Exercise

So my CF doctor has been asking me to see a PT at the hospital for several months now.  When I switched to the adult doctor, it was one of the things they told me they do differently.  My pediatric CF doctor was also licensed as an adult doctor, but the majority of his cases were children.  And when my husband and I started trying to conceive, he decided to cut the cord so to speak.  Yes he has had patients become pregnant, but because the adult team was/is just as good…he (the peds doctor) knew it was the right time to switch.  I was excited for the change, but I knew I would miss the team terribly.  I sobbed the whole way home…an hour driving in the car.  Yup, that wasn't an easy transition.

One of the things they do differently at the adult clinic (same base hospital) is monitoring everything regardless of how you're feeling.  I was used to pretty much only being monitored when I got sick.  I saw the PT once when I got my vest eight years ago.  I hadn't had a chest Xray in years and I had never had a glucose tolerance test. (GTT is the test for diabetes, since CF patients can develop it later in life).

Anyway, that switch took place about two years ago.  And starting last fall, my new doctor asked me to consult with the clinic's PT who specializes in CF.  Because of my work schedule, I was just able to go a few weeks ago.  It was actually perfect timing.  I had started working out using a DVD set.  It's called T25 and is part of the Beachbody (P90X) program.  It is a lower intensity, but gets good results and my friend had it so she let me borrow the set.  The program I did was 25 minutes a day of pretty intense workouts.  Each day is a different focus…cardio, abs, lower focus, upper focus, and total body circuit.  So you work out 5 days a week, then have a stretch day and a day off.  It was great for the first two weeks.  A half hour a day, I could do it right when I got home before hubby got home, then I'd cook dinner.

At the beginning of week three (right after Easter), I started getting this severe pain in my mid-back on my right side.  Like right at the bottom of my shoulder blade.  I took a few days off and then got back to it.  At the end of that week, the pain was back.  :(  I knew my appointment with the PT was coming up, so I stopped working out.  After a few days I made the trek into the hospital to see him.  He did a lot of strength tests, we talked about my exercise routine, and I did a treadmill test.  I have very weak shoulders and hips, which is probably why my shoulder had started bothering me.  He was very knowledgable about this particular program I was doing, so that was a bonus!  Since some of the DVD's have a lot of floor exercises, including planks, push-up walks, and others, the PT suggested I do a modified version and only do the planks until I build up strength.

As for the treadmill test, that was also mediocre news.  The good news is that my legs got tired before my lungs did…but that was also the bad news.  The way he explained it…the fact that my lungs didn't tire out was great.  That means, I have good lung function and I can workout the rest of my body to get up to snuff.  If my lungs had gotten tired first, it would be much harder to gain that function/strength with exercise.  The reason this was also bad news was that it means my body is VERY out of shape.  #feelingfat  ;)  I have always made up excuses for myself.  And yea sure, I work 40 hours a week, 6 days of the week, take care of my house, my husband and myself.  I don't always have time for exercise.  But the moral of the story is I need to find time.  I need to do this for my own health, especially since we want a family.  I want to be able to see my family and grow old with them.

Coincidentally, the same day I saw the PT, I got approved for a grant through the CF Lifestyle Foundation (here is their website http://www.cflf.org) to pay for a gym membership!  So last week, I got my butt to the gym.  I am really hoping this helps me to stay accountable and actually do the workout.  I  did the elliptical, treadmill and some weights twice last week.  And then yesterday I started the DVD workouts again too.  I am hoping to sort of alternate, gym 4 times a week and some DVD's in there too.  With my gym membership, I will get a one hour free training session and I actually can't wait for that!  I want to know what weights to do for different parts of my body and how much to lift.  Here's to a new awakening, and a better me!  I will try and update my workouts once a week and maybe that will motivate me more.  To share what I've done and keep track.  I am so excited for this opportunity and so grateful to CFLF for this grant.