Being active might mean different things to different folks. Does activity just related to exercise or does it have to do with a lifestyle where you do the things that you love to do and keep busy doing them? That is probably what most would consider active where you would keep busy despite an illness or disorder such as Meniere’s disease. The problem with some activities is that they require a certain amount of physical exertion or movement that could trigger a meniere’s attack. The question that I have is does being active actually help control your meniere’s?
A recent comment from Gail got me to thinking about being active and meniere’s…
But back to the reason I checked in with you all today; 3 months post-surgery and I cannot stress enough that being as active as possible is the fastest way to gain your life back, however small that may be each day. On your sad days, just do some head/eye movements. Something...anything....even if it is something so goofy as walking backward into the pantry to reach for the cereal.
I am in YOGA 5 days a week and 2 wks. ago, I downhill ski'd for the first time since the surgery. Wow! I actually ski better than before. Perhaps because I wasn't thinking that I could episode at any time. Back to the YOGA, after only the first class - I had so much more range of balance - my energy level felt like 300% of what I had been.
Thanks Gail for that inspiring comment.
While being active is important, especially doing the things that you love and the things that keep your mine off of meniere’s, be careful not to overdo it especially with physical activities.
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Sunday, March 27, 2011
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10 comments:
When you have Meniere's, it's easy to let fear rule your life. For me, this means I've been leading a much too sedentary life for the past year-and-a-half, for fear of having an attack at a very inconvenient time.
But recently, I had to go to India on business. I took some precautions, such as arranging for wheelchair service to make sure I got through airports without incident, and crossed my fingers. I functioned almost as I normally would, and even danced. It went much better than I expected, probably because I took precautions and was careful while I was there.
More recently, I began doing yoga again, and I plan to start walking outdoors again soon. I'm trying to get out more with friends, too. It isn't easy, and I do get discouraged sometimes, but I will keep trying.
Bottom line: I think it's important to find ways to lead as normal a life as you can, including exercise. If nothing else, this will help avoid depression and fight off anxiety with distraction.
For me, exercise and activity don't seem to make a difference to how I feel physically, but they do make an enormous difference to my emotional state.
I participate in fitness classes several times a week, including yoga. I haven't been experiencing vertigo that long, but my first really bad attack was a couple months ago and I tried to go to yoga that day. I couldn't do it and had to lie down for most of the class. But I did what I could. And my doctor said that along the same idea of the epley maneuver, the movements in yoga may have helped with the vertigo?
Bottom line is even if i'm off balance I still try to get some sort of activity and excercise in. I may still feel dizzy and/or off balance on my bad days, but at least I did something and it leads me away from getting depressed.
Also, i'm finding that on days that i'm feeling dizzy, I actually feel better if I do slow, careful, and controlled movements throughout the day and keep moving. I think it takes my mind off of the dizziness and nausea so I don't focus on it as much as I would if I was staying still or lying down.
That's interesting about arranging a wheelchair when travelling. I'm one of the "you don't look sick" kind of people. What type of proof do you need to arrange a wheelchair, I wonder. If you don't end up needing it, do you take it anyway? I've flown three times since getting MM and I didn't have any problems, quite the opposite. But getting a wheelchair seems like a good idea for just in case.
I was worried about the trip because it was the farthest I've ever traveled, and airports are one of the settings that make me very dizzy. I think it's a combination of so many people moving all around me, and anxiety.
I was concerned about providing "proof" for the wheelchair assistance, too, but they didn't even ask. They took my word for it that I needed it. And if you don't need help, you can tell the assistant that, and they will do whatever you want. This was on Air France.
It helped tremendously because I didn't want to be stressed out about where to go, what documents to give to which person, and how to cope with security lines. And, since I don't sleep on planes, it was great to be able to just sit there in a daze while someone took over when I changed planes in Paris to get the next flight to Bangalore.
It just took care of all the unknowns, and it was the easiest that travel has been for me in probably 10 years. With a new job and a high-pressure trip in front of me, it made all the difference.
If I was taking a domestic flight, I probably wouldn't have bothered. But for a seven-hour flight to Paris and an 11-hour flight to Bangalore, it seemed smart to stack the odds in my favor. And it worked!
at the end of the day our illness is based in the ear, this is the core of the problem, that is were genetically we are weak. my father had hearing problems so its in my genes.
but its our own doing why we have menieres. the word disease if split means dis-ease. if you are not at ease you will get ill and the first places to show up are the areas where genetically you are weaker.
when you first get menieres its really hard, but you have to change your life, as whatever you are doing there is an alarm signal saying your body does not like this.
for me its was
weights (high impact sports are not good)
diet (allergies)
smoking (is a real no no with any ent problem)
stress (you really have to learn to relax)
i have had an 8 year journey where i have done the following
low impact sports (tai chi, cycling swimming stretching)
stopped smoking (is a must must must, cant stress this one enough)
allergies (am on a special diet and still looking for better ways to improve my diet)
sinuses (clear my sinuses on a daily basis)
ears (my ears used to be really itchy and at night i used to scratch without knowing, someone reccomended elocon cream, which is a dream) do not play with your ears at all. ear buds etc.
posture is very important. keep your neck jaw head area relaxed.
this is a hard one but try and be positive as negativity brings about dis-ease and more illness your way.
try and take the thought away from your ears and breathe in other parts of your body.
having menieres is a long struggle and i really believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you learn to adjust your bad habits. easier said then done.
radiators turn them off as they are dry air and bacteria really breads when on.
mind body and soul, may sound hippy but you really have to be at one with yourself,
be active as much as possible.
At the onset of my Meniere's diagnosis and vertigo attacks, I was an avid trail runner. I miss it so much but it's completely irresponsible of me to go out and be on a trail (no cell. service, no one knows exactly where I am, etc.) so I have mostly given it up. I know there are ways to ease back into it, and I will when the time is right.
Oddly enough, around the time my symptoms began, I bought a horse. It has been my proudest moments learning to ride and learning to stay focused while riding. I have only had to cancel my riding lesson a 2 or 3 times in 3 and a half years and only when I felt it was not wise to drive or ride that day. Amazingly, I have never become dizzy during riding. I am so focused and working so hard, that I forget all about my limitations. I have never fallen off. If I do lose my balance a little, we just stop and re-group and circle around and try the exercise again. It's been one of my greatest achievements. Its' been 3 and half years since I was diagnosed and what a journey it has been. Get out there and do something to make you proud of yourself. Baby steps if you have to. I hate this disease, but I love to conquer it in small victories. Be well everyone. -Lita in Washington State
Hi!
For a long period of time the furthest I walked was from the armchair in the livingroom to my bed. I didn´t dare to go outside for a walk alone and sometimes not even with help from someone. But in small steps I´ve started to manage more and more. Today I do some exercising in water and with machines where I also try to challange my balance. Every new step I´ve made has helped me to manage the next step. Hearing others managing things I don´t has helped me to believe I will be able to do the same sometime in the future. I think Menière has helped me to be more patient and more content with the things I´m able to do today. Ordinary things like going shopping with your kids, making the dinner, taking a walk with the dog or go by the bus by yourself are things I don´t take for granted. I feel pleased to be able to do small ordinary things. Of course there are days when I´m not content with this situation, but this is the state I´m in and I cannot change it. I really hate that I have to pay in dizzieness, more tinnitus and tiredness after I´ve had too fun or have gone beyond my capacity. But this is how things are.
Susanna
Way to go Peggy! Take some giant steps for me as well
I dont exercise at all & yoga became unbearable a few years ago "threw" me right into attacks. Not to mention the frequency of vertigo making it impossible . However I did continue meditation up until last year now I can't relax enough to do it sad when I need help relaxing so I can relax
I've been doing a weekly yoga-type class for nearly three years. It's called Body Balance and can be found in many gyms. It's never caused me a problem, although there have been one or two moves in the routine at times that involved twisting that was uncomfortable from a vestibular point of view.
When I first started I would sometimes feel a little light headed when standing up, but that has subsided and now I do the whole routine without really being aware of Meniere's. I do notice it later on the same day, however, when I stiffen up a bit and movement becomes less free, but I know it isn't going to lead anywhere and I feel overall that it is better to be strong and flexible from the class and suffer the after-effects.
There is a confidence-building side in that I feel I've got pretty good at most of it over time, and the regularity of it helps to structure my week. There is also a social aspect to it, it's a nice atmosphere and many of the people go fairly regularly (although I'm one of the longest-standing members now!).
I'd definitely recommend it, but you need to be a little bit persistent at the beginning. If you haven't done anything like it before you'll feel out of place while you get used to the moves. You only need do as much as you can. Don't forget it was the same for everyone at the start!
I used to do yoga a long time ago, and was pretty good at the time. I know I've tightened up a lot since then, but I expect the physical aspects would come back like riding a bicycle. At least, they wouldn't be totally alien. The more I read about it on this blog, the more I feel like I need to start again. Just have to find the motivation, which is in kinda short supply lately.
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