Living with M.S.

"Living with M.S. is sort of like training for a long race. The harder you try, and the longer you keep at it, the stronger you become.
Eventually, looking back, you may be amazed at the power you possessed, even when you had no idea it was within your reach." (Linda Ann Nickerson)

Tuesday

Pain & fitness: Sometimes the answer is the last thing we wanna do

 

Feels like sciatica, I sighed. Actually, I may have used less scientific and more graphic terminology. And it may have been the all-too familiar nerve pain that can come with having multiple sclerosis.

 

But let’s not split hairs here.

 My lower back was giving me agony. Bending, stretching, twisting, and even standing still hurt. Sitting and reclining were the worst.

 I moaned and groaned (mostly to myself, but more than once to a couple of others) for two days. I spent two whole nights, squirming and wincing and trying to find a sleep-able position. Didn’t happen.

 Ask any MSer what happens when we get overtired. It’s not pretty. And I was there.

 

Something had to change.

 Finally, on the third day, I dragged myself out of bed, hobbling like a fairy tale monster. I forced my feet into my sneakers and made my way to the gym for a stretch/cardio/strength class. Honestly, I expected to limp out of the session early.

 


But it actually helped.

 Moving was the last thing I felt like doing. The mere idea of stretching made me want to cry.

 As it turns out, all that activity was just what I needed. Isn’t that often the case?

 

This can take all sorts of forms.

 Maybe it’s physical therapy. It might be walking up and down the driveway once or twice. It could even be taking a shower, when symptoms are making the MS life extra tough. The thing that could help the most still draws our dread.

 When we make that move, we may be surprised to find some relief.

 

Let’s not get carried away here, though.

 It’s easy to overdo things, while battling MS. When we are able to get up and get going, we may be tempted to go all-out, making up for lost time (when we were sidelined). That’s a danger zone. We know it. But we still fall into that trap.

 I’m not throwing shade at anyone who is immobilized today, with the MS MonSter attacking in full force. The battle looks different for each of us.

 It’s just that sometimes I need the extra internal shove to work out some relief. Anyone else know the feeling?

 Let’s hope I don’t regret today’s workout tomorrow (or even tonight).

 

Related items:

 ·        Beware the MS hiatus hangover

·        Despite MS, sometimes we just have to take it to the limit

·        MS makes me clumsy sometimes.

 

Image/s: Adapted from public domain image/s.

 

 

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