For the last few days I haven't felt the greatest - the muscle pain in my back and shoulders has been worse than usual and many of the shooting nerve pains have returned for the first time in months. I'm trying to pay close attention to my symptoms these days, hoping they're just the result of a tough run or workout...
I'm coming to the conclusion though that there is more at work here than just a tough workout. Earlier this week I had an appointment with my
rheumatologist who has been an integral part of my pain management in the past couple years. Although I haven't formally been diagnosed with active arthritis yet, several of my doctors have noted elements of arthritis in various parts of my body and so the rheumatologist's approach has been valuable.
Over the past year she and I have discussed how my medications may become an issue if we decide to start a family. We were going to involve a genetic counsellor to work out the actual risks of each drug, but she decided instead that it is probably safest if we try to wean me off of some of the heavier ones.
So, the tapering process has begun. And so far, I am definitely noticing a difference in how my body has been feeling. When you take medications for pain it is sometimes easy to forget what the full onslaught is like because it is being masked by the drugs. I'm not writhing on the floor in agony, but am definitely feeling more pain - this body feels like it's a hundred years old and I'm barely just 30! My sleep hasn't been that great this week and I really noticed a difference in how I was able to move at pilates last night.
Hopefully things will plateau or improve and not get worse as I continue to drop my dosages over the next few weeks. I know this is something I need to do but it is scary not knowing how it will affect me.
I had my third night of pilates last night - it was a great combination of small and large range work for both the lower and upper body. We started with some excellent stretches to expand the ribs and intercostal muscles and then did a series of exercises that worked every aspect of the leg and hip. The upper body work really challenged my scapular stabilization, especially since I have no feeling or sensation in most of my back making it really hard to feel the exercises and know if I have my shoulders in the right position or not. By this point I had worked up quite a sweat and we moved onto some arm exercises including biceps and triceps, rows, curls and lateral rotation. After so much focus on the upper body my arms and shoulders were shaking so I was glad when it was time to stretch and cool down.
I had no idea pilates on the reformer could be such a focused full body workout. My physiotherapist is thrilled each week when I tell her what we've done at pilates. This is definitely challenging my upper body alignment, it will be interesting to see how things progress over the coming sessions.
I'm coming to the conclusion though that there is more at work here than just a tough workout. Earlier this week I had an appointment with my rheumatologist who has been an integral part of my pain management in the past couple years. Although I haven't formally been diagnosed with active arthritis yet, several of my doctors have noted elements of arthritis in various parts of my body and so the rheumatologist's approach has been valuable.
Over the past year she and I have discussed how my medications may become an issue if we decide to start a family. We were going to involve a genetic counsellor to work out the actual risks of each drug, but she decided instead that it is probably safest if we try to wean me off of some of the heavier ones.
So, the tapering process has begun. And so far, I am definitely noticing a difference in how my body has been feeling. When you take medications for pain it is sometimes easy to forget what the full onslaught is like because it is being masked by the drugs. I'm not writhing on the floor in agony, but am definitely feeling more pain - this body feels like it's a hundred years old and I'm barely just 30! My sleep hasn't been that great this week and I really noticed a difference in how I was able to move at pilates last night.
Hopefully things will plateau or improve and not get worse as I continue to drop my dosages over the next few weeks. I know this is something I need to do but it is scary not knowing how it will affect me.
I had my third night of pilates last night - it was a great combination of small and large range work for both the lower and upper body. We started with some excellent stretches to expand the ribs and intercostal muscles and then did a series of exercises that worked every aspect of the leg and hip. The upper body work really challenged my scapular stabilization, especially since I have no feeling or sensation in most of my back making it really hard to feel the exercises and know if I have my shoulders in the right position or not. By this point I had worked up quite a sweat and we moved onto some arm exercises including biceps and triceps, rows, curls and lateral rotation. After so much focus on the upper body my arms and shoulders were shaking so I was glad when it was time to stretch and cool down.
I had no idea pilates on the reformer could be such a focused full body workout. My physiotherapist is thrilled each week when I tell her what we've done at pilates. This is definitely challenging my upper body alignment, it will be interesting to see how things progress over the coming sessions.