exercise post Lyme disease recovery

[NHMamma]

Hi Cathe!

I was an avid Cathe fan for years. I was bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease and several co-infections back in 2006. It took until 2011 until I had any symptoms, which came on rapidly. First my legs stopped working to any reliable degree, then other neuronal issues (inability to speak/understand spoken language, tics, etc), thyroid issues, adrenal issues, cardiac issues, visual issues, and exceptional never-ending pain. I was treated with long-term antibiotics, anti-malarial drugs, herbal remedies, essential oils, whole foods, and homeopathy. There were days I was so weak that I couldn't get out of bed even if the house was on fire. Thankfully, those days are behind me.

However, long gone are my days of benching 130lbs and doing sprints in my backyard with a weighted sled strapped to my back. I've lost a significant amount of muscle mass and strength from several years of inactivity, not to mentions that I am now in my 50's.

I have been given the okay to resume exercise by all of my doctors, but am at a loss where to start. I am looking for some recommendations as well as some encouragement.

Thank you for your support.
NHMamma

 

[Nanbo]

OMG!!!! How awful! I admire your spirit and grit....
I imagine the best place to start is with some of Cathe's newer intermediate workouts from her ICE series and modify where needed. I am sending you a high five and look forward to hearing about your progress!

 

[DirtDiva]

I am blown away by your spirit, you are an inspiration and I'm really glad you posted up. I live in Minnesota and do a lot of trailwork (maintaining mountainbike trails) along with riding and the ticks are always on everybody's mind.

All of last year and part of this Spring I was off of lifting and fighting to come back after an injury and what I started with was walking on my Elliptical. Then I added in Lee Holden (Qi Gong) workouts on DVD. You can find his stuff on Exercisetoheal.com and read up on his philosophy. After that, I started into Pilates on a reformer, on my back working my legs from all angles, then incorporating several classic moves on a reformer for muscle balance. I think this will be very important for you. Muscle imbalances cause a lot problems, I got a huge eye-opener on that one. I will never do any more *core* work on the floor either. After I got into a groove, where the pain was bearable, I continued walking longer, doing Qi Gong and like Nanbo said, Cathe's Ice was wear I started back in with weights. I also subbed out any higher impact with my rebounder.

Please get well. I've got trailwork tonight, one of my buddies has had Lyme disease twice.

 

[NHMamma]

Thank you Nambo and DirtDiva! I know that gradual is best. Several of the "gifts" I 'got' from Lyme is flexibility and allowing myself to be vulnerable and human. Flexibility in a sense that I never knew 'how many spoons' I had at the start of my day (https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/). That it is okay for even "Superwoman" to ask for support from her closest friends (had to make a list of people who I was okay with seeing me naked in case I threw up and couldn't clean myself up or needed help going to the bathroom/bathing). The blessings of discovering my true friends and shifting my consciousness from a 'human doing' into more of a 'human be-ing' were priceless. Every morning I open my eyes, I'm provided with another opportunity to be present to the greatness in everyone I meet.

Much Gratitude!