Fitness after illness

hellonheels88

So I suppose I'm looking for people who can share their success story with me who have overcome an illness of some type.

A little about me: I am 23...last summer I took a long flight (about 32 hours worth of flying in 1 month) while on NuvaRing. About 3 weeks after I returned I started to get short of breath. At this time I was working out 2 times a day, 5-6 days a week. I was in the best shape I'd been in years. About a week after my first symptoms started to show I started to get a pain in my right calf. I thought I had just pulled a muscle or something. Then I noticed what looked like an ingrown hair on my inner thigh...and I thought it was just that...an ingrown hair. Well needless to say my health declined drastically over the next 3 weeks. I had a fever of 102-103 for a week and my leg pain just got worse. It spread up my leg and into my left leg....to the point that it hurt to walk...it hurt for my legs to touch...anything and everything hurt. I was prescribed Percocet and taking two barely took the edge off. :sad:

One day while sitting at work I started to get a really sharp pain on my left side (through my boob/shoulder blade area). Long story short, I ended up going to the doctor and finding that I had a partially deflated left lung due to a staph infection and ALSO that I had a Pulmonary Embolism (blood clot) in my right lung. Talk about scary. So I spent the next week in the hospital....that was in July 2011...and I am just now getting back into working out. I really let myself go the past 6 months...I don't know why...I told myself it was too scary...just kept making excuses...but I'm done with that...

Here's the whole story if anyone's interested: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/mmemjm/view/my-pulmonary-embolism-story-195703

So please...if anyone has similar stories...please share

OH btw...I'm 5'4" -
SW: 201lbs
CW: 201lbs (don't weigh in for another 2 weeks so I could be off)
GW: 145-150lbs

hellonheels88

...bump...

Kirkajuice

I've just read your blog entry, that sounds completely horrifying. I haven't been that ill since beginning exercise, though I did manage to contract meningitis in 2007 when I was 22, that was quite scary but not really comparable to having a lung deflate! Well done for wanting to begin exercising again, hopefully you'll find it as fun as you did before you fell ill

hellonheels88

Thanks for reading and I'm almost a week into this and I've already rediscovered how much I loooove working out.

AmyMK

I have a story pretty similar to yours.

5 years ago (when I was 22) i was in fairly decent shape,..maybe 5-10 lbs overweight, but definitely was comfortable in my skin.

Making a long story short, I had been using contact solution that was later on recalled as it did not steralize contacts well enough. Because I was using this solution, I ended up getting a serious eye infection that ruined my cornea in both eyes. I basically went blind - I lost 75% of my sight - I could no longer drive, no longer go to the gym, and lost the freedom in my life. I delt with this by eating bad food, and drinking.

It took 4 years, several surgeries, and a cornea transplant to eventually recover. I am finally at a place where I am healthy enough and confident enough to start to get back into a healthy lifestyle. I have lost 21 lbs so far, and am in better shape then I have been in years.

I know how scary it is to take on fitness after you have been seriously ill, and how easy it is to make excuses if you've "let yourself go" as to why. For a long time I told myself it wasn't my fault that I gained 60+ lbs, i blamed it on everything from not being able to see, to medication, to my family being unsupportive (they wern't, it was all in my head).

Good luck! and feel free to add me as a friend if you like

caseynjason

I am starting up again after having chronic UTI's and IBS-C for the last 6 months. Something new for me; not to feel good for so long. I was super fit, and I actually lost more weight being ill, but I have lost muscle because of it. Now I am starting up again, and I can sure tell my muscle is down. I am thinner, but not fitter. Is that how you are?

hellonheels88

I am starting up again after having chronic UTI's and IBS-C for the last 6 months. Something new for me; not to feel good for so long. I was super fit, and I actually lost more weight being ill, but I have lost muscle because of it. Now I am starting up again, and I can sure tell my muscle is down. I am thinner, but not fitter. Is that how you are?

Oh I wish that's how I was. I actually put on 30 pounds after getting out of the hospital. I was so excited when I got out of the hospital and felt better...I was at 170...most lowest in years...but then I couldn't do anything because I was still in some pain and still couldn't breathe well....the next thing I know I'm 30 pounds heavier and still making excuses. Can we trade? lol

hellonheels88

I have a story pretty similar to yours.

5 years ago (when I was 22) i was in fairly decent shape,..maybe 5-10 lbs overweight, but definitely was comfortable in my skin.

Making a long story short, I had been using contact solution that was later on recalled as it did not steralize contacts well enough. Because I was using this solution, I ended up getting a serious eye infection that ruined my cornea in both eyes. I basically went blind - I lost 75% of my sight - I could no longer drive, no longer go to the gym, and lost the freedom in my life. I delt with this by eating bad food, and drinking.

It took 4 years, several surgeries, and a cornea transplant to eventually recover. I am finally at a place where I am healthy enough and confident enough to start to get back into a healthy lifestyle. I have lost 21 lbs so far, and am in better shape then I have been in years.

I know how scary it is to take on fitness after you have been seriously ill, and how easy it is to make excuses if you've "let yourself go" as to why. For a long time I told myself it wasn't my fault that I gained 60+ lbs, i blamed it on everything from not being able to see, to medication, to my family being unsupportive (they wern't, it was all in my head).

Good luck! and feel free to add me as a friend if you like

Yikes! How scary! Thank you so much for sharing and I'm happy that you were able to recover. Here's to making a difference :drinker:

pixiexxgirl

When I was 17, I was a senior in high school,And I was pretty active I dont think I sat for more then 20 minutes at a time, and I was always active as a child too, granted I've never been 'healthly' ive always been pretty sick most of my life, mostly due to the disorders I was born with. But My health took a turn for the worse and I went to the doctor and found out I had cancer in my left thigh, Thankfully it was able to be removed in just 2 surgeries no chemo needed, but I've had a pretty crappy immune system since then and that has made my body a ton weaker then how I used to be, I've also put up some weight (then I was about 98 pounds) I'm now pushing 130 and it doesnt help that im REALLY short so alot of people ask me How far along I am or when my baby is due.

But I'm finally trying to turn my health around and get my body back into shape how I was when I was in high school So hopefully I'll be able to get this done and get healthy again!



I read all of your stories and I couldnt imagine having my lung deflate, that just sounds scary!!

kmacgera

I had a heart attack totally out of the blue over 10 years ago. I was very fit, except an annoying extra 20 lbs. I was jogging at lunch to maximize cals on a time budget. Recovery was one step at a time. One help was the hospital's cardiac rehab class 2x/week. I walked my neighborhood, very slowly, embarrassed, but didn't tell the neighbors why. I bought a dog to keep me going. I signed up for 5K's as goals. Did a 10K too, the Bolder Boulder. Over time I made a full recovery!

hellonheels88

I'm now pushing 130 and it doesnt help that im REALLY short so alot of people ask me How far along I am or when my baby is due.

@ pixiexxgirl - Uggg I hate that! I carry most of my extra weight in my belly and have gotten that a few times. You'd think its an unspoken rule not to ask a women that but sometimes people are just dense.

hellonheels88

I had a heart attack totally out of the blue over 10 years ago. I was very fit, except an annoying extra 20 lbs. I was jogging at lunch to maximize cals on a time budget. Recovery was one step at a time. One help was the hospital's cardiac rehab class 2x/week. I walked my neighborhood, very slowly, embarrassed, but didn't tell the neighbors why. I bought a dog to keep me going. I signed up for 5K's as goals. Did a 10K too, the Bolder Boulder. Over time I made a full recovery!

Good for you!! I wish I could buy a dog to keep me going! That would be awesome :-P but a 2 year old keeps my hands full enough as it is!

kmacgera

With a 2yo you could get an awesome jogging stroller and take her around. Pushing that exterior weight is a good thing! I bet she wants to go to the park every day.