I'm in pain but I'm still ok

I'm in pain but I'm still ok.

These words, taken from pain physiotherapist Neil Pearson's excellent three-part tutorial on chronic pain, should be a mantra for anyone living with persistent pain. This is not because of any flimsy new age "I'm ok, you're ok" ethos, but because it plays a modest role in scaling down an overactive pain alarm system. But I'm getting a head of myself.

Lost? Let's start from the beginning.

About five years ago I was in the best shape I've been in my life. I lifted weights with an intensity that would scare most lifters and would even test my fused ankle with energetic spinning sessions. Out of the blue I started to get incredibly painful electrical like shocks in my forearm when I randomly moved my arm. As the weeks and months progressed these shocks became more frequent and were accompanied by a deep burning pain in my forearm.

Not wanting to give up weight training I radically modified my weight training but the unrelenting pain was now accompanied by painful tightness in my forearm and a transient partial paralysis in my forearm/hand. It was so bad that even gripping a barbbell was imposible. At this point I knew I had seek medical help.

This is where it gets interesting.

The upcoming posts will look at the frustrating experience of getting my painful arm properly diagnosed and seeking proper treatment. This madenning journey will take me to 9 doctors, ranging from neurologists, sports medicine specialists, physiatrists (specialists in physical therapy and rehabiliation medicine), chiropractors, sports massage therapists to orthopedic physcial therapists and more and I'll be misdiagnosed. The proverbial cherry on the cake will come when two of these specialists propose the same treatment option: "If your arm hurts so much then don't ever use it".

The aim of these posts will be to help anyone else who might be going through the same type of pain and getting the run around from an endless array of medical specialists.

I'll end off with telling all the patient readers of this blog (ha!) why I have arm and hand pain. Ever heard of cervical radiculopathy of the c 7 vertebra? No? Next question. What happens to a person's pain alarm system when they have neuropathic pain for years?

These issues will be tackled in upcoming entries.

Day 6

Yesterday was one of the coldest, windiest days of the year. I stepped outside for a bit and a sensitive area of my anatomy almost froze off, thus my work workout was a no-go.

Here are my food totals for yesterday:

Calories: 1662
Carbs: 69
Protein: 141


My net carbs were in mid-fifties (net carbs are the total number of carbs minus fiber, glycerin and sugar alcohols). Damn, if it wasn't for that whole wheat bagel -- a cheat meal -- they would have been around 10!

Today is a day off so I'm studying for an exam and hitting the gym at noon.

In other news, its still ridiculously cold in this part of Hades.

Day 5

I'm into day #5 and I've only cheated once (night of day 3?).

Courtesy of fitday.com, here are my food totals for yesterday.

Calories: 1543
Protein: 117
Carbs: 66

My net carb count was actually around 42-ish. I hope to bring that down to about 30 today.

As I worked out with weights yesterday, today will be more of a cardio and core day. I'm thinking of doing a circuit consisting of intervals on a spinning bike, walking lunges, pushups and "shovels".

Damn is it cold out there!

Fitday.com

As I've gained a belly and but over the last while, I've started to use my fitday.com account again. Fitday.com is a superb, easy-to-use and free diet tracking website.

I'm finishing up the third day of the velocity diet. Promoted on t-nation.com, the velocity diet is a super low-carb, reduced calorie all liquid diet. Let's be clear about something: 'aint no way that I'll be going 28 days without having solid meals, so I' modifying it by allowing myself 1 solid meal a day, usually baked salmon. As I desperately need fibre to keep regular I'll be supplementing my diet with benefibre and tons of raw spinach.

Wish me luck!

Journal entry for Dec 21st

This will be brief.

Woke up very early with a monster headache. Took Tylenol #3s and went back to sleep. Due to a lingering headache my get-up-and-lift has gotten-up-and-left, so I'll be taking fitness classes today and not lifting on my own. I'll aim for an afternoon pump/bootcamp class (using a 70lb barbell and 25lb dumbbells) and hopefully a spinning class.

Update

I skipped the boot camp class and did free weights and a spinning class instead. Not a bad workout for a guy who was on codeine most of the day

Its Been A Long Time

Its been a long time.

A lot has happened since my last post. A concussion and bruised spine, a trip to Greece, more courses, lots of work and overtime, and a wisdom tooth removal with subsequent sinus bleeding. Oh, and did I mention that my basement has become an environmental disaster due to a massive spill of residential heating oil (the cleanup will cost about $100,000. Thank goodness for insurance!).

One could use all these reasons as an excuse for not posting, but the real reason is that I’ve been procrastinating and that’s about to change.

Consider this the first volley in the war against procrastination.

Post-script: The weather is horrible in Toronto. Cold, windy, with the sun hiding for days on end. That's why I spend so much time looking over my vacation pictures. Have a look at this beach I was at in a remote part of Crete.

Acupuncture funny video

There have been a few posts on this blog that have mentioned acupuncture as a possible way to overcome certain workout injuries. Here's a funny take on an acupuncture treatment gone wrong.

Enjoy!

Journal

Finished 4 days -- 26 more to go

The first 4 days of this no starch/no grains regime are done and I'm doing well. My workouts, now adjusted to circuit training with weights, have been running along smoothly as well.

Tonight's workout will consist of 2 parts.

The first part will consist of 4 compound movements done with no rest in between the different exercises. I'm thinking box squats, weighted pull-ups, shoulder press, and a core exercise. All will be done in a hi-rep scheme and I'll give myself a minute break at the end of each round. This will be repeated 5 times.

In the second part they'll be 4 more exercises (benchpress, seated cable row, another lower-body exercise and a core exercise) and do the same routine as above. This workout should be quick but absolutely deadly if done with heavy enough weights intensity.

Tomorrow I think I'll "treat" myself to climbing these monster set of stairs that snake up a hill. Trust me ... these stairs are at least 100 meters long and I'll do them multiple times. Forcing your body to do exercises you're not used to doing is one key way of overcoming neuromuscular efficiency and constantly making gains. Besides, it breaks up the monotony of doing the same routine over and over.

As my week of hell is now over I will start posting substantive pieces soon.

Be well and train hard!

Paul

This quick and easy to make recipe is taken from the Atkins website.

Sweet crab meat and creamy avocado make a light yet filling salad. A mildly spicy dressing brings flavors together.

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pound lump crab meat, cooked. You can substitute canned crab meat or mock crab meat (Pollock)
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
• salt and pepper
• 2 bunches watercress, washed, stems removed

1. In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, and paprika. Add crab meat, and celery. Mix well; add salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in avocado cubes. Divide watercress on four plates; top with salad.

Calories: 281

Fat:18 grams

Protein: 25 grams

Carbohydrates: 5 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Don’t worry about the fat content as most of it comes from the avocado and it’s not bad fat.

Journal Update

2 days down, 28 to go!

I've just finished my 2nd full day of no starchy foods and grains. I've eaten tons of raw, dark veggies, lots of baked salmon and chicken, a bit of cheese, protein shakes & a touch of organic peanut butter (no sugar or preservatives added, of course). For good measure I've thrown in a Benefibre fibre supplement. (Note to self: add a lot more healthy fats).

To my great astonishment I feel great! Going cold turkey has been easier (at least in the short term) than I thought.

Two days down, 28 days to go before I leave for my vacation!

My workout on Monday was great as well. Following a standard circuit routine (or a "giant set" as the book The New Rules Of Lifting calls it), I picked 4 compound movements and did them one after the other with only 15 seconds rest in between. In this case it was a box squat, weighted pull up, standing military press, and pushups. That is one set and I did 4 of these sets before my spinning class. Next time four additional exercises will be added to double the volume.

Tomorrow is my 1 hour boot camp class. Can't weight (pun intended).

I'll start posting substantive pieces after Thursday. My last mid-term is tomorrow and I need to get some sleep ...