Since most of us aren't teenagers any more, I'm pretty sure a large masters population is having to overcome all kinds of health issues on order to getin shape, and go as far as competing.
I was starting to get pretty competetive 4-5 years ago and setting a lot of PB's, when in my mid to late 30's I got slammed with a lot of health issues, couple of which (ick) caused a lot of rapid heart rate even at rest, and made me very exercise intolerant. Some of this is getting under control, other things I just have to live with, and accept I can't push as hard as I used to :(
I have a genetic blood disorder, thallasemia, which manifests itself in my case an untreatable chronic anemia, fast thyroid causing heartbeat irregularities (and other things), and one of arthritic conditions, scleroderma. In last couple years I'm just starting to figure out how to handle my newly dysfunctional body, and still keep active. It's been a very disheartening struggle, since at 40, I'm supposedly too young to be falling apart. Eh!
I'd like to hear from people who are having to manage their health issues, so they can keep swimming, and even competing... I'm hoping this can be motivating to a *few* people.
Parents
Former Member
Unfortunately, our stories are not unique; they're the norm for those with autoimmune disorders. They are often extremely difficult to diagnose, and, since they mostly affect women, male doctors will imply it's "all in your head", even if they don't come right out and say it. I've had my fill of a*%hole doctors who treated me that way!:bitching: My blown out lumbar disc was "all in my head" until my dad (who was a doctor before he died) yanked me out of San Diego and got me to an orthopaedic surgeon in Long Beach. He got me right in for an MRI and I was on the table for emergency surgery the next day! If I had waited much longer, the nerve damage in my leg and foot would have been permanent.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome was "all in my head", too, until I did my own research, got myself to the right doctor (my dad had died by then) who conducted the right tests, and had me in for emergency surgery, as well. Again, permanent damage would have been the result had I not had the surgery sooner, rather than later.
My the time the heat intolerance issue came up, I had had enough of being told it was "all in my head". Fortunately, the group of doctors I went to never implied that at all. That was the good news... But, the bad news was they never really figured out what was wrong. :confused:
Sorry you're going through your auto immune crap, Connie!
Good luck! :cheerleader:
Oh, yea, I heard how it's all in my head plenty throughout my life.
When I was plateuing in athletic craining, it was because I was 'overtraining'... well, turnes out I wasn't, I have that darn blood disorder, and my body went as far as it could. Took some time to diagnose that, and I had to be quickly taken off all the iron supplements they've bee giving me, because, since my body wasn't absorbing them, it was too much waste going into my liver. They suggested several other nebulous things before I pushed and pushed to figure that out.
Similar thing with my thyroid, if I'm skinny, I'm overtraining, if I gained weight, it's because i need to lose it.... eventually got someone to do a more extensive thyroid panel... turns out one of the hormones (TSH) is at 0. It's the one that is used to communicate between pituitary gland and thyroid.
Samr thing with scleroderma... lot of shoulder shrugging... after weeks of my own google researching, I zeroed in on scleroderma, went to a doc, asked to do couple specific tests, and guess what, they came out positive. HA! Now I have to find someone who specializes in it, to help me figure out where to go from here.
The 'in your head' thing is infuriating. Makes me want to tell them, I haven't spent my whole life in the armchair being ignorant, you know.
Unfortunately, our stories are not unique; they're the norm for those with autoimmune disorders. They are often extremely difficult to diagnose, and, since they mostly affect women, male doctors will imply it's "all in your head", even if they don't come right out and say it. I've had my fill of a*%hole doctors who treated me that way!:bitching: My blown out lumbar disc was "all in my head" until my dad (who was a doctor before he died) yanked me out of San Diego and got me to an orthopaedic surgeon in Long Beach. He got me right in for an MRI and I was on the table for emergency surgery the next day! If I had waited much longer, the nerve damage in my leg and foot would have been permanent.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome was "all in my head", too, until I did my own research, got myself to the right doctor (my dad had died by then) who conducted the right tests, and had me in for emergency surgery, as well. Again, permanent damage would have been the result had I not had the surgery sooner, rather than later.
My the time the heat intolerance issue came up, I had had enough of being told it was "all in my head". Fortunately, the group of doctors I went to never implied that at all. That was the good news... But, the bad news was they never really figured out what was wrong. :confused:
Sorry you're going through your auto immune crap, Connie!
Good luck! :cheerleader:
Oh, yea, I heard how it's all in my head plenty throughout my life.
When I was plateuing in athletic craining, it was because I was 'overtraining'... well, turnes out I wasn't, I have that darn blood disorder, and my body went as far as it could. Took some time to diagnose that, and I had to be quickly taken off all the iron supplements they've bee giving me, because, since my body wasn't absorbing them, it was too much waste going into my liver. They suggested several other nebulous things before I pushed and pushed to figure that out.
Similar thing with my thyroid, if I'm skinny, I'm overtraining, if I gained weight, it's because i need to lose it.... eventually got someone to do a more extensive thyroid panel... turns out one of the hormones (TSH) is at 0. It's the one that is used to communicate between pituitary gland and thyroid.
Samr thing with scleroderma... lot of shoulder shrugging... after weeks of my own google researching, I zeroed in on scleroderma, went to a doc, asked to do couple specific tests, and guess what, they came out positive. HA! Now I have to find someone who specializes in it, to help me figure out where to go from here.
The 'in your head' thing is infuriating. Makes me want to tell them, I haven't spent my whole life in the armchair being ignorant, you know.
