The main thing is your desire to change it. I went thru a lot of what you describe as well (my main health issue was hypothyroidism but it was after a messy divorce, IMWA, childbirth, stressful job, yadda yadda yadda). I too was a wreck a few years ago. I was fat, stressed, couldn't sleep, hated my job, depressed...

One step at a time. Each day you can take a small step back towards where you were. Understand that you will never get *exactly* where you were, but you will end up somewhere hopefully better. That place may or may not include tri, be open-minded enough to understand that.

As you get older, your body and mind will try to play cruel tricks on you. Just be smart enough to realize this and to not give into it.

Vent, scream, shout, break things, get it out of your system. Then take a breath, step back, and start with that one small step each day. Don't let it take over your life.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Thanks for the response. I agree on the overload thing and also on the aging part. I think I feel extra annoyed this time because I feel like I have dealt with my `stuff', adjusted my expectations, feel good about where I am at and darn it, it still isn't working! I am ok if there isn't another Ironman but I would like to have a full year of active life again without having to stop and start.
A.

I would see a homeopath. However, whether you go those routes depends on what you believe about alternative medicines.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Yes, I have been to a homeopath before. I also wondered about an osteopath but am not that knowledgeable about them.
A.

Hi Alison, how is your diet? Are you eating mainly whole foods (veges, nuts, fruit, meat, etc)? What you eat plays a huge role in terms of health/energy. Are you still stressed out now? Do you sleep ok?

Hi There,
I would probably say I am `not bad' in the food department. We discovered I was lactose intolerant this summer- absolutely 0 tolerance- and so by eliminating all dairy I definitely feel that solved a few problems. I love bread but don't eat a stupid amount (not allergic to gluten). I am a meat and potatoes girl and most definitely not a grazer, I do best eating three squares and very light snacks. Prob do not eat enough fruit. My downfalls are chips and wine but again, don't think I am over the top about it. I do love my caffeine and have switched to a little less caffeine in my coffee and trying to do more ginger/green teas. I wondered about allergies- my cats especially :( but was tested years ago and it came back negative....and also wondered about all the years of winter running setting up some sort of vulnerability re lung power.

thanks!

alison

I do not think there is a big difference between a DO and an MD. There used to be; not so much anymore.

Accupuncture comes to mind too.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Please tell me you are kidding.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Not at all. I believe in homeopathy. If you don't, that's ok.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Since this is the kinder, gentler forum, I'll just leave it there.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Muggle.


(good idea ;-)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Yeah I'm with you Ken. But lots of people swear by them. That's OK. Ditto Chiros. Talk about sucking my $$ away and no real permanent solution to whatever problem I may be dealing with...

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Talk about sucking my $$ away and no real permanent solution to whatever problem I may be dealing with...

Sounds like your homeopath was also a sociopath. :) Thanks for teeing that one up for me!

When I had my initial health concerns a number of years back I changed my mind about alternative healthcare. I got so frustrated with my GP, who is really a level headed chicken soup kind of doctor, but who more or less wouldn't address things in a proactive way. If the symptoms were not substantial enough, he wouldn't treat. Worse I felt that he was dismissing me, treating me as though I were just neurotic, rather than as someone eager to prevent. So, I checked other things out. Admittedly, I started out as a skeptic but the homeopath got me off the antibiotics I had been on for the better part of a year. I had accupuncture and went to a sports med doc who didn't tell me to stop everything because I had some issues. To me each person has to find their own recipe for wellness that may or may not include alternative forms of healthcare. The days of traditional family medicine being it, are done. Health consumers are now a much more savy bunch which is great.

I see the family doc tomorrow , so we'll see what he says.

Do you get massages, and if so, how is that different from chiro?

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I don't get a massage expecting it to correct a problem/solve an injury. A lot of people go to chiros because they have some systemic/underlying biomechanical issue that needs addressing with a solution - not a stop-gap measure.

My personal and specific example was my piriformis. In '03 I had to take ~4months off running due to a really bad piriformis issue. Super painful hip. During the initial "investigation" phase, my GP said "stop running", a chiro said "come back 3x week for adjustments" (which felt great for about 3-4 hrs but solved nothing) and "you need orthotics, I can sell them to you", a RMT said "honey you got something else going on here, all I can do is help ease your pain for a bit". It was finally a Physiotherapist who identified the true root cause of the problem. Did I need orthotics? Hell no. Was my back/spine the issue? Hell no. It ended up being weak lower abs, specifically on one side. That was it.

If I get a massage, and I used to get one weekly (for about 2yrs), I know it's purpose. It's not to fix underlying problems but to offer aid towards a solution and/or temporary pain relief. I know a lot of people swear by chiros, and maybe if you had a chronic skeletal/structural issue, sure, they may help. But in all my injuries (and there have been enough) over the years, I have found nothing that resembles a real solution for my ills from a chiro or an RMT.

I don't begrudge people who have success with a chiro, I just think that they are over-rated IMHO.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Alison, I am sorry for hijaking your thread.

I've never seen a chiro; I have seen a massage therapist to solve things --- I had my shoulder knot up in some muscle under the scapula and a massage therapist was able to solve that. It was an acute thing; actually happened when I was folding a sheet, of all things. Usually a massage, for reasons similar to yours, is relaxation/ART/temporary pain relief.

A friend of mine in HS had scoliosis and went to a chiro for help with it. I don't know if it worked or not; something did but she had some other treatment too.

I just find it interesting what people go to/believe in as far as alternative healthcare.

What's an RMT?

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

registered massage therapist i.e.: not the "spa relaxation" garden variety masseuse (former is covered under insurance, latter is not). RMTs here do extensive training so have good working knowledge of muscle+skeleton interactions/operations.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Alison, just a thought since I don't know you, but how good is your daily nutrition? I am being very serious as its quite possible to be fit but unhealthy at the same time. I think this has even more potential with women athletes when you get into eating disorders, female triad etc. There is no doubt immune systems can be down after an enduro event like an IM, so a recovery period of doing nothing and eating well for a few weeks after the event is often sound advice.

No worries, no hijacking! It is indeed all health related and certainly triathletes are among some of the best consumers of healthcare in the world, so a very knowledgeable crowd. That's why I posted my lament here.

In my early training days I explored all kinds of stuff in order to stave off injuries- chiropody, podiatry, chiropractic, massage, nutrition, trad. medicine, homeopathy, vitamins and tons of equipment guaranteed to address this or that. In the end, I found that the combination of physio and massage was optimal for me for a few reasons. One, the place was close to my home so it was accessible. Two, it was a sports medicine specific facility. By the time I discovered it, I had been to spa massagers, car accident oriented physio's etc... so that when I got to the sports specialists I knew it was a good fit. They understood that I was an athlete and weren't just telling me, "oh you need to just stop what you are doing". Three, they put me back together but didn't keep me around longer than necessary, they wasted neither my time nor my money. Over more than 5 years I had two wonderful physio's who came to know my body better than any partner:) I was always fascinated to hear them assess my musculature out loud- "this is stiff on this side, which means...." I am still in awe at her level of knowledge.

Alison

Yes, probably the nutrition piece is important to consider but overall I don't think I am tooooo bad as I mentioned above. I love to quote Queen Latifah and say, "I am not one of those salad girls", I am definitely a meat and potatoes girl! Breads I love but am not outrageous. Sweats I am bad for a week a month :)

The problem I had with my break was that two weeks turned into two months, then two years etc...and now it is such a struggle getting it back. Went to the family doc today and said it is time for some sleuth work. Looks like my asthma symptoms are worse than when initially diagnosed and so am back on puffers and going for a chest x-ray. I can't help but think this is not the real source of the problem though. Anyone else out there with asthma?

alison

Losing 10lbs and getting checked for food (and other) allergies will do more for your asthma... just a hunch that you've got some dietary reaction making things worse or at least not helping...

Start by cutting all sugar out of your diet. I would also try eliminating as much dairy and wheat for TWO WEEKS. Just try it. See how you feel. It's harder than you think, sugar, dairy and wheat are in almost everything. But doing this might reveal a clue...you may find you feel better without medication....

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Yes, it is possible dietary allergies may be part of the equation. I am lactose intolerant and have pretty much eliminated all dairy but for a few lactose free products (yogurt and milk for tea/coffee). Not sure if that dairy would still count? The weightloss not so sure- I have been 20 pounds lighter and still had the same issues. The weight isn't a concern for me.

Thanks for the ideas!

Alison

dumb but serious question: how does weight loss help with asthma? I believe you but just haven't heard that before.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD