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Is it possible to know limits without crashing?

Messages
92
Hi, everyone, thanks for all your helpful answers re my current 7-week + crash with new symptoms.

I'm feeling a *bit* better and am trying to do a little more without overdoing it. Before this crash I had ME symptoms, but strangely not post-exertional fatigue, except for 1-3 day crashes that seemed to only come after a lot of stress.

One of my new symptoms is a feeling of tightness in my heart/lung area, esp when I go for a walk (presently about 10 minutes). This makes me much more worried about physical exertion than in the past--I'm also really anxious not to relapse b/c I have to move in 4 weeks. Relapses have happened 3 times during this 7 weeks, but each time is was after 2 days of social/mental exertion (two trips out of town, one intense visit from parents), with some walking around the first 2 times.

While I don't want to relapse, I also don't want to just assume I "can't" walk a bit farther (200 steps) each day. I'd really love to be able to get to the grocery/drug store and back (I can get halfway now). I could do this before the first relapse (week 1) without worries, and worked up to it after the second one (week 3). Maybe I'm too attached to the idea of measuring improvement, though. As this has never happened to me before, I have no previous yardstick to use.

Is there any way of knowing if I'm going to overdo it before it happens? Probably not ;) but it would be great to know what your experiences are. FWIW, I use a heart rate monitor when walking and it never goes above 90.

Thanks!
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
@Singout

For some of us using a heart rate monitor and staying below our anaerobic threshold really helps prevent crashes.

I am moving soon too! Huge challenge. :aghhh:

Sushi

I moved 3 times in 14 months! I did not crash and I owe it to Acyclovir. I got people to pack and unpack the kitchen for me and as much other stuff as I could. I never could have been able to do that.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I moved 3 times in 14 months! I did not crash and I owe it to Acyclovir. I got people to pack and unpack the kitchen for me and as much other stuff as I could. I never could have been able to do that.

Send me your packers and unpackers! :)I am pacing but, whew!

Sushi
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
The problem becomes when you're a few days away from the move bits amazing how much crap I had
In my kitchen.

One person I got through a friend and she was great. The last one from Yelp was a pain in the ass. She did a lot but created a lot of problems that I had to fix.

Here's an example. She put a 5 gallons water bottle on a bar stool because it looked cute. How exactly was I supposed to manage that?

Still, I couldn't have done it without help.
 

PNR2008

Senior Member
Messages
613
Location
OH USA
Bless you movers. I need to find a place less expensive but dread the packing and moving. I moved here 5yrs ago and went downhill fast. Never got to my pre-move energy.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
You can learn to recognize signals. Not everyone will have the same ones, and maybe some don't have any easy ones.

I notice many things and can tell my decline is progressing faster. Such as if I had to grade my muscle strength, one minute it is 30% and the next 25% and the next 17%.
 
Messages
15,786
@Singout - I use a pulse oximeter to stop me when I'm pushing too hard. If my resting heart rate is over 90, it usually means I need to avoid additional exertion. When active, it's best to keep heart rate under 110 or so. This helps a lot in avoiding crashes.
 

beaverfury

beaverfury
Messages
503
Location
West Australia
For me, a clear signal is tightening of the muscles high up at the back of the neck, almost feels like it's in my brain. It's time to stop when i get this.
Running out of energy or the feeling of running out of oxygen is of course, a very good time to stop.

More problematic is when you feel quite alright and get caught out the next day or so.

Trying to keep up with normals is usually a good indicator that you are going to crash later.
 

peggy-sue

Senior Member
Messages
2,623
Location
Scotland
Undergoing stress is over-exerting yourself. :cry:

Mental or physical, good or bad, it takes its toll.:ill:

You need to learn to pace better - take into account all the different body systems you have and only use one for a little bit at a time, let it recover before using it again.

But a very good indicator that you have reached your limit (or rather, have already started to exceed it) is when your breathing gets a bit laboured... it seems as if you're not getting enough oxygen out of the air...

and your heart starts pounding.

When in any doubt, stop.:thumbsup: