Why can't I exercise
 

I suffered a severe TBI about 3 years ago. Bleeding on the right side and SDH. Overall I am doing well but can't seem to get back physically. I didn't have any paralysis just some left side weakness that cleared within a couple of months.

I tried to get back to my running routine that I was doing before my accident 3-5 miles a day but I can barely run a half mile before I get hit with headaches and trouble catching my breath. Have seen many doctors and they don't have a clue. I just can't build up any stamina. Does anyone know why? Again we are 3 years out from my accident so I would think my brain has healed. I also read where others are running and almost back to "normal". I want to be that way too. I am only 23 years old but feel like I am 63 with all the body and headaches.

I do stay well hydrated and I know this is very important to help with the headaches. I had asked that the doctors do some blood work and the only thing was that my vitamin levels could be better. My vitamin D was marked low so I will supplement for that. But doctor said it really doesn't explain why physically I struggle to get back to the form I was.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Stuck in Boston

First I would guess that you are going to have to set a goal for yourself.
Not the 3 miles you used to do. But even say the 1/2 a mile you can
do before the headache comes on. I would also look into a exercise program
that does things that will help you get into shape without the running exactly.

It also might be that the sun is helping with part of the problem with the
headaches. So you might try different parts of the day. Do say the 1/2 mile
then stop till the evening.

I am trying very hard to get back to my exercising at a gym myself.:grouphug:

Donna

with an injury like that, people see headaches with returning to activity. i think it's due to vascular spasm in reaction to the increased pressure. in theory, taking a preemptive indomethacin or ibuprofen should help, but people have a limited response to that. a blood pressure medication that works on the calcium channel--namely, amlodipine or verapamil--should be effective as they prevent vessel caliber fluctuation. talk to your doc about these options.

Thanks
 

Just wanted to thank you for the replies.

I have tried setting goals. I gradually have tried to increase how far I run but can't get past the 1/2 mile. I do work out in a gym but even there I can have headaches after lifting.

I have told the doctors it feels like pressure headaches but their words of wisdom is to just stay hydrated and that medically there is no reason that I should be having these issues so far out from my injury. My response to them was, OK I understand that, but I am having these issues and I really want to stay active but it is getting harder to push myself, then be down for several days trying to recover.

The spasm thought is interesting. I think the last doctor is going along those lines. He stated that he feels that my brain's autonomic system is struggling to keep up when I run or workout but he wasn't 100% sure that is what was going on.

I am 6 months out from my head injury. Right after my injury, I was able to snowshoe, etc. For the past 3 months, I have been unable to work out very hard. I definitely cannot run. After just a few steps, my head is hurting. I have been trying to ride bike and do the elliptical, but I think weight bearing is important - just can't do it. I also try to lift 2-3 days a week, but find that the day after I work out I am exhausted and can't work out the following day. I don't know what it means to work out in moderation. Stationary biking does not do it for me. I even have a hard time while riding in a vehicle due to the bumps.

I have told my neurologist about this and she doesn't seem concerned at all. I never would have guessed that a mild injury could cause this kind of frustration.

That is what I am dealing with. I can work out but then the next day or two I feel like crap. I have a meeting with my doctor next week and I hope to try to get them to explain why. I have pretty much stopped running and my workouts are shorter with less weights.

If you ever come up with something please let me know...

Any injury to the CNS can take years to heal to an acceptable level. When I realized that I was losing my back muscles, I exercised by using a rowing machine. I eventually lost the use of all my paraspinal muscles but found that I had unwittingly increased the power of other muscles which took over the load.
One thing I used to do was to find out where the "top" was. I exercised until I thought I had "gone over the top", then remembered not to take my exercise that far in future. The CNS will repair at its own rate and cannot be forced by excessive exercising (despite what you see in movies).
Always bear in mind that Dr Kildares are figments of authors' imagination. In real life, Doctors know very little of the human nervous system and can only offer opinions.
Subtle cerebellar signs quickly disapppear due to central compensation, but that does not mean the problem has disappeared. Unless one has actually suffered from a neuro problem it is impossible to imagine what a neuro problem entails. Those very young, fit Doctors, can in reality have no idea at all what a neuro patient is suffering.

Well the doctor visit was just like the others...really no clue. He said that the MRI came back clear so they really don't understand why I am having this issue. He made the same suggestion that I should find my limitations then work from there. He did say that once the chemicals in the brain get messed up they might never be the same again.

So from the stand point of the scan I have healed...why don't I feel that way. This has to be one of the most frustrating injury (actually most serious) that I had to deal with. I did have to laugh at one point, he said it is just all in my head and that I was fine. I said yeah I know it is all in my head.:winky:

He wants to see me in six months, at this point I don't see him helping so probably won't return.

I decided that I am going to see a friend of mine who is a doctor to see what he has to say. I figure he will be straight-forward with me about what is going on. We were on vacation last week and I suffered from a headache the whole week. One day I wanted to play tennis. That lasted about 1/2 hour before I had to quit because my head was just throbbing. I tried it again another day and experienced the same thing. One day I was getting on a tube to just lay out in the sun. While getting on the tube, my head hit and I could just feel my brain go from front to back. Our town has round-abouts and I can't even go through those without feeling like my brain is moving from side to side. I understand the frustration. I was taking between 6-9 ibuprofen a day. That's not right. I guess I don't really know what I am looking for. My headaches are what they are, but I really like to be active and this is putting a huge damper on that. My family doc thinks I am depressed, the psychiatrist says I'm not depressed. The neurologist says that symptoms could last up to 6 months. I am going on 8 and still have the symptoms and sometimes worse than they were a few months ago. I wish I could get back to "normal" but from what I read here that may never happen.

Those of you who complain of headaches when you do any exertion should go to the drug store and buy a blood pressure kit. They are very affordable and can be used to determine if your headaches are blood pressure related.

I believe every home should have a blood pressure kit. They are very easy to use. There are semi-automatic kits where you have to pump the squeeze bulb and full automatic kits that inflate automatically.

Walgreens has a semi-automatic model for $39.99.

Buy one and learn to take part in your own health care.