LastUnicornLady Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 I'm not sure why, but I've noticed feeling severely depleted after showering or swimming. My chest and stomach get tight. They cramp up. I have a hard time catching my breath, and I feel like I'm not getting enough air in. I'm in pretty severe amounts of pain. Recovering from swimming takes a lot longer than recovering from a shower, but there's a definite rest period for both. I'm usually better from a shower with 2-3 hours after taking one, but the swimming lag can carry over into the next day.I've been trying to use swimming as a good source of exercise for me because it's typically easier on my joints and I don't feel my POTS symptoms quite as strongly. But as soon as I get out of the pool (or before I get out of the shower), I start cramping up. Pretty soon it's my entire right side, the area underneath and stretching into my chest. It feels like I'm wearing a corset too tightly and it's jabbing into me and restricting air flow.Does anyone else get like this? Do you have any tips on how to possibly make swimming work a bit better for me? I really don't want to have to give it up, because I feel like there have been definite benefits from it- increased Vitamin D exposure, for instance. Getting out of the house, for another. I just really want to make this work, and would like a few tips to try before I give it up...Thanks so much everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating lately. I've been really preoccupied with sorting through my new(ish) EDS diagnosis and learning everything that comes along with that. I'm also trying to work on moving past the searching stage into the coping stage to accept my new life and what it means for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastUnicornLady Posted September 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Just boosting this to see if anyone has insight to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkd Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I don't really have any answers, but I do have a muscle that cramps when I'm in the shower. It's in my mid/lower back on my left side and it feels like it goes around to the front. It feels like it's my diaphragm, but I'm not sure. Once it cramped up so bad, I could hardly stand up straight. I mentioned it to a couple of doctors, but haven't gotten any comments/theories really. I haven't been swimming in years, so I don't know if it would happen in a pool or not. I seem to think mine is related to heat hitting the muscle. Pools are usually cooler, so I don't know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP Posted September 4, 2014 Report Share Posted September 4, 2014 I don't swim but any exercise for me even a short walk wipes me out. I get very out of breath and my heart goes nuts. My legs and feet hurt because of the nerve damage and later on I get bad cramps. I boost my magnesium levels to help and for this I use oral and topical magnesium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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