My neuro sent me to physical therapy to strengthen my legs awhile back. It worked well! Yeah! This coming Friday is my last appointment and he told me last week that this would be the end and my "assignment" would be to join a gym (who, me???)! I did it yesterday! I've never joined a gym before (my middle name is Couch Potato) but I have been feeling better and want to keep that going.
Just wanted to post some good news. Wish me luck!
Hi mrsmike9 ! That is great news, congratulations. Keep up the good work, doing what you need to do to feel better!
mrsmike9 , hurrah for you! I’m thrilled you’re actively doing something to maintain strength and flexibility. Some control is taken away by MS, but we still can control much! Way to go!
I'm hoping that if I feel physically better, perhaps I will feel mentally better. I have always felt like I have no value. It can be crushing at times. So we shall see if this helps.
Physical exercise sure does have that mental/emotional side benefit. You're actually doing it, which is also a positive thing build on. Success breeds success, and even little steps toward that goal is progress. I'm sorry you've felt that way about yourself in the past, but that's in the past, and you're taking positive steps toward changing your viewpoint. That's wonderful!
mrsmike9
Kudos to you! I think the mind-body connection is real and I believe you should experience some lift in your mood as a result of increasing your exercise. The endorphins alone will do that but there are other mood benefits as well. That’s definitely a bonus on top of the many physical benefits to exercise.
As for not feeling a sense of personal value, I’m not quite sure what you mean when you say that. Certainly the MS (and it’s effects) can make us feel de-valued. If it is deeper, though, a good therapist can help you sort out what causes you to feel that you lack value.
You are valuable right here, for starters, by contributing to these posts! 😊
God bless you. 💕
I have never had a sense of value. I think there are multiple things that played into it. I was the last of five kids (no attention) and my oldest sister told me my entire life how ugly I was. I didn't date until I was in college (i asked him) so that added to my unatractive feeling. I am currently seeing a therapist and he was great at helping me deal with stress but I don't think anybody can help with this. It's just part of me. I'm 58 so it's been part of me for a long time.
mrsmike9 I will reply by sending you a personal message,
I'm also sending you personal message. Hugs! You are here and Beautiful.
You are beautiful. And value comes from the lives you touch. The smiles to strangers, the conversations, the listening, the sharing and the love and strength to keep going
I promise you it is always something but you can get past! All families have issues. I was the last of five but my parents had more money and time. And a divorce which I was so thankful for. My sister always told me I was adopted and I believed her because I was the only one with brown hair and eyes. And she was the prettiest girl in the school/neighborhood but she didn't think so.
I have not been able to get past this. My sister used to make my life a misery (until a few years ago when I "divorced" her.)
I, also, was the last of 5. My oldest brother was 16 when I was born. He died when I was 5, my next sibling was also a brother and he died when I was 9. Then came 3 girls.
That's a whole bunch. WOW. You will persevere. My eldest sister, big age difference 16 years, came out of her cocoon late in life too. She is now a butterfly. If she can fly anybody can. I promise. We had a lot of weirdnest in our family. xxoo.
Hi mrsmike9
Hi mrsmike9
mrsmike9 way to go ! Good on you, doing something positive for yourself. I hope you enjoy it. Blessings Jimeka 🦋 🌈 🤗
Great news, as I told my doc today, my gym and pharmacy are each about a half a block from my house and I don't have energy to walk to either. We updated meds, I'm excited! Good luck, any questions, message me.. I was a gym girlie for years!
I wonder if you live next door to me! My pharmacy is just a tad bit further than the gym but not much.
Message me if you’d like. I’m in Lodi, south of Sacramento.
mrsmike9 keep at it! Exercise is good medicine for a lot of ailments and a great intervention for MS
🏋🏽🏊🏼🚴😊👍
Any tips that you could pass along. I work and sleep. Yep that is my life. But I do stationary bicycle.
I'm still on the receiving end of "tips" still. If I learn anything I will let you know.
Awesome! Good Luck, gym rat 🎉
I wonder if you could feel even better and do more than maintain what you gained in physical therapy...
awesome! I go to Planet Fitness and really enjoy it.
I hope you can keep it going. That's great.
Great news. It's hard to stick with it, but it will pay off. Best of luck!
I told my husband, who is not exactly the most supportive person, that I need Encouragement and Support to help me keep at this! I am determined to keep going. I bought new sneakers and stretchy pants. I felt like a fake gym person yesterday when I was there as it was my first time. But I will keep going and get to feel like I belong!
Thank you all for your encouragement!!!
mrsmike9 congratulations. I'm in my 5th week of pt. I thought I was getting stronger till yesterday when my legs gave out and I was basically immobilized for 2 hours. Scared me silly. Only did that one time before and that was the day I was admitted to hospital for my 1st MS attack. Good luck with you new gym.
Donnie
Ooooo! Scary! Well, I'm being careful to not over-do, but just push myself a bit. I have to be the tortoise and not the hare. Slow and steady...
Good luck to you!
mrsmike9 I must admit it overdid things badly. I'm buy a 67 got from a friend of mine and we were working on it. In my excitement to get it done I tried to forget that my life changed when ms came in to it. I had fallen pretty hard earlier but didn't stop till I could stand up any more. So I paid the price. So take it easy and just do what your body lets you be comfortable with. I start back on my on Tuesday.
Again good luck with your gym workout..
Donnie
Yikes, Donnie! 😨
Nom_De_Plume you would think some day I'd learn to listen to my body. Lol. I fell hard earlier in the day but I didn't listen till I couldn't go any further. I learned a hard scary lesson. Before I could sit do for 10 min and ready to go again but not this time. Scared my me silly.
Have a wonderful day my friend.
Donnie
Doubled51
Oh my gosh. Not being able to move at all is pretty darned scary. It is really hard to accept our limitations, especially when we’re doing something we love. We just want to live in the moment and step back in time [pre-MS] and pretend that everything is as it was, right?
I was in the kitchen yesterday and I got down on the floor to clean something. I was pretty upset when I found that I wasn’t strong enough to get back up again. Ugh!! (Seriously??!!) I had to wait a half hour until I had “enough in me” to try again! Luckily, I managed to get up that time. . So depressing!
Well, at least you had enough sense to expend your energy doing something that’s more fun than cleaning the floor! 😆
@Nom_De_Plume _it give me a different perspective for all our fellow msers who deal with the loss of mobility on a daily basis. Till you sit in their position even for a short period you can't appreciate what we so carelessly take for granted.
I now have so much respect for all of you brave people who continue to live your lives to the fullest everyday and do it with with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Who keep your faith in God almighty even when things can look so dark sometimes.
I pray that God touches each and every man woman and child that is stricken with this disease with his healing loving hands and blesses all of us with supernatural healing. In your word you tell us by the stripes of Jesus we were healed and I remind you of this promise. I know that all things come in you time not ours. So we wait patiently for your promises to come. We praise you and thank you for your blessings. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Good night to all
Donnie.
I too have been doing rehab after a knee surgery and have noticed I have overall benefits from it. I am lucky that my rehab lets people continue using equipment for $50 a month, so I can continue until I can be decertified for rehab again.
MS Gym VS. MS Workouts 
