Scarry Workout

marymickaela

Had just started my workout with my trainer (Jeff) today. Did 3 set of crunches and he reached down, grabbed my left hand and pulled me up. I sat down for a min., opened my water and the bottle fell out of my left hand. I tried to pick it up and I couldn't grab it. My left hand had gone totally weak and numb. I picked up the water with my R hand and couldn't screw the lid on using my left hand. Jeff asked me question after question. It happened after he pulled me up, but nothing seemed pulled or hurt. I tried shaking my hands and he even had me take off my HRM watch.

He asked me about chest pains. I said no and don't think I'm having a heart attack. Maybe a stroke. He said "that's what I was thinking". We carefully continued my workout doing strength exercises to see how far the numbness went. No shoulders, no elbows. By the end of the session I started having some pain below my elbow going down to my wrist. He felt I had pulled a tendon and should go home and ice it. All the way home I thought about going to the urgent care, but thought "they're just going to want to run tons of tests", plus I wasn't having any other symptoms, just some pain, weakness and numbness in my left hand/wrist going up to my elbow. It seemed to involve small motor skills, like screwing on the water lid.

I get home, grab the ice pack and go lie down. After getting up I looked at my wrist and it was swollen. A lightbulb moment hit. 3 years ago I had a wrist problem called "De Quervains Tenosynovitis". It involves a small pocket of fluid between the tendons on the inside of the wrist. I had an MRI, cortisone injections, and physical therapy. I had to wear a splint for 6 weeks. After seeing the swelling I realized that's exactly how this felt. I pulled out all my records and sure enough the symptoms matched. I think Jeff pulling me to my feet just triggered something that was starting to already flare up. So I'm taking Advil and pulled out the wrist/thumb splint. I'm hoping that this is just a flare up and passes, but as of tonight I still have pain, weakness, swelling and some nerve pain going on. .

At least I'm not having a stroke and that was my day.

Scubanana7

THANK THE LORD YOU ARE OKAY. But I did peek at your profile. I can't believe you are 62---you look amazing. Now after the niceness, I am going to scold you a little. We aren't youngen's any more and it actually could have been a stroke. Not something I want to hear either, but we both need to hear that we really aren't as young as our hearts and heads....and bodies (cuz you look great). I am so glad it wasn't serious, but just be careful about when our bodies tell us something is not right. This lecture is also to myself. lol As women, we are raised to push thru a little pain or discomfort. That is why so many of us ignore heart attacks and other medical issues.

A friend of mine has a very fit, trim 58 year old mom> She is a health/exercise nut (in a good way). She was at the gym, did a zumba class, decided that it wasn't hard enough workout that day. So she hopped on the treadmil, and felt faint and kinda slid down. The gym guys responded quickly,asked what happened. She said she just got dizzy and was fine. The guy call ed 911, and shipped her off in an abulance. She had had a heart attack. He probably saved her life. She is okay. Freaky. She wasn't overweight, had never been overweight....just happens.

Again, so happy your day was NOT a disaster. and be careful.

wilsoje74

I'm a nurse and even if you think you know what it is, it should be checked out ASAP. Numbness and weakness can be something serious and the trainer should have stopped the workout and insist you get to the nearest ER.

marymickaela

There was a part of me a little peeved my trainer wasn't more worried. Not being able to pick up that water bottle was scarry. The numbness and weakness was scarry. I think he probably should have ended the workout then, but since that was my only symptom I trudged on. I like him a lot, but he's only 25.

My daughter's mother-in-law (72) keeled over dead in her kitchen last December from a stroke. Standing there talking to someone and boom - dead.

marymickaela

Well it's been a day now and I'm pretty sure the problem is my prior wrist injury, "De Quervains Tenosynovitis". I've been icing and wearing my wrist splint, but I'm going to call my orthopetic surgeon Monday to see what she has to say. I'm pretty sure she's going to say to wear the splint, which is 24/7, but I need to find out what kind of workouts I can do. I don't think the pain's bad enough at this point to have a steriod injection, but she may suggest physical therapy again. I really have too much going on, but at least it's not a stroke.

Fitfully_me

Wait... You, and your trainer thought you may have been having a stroke and you both thought it best to continue your workout? :noway:

AlongCame_Molly

Whew! What a relief if wasn't anything serious. Keep an eye on the wrist and baby it for the next week or so to make sure you don't damage it further, though.

ostrichagain

Something similar happened to me after a car accident. My right up just wouldn't work for a few days, it wasn't numb or tingling. Just sore and swollen and absolutely non-cooperative.

I hope you feel better soon!

marymickaela

Fitfully,

It really sounds stupid, but I think my family has conditioned me that I'm over reacting. About 5 years ago I started seeing hundreds of spots in my field of vision. Called my doctor's office and the nurse told me to go the ER as I could be having a stroke. I told my family what she said and they moaned and groaned about taking me. I got angry and let it go. As my daughter left to go home she said "call me if you start drooling". I waited two weeks before seeing my eye surgeon and found out I had detached visterous in both eyes. I do have a lot of valid medical conditions so sometimes it hard to make the right judgment call.

My plan is to reschedule tomorrow's workout, call my orthopedic surgeon who treated my wrist before and see what she suggests. I have the feeling there are certain weight exercises I shouldn't be doing.

And my trainer should have known better not to continue my workout. The workout we did probably hurt my wrist more.

sunglasses_and_ocean_waves

Fitfully,

It really sounds stupid, but I think my family has conditioned me that I'm over reacting. About 5 years ago I started seeing hundreds of spots in my field of vision. Called my doctor's office and the nurse told me to go the ER as I could be having a stroke. I told my family what she said and they moaned and groaned about taking me. I got angry and let it go. As my daughter left to go home she said "call me if you start drooling". I waited two weeks before seeing my eye surgeon and found out I had detached visterous in both eyes. I do have a lot of valid medical conditions so sometimes it hard to make the right judgment call.

My plan is to reschedule tomorrow's workout, call my orthopedic surgeon who treated my wrist before and see what she suggests. I have the feeling there are certain weight exercises I shouldn't be doing.

And my trainer should have known better not to continue my workout. The workout we did probably hurt my wrist more.

That is so sad. I don't think they'll respect your concerns until you respect them. Don't ever let anyone brush you off like that.

Zaniejane

Next time go to urgent care honey:). I can't believe your trainer kept going with the workout, but ultimately, you are responsible for your health. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to get timely medical help if you are having a heart attack or stroke and the symptoms for women vary and can be different from what we are used to hearing about.

BonnieandClyde29

Glad you are OK!!! I would double check it though if it were me, glad your up and going!

Microfiber

Wait... You, and your trainer thought you may have been having a stroke and you both thought it best to continue your workout? :noway:

Maybe it's on his bucket list to kill someone whilst training 'em :laugh:

marymickaela

Spoke with the nurse at my orthopetic surgeon's office, explained what happened. She felt it definately was the wrist problem. The trainer pulling me up from the lying down position was the straw that broke the camel's back. I could come in and have the doctor look at my wrist, possibly get another cortisone shot. Surgery would be the only sure way to fix it. I told her I wanted to go the most conserative route and didn't feel it was bad enough to see the doctor at this point. Last Friday definately "YES", but after icing it over the weekend helped bring alot of the swelling down as has the weakness and numbness.

So I'm to keep icing and wearing the splint, which is like wearing a cast for the next two weeks. If there's no improvement or it's worse, then I'll see the dr. As far as working out. I can do any exercises I can do with the splint on. None with it off. That will eliminate quite a few of upper body work.

Thank you all for listening and your support,

Mary

DavPul

Wait... You, and your trainer thought you may have been having a stroke and you both thought it best to continue your workout? :noway:

this was my thought exactly. so heart attack means stop, but stroke means proceed, but slowly?

GetSoda

Wait... You, and your trainer thought you may have been having a stroke and you both thought it best to continue your workout? :noway:

this was my thought exactly. so heart attack means stop, but stroke means proceed, but slowly?

"Don't worry, you can switch from a barbell to dumbbells in a pinch."

/headdesk