Hi Kim,

Yes, exercise is something that we all seem to struggle with.  Each of us is different, our adhesions are in different areas and affect us in different ways.  I know that many of us have some similararities, but really exercise, pain medication and diversional therapies are an individual thing, what works for one may not necessarily work for another.  In my experience in all of this, experimentation is the only way to find out what works best for you. 

In my case, a gentle walk is as much as I can tolerate at the moment, however before my last major surgery I worked during the Olympics & Paralympics at Homebush Bay (at Olympic Park).  I was so fit back then, for security & crowd control reasons everyone HAD to walk to all venues within Olympic Park including employees & volunteers.  I enjoyed very physical activity from crowd control, talking on one of those load hailer/ microphone things (oh yes, I did enjoy that VERY much!  I used to have so much fun "playing" with the crowd.)  We all made up little dance routines to go with directional instructions that we had to repeat for hours at a time.  It amused the crowds & helped us to relieve the bordom of repeating the samething over, and over and over again....OK now you have that picture, I know that it was my adrenilun (ick spelling again) & endorphines which made it possible for me to be so active during that time.  Since then, I have often wished that we could have the excitement of the Olympics all the time, because I hadn't felt THAT good in years!  I guess what I am trying to say in my usual long winded way is.... that it depends on the circumstances too.  So if you find an exercise or activity which really sparks the "rush" of adrennalin (if I try different spellings, I might actually stumble on the correct spelling....right?) then your body, racked with pain and adhesions will cope & probably do a dance of joy because you are moving!

At the moment there is nothing exciting like the Olympics for me to use as a keep fit program, so I have fallen back on an old time favourite.  It's long gentle walks (depending on my pain level) along the banks of the Macquarie River which runs through our town.  There are lovely grassed areas on both banks, plenty of trees for shade & a smattering of benches to take a rest if needed.  We have a great Japanese arden which is a great place to relax & do a bit of meditation or just enjoy the beauty of the Japanese style of beauty in gardening, or I sit on the waters edge & try to instruct my youngest daughter on the art of skipping stones across the water.  Sometimes Katie (13) and I take our sketch books & charcoal down there & we just spend time taking notice of interesting shapes in tree branches, or try to copy the interesting colour variations in the bark.

Kim, exersise is relative to your physical capabilities, find something that you can do comfortably, something that doesn't make your pain get out of control which then requires additional pain medication, heat pads & rest to get it under control.  I have often thought about yoga, but I haven't tried it yet, maybe some day I will, but at the moment walking, with my kids, my husband, on my own or with our dog Molly Mop is enough for me. 

I hope you have somewhere peaceful, somewhere that you can sit and appreciate nature... even a park if you live in the middle of a big city..... just take time to breath deeply and relax, it is so important when you are living with pain.  I know I have to work at it all the time..... painmakes it easy to loose sight of what is beautiful and what is important in my life. 

Include someone you love, or a close friend in your exercise routine, & that will make it even more enjoyable & also help you stick to it.

love & gentle hugs

Jo(Australia)

>From: anonymous@medispecialty.com (Kim)