I can't exercise :(

[BevLR]

As I promised, I do have more to share - so here it goes. I was never much for exercise but I found I love walking. I even have an mp3 player where I've recorded music with what I consider a good walking beat. Lots of oldies like Mustang Sally, Takin Care of Business, Joy to the World, Start me up, and Mony Mony and more. It makes me feel like I'm dancing instead of exercising.

Unfortunately, due to my recent weight gain, I have heel spurs aka plantar fasciitis in both feet. Even my orthotics don't stop all of the discomfort I feel, so I've had to slow down on my walking :sadblinky However, there is a light at the end of this tunnel! :joy On Fri., May 30th, I will undergo a procedure called Electrocorpeal Shock Wave Therapy. It is a non-invasive procedure which lasts about 25 minutes and I'm told by my foot doc that he's never had to repeat this procedure on any patient who has had it. The up side is that by Monday, I'll be wearing regular athletic (walking) shoes, with my orthotics of course, and be walking pain free! I can't wait!

During the first 5 days of May, I gave my lack of weight loss a lot of thought and decided to do Atkins. Everything about it makes a whole lot of sense to sense to me. I decided to make May 10th my first day of induction. Well, on May 9th I had a "happening". I suddenly became very dizzy. I don't mean just light headed - I mean everything was spinning - my innards the bed I was in, the room, my whole world! It only got better after my husband helped me sit up in bed. Monday, I still decided to start induction. I saw no reason to alter my plans. However, I did see my doc in the afternoon. He put me on a med that helps and I've been on it for almost two weeks now and still find I get dizzy or periods of lightheadedness. I haven't felt safe enough to walk any farther than a quarter mile. Once I tried to go to one of the milder 30 min. exercise classes at the center, but found myself getting lightheaded off and on. I haven't felt good enough to go back In the next two weeks I'll have an MRI and see a neurologist who will, hopefully, get to the bottom of this vertigo. Between my sore feet and this vertigo, I'll just have to play it safe and only do as much as my dizzy head will allow.

I know the vertigo isn't caused by my WOE cause it appeared before I began induction. In spite of my lightheadedness, I love how this WOE makes me feel. I love the fact that I don't feel the need to graze. For the first time in many years, I know what satiety feels like. I know what it feels like to be able to say "No thanks, I'm not hungry".

Between my last post and this one, I think you all know enough about dizzy chubby me

BevLR

[Janice]

Bev, Hi!! It's me again! LOL

Well, I'm glad you told "the rest of the story". I was getting so excited and happy for you about the therapy for the bone spurs. Now I'm sad again because of the dizziness you are experiencing. I hope the MRI will help the doctors know the right way to treat you and that the dizziness will go away.

I am happy you are feeling so good otherwise --- I mean going through induction and not having any induction flu symptoms. I just want to encourage you to remain patient and get your foot and dizziness problems fixed then you can get back to your walking. Exercise is an important aspect of this diet but you just be careful and be sure you are ready to resume those walks.

I'm going to do some research into your foot therapy. I have a sister who suffers with bone spurs and she's an RN. I going to ask her if she's ever heard of it. I would like to think it would work for her especially if it works that fast. Good luck to you. I'm happy you had a doctor who was "up" on new procedures.

Please be sure and let us know about your MRI results. We'll be thinking about you.

Take care and keep up the good work. You're doing GREAT!!

Janice

[BevLR]

Hi - again LOL

Yes Janice, I really have had month of good news-bad news. So far, the good news is outweighing the bad news.

The only symptom I had during induction was a slight headache for two days. I knew I was going through carb withdrawal cause I recall having it when I was experimenting with low-carbing. It seems that every time I splurged on carbs and went right back to low-carbing, my body would punish me for my sins by giving me a carb withdrawal headache.

As for the ESW Therapy, I still have the brochure my doc gave me so I checked it out to see if there is a website and there is:

http://www.dornier.com/products/epos_ultra.pdf

My doc says he'll inject novacaine in each ankle to numb my feet and I'll spend about 20-25 min. on the machine. I'll go home with a blue post-surgical shoe on each foot which I'll wear at all times till I see him 3 days later. Then he'll allow me to go home in my regular shoes and resume my normal activities. I will, however, have to sleep in my blue post surgical shoes for 3 weeks. My brochure mentions that some people feel discomfort during the procedure and I was concerned about that aspect; however, my doc says it's all in how good of an injection I get - and he'll make sure I get a good one! I hope this is an option for your sister. I can't imagine having to cope with heel discomfort and being an RN - - OUCH.

BevLR

[carolyn]

I can't exercise

bevlr, I don't mean to scare you but I also had dizzy spells.I also went to neurologist,had mri and mra's.I had bad dizzy spells and my face tingled. My husband and I left Tenn. moved to Springfield,Mo. and I drove a truck,while my husband drove the moving truck that pulled the car.I had been dizzy for quiet sometime and I told him if I were to get dizzy I'd flash the lights and he would know to stop.We lived in Springfield for about 3 months and I was going back and forth to the Drs. and then I had a stroke. My neck arteries were stopped up in the back of my head and the right side of my head was stoped up 75%,left side 80% so I had to have a stent.The left side which was stopped up 80% is now ok.I never had the right side,so far,worked on.I am still trying to get over the shock.haha.They can't do anything about the back of my head cause the arteries like I said are 100% blocked. The Dr. said it may be from birth,or my eating habits etc. I have been on the Atkins plan for a few months now and so far I am doing great.My dizzy spells are gone,and next month I have more bloodwork,so I will see if my hdl etc. has gone down.Good luck to you and don't give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!God Bless you.

[pammie]

hello, just saw this post and thought I would butt in, so please don't mind me.

I often have dizzy spells also, and fainting spells. I had them a few times before atkins, but since starting they have become worse. And they are especially worse when I exercise...I have fainted twice at the gym (talk about embarrassing).

My doctor and I have figured out my problem. I have always had low blood pressure, but Atkins has worked to lower it even more. My doctor says that normally it is not so low that I need medication, however when i exercise and push myself it drops pretty low. Usually, I would just kind of ignore it, close my eyes a second and go on with my workout. But I was told to stop immediately (don't worry about cooling down) and sit down and take a 2-3 min break and than resume. It is kind of distracting, when I am in a good work out and going...but I have not fainted the last couple of months since I have been stopping at first signs of light headedness

[carolyn]

dizzy spells

Hey, Pammie.Good point you made.I have had low blood pressure as well.It wasn't until I got in my 40's that I developed high blood pressure. I didn't mean to offend or make anyone assume they have what I did but I was just meaning to find out the problem. I almost waited to late. Everyones body is different. I always laid it off on my weight, or I was just tired. I just wished I had of had someone to warn me that it may be a medical problem aproaching.

[BevLR]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Here's an update on my vertigo. In early June, I saw a neurologist who said I had labrynthitis. He upped the dosage of the same med my doc had prescribed. In addition, he prescribed lasix and potassium. Within just a few days I began to feel much better. He told me that I should resume exercising and just do what I could. Over the next month, I slowly began to be able to do my full workout schedule. :joy I knew I was completely over it when I was able to lay in bed and turn my head to my left side without any dizziness! :clapping I'll really rejoice when I can stop taking the meds.

Oh yeah, I also had my foot procedure done and I'm free from heel pain and walking again.

[Janice]

I knew I was completely over it when I was able to lay in bed and turn my head to my left side without any dizziness! :clapping I'll really rejoice when I can stop taking the meds.

Oh yeah, I also had my foot procedure done and I'm free from heel pain and walking again.

BevLR, I'm so happy for you!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

Thank you so much for giving us the update. I can imagine how excited you are to be feeling so good "for a change". lol

You hang in there and best of luck to you!!!


Janice