I also swim (and do water aerobics 2X weekly) at the local YMCA--it helps
alot! It seems to help stretch out my muscles in my legs, lessening the
spasticity I have as a residual to my TM attack (C1-C2 12/94). In
February, I had to stop swimming for about 4 weeks because of work related
travel, towards the end of that timeframe, I stiffened up--my gait worsened,
my coordination was off and I was constantly injuring my right foot/leg. The
swimming is definately the best thing I can do to keep in shape--The water
aerobics is also great, however--I cannot keep up with the others in the
class on many things. Anytime we do "arm workouts", I have to just give up
on my right arm and work the left--there's way too much pain in my right arm.
About the weight issue (which I believe started this "exercise" subject
rolling). I too am overweight (by around 100 lb). Before TM, I was usually
50-70 lbs overweight and always able to handle the weight--it didn't effect
my activities. I would lose weight down to within 15 lbs of my ideal weight
when I was really exercising alot (riding my bike to work (18 mi each way)
and spending everyweekend backpacking/xcountry skiing and the likes) I was
one of those people who could have weight yo-yo of 30 lbs within just a few
months--all related to my level of activity. When I had the TM attack, I
gained the other 30 lbs in what appeared to be "water weight", I was
literally instantly swollen up with fluid retention. In the hospital, and
later, my doctors ignored my concerns about this fluid retention. About one
year after the TM, the fluid retention stopped abruptly--suddenly I could
wear my old size shoes and rings again! (Interestingly, I was very, very
fatigued until the water retention stopped--then sudddenly I was able to do a
lot more each day) But, the weight has stayed. I can't get into "hyper"
exercise like I used to to lose weight--these days my "hyper" is my old
"slow-grandma" pace--it gets frustrating sometimes, since I have never lost
much weight based on reduction of intake alone--gotta have that exercise to
burn off the weight.
Since this is my first posting to the list, I'll put forth the facts (and
coincidences) of my TM:
Events preceding which may (or may not ) have contributed/had something to do
with it:
2 years before TM, I stopped being able to turn my head all the way around to
the right (like looking over your back to back up the car)--this problem
"fixed itself" shortly following the TM)
1 very nasty food-poisoning type reaction to some rainbow trout ~ 3 weeks
before TM.
my cat died of a sudden and unidentified neurologic problem which just shut
down his system within a 3 week period. He died 3 days before I had the
trout and started having headaches.
2 1/2 weeks before TM, I started having head/neck aches in an area on the
back of my head behind my right ear extending down my neck. They were
increasingly painful.
during the 3 weeks before being hospitalized, I was under the most severe
stress at work which I've EVER been under. The day I was hospitalized, I
concluded very intense contract negotiations (which were causing the stress.)
The TM:
After a couple weeks of headaches, at 7:00 pm in the eve., my headache wasn't
so bad, but my thumb and index finger had started tingling. I drove myself
to the hospital ER and by the time I arrived (15 minutes), my entire right
arm was tingling and my right side coordination was almost goine--and my head
had really started hurting bad. The ER staff stuck me in a darkened room
(thinking I was having a migraine (spelling?) and left me there for 2 hours.
I fell off a chair (no balance) and totally freaked out when my arm felt
like it was next to my side--but instead it was over my head! After some
hysteria (somebody help me--I'm dying in here and you don't care????), the ER
staff started MRI's, and all the usual neuro stuff--they finished prelim.
tests and admitted me by 5:00 am the next morning. They found TM at a point
between C1 and C2. I broke out with a rash on the right side of my neck
during the attack. For the first 24 hours in the hospital, I had to keep my
head turned to my left to avoid extreme neck/head pain (this went away in
about 1 weeks--then I could turn my head all the way to the right--which I
hadn't done for 2 years). During this time, also a strange thing was that my
right side was very flushed although my left side was pale (it was like I had
a stripe down the middle of my body--red one side, white the other). The
doctors didn't know what caused the TM and really didn't 'treat" me other
than give me pain killers. They had me checked into the hospital for a
month's stay and kept talking to me about MS (why, I don't know, since it was
the first attach I'd had). I found that so depressing that I checked myself
out in 10 days, walking (stumbling). For the first 3 or 4 days, I couldn't
walk and everything was too sensitive, but my ability to walk came back
quickly--thank God. I checked myself out of the hospital as soon as I could
walk (with a cane) to the bathroom.
Thank God I didn't know that my doctors thought I would never walk again. I
was in real "denial" when the nurses were giving me advice on how to have my
husband cut up my food for me--I would not believe that I wouldn't be better
in just a few days. I never even told my boss what was going on until I was
walking! I couldn't face it.
Afterwards:
I had to learn how to do EVERYTHING over again. I couldn't turn a screw
driver, my hand-eye coordination was wack-y. Spacial resolution was (and is)
screwed up. Cold is my enemy--love those hot baths! I had a lot of
improvement within the first 90 days and then not much until the water
retention stopped about a year later. I was on a very slow improvment curve
until I started swimming 18 months after the attack--then wow! with the
swimming, I've had a whole order of magnitude improvement in my energy level
and ability to do things. I still have lots of pain, but I can "do" so many
things I thougth I'd never do again. Before the TM, I was 7 months into a 3
year project to renovate a 5000sf 4 story house--doing everything myself.
After the TM, this project has turned into major therapy--learning how to do
what I can with my limitations has been really tricky. Since I can't do the
things that require a lot of balance (forget the roof!), my husband has had
to really help me out. I can only stand on the first couple rungs of a
ladder (its a joke! to see me!) and work up as high as I can reach without
looking up (too dizzy). For the first year, my trick for getting down the
stairs carrying small things was to sit on my butt and scoot down them. I
throw everything possible down the stairs and have to have my husband carry
it up stairs. I can't make too many trips up and down the stairs each day or
my coordination goes (and can't climb stairs at all in the mornings--I'm too
stiff). I can now kneel (thanks to swimming) and keep my balance without too
much pain! My neurologist has tryed to (gently) talk me into moving into a
single story house--but, truthfully, the challenges of my "project" is what
is keeping my going and improving. I've tried to do as much as I can using
whatever I have to do it with!
I'm really getting off topic here, but, I have to laugh at the twists in life
and again, thank God that my condition isn't worse. I hope that someone
benefits from my ramblings--sorry to have been so long-winded.
Regards, Brenda.