The gym post-SAH

[Sasbo]

Hi All

Can anyone give me any advice on exercise post-SAH? I know that swimming is ok and am planning to do quite a bit of that but am also thinking of joining the gym. However, I do feel a little nervous about this as:

a) the people that do the gym initiation are usually quite young and, often, rather inexperienced particularly in health matters

and

I've heard that we shouldn't do anything that might increase blood pressure

I am going to book a GP appointment and have a chat to him about it (also need to talk to him about my state of mind, which is quite wayward to say the least) but wondered if anyone here had any info.

Thanks

Sarah x

ps - not keen on the gym but have to shift some weight somehow and the Special K diet isn't working quickly enough!

[Karen]

Hi Sarah,

Ask your GP if they do a GP referral scheme to a leisure centre in your area.....it is a postcode lottery with this kind of thing. Think that I was able to get a reduction of 50% off the normal price. I was lucky enough to be referred to our local one and it was my physio that arranged it initially. She also came to the introduction with the 1 - 1 trainer and by the way, he was a gent in his 50's, so definetly not lycra clad etc..but, a really nice guy and very sympathetic. He also trained a group of people from the Headway Organisation, so he was used to dealing with the brain injured. He gave me a tailor made package to strengthen the areas that had been left weak ...... he also knew that I had balance probs, so we'd do some exercises on a balance ball.

Luckily in this particular gym, there was a cordoned off section from the rest of the gym and I would use the treadmill that faced the wall, as he knew that I had visual problems and problems with noise and visual movement etc. Basically, I was given exercises to improve core strength ....he also recommended Pilates. I found that going to the gym in the morning was okay, as there seemed to be a mixture of ages from young Mum's that had dropped off their kids to school ... middle aged ladies who were rotunde like myself and pensioners...there were loads of OAP's doing the pilates class, but again a nice mix and I didn't feel at all intimidated......but, this wasn't a private leisure centre, it's council run.

[Sasbo]

Hi Karen

Thanks for the response. It's a council-owned/run gym that we're going to join. Hannah is a member there and says it's fine but the staff are mainly of the younger variety and possibly not too experienced. Will see my GP and then take it from there but really need to do something to increase stamina, lose weight (a definite must) and generally exercise to feel better.

On another note, am looking at hotels for 23rd August as we're hoping to make a long weekend of a trip to Dorset. Do you know of any McDonald hotels or Jurys around you as we have some special offers for those.

Cheers

Sarah xx

[Karen]

Hi Sarah,

Well, good luck with gym and the Doc! I know that I initially found the prospect of going to a gym quite daunting..... I probably would have been the same before the SAH, but I think that I lost quite a bit of confidence at that stage.

Re: the hotels you mentioned ....I don't think that we have any of either chain in the local vicinity .... think that there's A Jury's in Southampton, but that's probably about 25 miles from us. I did a quick web search for McDonalds, it's a company that I haven't heard of, but there looks as though there is one in the New Forest, Lymington http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/elmerscourt/ ..... according to the AA route planner Lymington is 22 miles from us.

[Sasbo]

Cheers Karen

Think we might try the Elmers Court, see if they have availability as it looks v. lovely! Will let you know.

Sarah xxx

[Karen]

Hi Sarah,

It does look lovely, I thought the same ......it's in a nice part of the country too.

[Shanti]

Hi Sarah

So sorry you've been feeling down and under the weather. Hope you will feel better when the weather sorts itself out. Been up and down myself to say the least.

Re gym workouts: personally I wouldn't countenance it for me, as my first SAH came on whilst upending myself over the bath to wash my hair with a broken left wrist. I also remember the rehabilitation team who came to see me on my return from hospital, stressed not to wash my hair like that again, also to not bear down when on the loo (so try not to get constipated). I used to do yoga but have thought better of it. Not sure how much of this is FEAR on my part in case my head explodes again.

After my MRI scan on 20 May I will think again about exercise, other than cleaning the house, gardening and walking which I do at the moment but I wish I could get some of this weight off. (Gone from size 12 to size 14!) I've never had a tummy before (it was all the sitting/laying around/peel me a graping post op) and Paul has put on weight since driving his taxi so we've turned into a couple of telly-tubbies.

If you feel up to it nearer the time, perhaps in June/July we can plan getting the NW contingent together near your home in Northwich? It all depends for me on whether they plan to operate/clip the remaining unexploded bomb oops aneurysm in my head. The consultant already said he wouldn't be able to coil it as it is in the right sylvian fissure arising from the middle cerebral artery.

My friend Janie just said on the phone that Pilates is quite gentle, so perhaps thats a good option.

Hope you're feeling better today.

Big hug

Lesley xxx

[Karen]

Hi Lesley,

It took a fair while for me to contemplate any form of exercise and like yourself, the eye probs are a huge hinderance and walking in a straight line is difficult enough ..... I think that you know in yourself, when you're ready to do it...... again, it's regaining some confidence and becoming less anxious....... which will take time.

Hope that you and Sarah can get together ..... it definetly helps from a recovery point of view, to meet up with others .....I know that the first meeting can always be a bit daunting though.....but, hugely worth it and it should give you a boost.

[Shanti]

Hi Karen

Yes, exercise is a bit too much to contemplate for me at the moment.

Just drove to Sainsburys and have felt very dizzy ever since. Going to go and lay down in a moment. It could have been the price rises though! Has everyone else noticed that most items in the supermarkets have been marked up between 5 and 10 pence since Xmas!? I suppose they need the money - NOT!

Yes, really want to do a NW meet this summer. There are a lot of us all around this part of the country: Wales, Liverpool, Cheshire etc so think it would be very good for us all. Will probably look like a contingent of drunks arriving at the pub though, 'cos we all seem to be dizzy and none of us can walk in a straight line at the moment.

Oh dear, must go and lie down feel really weird... par for the course...

Love 'n hugs

Lesley xxx

[Sasbo]

Hi all

Thanks for your replies. I've decided to go and see the GP to see what he suggests - he's a really great GP and I have every confidence in him as he's very understanding and practical with it. I really do have to shift weight although I appreciate that a lot of it is down to the dratted shingles medication which I'm trying (and largely managing) to cut down on. This medication doesn't clear the shingles but makes the pain and other effects easier to bear so I'm being a very brave soldier!

Lesley a NW meet is a must. I'll post something on the social page to see who'd be up for a meet and then we can find the most central point for everyone. I'll post it now but will not be able to do anything for a week as we're heading off for some sun on Monday (Canaries) after we return from this weekend's Hen Weekend in Harrogate. Yum, yum Betty's Tea Rooms here we come - looks like I'll be starting the weight loss plan in a week or two then!

Love Sarah xx

[Louise]

I think walking is the best form of excersise that I get............& hey there's no gym fees to pay.............

Louise.xx

[Karen]

Louise, I totally agree....