My stamina is completely gone. Before my back went, I would take my shepherd for walks at 4am as it was dark and quiet. That seemed to the only time I could comfortably go outside with my migraines. Since my back has gone out, even walking around the block is so painful that I wind up having to stop and lean on trees or mailboxes every couple of houses.

Without the exercise, I'm out of breath after walking around the house. Sometimes I'll lift dumbbells from a sitting position, but have to be careful or the migraines will get worse. We have a stationary bike in the house, a heavy bag, some weights and of course the dog to walk. Before things got so bad, i was active and in decent shape.

People keep telling me that I'll "grow out of" my migraines, but at 49, things seem to be progressing downhill rapidly. I don't want to be stuck in a wheel chair in my fifties, but don't know how to get my endurance back. How can I slow this down? The pain, medications and fatigue are just draining me. If anyone has been in a similar situation and has ideas, I would love to hear them.

Thanks,
Sam

This will be rather messy as I am doing 1 finger keying tonite I have been dealing with chronic pain for over 30 years. The last 15 years have been a downhii slide. The last year has been pretty dramatic. My endurance is shot from lack of weight bearing activity. I plan on getting some of that back when I get the spinal implant. I try to take each day as it comes and go with whatever level of function I have on that day. The wheelchair beats being bedfast. Hugz

I guess it does beat being confined to a bed. I hope your surgery helps you regain some mobility and decreases your pain some. Kind of puts things in perspective. Thanks.

Sam

I don't know, Sam. I don't have the pain from the migraines that you have. Keep pursuing any and all medical options, obviously.

I'm going to suggest something radical, though.

I'm guessing that you enjoy spending time with your dog, and walking with him.

Why not find a way to buy a scooter, or even a golf cart, so that you can take him out at 4AM, and get that quality time with your buddy? Use it just for that. Don't view it as defeat, view it as a powerful tool that permits you to be with your friend.

My wife just got home from a national dog show, and she was amazed that there were a lot of healthy people there who rented golf carts to walk their dogs. These people could walk just fine. THey just chose not to do so, for whatever reason.

LyricaBob,
That is a good idea actually. Problem being that I'm two steps beyond broke. I went back to school later in life, and only had three good years of work before things hit. No retirement except for a couple thousand in an IRA, and barely enough coming in to pay my bills. I'm sure you have experienced the drain that medical bills and insurance premiums can bring.

This morning I pushed and went around the block. My dog was in heaven. I'm already paying for it, and by this afternoon will probably be flat out for the next few days. It was worth it though. After all, I have to get some mileage on my cane and the fresh air was nice.

Sam

Hi Bob,

How could she know? As we know, chronic pain, and many other health conditions, are invisible.

Sam, FWIW, I try to do Tai Chi when I can. It helps keep me limber, helps build stamina more than I thought it would, and some programs are designed for specific situations (elderly, arthritis, chair-bound, et al). Wife does Yoga for same.

Doc

I think it will depend largely on the cause/reason. Some complexes do, though mine took the better part of a decade. While I still get them, they're no longer chronic (>15/month) -- After that many years, I'll take it.

Doc

Congrats on getting out. I'm sure your buddy did love it!

I'm sorry to know that you'll be paying for it so much. Hopefully it won't be as bad as you anticipate.

Money, money, money. They say it can't make you happy, but I'd sure like to find out for myself someday. Between paying for all my non-covered treatments, taking so much down time from work, and keeping up with bills including the insurance, sometimes I think I should give up and declare bankruptcy.

My doctor says walking and/or swimming are probably the only exercise we actually need (though anything more would obviously be better). Pool therapy? I don't usually think of it anymore because I'm not a real pool/swimming type. Last time I went in, I tried a deadman's float with lungs full of air and sank to the bottom. Same with a back float. That kind of scared me away.

I work (when I can) with ol' furface in the driveway. We can practice off-leash training, and he can run off his extra energy butt-tucking around the yard & playing fetch. Sometimes I just do laps up & down the friveway to build my wind up slowly. Supporting the back to ease pain can soften up the core muscles pretty quickly. Admittedly, it's a no-win/constant struggle to maintain any kind of balance. That's where the tai chi can help, along with pt exercises.

Doc

There are some sites on the web (I think its on youtube), that show short films on how to do yoga at your desk and some exercises for various parts of the body. Because I can't get into the simplist positions below the waist, I do some of the upper body and head ones. I think you can just put in "yoga at your desk youtube" and you will get to the clips.

Today was one of my half days at work with one of the patients being an emerald tree boa. Gorgeous green colors. They can be a bit aggressive, but they aren't very big. If I knew how, I would have gotten a digital photo and posted it just because it was such a pretty snake. (Maybe no such a good idea since some people are very uncomfortable even looking at pictures of snakes).

LyricaBob, work and paying enormous bills is hard, but knowing that you are still able to get to work is probably worth it. Its good for the psyche. Unless you have a hobby to take the place of work, you might find yourself bored or reclusive. Getting into work, for me anyway, always feels like a small victory.

Dr. Smith, I've thought about swimming since its low impact and great for cardio. Around here there aren't any places to swim unless you want to pay for memberships to the Y or a club. Can't afford it. Maybe some day when I'm not paying child support anymore.

Sam