Swimming with health issues - share your stories?

Hey Connie, I can relate, as several other forumites already know from my previous posts. As I have said before, I'm a walking RSI (repetitive stress injury). Although I live a very healthy lifestyle, I unfortunately inherited my dad's genes. All four of us kids inherited his bad back, having back surgeries, just like him, at early ages. I'm 48 now, but mine was at 25. Fortunately, the surgery was a success and I have never had problems with it. But, other RSI's followed; the worst being thoracic outlet syndrome, requiring a major 41/2hr. surgery, in 2003. I had been out of competitive swimming since high school, so swimming wasn't the cause. Instead, it was work-related; too much heavy lifting and doing the same work as all of the guys, even though I'm 5'7" and weigh 123lbs. With my long neck and long arms, I should have known... But, I learned from my surgeon what NOT to do anymore. What he said I COULD do is get back into swimming, after my damaged nerves regenerated. So, I finally got back into it one year ago (in the meantime, I stayed very active with dryland workouts, just as I had the past 30 years since I left swimming). I started out very easy and worked my way up until finally feeling like I wanted to compete again. So, I joined Masters, this past February, and entered my first meet in March. I was hooked! Not only do I LOVE being in the water again; my shoulders are really hanging tough! The other issue I have, though, the forumites have already heard enough from me about, as well: Meniere's & tinnitus and heat intolerance issues (medically; not psychologically, because I love the heat even though my body hates it!). As for the Meniere's, I learned the hard way how it would affect my swimming; I had to give up flip turns. Fortunately, I'm a breaststroker who swims the 50, 100, and 200. So, at the most, I'll add the 100IM to my meet line-up, in addition to relays. Open turns will have to suffice in workouts, because I make myself seasick otherwise... As for the heat intolerance issues, it's a long story. But, I have Raynaud's and this has ended up being the flip side to it; my body can't handle the extremes. My autonomic nervous system goes haywire. I was tested for every auto-immune disease known to man, but nothing tested positive. I even have a sister with lupus and my dad had it, as well. But, nothing came out of all the tests conducted by an internist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist, or neurologist. They all finally gave up and decided I would be best off going to the Mayo Clinic for a full work-up. I had plenty of measureable symptoms; they just couldn't prove the cause. Being fed up at that point caused me to throw up my hands and do just the opposite and NOT go to any more doctors for awhile. Instead, I just avoid the heat- except for our indoor community pool which has skyrocketed to 88 degrees, making for difficult training. It's so humid in there that I have to open up the doors and step out in between sets to cool down- in the 90+ degree heat! But, the humidity is less, so it feels cooler, believe it or not. On days that I swim, I MUST spend the remainder of the day in cool airconditioning, continue drinking a lot of water, then keep the air cool at night to sleep. And, those intervals that I keep trying to make? Fuhgetaboutit! R:15 turns into R:30 or R:45... Monitoring my heart rate has become my second sport! Next, it will be my body temperature, because I swear my head is ready to explode from the heat, even without a cap on... OK, now that you all know more than you care to know about my medical history, I can end it on a positive note by saying that SWIMMING HAS SAVED ME! If you had known me between 2002-2008, you would have never believed I could get back to competitive swimming. It was one weird thing after another, even though I maybe had a couple of colds during all that time. I was extremely healthy and fit (except for when my shoulder injury/surgery put me down- but, I was back on the treadmill, slowly, the same day I returned home from the hospital!), but I had experienced a lifetime of weird and rare medical crap! Thoracic outlet syndrome is rare; especially when it affects the nerves and veins, resulting in requiring a first rib resection where they must remove most of the first rib to open up the space beneath the clavicle and open up the space. Being back in swimming and doing (very careful) weight training has strengthened my body to a level I have never had. I feel ten years younger and know I am more fit now than I have been since high school, even though I have never stopped working out. And, mentally? Just ask Ande! He calls me Elaine-iaK, because of my enthusiam. :bliss: I am happier than I have been in a long time, and feel like I have the enthusiam back that I had for most of my life- except when health issues had brought me down. Having said that, I will be even HAPPIER when the pool temp gets back to the cool 84 degrees (ha-ha; but that's what I'm stuck with because of our complaining noodlers...) we had before the above-normal heat struck!

Hey Connie, I can relate, as several other forumites already know from my previous posts. As I have said before, I'm a walking RSI (repetitive stress injury). Although I live a very healthy lifestyle, I unfortunately inherited my dad's genes. All four of us kids inherited his bad back, having back surgeries, just like him, at early ages. I'm 48 now, but mine was at 25. Fortunately, the surgery was a success and I have never had problems with it. But, other RSI's followed; the worst being thoracic outlet syndrome, requiring a major 41/2hr. surgery, in 2003. I had been out of competitive swimming since high school, so swimming wasn't the cause. Instead, it was work-related; too much heavy lifting and doing the same work as all of the guys, even though I'm 5'7" and weigh 123lbs. With my long neck and long arms, I should have known... But, I learned from my surgeon what NOT to do anymore. What he said I COULD do is get back into swimming, after my damaged nerves regenerated. So, I finally got back into it one year ago (in the meantime, I stayed very active with dryland workouts, just as I had the past 30 years since I left swimming). I started out very easy and worked my way up until finally feeling like I wanted to compete again. So, I joined Masters, this past February, and entered my first meet in March. I was hooked! Not only do I LOVE being in the water again; my shoulders are really hanging tough! The other issue I have, though, the forumites have already heard enough from me about, as well: Meniere's & tinnitus and heat intolerance issues (medically; not psychologically, because I love the heat even though my body hates it!). As for the Meniere's, I learned the hard way how it would affect my swimming; I had to give up flip turns. Fortunately, I'm a breaststroker who swims the 50, 100, and 200. So, at the most, I'll add the 100IM to my meet line-up, in addition to relays. Open turns will have to suffice in workouts, because I make myself seasick otherwise... As for the heat intolerance issues, it's a long story. But, I have Raynaud's and this has ended up being the flip side to it; my body can't handle the extremes. My autonomic nervous system goes haywire. I was tested for every auto-immune disease known to man, but nothing tested positive. I even have a sister with lupus and my dad had it, as well. But, nothing came out of all the tests conducted by an internist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist, or neurologist. They all finally gave up and decided I would be best off going to the Mayo Clinic for a full work-up. I had plenty of measureable symptoms; they just couldn't prove the cause. Being fed up at that point caused me to throw up my hands and do just the opposite and NOT go to any more doctors for awhile. Instead, I just avoid the heat- except for our indoor community pool which has skyrocketed to 88 degrees, making for difficult training. It's so humid in there that I have to open up the doors and step out in between sets to cool down- in the 90+ degree heat! But, the humidity is less, so it feels cooler, believe it or not. On days that I swim, I MUST spend the remainder of the day in cool airconditioning, continue drinking a lot of water, then keep the air cool at night to sleep. And, those intervals that I keep trying to make? Fuhgetaboutit! R:15 turns into R:30 or R:45... Monitoring my heart rate has become my second sport! Next, it will be my body temperature, because I swear my head is ready to explode from the heat, even without a cap on... OK, now that you all know more than you care to know about my medical history, I can end it on a positive note by saying that SWIMMING HAS SAVED ME! If you had known me between 2002-2008, you would have never believed I could get back to competitive swimming. It was one weird thing after another, even though I maybe had a couple of colds during all that time. I was extremely healthy and fit (except for when my shoulder injury/surgery put me down- but, I was back on the treadmill, slowly, the same day I returned home from the hospital!), but I had experienced a lifetime of weird and rare medical crap! Thoracic outlet syndrome is rare; especially when it affects the nerves and veins, resulting in requiring a first rib resection where they must remove most of the first rib to open up the space beneath the clavicle and open up the space. Being back in swimming and doing (very careful) weight training has strengthened my body to a level I have never had. I feel ten years younger and know I am more fit now than I have been since high school, even though I have never stopped working out. And, mentally? Just ask Ande! He calls me Elaine-iaK, because of my enthusiam. :bliss: I am happier than I have been in a long time, and feel like I have the enthusiam back that I had for most of my life- except when health issues had brought me down. Having said that, I will be even HAPPIER when the pool temp gets back to the cool 84 degrees (ha-ha; but that's what I'm stuck with because of our complaining noodlers...) we had before the above-normal heat struck!