I am so glad this post popped back up!
Thomas – I would love to connect with you! I am almost feeling better but wondering how I can determine/measure that I am recovered and transition back into more activity.
I have been healing for what seems like an eternity wondering if things would get better. I stopped my program last July and ceased all cardio. I continued to lift weights and workout until November when my symptoms became so frequent that it was obvious I needed to stop. Since then I have been completely avoiding all routine physical activity. My energy has been low and I have wondered when the end would be in sight. In March I started doing easy 15 minute walks most days and haven’t had any problems. In July I started going back to the gym for walking, core, and stretching. The last few weeks have been good with minimal symptoms and I am feeling better but still wondering how I know when I am good to go?
At first my symptoms were primarily located around my heart but I do feel fairly confident that I cleared that. I followed up with the cardiologist at the end of last year and he thought it could be something more serious in other organs but I don’t think that is the case as my symptoms are acute and related to specific things.
I am not a doctor obviously but my symptoms seem to be related to inflammation that “clogs up” my lymphatic system primarily noticeable under my left armpit area. It is not exceptionally painful just uncomfortable and obvious that something is wrong. The symptoms are tied to inflammatory foods, too much activity, excessive stress, poor sleep, or not enough sleep. If I had made every effort to remove these common elements from my life I think I would have healed faster.
My theory is that my body was so filled up with inflammation that it has been slowly releasing. I would notice that after massages or yoga my lymphatic system would be very burdened. I think I just worked out for so long and so hard that things built up to such an extreme level that it took an incredible amount of time for my body to work through it all.
Of course I could be missing something obvious and I have been wanting to get some type of clearance from a medical professional but I knew that most of the professionals weren’t as familiar with subclinical conditions like what I have been experiencing and did not want to spend time or money on those types of diagnoses. (I only recently finished paying off the bills from my 1 cardiologist stress test, 3 visits, and an x-ray of the chest.)
At this point I am feeling good and am optimistic that I will recover but it has been a long journey. I was used to having boundless energy and that was absent for months. The last several months have been persistent symptoms I just described.
