from covid round 2 and expecting similar long covid journey...