Dear Heather ... How Are You Coping with Your Medical Problems?

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

10 Feb 2007 11:33 AM

Today, I am bringing you a special Dear Heather, typically I wait for Thursdays to post these, but I received this email yesterday and I wanted to go ahead and answer it - in part because I appreciated the thought behind the note and the question they were asking.

How Are You Coping with Your Medical Problems?

Dear Heather,

When I read your recent disclosures about the health problems you have been experiencing, I felt bad for you. I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to add you to our prayer list at Church and I wanted to ask how you are coping with your workout while you are in this kind of pain and whether or not you should be taking it easy? I'm sorry if this seems like I am prying, however I have a friend who's experienced chronic problems with some of her female parts and I know that the pain she's gone through has been pretty intense. She has a difficult time working out when she is in that much pain. Thanks in advance and please know you're in my prayers.

-Sonia

Dear Sonia,

Thank you first and foremost for your offers of prayers. I am always humbled by the outpouring of support in this manner and I do believe in the power of positive thoughts and prayer - so thank you again. As for my workout - yes I have scaled it back more than a little. Not because the pain is so bad, but the more physically active I am - the more pain I experience.

Currently, I can take most NSAIDs (Tylenol, Advil, Aleve) and it helps me to cope with the pain and severe discomfort. However, I have maintained my walking program - but scaled it back to just 20 minutes a day. 20 minutes is better than nothing and I've avoided any strength training that stresses my core because that increases the discomfort.

The doctor told me that I would need 4 to 6 days after the surgery to heal and recover - but it would still be a few weeks before I could ramp my workout back up to previous levels. Regular fitness is important, walking is a good and low impact activity - but you need to let the pain dictate how hard you push - pain is our body's way of saying slow down, you're hurting yourself. So I can understand why your friend is leery of overdoing it when she is in pain.

Rest is important - but I don't want to let it slow me down too much - I tend to gain weight too fast if I don't. In the meanwhile, I'd recommend that if your friend is interested in doing more physical activities she should consult with her physician for better recommendations. Good luck and thank you again for your prayers.

Do You Have A Question?

Feel free to send in your fitness questions to Dear Heather and I'll do my best to get you the answers you need. Do you have a question?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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