Question for former athletes/fitness rats

[Aerose91]

What type of training did you do prior to falling ill? Im wondering if we have always had somewhat weak mitochindria and therefore aerobic systems.
For instance, i was phenominal anaerobically but moderate to poor aerobically and had a bitch of a time increasing my aerobic threshold vs an easy time with anaerobic.

Im curious if we always had a weakness in our oxygen delivery and consumption without realising it.

 

[Kati]

What type of training did you do prior to falling ill? Im wondering if we have always had somewhat weak mitochindria and therefore aerobic systems.
For instance, i was phenominal anaerobically but moderate to poor aerobically and had a bitch of a time increasing my aerobic threshold vs an easy time with anaerobic.

Im curious if we always had a weakness in our oxygen delivery and consumption without realising it.

I was a long distance cyclist. I loved long distance running. Was I ever fit.

Now, at times I get short of breath just standing up and talking on the phone. i gained tons of weight when I got sick. It's like a switched turned off.

 

[Amaya2014]

I don't think so. I played soccer and softball in high school and was part of the junior reserve officer training corps so we ran a lot. I did Navy Reserve Officer Training for a part of college and that was plenty running, swimming, etc. Then I served on active duty in the Army for 11years and that was non-stop physical endurance and training. I loved to bike, swim, hike, and was looking into training for marathon running.

One of my first signs that things weren't right was difficulty breathing while running and I'd never experienced that despite running across the globe from Texas to Germany to Iraq.

That being said walking more than 1/2 mile at anything more than a slow pace has become impossible for me.

 

[helen1]

I had very good endurance with running, hiking, cross country skiing, cycling.

Had been a competitive distance runner and had done some recreational triathlons earlier too... So I think my mitos were good...

 

[TiredSam]

Over 20 years of regular jogging, eliptical trainer, cycling (longest trip 5000km). I had just started weights training (just over a year) for the first time in my life before I got ill, which was going well. Very annoying because I'd paid for a 2-year membership and didn't get to use it for the 2nd year.

 

[BurnA]

Long distance cyclist here.
In fact I'm suspicious of the no. of endurance athletes with this disease.

 

[justy]

I cycled, swam and danced a lot. Had 4 kids and lived at the top of a big hill with no car - worked as a gardener in a very physically demanding role part time, swam most days a mile.

The problem was my stamina was still poor. I could only get so fit, and then couldn't get any fitter - pushing a buggy full of children up a hill daily never got any easier, and neither did swimming laps - I couldn't push past the mile a day threshold without feeling awful.

Loved walking and ok with a few miles, but when I tried long distance hiking I didn't have the stamina. I had friends who only did half of what I did and were way fitter than me. Was always a bit weird...Like Kati I also gained a lot of weight once I became very sick.

 

[luludji]

I danced a lot, even got a danceclass for teenagers. Loved walking, cycling and sailing. But running I could not do. And after dancing I slept very badly and was hangoverish the next day... Other kinds of sports I could not do, in the gym I got a very red head and asthma.

But like justy, I could not increase my activities, could not better my shape (if that is how you call it). I was waiting and working and hoping for it, thinking, well now nothing stands in the way to improve my shape, butter it did not happen. In retrospect, I certainly think something was not right which started when I was a teenager.

 

[Old Bones]

I, too, was an endurance athlete -- x-country and mountaineering skiing, hiking/backpacking, swimming, cycling, whitewater canoeing.

Addition (as suggested by @Snowdrop ): Aerobically fit, sudden onset of mild illness followed by gradual worsening, including gradual worsening of exercise capacity despite continued training effort.

 

[NL93]

What type of training did you do prior to falling ill? Im wondering if we have always had somewhat weak mitochindria and therefore aerobic systems.
For instance, i was phenominal anaerobically but moderate to poor aerobically and had a bitch of a time increasing my aerobic threshold vs an easy time with anaerobic.

Im curious if we always had a weakness in our oxygen delivery and consumption without realising it.

This is true for me too. I have always been horrible with aerobic training. I remember we had a 3k run every year in high school, and i always finished last. Even worse than a few obese kids in my class who didn't work out at all, and i looked fit.
I have always been very strong though and i lifted weights regulairly.
Then, when i tried to do more running to build stamina , things went horribly wrong and i ended up with ME.
Sometimes i think i had very mild ME all this time, and when i tried to push through limits(and got an infection) it went all wrong and triggered the illness to become severe

 

[Aerose91]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I guess there really isn't any consistency there between aerobic and anerobic athletes. Seems most of us were pretty active, though, and few were day to day desk jockies.
I'm at the same place now, though, where i get out of breath sometimes just rolling over in bed.

 

[Aerose91]

This is true for me too. I have always been horrible with aerobic training. I remember we had a 3k run every year in high school, and i always finished last. Even worse than a few obese kids in my class who didn't work out at all, and i looked fit.
I have always been very strong though and i lifted weights regulairly.
Then, when i tried to do more running to build stamina , things went horribly wrong and i ended up with ME.
Sometimes i think i had very mild ME all this time, and when i tried to push through limits(and got an infection) it went all wrong and triggered the illness to become severe

Im starting to think the same for me. When i was lifting very heavy i always remember having weak quads and no explanation as to why and why i couldn't improve them much. When i got hit with ME the first intense muscle weakness i felt was in my quads

 

[Snowdrop]

It would make sense that if one was a fitness buff that aerobic capacity would not be an issue prior to sudden onset illness.

It might be useful for this thread if info was included as to type of onset.
I'm wondering if it might break down to aerobically fit/sudden onset. For those with slow onset then the question would be if they had tried the types of exercise the previously fit people did and how that worked out prior to being disabled enough to know that there was a health issue.

 

[Snowdrop]

Just to clarify--sudden onset being severe mod/severe after a virus leaving one housebound/bedbound for a time. As opposed to a slower worsening of symptoms after a virus.

 

[Aerose91]

It would make sense that if one was a fitness buff that aerobic capacity would not be an issue prior to sudden onset illness.

It might be useful for this thread if info was included as to type of onset.
I'm wondering if it might break down to aerobically fit/sudden onset. For those with slow onset then the question would be if they had tried the types of exercise the previously fit people did and how that worked out prior to being disabled enough to know that there was a health issue.

I was high level anaerobic athlete but relatively poor aerobic athlete and my onset was sudden. I can tell you the minute it all started

 

[svetoslav80]

I was a cyclist, not professional, just for hobby but still cycled a lot.

 

[Snowdrop]

@Aerose91

Well that makes it more interesting.

 

[*GG*]

I have been a bicyclist for 30 years (46 YO now), when I was younger I did longer distances (30 to 60 miles, did a century ride for charity), when I had more time, just enjoy bicycling and did into adulthood for shorter rides, usually about 1 hour I would cover 20 miles or so. enjoyed swimming in the warm summer months, hiking, Mtn Biking if I had someone to go with.

Did a little skiing, then switched to snowboarding, which I can still do, I rest on the ride up. Snowshoeing and back-country skiing is fun, but can be a hell of a workout depending upon recent snowfall and/or trails and number of people you go out with!

Rejoined the gym a few years ago, it's only $10 a month, and I was spending $20 a visit for physcal therapy. So I figured why not give it a shot, not that much money. I would do cardio there when the weather was bad, and no opportunities were available locally, started off slowly on all this, with the beginning of every season. And do weights at the gym, and I have gained strength! My Dr looks at my hormones, and I take meds to increase testosterone, figure that has helped me get stronger

I do have lots of time now to rest and exercise does not make me feel great, no more "runners high", but I do still enjoy pushing my boundaries.

GG

 

[Dufresne]

I was seriously into weightlifting/bodybuilding and worked in the fitness industry, but as hard as I tried I could never really develop my cardio. I'd be out of breath within ten minutes of running, both as a kid and later as a fitness enthusiast. Though this was before I developed PEM.

Incidentally I don't think my PEM is directly related to low energy. Rather it's a matter of exertion. I've almost always been able to go out and walk a couple miles without incident but if I were to do 15 calve raises on each leg I'd get PEMed. Even reading a single page will bring about PEM depression. So while I can't read a book I can still go out and cut the grass. I guess this is better than the opposite.

 

[Amaya2014]

Over 20 years of regular jogging, eliptical trainer, cycling (longest trip 5000km). I had just started weights training (just over a year) for the first time in my life before I got ill, which was going well. Very annoying because I'd paid for a 2-year membership and didn't get to use it for the 2nd year.

The other costs of this illness. I have a $2000 treadmill, a bike, and numerous exercise tapes that are just collecting dust now. I know I need to turn these into income but part of me hangs on to the hope I may use them again.