First Pilates Class

[firewatcher]

Oh my,

I had my first Pilates class today, a private class with a friend who has MS. My Doctor recommended this teacher since she is also a physical therapist and can tailor the classes to our specific needs. I think my Doctor is trying to kill me!

Not 5 minutes into the first few exercises, my hands and feet go cold and white, my face goes beet red and all three (and only these) start sweating. Then the shaking starts. Meanwhile I am trying not to hyperventilate, do people really breathe that fast? I finally paced myself my doubling the breath count and taking just one to their two. My face is still flushed (4 hours later) and I can't get warm. THe shaking is not as bad now, but the headache is much worse.

Someone please tell me this will get better as I go along....

Does this happen for everyone?

It's now 6 1/2 hours later and I am completely exhausted! I thought exercise was supposed to make me feel better!

Please tell me it gets better, I don't want to go back if I'm going to feel like this every time!

[yogini]

Ouch. That doesn't sound like fun. How about starting a little slower? I started doing pilates at home on a DVD. Did about 5 minutes at first and worked my way up to classes/personal training a few months later. Exercise is a good idea, but there is a fine line between what is helpful and what can make you more sick...

[juliegee]

Oh Jennifer-

Too much too soon! I think pilates is a great idea for you, especially as your docs want you to strenthen your core. I LOVE pilates, but it is a killer if you don't keep it up regularly. Starting is really, really hard. If you can stick with it, at least 3 times a week, you will see results quickly.

Some gentle stretches, modified roll-ups, 50's (instead of 100's) would be a great beginning for you. Youcan add more as you feel able. A DVD is a great idea so you can move at your own pace. Tell your instructor to slow down!

Julie

[MightyMouse]

Sounds awful...maybe start with Yoga first? it works on the core, but not as strenuously as Pilates does...yoga might better prepare you for doing Pilates without flaring symptoms so badly. Check w/ your doctor though.

[firewatcher]

My doctor recommended this instructor because of her physical therapy background! We only did 5 repetitions, and maybe 10 exercises. I had no idea I was this out of shape! All my muscles are just screaming at me this morning. Maybe I was just having a bad day? I was medicated, but it took so little to start shaking. I will talk to my workout partner and see if she hurts as badly as I do this morning. BTW I am very tachy this morning too.

[mkoven]

I'd definitely ramp it down. I love pilates and I think having a strong core can help orthostatic issues-- when I feel bad, I squeeze my abs really hard and that pushes blood north. I also like that much of it is lying down. But your teacher HAS to go at your speed. I would tell her your reaction and see what she says. Could it be that you weren't breathing during certain exercises? It's hard to get the breathing down when you're clencing your stomach, but key. And no breathing is like a valsalva test for us-- no good for the ans. Maybe ask her to help you coordinate breath and movement>

[beggiatoa]

It gets better!

I started doing pilates as well. The first class killed me! I didn't go back unti lthe following week. But I went back. I was having horrible back pain which needed constant readjustment by a chiropractor. 3 classes of pilates corrected this

[yogini]

Fire-

You probably aren't out of shape, it's just the POTS that's wiping you out. If you're interested in DVDs, the ones that worked for me are AM/PM Stretch for Health and Pilates Complete for Everyone. I just skipped the parts I couldn't do and stopped when I was tired! Good luck with your classes.

[firewatcher]

Just to make it all worse, I saw my neurologist today. He said it won't make any difference what kind of shape I'm in and because of my reaction to the pilates and what's going on with one eye, he wants me checked for Myasthenia gravis. Oh joy.

He said I could up my Klonopin though...sigh

[ramakentesh]

I think your probably overdoing it at this stage.

Im lukcy enough only to have what my doctor describes as 'moderately severe' episodes of POTS symptoms, and the rest of the time Im ok and only have limited symptoms and Im able to function ok (unless im stuck in a crowded shopping centre line for 20 minutes!! )

I find that exercise is a VERY helpful thing if you can get it, but its also about reading your body. If you are quite symptomatic you mayl find that you might overdo things and set yourself back significantly. That being said, if your ok with riding it out then ultimately it will probably help.

For me last time i had an episode i still went for my daily walks of maybe 600 metres and sometimes i would nearly faint and have to stop but i pushed through it. Eventually it started to help and I found quite significant improvement from exercise.

Earlier this year I was swimming 1 km twice a week and running 1.5 kms three times a week with only minimal symptoms as a result. The level of activity seemed to improve things but occasionally i would get minor crashes the next day so pacing is important.

i can always tell im going down hill if after i exercise i fet shaky. I take it as meaning that the uptake isnt functioning and ive got two days of symptoms up ahead...

[firewatcher]

"i can always tell im going down hill if after i exercise i fet shaky. I take it as meaning that the uptake isnt functioning and ive got two days of symptoms up ahead..."

I wish I even had that as an indicator. I can get shaky by just standing at a check-out counter. I'm OK on the bottom three stairs, but nearly crawling up the last three? Dead tired all day, but wide awake after 9pm? I have spent my life "not pushing" this condition. It is disheartening in so many ways. (Even my 70 year old #3 endo goes for a jog every morning, I couldn't do that even at my "peak.")

[runningshoe]

Did you have to do the pilates 100 where you do the wierd fast breathing? I can't do that either. I can do other exercise but not anything that involves unnaturally changing my breathing. Try slowly stretching and simple exercises at first. Good luck!

[firewatcher]

Well, the second Pilates class is done. It was MUCH better than the first (thanks to my neurologist!) I switched up my meds and took the big stuff (Klonopin and Inderal) an hour before the class instead of first thing in the morning. Other than some minor shaking and lots of sweaty handprints, I did OK! The instructor was amused by the perfect, wet handprints on everything since nothing else was sweating (slightly embarrassing for me though ) Progress at least, we'll see how the aftermath turns out...

[firewatcher]

OK, fourth class down. This really hurts! I started laughing at my poor partner when she looked up and her face was bright red, I said "you finally look like me!" Then my instructor says "NO, her face is red, yours if PURPLE!" Great, like the shaking and fatigue aren't bad enough. Weight-lifting gloves have taken care of the wet handprints and slippery grip, but after the third or fourth rep in each set, I feel pretty close to collapse. Very often I can't finish a set, the muscles just won't "do it" anymore. The instructor is really good about it, but I'm very sure that she's waiting for me to pass out on her.

Does anyone else's ears clog when they exert themselves? It's a little like the valsalva except I am still breathing, but the pressure is extreme and apparently I turn a very pretty shade of purple. Just bending over will do this too.

[flop]

I thought pilates was supposed to be a gentle form of exercise? Turning purple in the face doesn't sound much fun.

I've been working on core conditioning with a personal trainer, we do lots of exercises on a swiss ball - just learning to sit properly and get my balance on the ball helped with my back pain.

I hope the classes get better. Have you talked with the instructor to see how you can make the exercises less intense until your body is more accustomed to the class?

Flop