Runner, gym bunny, 45, recently diagnosed with OA in hips !!

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Peacefulwarrior
Peacefulwarrior Member Posts: 18
edited 22. Feb 2012, 10:46 in Say Hello Archive
:roll: :roll:
Dare I say I'm shocked and horrified as I thought I'd be running forever and am not too happy with myself for ignoring signs of the problems I was having with my hips and knee.
Was only diagnosed last week so am still reeling from it and feeling my body has let me down. I have a mixture of deep sadness and anger. I have always been a very positive and upbeat person but even I am feeling at a loss of how to move on from what I see as a life sentence. Any advice from previously very active people would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

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  • smol
    smol Member Posts: 43
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Peacefulwarrior

    Sorry you are suffering. It's shocking when you discover that your life must change and it's very understandable that you are angry, upset and confused. Living with a permanent illness or pain is very much like living and coming to terms with grief. We go through various stages of grief until we learn acceptance. From then on it's possible to work around your difficulties, getting to grips with the pain, the meds and so on.
    It's not the same, but you can still run in water or do low impact exercises. Keeping moving is very important and helps you manage. You also produce endorphines or as I like to call them "happy Dolphins" when you exercise and it does make you feel more positive and also help kill the pain. Personally I do Pilates exercises (core strength) and have found it to be very beneficial. I've heard Tai Chi is also very good.
    Sarah

    ‎"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."- Edward Everett Hale
  • Peacefulwarrior
    Peacefulwarrior Member Posts: 18
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Sarah,

    It's weird you should mention 'happy dolphins' I call them 'happy drugs'. I love the buzz I get after a exercise and I know it's this I think I'm going to lose. I don't want to turn into a miserable, bitter individual because that is so far from who I am. I think time will be the healer for me. My shock stems from never in a million years thinking I would have to stop run. I thought I'd have to slow down but stopping doesn't compute very well with me.

    I started doing Pilates a year ago to support my running and recently started iyenga yoga. The Pilates is brilliant but I have some restrictions due to my hip pain. Yoga is an amazing workout and really challenging for me as I have lost quite a lot of flexibility.

    Thank you for your kind words and support.
  • Puschinka
    Puschinka Member Posts: 176
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Peacefulwarrior, I'm new here and I soo know just how you feel!!!If you read my introduction post, (sorry its a bit long an boring...) you'll see what I mean. Keeping fit was sort of my religion and often the only thing that could lift me when I felt down. I feel like my body is lettting me down and seizing up due to lack of excercise and have never felt so unfit. I can't bare the thought of perhaps never being able to go for a brisk walk again at a real fast pace, in all weathers, I used to love that. I guess we will just have to accept and adjust and try to stay positve.
    Best wishes to you.
    Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.
  • Peacefulwarrior
    Peacefulwarrior Member Posts: 18
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hello Puschinka,

    If it makes you feel any better there are loads of us previously very active individuals who have been short changed by our bodies.
    I'm now at the stage where I've stopped asking why this is happening to me, and now ask myself how I am going to make the best of what I have left. The seizing up I felt was because I really thought I had to more or less stop my training. This is not so, there's loads we can do to get our exercise 'buzz', but we just won't be able to do it as often or as vigorously. The low we feel is because as Sarah says, we miss are 'happy dolphins'. God I miss them !! The weather is getting warmer, bask in the sun and inhale the fresh spring air.....so we can't run or briskly walk in it but we can stimulate our other senses and get our 'fix' from that. No it's not exactly the same but it is contact with nature and the outdoors which I believe we both appreciate.

    Allow yourself to feel what you feel about your body, but then forgive it because OA is not something you've purposefully imposed on yourself.

    Take care.
  • Puschinka
    Puschinka Member Posts: 176
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi again Peacefulwarrrior, your reply was quite a tonic! All that talk of basking in the sun and springair...lifted me quite a bit and made me realize that yes, of course I can still enjoy those things and Arthur or not - I intend to and will do!! I stopped jogging and doing any kind of aerobics last year when my knees were telling me they weeren't happy with all that impact and jumping about. I instead moved on to a mini trampoline, on which, combined with upbeat music and more upperbody workouts, I still managed to get my doses of 'happy dolphins'. I'm also a big fan of essential oils and aromatherapy, some of thosee are aimed at lifting your mood and really work for me. I still do Yoga everyday and although not as flexible as before, I like to think it still benefits me. Tomorrow I have my first physio appnmnt and hopefully I will get some benefits from that. At the moment I am just really hoping that I will be able to walk better soon and won't always need a crutch, as I want to get back to work soon, albeit in a different jobrole.
    Keep your spirits up yourself and thanks for your encouring reply.
    Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.
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