(a friend of mine, who also has ME and is following a similar path as I am to recovery, has asked me to write more about pacing and how important the breath is during exercise of any kind)...
What energy reserves?
We just don't have them. The initial crash and subsequent time of rest and recuperation needed has taken a lot from us. The dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system results in a reduced ability to utilise the nutrients that we may eat and take in from the world around us. Leaving not just de-conditioned muscles but damaged cells and muscular tissue. The bone in a broken leg will heal in about 6 weeks, but so much of the muscle will need rebuilding over time, breaking in and creating new muscle cells to improve fitness. The unlikely thing about a broken leg is the loss of much fitness throughout the rest of the body. A little energy might be lost in the lungs and heart, but this is unlikely to be a dramatic loss. You can still pump iron with a broken leg, your torso can still lift weights, type, chop vegetables.
In ME patients energy is used every day, of course, we are still breathing and our hearts are still beating, cells are regenerating. The difference is that our bodies are damaged and have lost reserves, the cells are using energy from every breath we take. Oxygen comes into our bodies and is used straight away. The lungs must be healthy enough to take in what we need, the heart has to be strong enough to pump the oxygen around the body and the blood has to be healthy enough to provide the muscles with sufficient oxygen. The body doesn't have many untapped resources which will give us a little extra if we want to try a little more out of the blue, or three days in a row. (one day a short walk may be fine, but the reserves might have been used and will need to restock!)
The bodies of a long distance runner have been exercised and trained so well that they can utilise the oxygen that they are breathing for much longer, they also have vast quantities of energy reserves which are utilised during exertion and refuelled in between and during races. (the energy drinks that are now especially tailored for their needs). When they hit the wall, it isn't like us within seconds or minutes, it is after running for hours.
As ME patients our lungs need rehabilitation and retraining to take in oxygen efficiently, they can only give you so much! Even by breathing calmly and enjoying what you do, with a gentle, willing, happy state of mind, the reserves, lung capacity and even heart muscle isn't there to support what you may want to do.
Reserves have to be built up, rest is needed to encourage healing in the cells after exercise of all kinds; lifting clothes into the washing machine, a short walk over the road to feed the cat when the neighbours are on holiday.
Oxygen is providing our energy, giving the body the energy it needs and letting the reserves build up slowly and gently. As the muscles build and cells are healed with this energy, aerobic breath can move onto anaerobic breath- breath which is not giving enough oxygen to complete the task.
While you are still recovering you will notice that anaerobic breath has been used, maybe through as simple a task as a short brisk walk in cool fresh morning air. Walk more slowly and give your breath enough chance to energise the body, but also environment can be so key; cool air will exhaust the body quicker as the energy is used heating the lungs and won't get much further! Air from a higher altitude, will have less oxygen anyway. For all these reasons the chest can ache, but also nausea, headaches and lightheadedness may result, with muscle pain afterwards indicating that reserves were being tapped, which just weren't there! Rest will help this and everyone will be learning their limits week by week.
As time passes and tasks become easier, energy reserves will build and the need for aerobic breath can be discarded sometimes.
I'm learning to give myself a break, the research in this field is fascinating- not just for ME sufferers but those who are in rehabilitation of all kinds- and it has helped me understand my body much better.
Give yourself a break too, take things slowly, exercise with gentle movements and with lots of rest breaks; find the optimum environment for stretching the body- not too hot, not too cold. Don't go mad and stress the breath with anxiety so the lungs don't have a chance! Just take it easy and be aware. Make your carers aware of this, different days bring different energy amounts, the smallest thing can result in needing more or less help as the days go by- be aware of this too, your body is recovering and it needs love, comfort and a gentle guiding hand.
Showing posts with label breathing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breathing. Show all posts
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Friday, 13 July 2012
Seeing The Lights
So we have been away. In a familiar place, but a different view from the kitchen window and even more crazy on-street parking. (but that is another tale!)
Lights have come into my line of sight for the last 20-odd years. My Dad always had migraines in the Spring, when he would drive to work with the rising sun facing him, the low blinding light would bring on headaches which would force a shortened day at work and an afternoon and evening in bed. My sister and I both took on this trait, my sister with regular migraines which last for days and myself with seizures and headaches. The medication I take for the epilepsy has helped a great deal but when I find a dark space with fluorescent tubes, low ceilings, "green" natural-light light bulbs or just far too many spotlights in a space with no natural light I can have a reaction pretty quickly. Yesterday I went into a Waterstones book shop. Pretty from the outside, and perfect for wanting to shelter from the rain. It was dark, low shop, in an old building which went a long way back and had a lot of ceiling lights. Most of the front window was taken up with displays and stickers so basically no natural light was getting in. I saw a few children's books and started to flick (through the books, not my hair!). I noticed the books, not the lights at first- I can't start being paranoid about every shop, judging whether I should or shouldn't go in, I would never go anywhere- never leave the house as the sun can give me migraines!
I only realised something was wrong when I felt a choking sensation. My stomach was retching, My head was beginning to spin.
'Now what?' I thought, 'was it the Qi energy massage I had in the morning' surely that was supposed to have the opposite effect!
'Am I too tired, have I over-done it again!'
'LIGHTS'
Get out, find some natural light.
I couldn't see OH, neither could I see anyone who might be able to help.
I moved towards the door and did some heavy breathing. You might be thinking, this can't be an epileptic, if it was, she would have gone down by now and would be convulsing on the floor. All this happened within about 5 seconds and I have the experience now (yucky though that experience has been) to treat the onset of gradual onset seizures differently. With the lights, it takes a while to hit me where it hurts and therefore I have a chance to stop it in it's tracks. My medication also has enough control to serve me well in times like these. After the Qi treatment I found a new inspiration- I had to rid my body of all the negative energy that had built up the the last few minutes. Standing by the door and facing the natural light, I started breathing in through my nose, and taking a long, slow, breath out of my mouth- this wasn't just a long, slow, breath, this was a long, slow, hurricane. I had also learned another Yoga breath the previous evening, which uses only the stomach muscles to control the breath and prevents hyperventilation. It was working. Within about two minutes I was able to speak again and told an assistant that I had epilepsy and needed my husband as I didn't feel well. He was with me in a couple of minutes. I was able to leave the shop, and connect with him by holding his hand, continue the breathing and walking (yes, walking!!!) back to the car.
Looking back, just ten minutes afterwards, I knew I could have collapsed on the floor and just let it happen, but it is the combination of everything I am doing that has helped me deal with this differently. No one was there to panic around me, to say "lie down, let me help you! OMG, what are you doing! I'll call an ambulance!" I had to deal with this myself. And it was the meditation, the yoga, the understanding of how the energy systems work in the body that pulled me through. I used to go into victim mode as I hadn't been given another option. And quite right too. My goodness it was scary and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It has taken me over 20 years to deal with a seizure like this and from the reaction I was having, if I had decided to let it happen and just fallen on the floor, I could have ended up in a hospital as the seizures would have kept on coming, those lights are invasive and give anyone headaches. I'm just pleased I have found a new confidence from this experience, I'm sure there may well be another full seizure in my life, but I have learned enough now to make them as few and far between as possible!
Lights have come into my line of sight for the last 20-odd years. My Dad always had migraines in the Spring, when he would drive to work with the rising sun facing him, the low blinding light would bring on headaches which would force a shortened day at work and an afternoon and evening in bed. My sister and I both took on this trait, my sister with regular migraines which last for days and myself with seizures and headaches. The medication I take for the epilepsy has helped a great deal but when I find a dark space with fluorescent tubes, low ceilings, "green" natural-light light bulbs or just far too many spotlights in a space with no natural light I can have a reaction pretty quickly. Yesterday I went into a Waterstones book shop. Pretty from the outside, and perfect for wanting to shelter from the rain. It was dark, low shop, in an old building which went a long way back and had a lot of ceiling lights. Most of the front window was taken up with displays and stickers so basically no natural light was getting in. I saw a few children's books and started to flick (through the books, not my hair!). I noticed the books, not the lights at first- I can't start being paranoid about every shop, judging whether I should or shouldn't go in, I would never go anywhere- never leave the house as the sun can give me migraines!
I only realised something was wrong when I felt a choking sensation. My stomach was retching, My head was beginning to spin.
'Now what?' I thought, 'was it the Qi energy massage I had in the morning' surely that was supposed to have the opposite effect!
'Am I too tired, have I over-done it again!'
'LIGHTS'
Get out, find some natural light.
I couldn't see OH, neither could I see anyone who might be able to help.
I moved towards the door and did some heavy breathing. You might be thinking, this can't be an epileptic, if it was, she would have gone down by now and would be convulsing on the floor. All this happened within about 5 seconds and I have the experience now (yucky though that experience has been) to treat the onset of gradual onset seizures differently. With the lights, it takes a while to hit me where it hurts and therefore I have a chance to stop it in it's tracks. My medication also has enough control to serve me well in times like these. After the Qi treatment I found a new inspiration- I had to rid my body of all the negative energy that had built up the the last few minutes. Standing by the door and facing the natural light, I started breathing in through my nose, and taking a long, slow, breath out of my mouth- this wasn't just a long, slow, breath, this was a long, slow, hurricane. I had also learned another Yoga breath the previous evening, which uses only the stomach muscles to control the breath and prevents hyperventilation. It was working. Within about two minutes I was able to speak again and told an assistant that I had epilepsy and needed my husband as I didn't feel well. He was with me in a couple of minutes. I was able to leave the shop, and connect with him by holding his hand, continue the breathing and walking (yes, walking!!!) back to the car.
Looking back, just ten minutes afterwards, I knew I could have collapsed on the floor and just let it happen, but it is the combination of everything I am doing that has helped me deal with this differently. No one was there to panic around me, to say "lie down, let me help you! OMG, what are you doing! I'll call an ambulance!" I had to deal with this myself. And it was the meditation, the yoga, the understanding of how the energy systems work in the body that pulled me through. I used to go into victim mode as I hadn't been given another option. And quite right too. My goodness it was scary and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It has taken me over 20 years to deal with a seizure like this and from the reaction I was having, if I had decided to let it happen and just fallen on the floor, I could have ended up in a hospital as the seizures would have kept on coming, those lights are invasive and give anyone headaches. I'm just pleased I have found a new confidence from this experience, I'm sure there may well be another full seizure in my life, but I have learned enough now to make them as few and far between as possible!
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Breathing
Why a blog post about breathing?
I'm wondering too and am not sure where to start.
Breathing is something we do. An unconscious reaction. If it becomes a conscious reaction it can be of great benefit.
I did a lot of conscious breathing before I became ill. I played the flute and could hold very long single notes, create long phrases of perfection without taking a sneaky breath in the middle. Swimming was also a big thing for me. I used to love diving underwater and doing two strokes of butterfly, or three strokes of front crawl without breaths in between. I would feel my chest constricted by the volume of the water and watch the bubbles as I gently let the air out as slowly as possible.
Conscious breathing has reappeared in my life recently and is very important. Filling the whole of the diaphragm loosens the stomach, lengthens the breath and leaves a calmer, meditative state. It is a great way to almost control the stress response system. I am sure whenever I was in a bed-bound state these techniques were more important than I realised. I never called them meditation or Yogic breathing I would just lie, listening to calming music or an audio book, breathe slowly and clear my mind of thoughts. Even concentrating on a game of snooker or a cricket match would give me that time of stillness. For years I have followed the idea of breathing in 1,2,3 breathing out 1,2,3,4. Emptying the lungs that little bit more lets the whole body relax.
Now my routine involves yogic breathing (Alternate Nostril Breathing/ Alternate Nostril Exhaling), daily meditations too. Daily meditation began for me, just a couple of weeks before I began the yoga lessons. It was also mentioned in a lot of books and recovery stories as an essential for releasing the automatic stress responses. A lot of free meditation podcasts and guided audios are available online. I found them and choose a few. One of the best was a simple 10 minute guided 7-11 breathing meditation. Very simply, inhaling for a count of 7, pausing and exhaling for a count of 11, pausing and so on. The idea is to slow the count down as the breath relaxes the body and after ten minutes the breath is ready to guide you through a calm and peaceful day. I do this and other breathing techniques when I am just sitting reading a book or eating my dinner, sitting in the car passenger seat listening to the radio. It gives a focus other than the illness and leaves me better able to deal with any frustrations that may come along.
I'm wondering too and am not sure where to start.
Breathing is something we do. An unconscious reaction. If it becomes a conscious reaction it can be of great benefit.
I did a lot of conscious breathing before I became ill. I played the flute and could hold very long single notes, create long phrases of perfection without taking a sneaky breath in the middle. Swimming was also a big thing for me. I used to love diving underwater and doing two strokes of butterfly, or three strokes of front crawl without breaths in between. I would feel my chest constricted by the volume of the water and watch the bubbles as I gently let the air out as slowly as possible.
Conscious breathing has reappeared in my life recently and is very important. Filling the whole of the diaphragm loosens the stomach, lengthens the breath and leaves a calmer, meditative state. It is a great way to almost control the stress response system. I am sure whenever I was in a bed-bound state these techniques were more important than I realised. I never called them meditation or Yogic breathing I would just lie, listening to calming music or an audio book, breathe slowly and clear my mind of thoughts. Even concentrating on a game of snooker or a cricket match would give me that time of stillness. For years I have followed the idea of breathing in 1,2,3 breathing out 1,2,3,4. Emptying the lungs that little bit more lets the whole body relax.
Now my routine involves yogic breathing (Alternate Nostril Breathing/ Alternate Nostril Exhaling), daily meditations too. Daily meditation began for me, just a couple of weeks before I began the yoga lessons. It was also mentioned in a lot of books and recovery stories as an essential for releasing the automatic stress responses. A lot of free meditation podcasts and guided audios are available online. I found them and choose a few. One of the best was a simple 10 minute guided 7-11 breathing meditation. Very simply, inhaling for a count of 7, pausing and exhaling for a count of 11, pausing and so on. The idea is to slow the count down as the breath relaxes the body and after ten minutes the breath is ready to guide you through a calm and peaceful day. I do this and other breathing techniques when I am just sitting reading a book or eating my dinner, sitting in the car passenger seat listening to the radio. It gives a focus other than the illness and leaves me better able to deal with any frustrations that may come along.
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