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SheShe_13
Posts: 30 Member
I was diagnoised with PTC in November after suffering a long while with terrible debilitating headaches, vertigo, nausea, and blurred vision. I was finally evaluated by a neurologist and diagnoised. Since then I have been trying to lose weight, but it's difficult because exercise makes me nauseous and my head pounds. Do anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate any feedback you can give!
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Hello,
I have IIH, and I often have the same problem when it comes to exercising, eg, head pounding.
What I found was that my "exercise headaches" were different from my usual migraines. Based on discussions with my neurologist, we figured out that I was most likely experiencing exertional headaches.
Now, a few hours before I know I'm going to be going to the gym or exercising outside, I make sure to drink at least 1 liter of water. And *1 hour* before, I also drink 12 ounces of a low-calorie electrolyte drink (such as Gatorade G2). So far, this has prevented any major headaches.
Remember, we migraineurs need plenty of water. This increases tenfold when we diet and exercise!0 -
Hi ladies.
Yip I find I get headaches when working out etc. Drinking lots of water does help.
Plus I avoid things that put my head lower than my heart (bending etc) as it gives me instant pain overload.
I am going very slow on the strength training as when I strain with weights it raises the pressure a bit.
I do have a VP shunt in though so I know that my pain will usually calm down within an hour or so after a workout.0 -
What everyone else has said - hydrate! Also, the comment about raising your arms overhead - good advice, with a caveat:
EXPERIMENT GENTLY to figure out what works for you. I get raging headaches if I swim (former year-round swimmer - very sad), yet I can use the military press machine in the gym, which is an overhead movement. Likewise, I can't do bicep curls while standing, but am ok seated. Decline bench press (on a bench, with my head lower than the rest of me, pushing 200 lbs) - no problem!
It's a weird mish-mosh, and if I think hard, I *can* explain each one...but there seem to be too many variables to reliably predict what will or won't be ok. One thing I do know is that on anything new, I start light/easy, and pay CLOSE attention to the feeling at the base of my skull/neck. If it feels pulled/tight/pressurized (my personal red flag), then I back off fast. Doesn't matter if it's only 1 rep or one step into something.
You may find yourself having to rely more on calorie control than exercise to get your weight going in the right direction. The good news? Many folks find even moderate weight loss to be helpful. I'm so sorry you're getting the exertional headaches. Please do post when you find what works for you!0 -
I find riding the startionary bikes the only thing that doesn't make me feel of death.0
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I have IIH too n just starting out on the 5:2 diet.0
