Gbs/cidp Exercise Family

This morning I did my stretching exercises. Some were while I was still laying down for the legs. I continued to do several exercises for the upper body and breathing while I am sitting at the kitchen table waiting for my cup of tea! I did a few leg lifts and stretches for my spine or core working on my breathing the whole time. I have a tendancy to hold my breath when I do an exercise! After I felt like I was warmed up enough and limber, I got serious and turned on the radio and walked in place for a song or two while I watched to dogs run in the back yard in the snow. Brrrrrrrrrrr!!

I try not to do all my exercises all at once. I spread my exercise out over the day….5 minutes an hour….over 12 hours that adds up to an hour of exercise and most important it does not make me over tired.

Anyone going to join me? To be a family there has to be more than one member!! LOL Come on! Move it Move it Move it!

Thank you JayDee! 😀 I get tired at times and have to choose the computer keyboard or the couch…..you made the right decision. I work out with hand weights on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and try to do a variety of things. Today I just stayed home and did my routine here. It is nice after 15 months I can see how I have slowly moved up from the 1 pound hand weights to a slower routine with 8 pounds. Does not take much water in a plastic bottle to make up a few ounces to start! I have come a long way! Tomorrow I will swimming and do some relaxing in the rehab pool! I do that on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

I don’t expect everyone to post every day, so that is why I said once a week would be a nice amount to just check in and see what everyone else has picked to use as their exercise!

JayDee I think alot of us here are in that generations that we have either had to be the caregiver to our parents or are very close to that situation. It is a hard position to be in between the older generations and the younger generation. Sure is hard to keep up the energy level both mentally and physically…to have this happen to me after being a member of a fitness club/spa …it was very hard and I missed it, now I am just about able and go back and join my friends in all the classes that are for all levels. They show you the different levels so we can all exercise together. I also like this place because there are many many seniors that go there! It is for families but they are not there when I am there. It is nice because it is open from 5:30 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. so I have no excuse to miss because I was busy. It is very close to my home also which is a big plus. I find that it is beneficial to me to relax me and I sleep better. When I get up I feel rested and ready to tackle a few things around here. Those exercise balls were actually first used in Sweden I think for their rehab programs. What a contribution to the medical world. I use mine while I am laying down in the morning and some of the things I do in weight lifting on the balace ball. They really do created stability in those core areas. We all can use exercises to work all those tiny muscles that cause cramping in our hands and feet and around our hips. It is nice that they come in different sizes according to your height. I can actually reach the floor better and they do help with good posture!

Today I did two classes in the pool (84 F), one for Arthritis and the other was for balance and flexibility called Ai Chi…..both were slower placed from the ones that were my favorites where we did aeroblics that worked in the upper body and lower body and cardio! Then I go over to the rehab pool (94 F) to relax and warm up! I stay warmer in the regular pool when I do the Aqua Aerobics classes…but don’t want to over do it! I will get back to the weights and machines tomorrow and hope to rest enough to joine the Yoga class in the late afternoon! I am really struggling with that class since I was in rehab and they did not teach me to crawl or stand up from being on the floor. I had trouble with an injury to my left shoulder while in the hospital and then fell against the toilet a month after I got home from the hospita. That arm is still weaker than the other arm and I do not push it with the heavier weights. But it is coming along nicely during swimming. I am getting there…..this is the year!

[B]JayDee>[/B] I think the idea of keeping a Journal is great! What I do is usually take Sunday off from exercises to give my mind a rest and only do some breathing and stretches. If I have cabin fever I might add something else but usually that is my day off to look back at my Journal and think where I can add something or is there a part of my body that is weaker than the others and I focus on finding an exercise that will increase that area’s strenght or flexibility. A few weeks ago I added some exercises for my thumb! Yes my thumb! Not just one of them but both of them. I went back to the OT and asked him if he could give me some things to help ease the cramps I was getting in my hands. Mainly the thumbs. They were taking turns cramping up and pulling the thumb right down to the palms. It was not a trigger problem and no clicking so he gave me a few exercises to try for a week and then report back to him. Glad to say that the spasms are fewer each day and I will continue to check in my Journal and write down any weird things I need to go over with my teams of Doctors. I still have one short tendon that runs between the hand and the thumb when I try to make an “L”. That is starting to stretch out also!

[B]Liz>[/B] I agree some might pass us by for right now, but your idea is good about putting the notice on the other discussions. If you want to do that while you are there….I would appreciated it! They listen to you more than me! LOL I was not sure where to put this thread and I know it will help others think about what they should be doing too! Look at you seeing results and working on rehab. I am proud of you! I also had problems even getting my legs to lift off the bed in the hospital and I worked on that alot in rehab. That was one of the areas that I worked on for months. Now they are working well but do need strenghtened. I am trying to be patient and work on getting my back stronger and my hips. I know I am not going to regret my efforts for working the larger groups of muscles, but also important not ignoring those tiny muscles. I hope you can get into a pool and just move the water around with your legs that really helped me to get those legs stronger if only by treading water. But there is nothing wrong with starting out laying in the bed. I just found working without gravity was easier when starting any exercise. Then I moved up the challenge in the pool by walking and actually marching around the pool. Leg lifts also helped me. A few to the rear and to the side while just standing in the water on the edge of the pool. Eventually a few to the front. They gave me a weight on the bottom of the pool to move forward with my foot starting out flat on the floor and sliding the weight forward….was pretty easy under water. Really helped with the stamina in my legs.

Everyone remember to get your rest! Exercise and your body will do the rest!

[COLOR=”Blue”]HINT:[/COLOR] Drink water to replenish what you used to keep hydrated, but to also flush the toxins out of the muscles and out of the body!

[B]Hi Liz![/B] Thanks for posting! That is the nice thing about exercise you do a routine that is customized for you and you don’t have to post here everyday unless you just want to let everyone know you did your exercises today and just wanted to say Hello! Like today I take Sundays off but I felt stiff from riding in the car yesterday. So today I am only going to do Yoga just to relax mentally and physically.

My routine is not exactly like yours and after reading your posts some of the exercises you are doing I did them in rehab in the hospital and some I am doing now. I know how much they helped me and hope you get the same benefit out of them as I did.

Since my neck is stiff today I will mention it to them in rehab tomorrow and they will give me something to strenghten my neck and shoulders! Also today my hands are burning so they might offer some suggestions to relieve that or put hot wax on them or cold packs depending on where they are bothering me…..or that might be gone by tomorrow. WHO KNOWS! I do know that vibrations from a car ride or running the sweeper makes them burn, so chances are this is from the car ride 45 minutes of travel each way is alot of vibrating and trying to hold my head from swaying back and forth. My truck is sure not a comfort ride! LOL I don’t want to give up that 4 x 4!

Each day I feel better but also notice when one area gets stronger then the weakness that is left really shows up. Then we take care of that…it is an on going process. I have only seen good benefits from it!

[B]JayDee>[/B] I know what you mean about taking care of family members and struggling to keep your own life and household functing smoothly. I consider myself in the slowlane now and think I am enjoying not seeing life fly by as quickly. I am getting better slowly and my world has slowed down some. I am taking time to enjoy it! Hope all goes better for you and your family!

[B]Everyone>[/B] Have a productive week!

Cara,

I know what you mean about loosing muscle! You will do great! I don’t know how you are able to do f/t that is terriffic! I am still struggling with getting this whole body in shape. I am working on everything slowly. Was doing something last night and noticed I could not do something, but forgot to write it down to find out what exercise would help that area. Now I have to wait till I do it again to remember what it was.! I am hoping this thread also helps me remember those tiny muscles. Oh the big ones complain [B]OUT LOUD [/B]so I can not forget them! LOL I am glad you are here to join us and don’t feel you have to post everyday! I know I am not able to keep up some days. One thing about exercise, is you can split it up into smaller times through out the day or through out the week! I pretend to run after the dogs to play and they just look at me like I have lost it! I have lost the grace out of graceful! 😡

[B]JayDee>[/B] I agree with missing the time we spent together on projects in the house and outdoors. The good thing about exercise that we do can be easy or at a different level…each day is different. I always say do less than you think you can do and just do it more often….the time all adds up but avoiding fatigue is the upmost important goal. Even on those days I call lazy days I still do stretches and the easier things I had in the orginal PT & OT. Might be basic but it does a body good to move than to just goes thru the movements! I make sure I get that little stretch or hold a position longer. Some days to my tapes, I do one exercise to every three they do it on the tape. But I am doing it! I am moving for 20 minutes! So are they! I also know it is very important to do something you enjoy. Some days I am on the phone more than others. I walk thru the house just walking with the phone. Some phone calls I get in a 20 minute walk and some I walk for more! I can use that walking as my warm up exercise or cool down time but I have enjoyed it. Like walking with a friend on a rainny day! Also I turn on the bright lights in the ceiling while doing exercises….tricks me into thinking it is a sunny day! Hard to get into the groove but easy once you start to move! I am also working on eating smaller portions by keeping on reading those labels and making better choices. My Journal keeps me motivated again too! 😉
Thanks for being my exercise buddy!

I agree with everyone just putting in the effort for those first few exercises is the hard part. Once you get started then you can add things you know you are able to do and use them after you warm up with those stretches and some great breathing exercises. I get out my pages they gave me from OT and PT and do them but try to find some exercises that take them to the next level. I don’t try to set a time limit to exercise, I listen to my body and do what I can. Even if watching a tape and I get bored or have to sit down, I finish out that tape with things I can do. I was once told in rehab that it is important to move that finger or leg just one inch. You don’t have to move it a foot. The distance is not important as is getting that finger or leg to move. Then you are using that muscle. As it gets stronger the movement will get greater with ease! That is the method I use. For example: When I first started to walk I did baby steps…..now I can take a normal stride as everything come together! Every so often I might even throw a few speed steps in that distance to bring up my heart and breathing rate.

[B]cara> [/B] That is a very nice video you mentioned. Sounds like it would be easy but it even challenges the fit person by holding the moves for longer periods of time.

[B]Liz>[/B] I wish we all had a bit of your attitude! Keep up the good work! I know you are fitting all this exercise into your busy schedule!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] Come on and take a dog for a walk! I can lend you one!

JayDee> You fit right in this group! Thanks for the support and the great posts!

I have been keeping up my schedule and here and there just adding stuff here at the house. I enjoy my swimming more than I like the machines, but I grin and bear it! Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are on the circuit with the machines. YUCK…..I think they are boring days. Swimming we laugh and splash in the water, get yelled at by the instructor for making too much noise! It is a nice part of exercising with a group!

Hope everyone is working sincerly to keep an exercise program going! You are worth it!

[B]Cheryl!>[/B] I think you misunderstood this program! That dog has you trained! You are being manulipulated by Man’s Best Friend! We need to get you educated so you can train your dog. Dogs can be bad influences….they would rather be fetching couch potatoes….when the couch is not comfortable they rip it up! We are trying to get back to our dance cards and tear up a few rugs….not destroy the bed! I am worried about your program or maybe it is your manager or is he your personal trainer? LOL Please promise until we can send someone there to help you that you don’t drink out of the toilet!

I hope todays snow disappears quickly so I can just go get some fresh air with my crew of fetching fools!

Give Henry a big hug from us and he even has you as his secretary writing his secrets! Secrets of Henry!

My idea of getting out more is not going out in the back yard with a plastic bag!

Hope everyone is able to have an active weekend! Next week for those of you that are Cat Lovers we have a neck exercise that will help you look in high places and arm lifts to help get those height loving critters down from the top of the refrigerator! Hmmmmmm, maybe the dog will not be able to find me if I sleep on top of the refrigerator! Cats might have a good idea after all! Remember it is also warm up there that might warm up our feet and hands. Spring has to be around the corner….isn’t it? 😀

I didi my thing this week with the exercise tapes at home too tired to go to the spa and use the pool or the machines. Yoga tape is going to wear out! I did a little bit of walking too….just tried a variety of things this week….last weeks ice storm seemed to effect me more this week than last week. I wish people would clean up their parking lots and walks!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] You must not own a cat! They are above exercise programs! They just lay there and watch for a moth to fly out of your gym bag! So far this storm has been kind to us! Don’t do too much, give your body time to rest!

[B]snevets82>[/B] WELCOME! I am sorry for replying so slowly. I keep a little journal and add to it to keep a variety of exercises going. I review it on Sundays and see if there is a place I can add something to compliment my routine. I increase slowly where it will be most beneficial and complain constantly! Remember to pick something you enjoy for your exercise program. Glad you joined us to give us support….let us know where you need support or new ideas!

Today I reviewed my Journal and I am going to just leave things as they are for this week. My schedule with Doctor appointments will be about all I will be able to handle, without setting myself back! 🙂

[B]CodyStanley>[/B] GET BACK HERE! We miss you! Keep moving that is what we all are doing…remember exercise works muscles by stretching, lenghtening and strenghting….sounds like you are doing that then some!

[B]snevets82>[/B] Watch going for the burn, with GBS that can catch up with you and set you back if not set your body back toward an onset. Listen to your body. Working with the machines put a day inbetween those days to let the muscle heal. Sounds like you have a nice variation going for yourself!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] I love to play with cats they are so comic and quick! I love to watch two kittens play together too. I like to be entertained! Can you tell? I am trying to teach the parrot to hoot like an Owl! I may regret this lesson!

I left things alone last week with my exercise program and I felt good…..even added and got a few things accomplished around the house! Spring cleaning has started! I am making a HONEY DO LIST! Have a good weekend! Thanks for posting and keeping me honest! I feel like I struggle with trying to keep this exercise effective and interesting. I would like to add more swimming if I can to next week!

[B]JayDee>[/B] I have 4 or 5 tapes here that use the stability ball or the balance ball. I agree it is a inexpensive addition to any exercise program. I do the usual “sitting on the ball” exercises and I do them at my level. Some things come easier than others. That is how I expose the weaker areas of my body to work on. I also have been able to do most of the “lay across the ball” exercises and that does relieve alot of the tension in the core. I also have added the “pass the ball” exercises that also use tiny muscles as you twist and turn to hold and control the ball as you do certain exercises. Makes things interesting and also makes you concentrate on movements by just not going thru the movements but holding positions like you do in the Yoga routines. I also use the ball for a “weight bench” type support as I do my low weights for the shoulders and it is more comfortable and gives me more support than a stiff table would give. It is also more comfortable than getting down on the hard floor to do crunches etc. I can see why they were first used for rehab purposes. I struggle with the Yoga when it is one of those tapes that make you get up and down from the floor. I am better to do all the standing stuff and then the laying down stuff. I still struggle with anything that needs the upperbody strenght. Also the things that require ab support for my lower back strenght! Right now I am out of rehab because I am too strong to be at the level I am at and not strong enough to do what is required to get up off the floor to a stand position in the middle of the floor like what is required in Yoga. Not very relaxing trying to scramble to the chair to crawl up to stand. I am stuck in a rut! I am being held in limbo between levels of rehab. Grrrrrrrrr Not to mention rest for the nerves to heal and exercise to get the muscle strenghtened. Oh, Have I learned to listen to my body! I have a theory or motto to this process. I do work on my health first and let the house work get behind. Motto ” A hundred years from now, who will know or care that I left the housework get behind.” Laundry might not get done on Monday, but by the end of the week someone will need something washed and do it by Friday! As for the rooms being painted…I might be saving myself time in the long run. Fads in color choices will change by the time I get around to picking a color and get it painted. Look at the money I am saving on decorating! LOL

Have a good day!

Everyone> Work at your level and have a good day!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] Nope Blue Fronted Amazon…..my buddy during the past 16 months with GBS. I wish I had him at the hospital with me to say Hello as someone entered my room! Sad news here yesterday I had to put my German Shepherd Dog “Coach” down yesterday….he has just turned 9 this month. He will be missed! I find the balance ball is very relaxing….I can sit on it at the computer and just let my balance work those tiny core muscles. I do slide backwards at times and sit in the hall way where I can hold on to both walls for balance. I can slide down it and have the ball rest under the small of my back and do a few exercises but I don’t keep up with the tape on the number of reps…..that speed will come as the stamina and balance gets better. I can get on the floor and have to crawl over to furniture or a wall and use that to crawl up. I can not come off the floor from crawling to the kneeling postion….I am having difficulty with this for months now….I feel it is holding me back. Strange part is I can lean over and pick something off the floor and stand right back up. The back is strong enough with the abs to do that. I can not just rear up from crawling and standing up without holding on to stable furniture is impossible. I used to be able to get up and down from any position….can you tell I am FRUSTRATED!?

[B]snevets82>[/B] Times like this I wish I was not right….hate to see anyone do too much….I just talk from experience…. I did not listen to my body ONCE and I colasped….last time I did that! Took naps and still do to avoid using up all my energy. Since then I have learned to pace my week not only my day. If I have done a little housework or grocery shopping…..I do back off the exercise routine that day. I let it all equal out over the week. I watch carefully my weekend because they can be off my routine and Monday I will pay for that…..so I rest often when family is home on the weekend. I let them pick up the slack! I do one wall instead of what I could do before. I can get a whole room done in a week…..worst thing is NO ONE even notices I did them. Went out with the girls for lunch and some shopping today to get my mind off loosing my dog and will not plan much for tomorrow….so far the stress has not caught up to me. I will back off on some of the exercise tomorrow too…..I might not do the floor exercises but go swimming and do the aeroblic classes in the water…..less energy is needed but the movements are the same…..muscles are still working….just not against gravity! I often do my walking in the water or riding a bike type peddling while sitting on a Noodle (kids foam floatation device).

[B]codystanley>[/B] Let us know what the Doctor says! I agree with everyone’s posts….still do your breathing and stretching and lenghtening exercises they will not cause any swelling, and probably will not decrease it either. This is caused by an underlying problem. I had to go to a specialist that treated the swelling. Don’t take a hot shower or bath during this time is what i was told. HOT TUB was out as were the Sauna and Steamroom. I just said, “OK”, but I knew my skin could not stand any of those things anyways. My hands even hated to do dishes! I use them too much and they burn and then itch. They also hate typing so I have cut back on the internet time too! They even hate to hang onto the telephone, so I had to cut back on that time too!

[B]JayDee>[/B] Funny you mentioned writing the alphabet with your toes. I had to do that too and I got good at using those bad words with my toes too! I even had a nurse or two when I was not able to speak say….slow down your feet and stop yelling at me! LOL I used to clap when the tray arrived with my meals….woman would just say…..”Your welcome!” “I will be back to pick it up later.” I would then wave Goodbye to them with my toes! I also had the Doctor grab my toes and tell me listen! LOL I had a good staff with a good sense of humor! After I got the trache out, some said they wish I would go back to using my toes….I was asking too many questions! LOL

Keep up the good work!

cincymom Your daughter is still in the beginning of this process…is she having both Occupational and Physical therapy? Remember to check and see when your insurance renews….it might be from July 1 to June 30. That way she can use up all the 20 visits and mine gives me 20 OT and PT visits each. Then be off a few weeks and then continue. Remember this is a very slow process and it does really take time. Let her test every little muscle, ligament and tendon in her body and write down the ones that are tight and need stretched. The ones that need to be strenghtened and the ones that are cramping….they will help her with what she complains about along with the ones that are in the normal process of therapy.

Water therapy is wonderful. For those learning to walk it takes the weight off the body from gravity. It gives you freedom that is heavenly. But it can be dangerous till you get the upper body built up so you can keep your face out of the water. Just the water coming back into the pool will take a GBS person off course and throw them in the water. Waves from a class too will knock them around. It is very easy to over do it in the pool and not notice. Coming out once your body is under gravity your legs fell like they can not take another step. The pressure of gravity pushing down feels like a ton and can set off cramping. Your legs will feel like a wet noodle and so will your arms. The pressure can cause pain near the spine….really feels compressed like you have a barrel of books on your head. Most important it is not so scarey when you get off balance the water catches your fall. It will also build up the lung capsity by making you hold your breath for a few seconds as a wave passes by.

Personally I would use up the PT first and also try to do what they show here in that in the pool if that is possible. She can also do some of her stuff from dance in the water too. Most important is to teach those muscles to move even if an inch…that builds strenght…..the distance it moves will come with practice.

I am on my second round of 20 visit right now and they have used up 8 and I am saving the rest so I can get stronger so I can continue to do things in PT to make sure I am doing them the right way and not going to be injured or do them wrong and not get any benefit.

I have a membership in a large fitness club that is connected to our local hospital and when I am not in therapy I go to that. I do use the rehab pool (94 degrees) but do a class here or there in the big regular pool (84 degrees). Don’t let her go into the HOT TUB (104 degrees)!

Just the most important is not to over do exercise! I am doing all this but at 16 months past my onset.

Remember to keep a Journal! According to my Journal at the stage in time that your daughter is I was still in bed learning to feed myself and wash what area of my face I could reach. I was doing any movements in bed and no talk about me even standing at that poiint. Tell her we all say Hello. cincymom hope you know that the hugs you get are for being a great concerned care giver just not for being Mom! Keep her possitive attitude going this is a long process and it can not be rushed!

[B]JayDee>[/B] Thanks that is the second dog I have lost since I come home from the hospital….this time last year I lost my old Yorkshire Terrier. It was fun having so many young dogs..real bummer since they are all about the same ages now. Each one is very special in their own way. This guy was another rescue that caught up to us and pulled at our heart strings.

I have learned to ignore the hands burning….I know it is the nerves and a few posts from the keyboard are not doing any damages….I keep them moving! The nerves get their rest and I keep the muscles moving! I can not give up my computer time….which really is not that much each day! But thanks for thinking about me….posts are just my way of remembering to do my exercises. I might not have any brags about them….I just don’t want to forget to do them all each day.

Tomorrow I will update my exercise routine and see if it is time to add any new stuff. I actually have seen minor changes in the past week….ENERGY LEVEL has increased….not as tired and shorter naps if any at all….hope this is not a fad and will become the normal. IT FEELS GREAT!

[B]Hi JayDee!>[/B] I have always made sure that I got my rest after I got home from 9 weeks in the hospital I was craving a good nights sleep! I am able to sleep during the day as long as I needed. Kid coming home to check on me and the Nurse and OT and PT during that first month or so did make me get up but I planned my day around their visits and did nothing else. As I could move around better then I would sit at a table and clean the clutter. Dust off a counter top etc…….I still let the house work go when I can. Just lately I could notice the naps were getting shorter. I actually think that is was a combo of the ability to concentrate for a longer period of time and did not need a nap as often. I have always tried to plan what is for dinner and even if I can not stand there and make it I have it planned and the things out to be prepared. I how my hubby that for as good as he has been with being my caregiver….he should be getting steak, potatoes and veggies and gravy more often. I do order out once a week and use that priviledge carefully. I worry about starting to cook and then falling asleep and dinner burning or worse starting a fire so if I am not going to be able to sit right near the stove I wait till he gets home from work and then quickly prepare the meals. Getting my rest was the most important and next was eating good foods. Exercise was up toward the top of the important stuff too and I have a brag because all that rehab and exercising has finally paid off! I was showing my Mom what I could not do and told her I felt I was very close to doing it. I got down in the middle of her living room and was in that crawling position…..before I was not able to rear up into a kneeling position without holding on to furniture. UP I WENT INTO THE KNEELING POSITION! I held that position for a few seconds. I expained to her I was not able to do that before but I was getting stronger. Then I told her that I was not able to get my foot and leg under me to stand up by myself with out holding on to the furniture. I got my leg under me and pushed off my leg with my arms which are getting stronger and UP I WENT INTO THE STANDING POSITON! I almost starting crying right there and then! Now that is my ticket to go to Yoga class once I get it perfected by making smoother movements without a long hesitation. I might get up enough courage to go to Yoga class this Friday! I can not wait till Thursday to tell my Rehab Doctor the progress I am making!

For everyone don’t give up it does take time. Don’t give up! Take it slowly and get all the surrounding muscles strong and then you can concentrate on those that are in need of some prayer and extra special TLC! 16 months from onset and I am able to stand on my own! NOW that is a BIG BRAG! That bad shoulder did take almost 8 months to heal and I need that to get that crawl started. 🙂 😎

Jaydee> Oops! I did not mean to cause you to be sad, I want you to celebrate each step and each and every bit of strenght I gain with me! we know this is a slow process. I could get down by using furniture and could do my yoga at home. I would not do the stuff in the correct sequence but I would do all the floor exercises first and then get up using furniture and do all the tai chi and yoga standing exercises. That gave me alot of hope. It was just getting up and down between exercises that I could not do quickly in classes. I will let you know this Friday if I am able to get up during YOGA CLASS. I have been doing several lay on the floor…roll to get to the crawl position and get up to the kneel position and stand. I am getting stronger! I don’t feel I will need help now in class and will not be a distraction to other classmates. I think I can blend in if I don’t grunt…that is not part of Yoga! LOL

Everyone get busy and move around at your pace! Breath deeply it feels great! Spring is in the air! Next few weeks so will pollen be in the air.

I still use every Sunday to look over my exercise program and see if there is some other form of exercise I can consider to add. I can always use some thing to keep it fun and interesting. I have been doing more lifting and have noticed my strenght has returned in my shoulders and arms. I am able to put stuff on the next shelf up. Not on the top shelves but higher than I could reach before. After turning the clock forward and it staying light later in the evening that did mess up my sleep routine…I wanted to stay up an hour later at night and sleep an hour later in the morning…..too me this long to get that routine changed. I am going to leave the exercise routine alone and work on holding positions longer in Yoga and Tai Chi. Doing each exercise slower and holding that position gives you a better work out. I have noticed that has got alot better and increased my stamina to a point where I am actually benefiting from the efforts. Get this a actually decided that I was going to remove the snow from the whole patio but did not think I could do the whole thing with a shovel…..so I got out the leaf blower and blew all the flakey dry stuff right back into the grass and did not have piles around the patio for the Yorkie to navigate. Only trouble with that routine is that hubby said I did such a good job I can take it over now. I proudly stood up straight and gave him a salute and assured him I have it covered. Oh WHAT have I done? LOL [B]Cherly>[/B] PLEASE don’t send me any more snow! That was the fluffy stuff, what if it is that wet stuff that is only good for snow men? Maybe use the garden hose to melt it off the patio? LOL Where is Spring?

Everyone thanks for the kind words about my loss, I know you understand about loosing a furry child!

Liz I am glad you come back and let us know how you are doing! As far as exercise do what you can do. You can always stretch do beathing exercises to get that oxygen into those areas. I am glad that Daning with the Stars has started again. I love to dance and today I put on the radio and tried to do every old dance I could remember if only for a few seconds just to see if I can still move those parts. I was surprised to learn I can still get into those oldies. I still just need some practice with the feet. But today they were Happy Feet! LOL Remember to move your arms and twist at the waist and keep those shoulders moving. This all takes time!

[B]JayDee>[/B] Yep strange weather over the weekend. Now it has changed over from an inch of rain to a pound of SUNSHINE. Spring has Sprung. We did get the little stones of gravel out of the grass. I did not help with that job. I did not mention this blower is a hair dryer for horses and cows. I use it on my dogs and remove any hair that is loose due to the shedding process which is taking place here right not too. I can not handle the extra work in the house due to my furry friends shedding so I use that on them when they go out and they love it! It is strong enough to blow a cow over the moon so the snow was not even a challenge for it! I am out there and back in the house before the neighbors can find the source of the noise! LOL Thursday it is going to be 65 degrees here. Daffodils are up 5 inches and the Pussy Willow are showing silver. We are on the upswing now! Just not time to even open up the pools they don’t do that around here for a few more months and then it takes another month for the nights to warm up the water to comfort level. I wish I could do the hot tub….still just too hot for me! Now I am not green with envy! 😀

[B]Lee>[/B] Your thoughts and reasoning are much like mine! Don’t exercise till you fell the burn…. Pace yourself and do what you body can handle without any effect the next day. I fell at that steady pace I am climbing that hill faster in the long run rather than two steps forward and once step back. I do know that exercise in the pool is so much easier on me and I enjoy the water but I do do more exercise on the land. Just to make gravity work for me a little and challenge me a little and I look better in the sweats rather than the swim suit.

[B]cara>[/B] Your wobble board sounds like it will keep exercise fun and interesting. I am not sure…no I know I am not ready to get on a wobble board at this point. Unless I could take it in the pool and try to sink it to the bottom and stand on it that way like I do with the paddle boards in the club. I will have to see if they have any of them in the club. I think the one I seen was a ball with a wooden ring around the ball that you stand on. They also have the one that is a planK with a round log under it like they use for the jugglers at the circus. I am not really for that one either.

I am very glad to report that the pain and weakness in my back is getting better. I am sure it is from all this exercise I am doing to make it better by working on my back, hips and abs. Your right it is important to work on the core also. Forgot one area and it becomes weak and the body gets injured.

I hope the weather is getting better for everyone. It is sure warming up nicely here. I think I can safely agree Spring has arrived. Time to get fit with any exercise you can manage. I have been trying to increase my walking time and number of steps I take each day. I find this one of the hardest things for me to do. My number one rule I follow is to only walk half as far as you think you can and remember you have to walk back that far so make it a short distance. I go to the stores and feel some freedom when walking with a shopping cart. I find it harder to walk around the block. I find it really hard to find a buddy to walk with. Especially in the morning when I have got my rest and feel my best. I am wearing my pedometer and can see a slow increase with the results but also see it is a very slow process. I guess I am using those larger muscle groups and it does take them longer to get stronger. I am sure those areas like the hands and feet that are the last to heal the nerves might be the last muscles to get the right signals and not waste so much energy? I am just trying to figure this all out. Any input would be appreciated. I am making a visit to the neuro this week so will also let you know what kind of progress I am making during my 16 months into this. Honestly I think he is going to be very happy! I think I am doing very well for having a severe case. Hanging in there! I am glad the Ground Hog did not lie about the weather. We actually had a very mild Winter here.

Did some Spring cleaning on my exercise routine. I plan to add some more walking to the weekly routine. I plan on still doing my routine weekly doing the circuit of machines with very little weight on them. Usually on Tuesday and Thursday when I am not doing the machines, I will do classes in the pool. They offer several aqua aerobic classes, ones for people with Arthritis that are too slow for me I get chilled but can switch over to the warmer rehab pool and do the Tai Chi class in there with the slower Arthritis class. Gives me a good workout but I have to make sure I don’t get over tied. When I try to do too much and come up the steps out of the water I CAN FEEL GRAVITY taking over my muscles. So I make sure like when I walk I do only half as much as I think I can do because you have to turn around and come back to where you started! Spring is here I hope everyone can get outdoors more!

Cheryl, I know what you mean. In combo with what I have done a few days before my workouts and have to do tomorrow. I really watch that. Lets just say I am struggling in come areas. Yoga in class is really funny and sad at the same time. But I just pretend there is not 23 other people in that class with me. Some have offered to help me get up and I just tell them I still am meditating and doing my breathing exercises. Then I bust out laughing! Usually they do too! When exercising at home I split everything up to a little bit each hour.

Weather here is wonderful. Don’t send us any snow, the forsythia is now blooming and the crocus are gone…the deer ate them. I love the Spring/Easter flowers that are in the stores right now. Take care!

I hope everyone is doing their best to do their best. We all are working at different levels and sometimes we have to be creative.

[B]Maureen>[/B] Your walking indoor program is exactly how I started out in the rehab pool. By doing one set of the easy exercises to start and make sure I was doing them correctly to avoid being injured. The fear of falling was gone since I was at ease in the water and not being fearful of falling on a hard floor. Having a partner in the pool to be there to lend me a hand if I started to float in the opposite direction than I wanted was also nice having a pool buddy to talk and laugh with. I agree it has to be fun and you have to enjoy what you are doing or you will not keep that activity up. I am still exercising in the pool and now able to do all the stuff you mentioned. But now I have taken it to the next level and have spent all my Winters being indoors. When the weather breaks I take it out to the grass and even have the dogs joining in to make me laugh. Keep up the good work!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] It takes me longer to type about what I do than it takes to just do it! Please don’t let my long messages talk you out of exercising. Listen to your dog, they will always keep you on an exercise routine. We go for our several daily walks around the back yard to check out the flowers coming up after these few days of warmer weather. I mentioned the Crocus are blooming…well now they are not! The deer ate them off right at the ground and the new Day Lily sprouts too!

Went to the Neuro today…..he said I am doing great! Come back if I have a question! None of the reflexes are working in the elbow or the knees! 😮 No biggie!

Aimee> I am sure someone can help you….sounds like a General thread that will generate several responses. I am sorry I am not able to help you out but wish I lived closer to you. You could join me on my walks. I lost all muscle tone and could not do anything for myself….could not even get enough strenght together to use the remote for the tv or the call button for the nurse. Even the soft touch one they have. When I started to exercise they just got me to start moving that was hard enough…..by the time I got home and went to the rehab building after having rehab at home. I did the machines in the gym without any weight on them and I struggled with the weight of the handles. I was very strong going into GBS and it is something I am still working on to gain back a reasonable amount of strenght in each muscle. I can remember someone telling me to let the nerves rest that is what they need…..they muscles need movement to make them stronger but that zaps your energy and too much exercise can actually set you back on the healing…..you just have to take it slowly, so when I go to the larger stores I do use the electric carts they supply the handicapped. I think it would be wonderful to be able to have freedom to move around more. Hang in there!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] Think the class is too much for your body or just a combo of things? Might want to try just half a class and see if there is a difference. Hope you recover your strenght and get your body straightened out again! Get Well my friend…glad you are listening to your body!

[B]Cheryl>[/B] Sounds like a very good plan! My Aqua Therapy was 30 minutes too and then they would let me just float or tread water for a few more minutes to stretch what I wanted to stretch. The classes are 45 minutes and I think I mentioned that some of them are for Arthritis patients and they are slower pace…I get cold in those classes….the faster classes I do what I can and can keep up pretty well to the group. But if they get too slow I get out of that pool (84 degrees) and go into the rehab pool (94) and I really do stay out of the hot tub (104) My body temp is stuck in the middle I am never cold when it is cold and I am never hot when it is hot….so I think that is dangerous! So I just use my head! I am able to feel WIND CHILL….Happy Easter! You can shut off the lake effect snow now! Brrrrrrr

Have you heard of the Megabus? [url]http://www.megabus.com/us/schedules/[/url] $1 fare from Pittsburgh to Cleveland

I was hoping by this weekend I could add more walking outdoors, but this is the coldest Easter we have had here in many years. I guess I will walk around the pool tomorrow. I walk forward and backward and side steps in both directions. I look like an animal in a cage trying to get out! I once was asked if I needed help finding the ladder or steps! I said “No Thanks! I am looking for the elevator!” Then I busted out laughing and have been friends with that person ever since! Just taking that possitive attitude to another step….added HUMOR! Oh have I learned to laugh at myself! At first it was nerveous laughter, but now I think back on the way I was and just keep laughing. I am tickled pink to see how much I have progressed in only 17 months!

CHIN UP, SHOULDERS BACK and pull that TUMMY in! Especially after that Easter Meal. More exercise for any one? :rolleyes:

JayDee I agree totally with you this is not a competetion. This is a new lifestyle we are customizing for ourselves. Your doing a great job and the weather will get better. I consider my lazy days of exercise the days I do the circuit of machines and the treadmill and some of the other machines not in the circuit with the personal trainer. The days I do the Yoga or go in the pool are my favorite but I hate to come out of the water and it is not because of my pokadot bikini. It is the fight with gravity that makes me look like a snail coming out of the water. In the water it is SO VERY easy to over do it and then have to take a nap after class. I am very good about pacing myself but have to keep checking my exercise for the week that I do some in the water and some exercise on land. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected here starting Sunday Night….watch out in NYC I think it is heading your direction.

JayDee have you seen the video walking the pounds off…that is a nice video to walk to indoors. All done in place and is by Leslie Sansone. I use that one if I can not get to the treadmill or the weather is YUCKY!

I think it is a combo of things. Probably the therapist expected too much and can adjust your program to work with your abilities now. Giving you a challenge but making sure it is not doing more than your body can handle. If it was pain I would say tell them immediately. But since it is an ache that is just the muscle complaining that it had to work. Meantion it to the PT and they can give you more stretches and movement to the surrounding area to loosen things up. Ask if they suggest a warm compress on that muscle. Also make sure they do warm up and cool down exercises to get all the muscles ready for a work out and get all the toxins released out of the muscles too!

I am glad you are back to posting and back to exercising! Listen to your body!

Liz I hear ya! Just a little independance can go a long way! I hope you end up with more than you wished for! I love your photo! Keep up the good work! One thing about rehab they will not let you get ahead of yourself. They have a program and they make sure you are able to move on to the next level and not a minute too soon! Be patient!

I am still going to exercise a few days a week on the machines and a few days a week in the pool. Both take care of things that the other exercises can not do. I am getting better slowly! Trying to be patient! I have to admit that from the beginning of the year I have noticed I am doing much better than I expected. There for a while things were moving slowly and now since my strenght is building up I am doing better!

I am glad you are listening to her body. To start out an hour is alot. They started me out for 20 to 30 minutes in a heated rehab pool (94 degrees) Like walking you have to remember to walk only a short distance because you have to turn around and come back! When your muscles are weak it is nice to have the pool to support your body. That takes the fear out of falling and just the current and waves pushing at your body it works the tiny mucles and increases balance. The exercises will work the larger muscle groups. Coming out of the pool is the hardest. As the water drains out of your bathing suit the heaviness of gravity takes hold on your body and feels like you weight three times as much as you did going into the pool. I take those steps very slowly and listen to my body to determine if I have stayed in the pool too long that day, since each day is different. Remember rest is when the nerves are healing so sleeping is necessary. LOTS of REST! The exercise and activity will condition the muscles. Her nerves are leaking energy so you have to also take that loss in account along with the exercise. I think because she loves the water that is a great asset and with her attitude she will do great! Just don’t over do anything. That is what works against her recovery. AS she exercises she will regain her range of motion, stretches are easier in the warmer water and balance comes with stronger muscles. Stamina will come after all that. Make sure she is also doing the other exercises while in bed to make those muscles work a little harder under gravity. All good routine will consist of land and water. Also try Yoga where you need to hold a position that is good for a body too. Also helps with breathing control like the water work does.

cincymom> From what I have been told the mylin is damaged and letting signals or energy escape out into the muscles. Like a damages electrical wire with the plastic coating damaged you would get sparks. This is what causes the fatigue is wasting that energy faster than the body can produce more. In the case of damaged nerves the signal does not get there at all. That is why the persons reflexes no longer work. A neuro can do the nerve conduction tests if rehab feels there is a problem.

As far as Yoga it is a very specialized program for each person and their ability you will not be able to do all the movements at first. Which is nice for the person that can just do moves from their bed or the floor or sitting in a chair. All movements are slow and are improved apon as the person’s ability grows. So check the local library or check with your Yoga friends to see if they have a video tape they can lend you. It is just important that you start somewhere. I am sure there are websites with the Yoga positions online too!

I am glad you left us a message! Thank you! I wish we had more that come here and let us know how they are doing. Exercise has to be something you enjoy or you will not continue that in your daily routine.

dianevc> Do I understand you correctly that your Son has not received IVIG treatments or Plasma Phersis? Those treatments should be used to stop the progression of the damage. There is no cure for GBS but the damage to the sheath of the nerves can be extreme if not stopped. Was he under the care of a neurologist? Did they run and nerve conduction tests? He was not offered any kind of rehab with the problems he is having? Also a decline can be that more harm is being done to the nerves or he is over doing it and is not resting enough. Rehab comes first and then an exercise program. He should be receiving Occupational and Physical Therapy. Did they do a spinal tap to test the fluid near the spine?

Liz do they have you doing any kind of exercises with a chair. Controled sits into a chair a few times will give those muscles strenght….do that a few times an hour. I pick a few commercials to use for those kinds of exercises. Also sitting in a chair with your walker as a support….raise out of the chair like you are going to stand without pulling up on the walker or pushing off with the arms of the chair if it has them. Push up with your legs from the floor. Slow movements do the best job of making the muscles move. It is not the number of times you do this in a minute but the quality of the movement and making the muscles hold those positions. That is why Yoga is so good for this type of weakness. It is slow and works all muscle groups. I am getting better at getting up off the floor but I still have alot of work to do on my legs, back and hips. I do squats with my back against the wall and slide down to almost a sit and I don’t think you should do that one it does not sound like you are strong enough for that. Make sure you ask your PT to suggest some exercises you can do at home. Do leg lifts in bed and circles with your legs while laying on your side…don’t cross the center and cross our legs, especially if you have a hip replacement. REMEMBER THOSE ARE SLOW CONTROLED CIRLES. Small at first then larger when you feel you have that kind of control.

[B]OH BAD KIT[/B] for letting this slip off the charts! We are back and are serious. Now that I have made some really good progress in less fatigue and strenght and stamina I am going to make sure I up my program to fit my ability. I have not done that very much lately and got lazy in some areas. I worked really hard on all the core muscles to get my abs and back and hips stronger. Those rotating ribs were really bad and keeping me back for many exercises. Now I have not had them rotate at all for about a month. I will go thru my Journal and see what I have dropped and see what I can add to my routine. Let you know soon!

Busy weekend coming up so I have decided not to increase the exercise too much but continue to work on range of motion and stretching and try the rest of this week to pay more attention to my body and see where I need more movement, strenght and where I am having any pain or stiffness. Then I am going to work to work those forgotten areas. I have not been working my shoulder for the injury and noticed I have lost some range of motion. So I have put that on my list of areas not to ignore. It is my left arm and I am right handed so I forget to use it and I don’t want to loose it! My left leg is still weaker than the right so I am going to find more things to increase that strenght too. For now I am going to go back to using the rubber therapy bands in bed and in the chair and wake them up again. After this weekend I will put them in boot camp again! I have gained so much this Summer I want to start planning alternatives for when the Northeaster Winter Days set in I have a plan to keep active. What kind of things are you doing for exercise? We can make a list from A to Z to pick from! Don’t beleive me? A = Aerobics or Aqua exercises. B = Basketball or Ballet 😀

Linda I think they dislike the work in the pool when they do not have a pool. It is a big part of the facility I go to. They start you off on the beds where you left off when you were in the hospital and go slowly from there. They try to get you strong enough to move around in your home and get you working with gravity. It is a work out that will need to be geared to your individual ability. They do push but let you work at home too. When they put you in the water they usually do require a routine on the machines or mats to keep you working with gravity. Being in the pool is much easier because of the weightlessness. It was easier for me to get worn out in the pool because I was enjoying myself and did not pay attention. Good think they had an eye on me! Coming up the steps out of the pool was always a struggle fighting gravity and getting my sea legs back under me! Now I still prefer the pool, so I make myself work out on the mats and take Yoga and some other on land programs. I am slowly getting better and see a difference each month or two. But I continue to get better! Glad to see everyone posting! Nice time to get back on a schedule now that Summer is coming to an end.

Rick that is great news! I am glad you are able to pick up that guitar. Always nice to see someone return to something they enjoy! I appreciated every thing I was able to return to even more! it is not an easy journey and you have to plan and work and try again till you get to that goal. Each little goal adds up like pennies in a bank. We have to just save up each step till we can make it to the top of the mountain.

When I started up my computer it was making all kind of noise. I think it is going to leave me stranded. I keep trying to save stuff but I forget to save changes to files. I usually loose alot of data too! I don’t think I will ever learn!

Glad you are back! Post offen! Exercise regularly! Save those pennies for a new guitar book!

Liz this is where you are not in charge of setting up a routine, your body is in charge. I do what I can when I can. If I have PT or OT then I count that for my exercise for that day. I might so stretches or bends. I work on every time muscle in my hands and feet and then think of what I can do to work and move the arms and shoulders and legs and ankles, knees and hips. If I try and do something during the day and am not able to do it as well as I think I should be able to do it, then I make a note to myself to work on that area. You need to work on your lower body, and upper body and also the core. They all support your posture and skelleton. Abs help the back. Arms assist the shoulders to support your body weight while trying to stand. The legs have to support the weight of the whole body so their strenght has to be reliable. Balance is based on the strenght of all the areas. Work in bed if you can not work on the floor. Lay on your back and move your legs one at a time to the side and back like you are making a snow angel. Lift your legs like you are swimming. Movements should be slow to get maximium benefits. So that makes the exercise more controled but also makes them harder. So you might be able to only do two the first time and the next day only two and the next day six. Sundays I review my progress and only increase my exercise by one more for that week………not trying to do a whole set of 10 reps. When you slowly increase each exercise by one more for that week it does not seem like alot of added work but you add one more to ten different exercises you are adding alot of work. So remember only do as many as you are comfortable doing and slowly build that up. It is not a race or competetion to see how many we can do but to do them correctly and gain strenght slowly as our bodys heals. During Yoga I can do 10 different positions and only do them once to a tape where the girls are doing them 8 times. I am in no rush, I am just glad to be able to do them. Before I was not able to even do them once. Some I am able to do them several times.

Most important is that you are doing things for exercise that you like to do. Keep it interesting! Don’t over do it, relapses are counter productive. Remember if I go to the grocery store or even to a Doctors appointment I don’t do my exercises for that day. I did enough walking to the car and stretching to get into the car and back out! I give myself credit for every movement I am doing and add a few things to that if I feel I have not done enough exercise. I usually can sit on the side of the bed and do bends and reaches to the side to work my core muscles.

One day I notice I could not turn my arm and wrist to get change at the bank drive thru window. So by the next time I drove up to that window I could turn my arm a tiny bit better. Next visit I had to smile, I had even more range of motion in that arm and wrist. Just form taking time to work on it. When I started out lifting weight I used a water bottle half way full. That was a little less than what was in my coffee cup. Now I am able to bring in most of my groceries. I am able to pick up my pots and pans to do more cooking now. I am able to lift a stack of dishes to move them back to the cupboard after doing the dishes.

[B]Slow progress is still progress![/B]

Linda how are you doing with that new toy? How long did it take to get used to having all those tiny muscles working? Your approached worked a bunch all at one time. It is sad that they give us these things and let us go. They should have started you out slowly just like you were starting to work your whole body. I hope you are still using that toy. Have you got a picture of it or a name? Also, it is hard to figure out if you are getting a work out or not the first time. We get so happy that we can do something or we get so obsessed with something that is easy to do that we over do it the first few times. Was this the circle with the bands or mesh squares and you put your fingers thru it and try to open them and close your hands? I liked that one, my OT called it a spider web. I used it and enjoyed doing it during tv commercials. It was on the coffee table so I could pick it up several times a day. Yep I paid for it with over worked fingers but they got better quickly and slowly got stronger! Remember every little bit helps! Keep up the great work!

I am sorry for not being here more, computer problems and other things have kept me away! I agree that stretching is an easy workout along with the breathing exercises. This is a good way to wake up your body while you decide whether to go back to bed or not! LOL Just kidding! I like combinding my different tapes to make up my own routine. Yoga and Tai Chi and Chi gong and a few of the ther marticial arts. I use my Jane Fonda step for some of my stretches. One is put my heal up on the step at a low height and bend toward or reach toward my toes. Don’t try this until your balance is good which required that you get your muscles in your legs stronger to achieve good balance. It all works together to be fit! I have worked on my body from head to toe to make sure that every muscle, tendon and ligament is stretched and that I don’t forget them and let them tighten back up! When I come out of the hospital I could not make an “L” with my thumb and pointer finger! Now with working on all different movements and the sign language chart I am able to form all the letters now. Just today I noticed one finger on my left hand is not very strong so it now has its own exercise routine. I am getting better! Part by part! I was completely paralized so everything was not very strong when things started to reverse. I have some crazy exercises to do in bed, sitting, standing, swimming and even crawling. When did I become a toddler again? Maybe I will get some toys for Christmas. Santa I want a treadmill! I promise that I will not use it for a clothes rack! There is so many things that I still can not do and OT and PT was never enough for me! They skipped areas that I told them I needed to be able to use. My insurance only pays for 20 visits a year! That is why I joined a Fitness Club that has a pool and all kinds of machines. I use that to work out every slow, stiff and weak area. I continue to work the ones that are doing good and encourage the ones that are putting up a fight to get with it or the next move is boot camp! Keep up the great work it is well worth the little effort each day! If you feel pain remember to stop immediately. Our type of exercise should not continue till we feel the burn! If you have to stop for a few days or weeks due to illness, don’t be ashamed to go back to a beginner level to protect yourself from injury! Remember to warm up and cool down. That part of your routine is a must!

Continueing my exercises has paid off big time in the last few months I am seeing BIG results. About 4 months ago I mentioned I had a big brag that I could get up from the center of the floor rather than climp up the chair or someones leg! That was a big step in my independence of going to stores alone. I had a big fear of falling and not being able to get up and having to crawl to a wall or post to get up.

Well now my big brags that have come after a few more months of doing exercises and working those areas that needed help. I have been concentrating on areas that rehab has missed. I think I told you that I felt my ads and back and hips were the weak areas to come back slowly. Well this week I had a big break thru and am seeing signs that they are getting stronger. I am able to stand and talk longer and stand in line at the stores or just walk around and look at things. Before I had to skip that and just rush in and get what I needed and get back home before I was too tired. After several medical exams on the doctors table I needed help to sit up. Abs just would not get any stronger. They finally have responded and twice now I have been on the doctors table and been able to sit right up without a single grunt or any help! After two years I am still seeing big improvements to my getting better. You just have to be patient and work toward those goals slowly.

I have found you just can not give up you have to keep trying! 😀

Linda> I stretch and do my breathing and warmup and cool down exercises each day to keep me active, That work out also works on balance.

I never exercise to the point where it causes pain or I immediately stop. I could be doing it wrong or doing damage to an area. If that happens I go back to rehab or my personal trainer. Actually I try to exercise after a good nights sleep. I never exercise when I am tired or I get sloppy and could cause an injury or not do the exercises the right way to get any benefit from the exercise. If I feel stiff the next day it might be because I did not do the cool down exercises afterwards or I did an exercise too many times for the first time. Which does not happen too much anymore.

Around those I do weights every other day. (according to the area I am exercising even the left side varies from the right side) One pound or less was common to start out. I use different weights for different areas. When it gets too easy I increase the weights. I might do an exercise with two pounds several times and then finish up with the one pound weights also. I am doing the movement and not trying to show off or set a record. This program is custom made for my body. The days I don’t do the weights and machines like the treadmill, I go into the heated rehab pool (94 degrees) and work out. I might go into a quicker paced class in the 84 degree pool but I have to keep moving or I get chilled. Just recently I can take a warmer shower and can go into the warmer water in the hot tub for a few minutes. Before I was not able to stand that hot of water and I took cold showers or my body just went into a panic to get out of the warm shower or hot tub. As my body heals I change my routine and the things I can do for exercise. As my breathing and stamina increased I am able to do things in the gmy and dance studio. I am even gaining more movement in my body to be graceful. I can extend my legs and arms and reach!! Many of my joints used to move but the rotation or range of motion was just not there. I worked on those that I needed daily that helped with things like turning a key or getting change from a cashier or opening a jar.

Getting back to the time frame…..I feel great from the stretching, range of motion, balance, breathing exercises. Usually one of the types of Yoga or martial arts programs. I like Tai Chi and Qu gong. After I do them I seem to have more energy. After the weights that only take about 20 minutes I just pace myself for what else is planned in my day. Swimming is what I need to take a nap after. Not that it zaps my energy but it does relax my whole body. I sleep really well and feel rested when I wake up after swimming.

I do look forward to exercising! I go to the spa/fitness club and I have friends that are their to talk to. It gets me out of the house regularly and on the way home I can run into the grocery store to pick up things I need. I do have some days that I just come straight home after exercising especially on the days I have a Doctors appointment or have walked on the treadmill I skip going into a large store and doing more walking. You just have to see what your limits are and listen to your body and make sure you are doing something you enjoy.

Sorry with the holidays and other things taking up my time I have been ignoring the computer. I am interested in hearing about what others are doing. I might not be able to work in the heat but I might take advantage of some of the yoga positions to further work areas of my body that are weaker. I know my program lacks cardio and that will come as my staminia returns. I don’t work my exercise program with anything that needs me to jump and twist and repeat movements over and over. I find that if I work a routine of many exercises and movements like a dancer would learn a routine and repeat the movements that way I don’t get sore. I do get tired and then I take a nap for as long as I need for that days routine. I also split up my routine throughout my day. I don’t spend an hour exercising. I do about 5 minutes each hour or work along with a tape or tv program for about 30 minutes several times a day. I learned a long time ago that if you get sore you might not be warming up and stretching before you exercise and you are not taking time to cool down with some exercises. Before GBS I would reward myself with a 15 minute dip in the hot tub but after GBS I am not able to tollerate the tempatures in the hot tub, steam room or sauna. I can not even take a warmer shower. Although that is now changing and I am able to tollerate warmer water in the shower. I also use the the rehab pool which is 94 degrees. If I don’t move around in the aerobic classes pool which is 84 degrees I get very chilled. I also noticed I get bored with classes since I don’t have a strong attention span anymore. GBS Brain Fog! I have found also the instructor has alot to do with my attitude too. They keep it interesting and I keep going. I need that quick changes in class to keep me interested, just like they do for the kids classes. I just make sure what ever I do works all the different areas of the body. Upper body, Lower body and the Core. Warm up and Cool down is never skipped! I keep a Journal and a tape in the VCR all the time. I get my tapes from the thrift stores and garage sales and flea markets. I also have some different size weights I use, the balance or stability ball you sit on and aerobic steps. I have tapes to follow with all of these toys! I have the yoga mat and block. I do the easy level rather than the advanced routines. I think it is more important to just keep moving than how rapid you move and get thru your routine. That is why I like all the marticial arts based programs, because they are slow and that gives you time to watch your form and do the exercise the right way and hold that position and feel the exercise doing its work. Also you can feel the stress move right out of your life. Exercise makes me eat better foods too. I give myself credit for walking around a large store or doing the steps more on laundry day and back off of some of the exercising. To me exercise is beyond what you do daily but you also have to make sure you don’t get over tired so I do count those things as part of my daily routine and exercise program. Because I don’t walk around the large stores every day and I don’t climb the steps all day long I take that movement into consideration. If I do get sore from doing a certain movement I don’t drop it I back down to only doing it several times rather than 8 times. I let my muscles in that area and the tendons and ligaments catch up to my brain. I also try to do my harder exercises in the morning and the easier areas in the afternoon and evening when I am not as energetic. With bad weather coming now I will do more walking in place with my Leslie Sansone tapes. I might walk a slower pace or divide that mile up over the day but it gets done. I write that all down in my Journal. I used to wear a pedometer before GBS and get over 10,000 steps in a day. Now I just do what I can and try to finish that mile on the tape within the day. Most of the time I use that walking in place as one of my warm up or cool down exercises. The nice thing about exercise you can customize your program to what you enjoy doing and also to what you find works for you. It is not a competetion! I admire those that do more than me! They are my inspiration. Keep up the good work guys! It is ok to be a little sore you just don’t want to feel pain. That is the sign to stop before you get injured. You might not be at that level yet and have to work toward it as your goal or you are doing it wrong and that is when it is nice to have an instructor or personal trainer. That is why I liked rehab they reminded me of how to do things correctly. I am going to check out that other site now. NOW IS THE TIME TO START your routine and get moving. Even if you are in a wheel chair or in a bed you can do some kind of exercises even if they are just facial or wiggle those toes to keep the fluid moving thru your lymph system. It is not like the heart and has a pump it is the movement of your muscles that keep your legs from swelling.

Don’t appologize for posting any exercise suggestions. They can offer some ideas of what a routine is and might even give them some exercises they can try for themselves. Exercise is exercise even if it was suggested for CMT or not. Some might benefit. Other will not be able to benefit at this time but can try it later once they get better with their present routine.

I wish I could travel that event sounds like it would be a very nice thing to attend. You might even have to wait for me to finish! I am glad you are getting alot of support from your friends.

You might even want to have a tiny article show up in your local community news paper and get the children in the community to support you. Scouts and hospitals, your nurses or even a few members from local churches. It will be a nice time of year to get some fresh air! Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the link to some exercise suggestions.

Andrew you can set smaller goals thru this year and join the event next year if this does not work out for this year. It is more important to get a set routine of exercises that get you back to having better stamina, balance, range of motion and increases your breathing. Being able to just walk that far in a month would be my goal now. Winter months also slow me down as far as getting out and walking. Lately I have been going to large stores and next will be the mall when the holiday crowds stop returning their gifts. I am still mixing up my daily routine to keep it interesting. Today while walking around the stores my back really was acting up. That is those abs that help support the back and the hips and the core. It is taking me longer to bring that area back then I expected. The strenght could be better over the whole body but what I have gets me thru the day’s routine. I just know how I was before GBS. It was windy today and even the dogs did not really want to go out in the snow flurries and wind. I think they are pretty smart! They would go if I went, only to be with me! I think the store was a better choice today.

Andrew I joined a spa/fitness center so I have all that equipment available to me and since I still have alot of fatigue I don’t worry about burning calories or the time I do an exercise yet. My stamina is very poor due to heart problems (arterial fibulation) that occured after my lung collasped. I do know that others enjoy that piece of equipment. I do better if I am not pushed by a machine or don’t have any resistance from a machine. Walking and my version of dancing for now is where I am at. My exercise program has really increased since my breathing has increased with Yoga and breathing exercises. Swimming and having to hold my breath actually did wonders for that. But there is always room for improvement! I do the exercises that I enjoy. I don’t ride the bike either, I use the machine you pedal with your arms and the bike with the seat where you sit and your legs are out in front. I am still working on walking distances that are more consistant. My chart depends on the time of day, humidity, temp and what I am wearing. Winter coat drags me down alot! Dog pulling can not even speed me up! Going up hill is impossible and walking on the flat is the best and walking downhill is fun too! I call it cheating, especially with the wind at my back! I have to watch walking in the wind because I can not turn around and come back home if I have to walk into the wind. I am pretty good at Leslie Sansone tapes where you walk in place for the number of miles you want. I just don’t finish when she does! But I do the distance!

Sorry Andrew I forget to check the forum or I read and don’t post! I was trying to get my life together and was a very fit obese person before I got GBS. I was able to keep up with all the classes but did not do the sweat till you drop type classes like some of those young gym rats do. I envy them. I was amazed how flexible I was and I was working on my breathing so I could swim under the water all the way across the pool. I was about 3/4 of the way to that goal. I wanted that $50 bill so I could take my friends out to lunch some day! I was amazed how quickly I lost all that muscle tone and breathing capacity. I have started all over and after 2 years and 3 months I am here to BRAG again of more changes in my breathing, stamina and strenght. The flexibility or range of motion is coming along. Balance is doing ok but I don’t have the total confidence yet due to lack of strenght. The strenght is coming back slowly. I just noticed that I can run the sweeper thru the whole house now without too many breaks. I can stand for longer periods of time. Had to test that out at a funeral home for my friends Mom. I come out of the funeral home that night with a inner smile knowing I had hit another level with my ability to stand without my back hurting. Later this week I wanted to change positions and used my abs to move me and I really lifted off the floor and moved 90 degrees up on to a pillow so I could reach something. Before I would have struggled with the abs to get me over there and into that position. I was howling! Even the dog come in to see what I was yelling about! I told hubby THE ABS ARE BACK! Did you see that move? He said no and I repeated it for his approval! Neither him or the dog was impressed the second time. I celebrated!! I have been working on the abs for years and finally something clicked and they got strong enough to make a difference. Like someone threw a switch. TWO BIG BRAGS in one week is not normal at this stage in the game. I can not wait to test other things out when outdoors in the Summer or while trying to clean around the house. I have one couch that seems to be glued to the floor! I put a dust cloth on the cat and send her back there to get the cob webs. Some day I will move that couch again! I have not tied the dogs to it yet but that is an idea! Keep up the good work we might be in that walk/race together soon! Never give up!

Andrew thanks for bringing this thread back up! I was thinking I should do the same thing because I enjoy reading what others have been doing. It is not a competetion and I share the joys of what others have been able to do. I continue to think I will or should try that or this and make that one of my goals. I have not been able to ride a bike or walk very far. The eliptical is out of the question. I still have weakness below the waist. I am consistantly aware of the weakness. This has been the best Summer yet since my onset 3 years ago. I continue to get stronger and stronger. It is slow going but I can do it! My biggest gain against the residuals of GBS were this Summer when it was like someone just turned off the switch and the fatigue is at such a low level that I don’t feel it anymore. My brain is sharper in thoughts and my entire body just seems to be able to handle things better now. I still don’t walk long distances. I can navigate around a large store or the mall but I don’t usually go shopping. I am ok as long as I don’t do alot of standing and stopping to look at things. I keep moving which is also better for the aeroblic part of my route that was almost non existant. I don’t do inclines or hills and I still don’t do windy days. I know that with those muscles being weak that it does not take much for the wind to wear me out physically. It happens quickly too. I also find that if I have a grocery cart to push that I can walk farther too and at a quicker pace. I have not got anyone to watch me but it could have something to do with my posture without the grocery cart. Someone else might have thoughts on this too. I still take my cane with me but I don’t use it as much as I did. I am able to do more around the house also. It used to take me all day to run the sweeper in a room now I can do several rooms and even the whole house and even the steps during one day! So I know everything is improving. This has been a GREAT 2008! I am looking forward to 2009 and claiming it mine! Now to work on exercise to decrease my size! I am using this time to bring up my program to the next level. I am working slowly to bring up the quality of life without complaining about the time left in this year that is remaining. The rest of the year will go by fast and I know the warm weather can’t last. Today they are predicting snow flurries. Tomorrow they are saying less than an inch of snow. Oh, where does the days go?

We hope everyone at the Symposium in Chicago has a good experience. Maybe they will hear some good information about exercise and GBS/CIDP.

[B]mdm[/B] great to wake up and find your post on this message board. I am exactly like you I enjoy the yoga and with all the different types being offered you have to find one that you will enjoy. I have video tapes and see yoga offered on TV each day and local classes. Between them and my changing ability I am able to work on the yoga daily. I love the freedom in the water in the pool. Either in the warmer rehab pool (94 degrees) or in the aqua classes in the big heated pool (84 degrees). Classes are always more fun. The ones they offer for the Seniors and Arthritis groups are good for GBS or CIDP people. I tend to get chilled in those classes if I don’t jog in place every so often to get warmed up. I am not able to go into the hot tub, or take a hot shower but just deal with that change since my onset.

It has been exactly 3 years since my onset and when I look back over the last three years. My rehab which is exercises to get you back into your home and able to do things for yourself. I enjoyed that exercise and the people that really worked with me to get each and every muscle, ligament and tendon moving. Safely we were able to get my body back to the new “normal” for me! I am able to do so much now. I still am working on several areas still. The lower body for me is still extremely weak. The numbness in my hands and feet is still there but I have learned to live with it and it changes from day to day. It does not stop me from being able to take care of myself and join others for the things I used to enjoy like crafts and shopping for groceries and cooking. For those that are just starting out this Journey, be patient! Just in this last year I have gained so much strenght, I found no matter how hard I worked it finally broke through and come back when it was ready. I was not able to rush that recovery and I can not put the frustration in that struggle into words. Keep testing yourself. Some recovery is very suttle and some comes back so fast. Beware you can get depressed when others don’t return as quickly. I used my reading and crafts and watching movies to take up the time where physical activity would have been. I made sure I got up for 5 minutes each hour and stretched and did some kind of exercise. Keep moving is the important thing and rest when your body say it is needed. I was always cautious to make sure I did not over do the exercise. I do wish that friends and neigbors would have walked with me or exercised with me more often. I was so weak and it come on so quicly that I did not leave my house by myself to exercise. I wish they would have understood the fear I had of falling or not being able to return home because I walked to for or did too much in classes. At first the fatique was extreme. It was not until just this year that disappeared in the Spring like someone has flipped a light switch. That was the big factor that made the biggest difference in my recovery and confidence and gave me more freedom to do house work and prepare meals without the fear of falling asleep during the cooking process. Good lucky with your exercise program and I hope that we can get others to realise the importance of exercise in our lives for both our mental and physical benefits. KEEP IT MOVING! 😀

mdm I agree about the meditation with GBS/CIDP. I noticed that after my onset of GBS my mind was racing! Mentally I was not able to relax. With me doing the meditation along with getting back into my crafts and using my camera and just getting back home to enjoy things that I enjoyed I was physically exhausted but mentally I could not stop. I could not focus. With the yoga and the light meditation or purpose of that got me to draw my thoughts together. I got more organized and could have a whole thought without feeling pulled in a thousand different directions. I tried Tai Chi and also enjoyed the tape I had on Qi Gong is not as popular in the media but is my favorite. Many of the martial arts have good effects on relaxation and not moves that can hurt you from punching and jabbing and flinging your arms and kicking. I don’t enjoy the contact or punishment type things I like the resistance of the water in the water exercises. I also liked using a small ball to move around and hold as I moved. It got me to really focus too. I think the story that the intructor is telling you and the relaxing pace the music sets gives me a pace to move to that gives me that control that does not let me race thru the routine like the other exercises do. Daily it got to be a race to see how much I can do and how fast I could just go thru the motions before. With the Yoga and Tai Chi I felt and concentrated on the movement of each and every muscle envolved. I needed that because I had been totally parilized and I needed to reach each and everyone of those muscles, ligaments and tendons. It has payed off!

You can do a search of Tai Chi and there is videos of it on you tube and other sites. I am going to go and try to find the download you talked about! Thanks for the suggestion. Keep up the good work!

MOVEIT MOVEIT MOVEIT

Linda H Thank you it is something I think that we can share and see progress at our own speed and it is not a competetion but we can celebrate the accomplishments of others and just them as our goals. I have got alot of ideas from this thread and have tried many of them because I had forgot about being able to do them before. Some things I could not do and some I worked on and was able to do them a few days after asking my body to do them. I love things I can do to music. That seems to give me a different kind of strenght. Good memories really helpd to give you hope!

Johnny Mac you are one of the ones that will be a story that others will remember how your sucess made us just buzz with pride. The one about your Mom and your Father give us an amazing example how everyone is a survivor and our abilities are very motivating to the ones of us that are less fortunate and a reminder of how frustrated we used to be when we were at that level. You have made amazing recovery. I remember starting out on the machines with no weights. I was amazingly strong only months before my onset of GBS. From the waist down I still have some weakness that I am working on but it is frustration and hard work. You just have to remember we area all different. You did very well. What year is your Corvette? I just got one that was sold to a gentlman in Hawaii in 1985 and then shipped back to the main land. The next guy had it for 23 years and then I got it as an anniversary present in July. It is Light Blue Metalic with a targa roof and we got the optional smoked glass top and the blue one with it. Amazing cars to own.

Johnny I did not respond to the IVIG treatment as quickly as they wanted so they gave me the PP wiping out off the benefits of the IVIG. I think it just depends on the individual person and what their body responds to. I do know that timing is important when they start the treatments to prevent as much damage as they can. Your attitude is great and your sense of humor. I can see where it would get you in trouble too! LOL Keep posting to let us know about your progress.