Having a rough day and need ideas if you have any.

scaryann1

As many of you know by now, I have a collagen disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I have finally gotten my calorie intake up to 2000 calories a day most days (it's been a long road getting here) and I have been lifting light weights for a few months now. I started with two pounds and worked my way up to 4 lbs.

I have recently started using walking crutches any time I am outside my home and on bad days even inside my home. My problem is that this is exhausting my arms. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't started lifting before using these! I still try to lift my whopping 4 lbs weights, but some days it just seems impossible. I'm sure that with more time it will become easier, but I guess I just need some ideas and encouragement on things that can help with the arm exhaustion and achyness in them. Because of my weak tendons and ligaments my muscles have to do the work of my tendons and ligaments to keep my joints in place. For example, my shoulders can sublux (dislocates but goes back in without me doing anything) by rolling over in bed, or putting a thumb tack in the wall. But because of using the crutches I don't really have a "rest day" for my arms because I have to walk, and these forearm crutches are really helping me stay on my feet.

It's gotten so bad that it seems like everything I pick up, I almost instantly drop it. Just yesterday I went to get my (thankfully) plastic drinking glass out of the refrigerator and immediately dropped it. Our computer room door is held shut with a bent cotter pin to keep the cats out, I pulled the cotter pin out and instantly dropped it between the furnace and the wall. I had to fish it out with a ruler. I still have no idea how it landed where it did.

So far today, I have only been able to do one set of ten for three of my four normal lifts before my arms gave out and I just couldn't lift that darn four pounds anymore. I'm sure I will get another set in before the day is out, but just last week I was doing three sets of each lift at one time. It's just so frustrating that my body is fighting me so hard on this. I guess I'll go and try to get another set in now.

Because of kidney problems I can't increase my protein intake right now. But I am hoping that my bloodwork at the end of the month will show that eating is helping.

beastmode_kitty

Tough to say, but I wouldn't push yourself too much either.

TerezaToledo

You definitely have been going through a lot! Kudos for being so strong and not giving up!
By eating to fuel your body according with what is ok for you to eat is a great thing. Your body needs the proper fuel to keep getting. I must agree with BMK ^^^ to take it slow and not to push your urself too hard, specially in those days when everything seems that be even harder. I have my fingers crossed and will be sending positives thoughts your way for you to see improvements soon.

Tereza
Team EM2WL

Raynn1

First of all, congrats on getting your eats up to 2000!!! I know how hard it has been for you to get there and slowly and surely you did. Be PROUD of that.
Second, you DOUBLED your weight amounts in a very short time. Again be PROUD of that accomplishment. I know it might not seem like a big deal, but remember with your condition how much harder your body has to work just to function daily, let alone do physical lifting. So time a moment to relish in your short term successes. These are all things that WILL help you improve your strength to help you deal with your condition.


Take a rest if you have to. Take a week off the weights and just concentrate your energy on just your daily functions. Rest helps us heal.. so use it.

Dont be afraid of dropping back down to two pounds for a little while to give your arms a bit of a break. As you said, they are constantly working, so take a breather on the 4s for a bit and concentrate on getting your everyday strength back up. Dropping down in weights is NOT a sign of weakness or failure. We all need to step back at times and heal. So Id drop to 2.. and slowly work back up. Give your body the rest it needs where you can.
If you really want to push and stay with the 4lbs... then split up your sets. Do one set in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the evening. No one said they have to all be done at once:)

Keep your eats up. I know protein is hard for you to get in, but get those cals in any which way you can right now.

We are all rooting for you to get stronger so your everyday function improves for you. You are doing amazing!

Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

empressichel

You definitely sound like such a fighter and don't give up easily.
It must be tough and very frustrating to try and make these changes and have your body fight against it because of your condition.
I am sure the extra calories you have built up will be helping your body.
As the others have said, perhaps it is time just to take a rest. Just getting around on crutches is a lot of work even without the lifting.
Please don't feel like you are not lifting enough! Like Kelly said, you have doubled your weight! Phenomenal!
We all have to start at the beginning. Every single one of us. I used to use bottles of water for bicep curls until I could buy some weights.
I think if you just focus on using your crutches, don't worry about the weights for just now, that even releasing that stress will make you feel better.
Rest, heal and celebrate how far you have come already.
~Ichel
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

scaryann1

Thanks everyone, I think I was having a major "why me" day. Thankfully they don't happen as often as they did before I got my diagnosis and learned that it wasn't "all in my head" as the doctors tried to tell me it was. I was so frustrated yesterday, and I hate letting myself get that way, that I wanted to lash out. I sure do miss the days when I was able to throw around three, five, and ten pound bags and 40 pound boxes, eight to nine hours a day, five to six days a week. (I worked in a chicken processing plant twenty years ago)

I don't always feel like a fighter, and the last couple of days I've felt like throwing in the towel and just giving up. So I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for the kind words and the wisdom behind them. Today has been better, I've even had the energy to get some things done! One-half of my bathtub is clean and the bathroom counter is clean. Lunch is in the oven and supper is all planned.

empressichel

Yeah! So glad to hear today is going better. You most definitely are a fighter
~Ichel
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

Raynn1

Glad today was a better day. You are definitely a fighter:)
Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

TerezaToledo

@scaryann1, you rock! I's great to hear things were a bit better today! I'm sure it's hard not to have such rough days. My mother dealt with undiagnosed pain for a long tome and as much as she was one of the biggest fighters I've ever met, she had her down days too. But you can do it, keep your attitude and keep going! We are all cheering for you!

By the way, there is an excellent forum on the EM2WL site dedicated to journals and motivation with some amazing posts and awesome life stories, just like yours. If you would like to journal and share your journey, we would love to hear more from you: http://forums.eatmore2weighless.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=20
I am sure you will inspire many there as well.

Tereza
Team EM2WL

heybales

Imagine how sore and tired your arms would be if you were doing 8 lb dumbbells daily right from the start.

Your use of the walker and supporting weight with upper body muscles is now a strength workout for you.

So view it as any strength workout that is starting, except in this case you really don't have the ability to ease in to it, like bringing the weight up slowly like you can with dumbbells.

That means a decent rest time for repair/recovery is needed - this could be difficult since walker is needed for general use.
If you have any way to alternate more active days using it and upper body with rest days between - this would aid the repair and the recovery, and allow getting stronger from it.

Otherwise it just takes longer to make the same improvements, as the muscle/tendon/ligaments are more stressed out not getting to recover totally until they are put under another hard load of use.

I'd throw the dumbbell workouts on the active days too, for the opposing muscles not getting worked. I'm betting most of the push muscles are getting the workout - triceps, pecs, lats (generally used in pull, but in dips as push).
So to balance curls, shoulder press and arm raises for the shoulder, ect, generally the pull or upward push stuff.

I can't imagine the difficulty of all you are dealing with, but you are really doing great, even keeping your enjoyment in the geocaching in there.

scaryann1

Thanks for the input heybales. Some days it's so hard to see the improvements and that day was certainly one of them. We did get to go geocaching yesterday, I didn't think we would cause the weather man was calling for strong thunder storms, but the sun shone all day! I finally figured out how to add pictures to my posts. Now I just have to remember to resize them before adding them.

scaryann1

I forgot to add that I have already worn out a set of crutch tips... I've only had them a little over a month.