Anyone have experience training after a chronic illness?

[yogabear]

I am curious if anyone has ever made a comeback to bike racing after a chronic illness?

I myself used to have chronic fatigue syndrome and with my new road bike and all, I am thinking of my future as a bike racer. My doctor says I am recovered :) I am wondering how I can mentally get over my fear of training hard again and wondering if I can keep my illness at bay while being a racer due to the physical demands.

Just curious if anyone out there has had any similar experience even if it's with other types of illness?

Thanks for your input,

Sincerely,

Lisa

[JanT]

Well, I guess I can share some thoughts here, although I am not a racer. I used to run half-marathons well enough to be among the top ten in my age group in local races, and my times were still improving. Then I discovered I had a very aggressive breast cancer. After a mastectomy and chemo, I had a bone marrow transplant, followed by radiation. By the end of a year of this, I was pretty depleted and getting epogen shots three times a week because I was so anemic. However, other than about two weeks of hospitalization during the bmt, I was out running nearly every day, albeit slow and shorter distances. After all the treatment, I never was able to get my times down. I still kept trying for several years, usually in the back of the pack, and in one 5K, I was actually the very last runner in! Gradually running was less fun, since I could no longer achieve the success I wanted. So I took up mountain biking, where my goal could be to ride without falling or dabbing, or just to enjoy the trail, rather than worrying about pace. During the first year, my friends always had to stop and wait for me at the top of every climb. My cycling improved, and my friends don't have to wait for me any more, but I know I could not be competitive. This summer I bought a road bike, and once again am hooked into the old going faster game. But, I am competing with myself, not others. In the fall, I plan to "compete" in a duathlon (sprint length), and I will probably come in last. But I plan to have fun, and if I decide to do more duathlons, I will just seek to improve over time. So that is my little story.
Did I worry that training might cause me to relapse? Well, that was a consideration. Especially when sometimes my worried husband would tell me that maybe the reason my bone marrow wasn't recovering was because I was working out too hard. However, I feel better, physically and mentally, when I exercise. I think the reason I got through my cancer treatment as well as I did was because I was fit. And I think maybe the reason I am still here, now seven years post-transplant this month, is because I am fit. This is my life, and I am lucky to be here, lucky to be healthy, and I am going to pursue every dream I have. If I become ill and am forced to quit, I'll deal with that when the time comes. But changing my lifestyle out of fear is not an option for me. Yes, even now there are still little fears that creep in. I push them away, don't give in to them, because my quality of life comes from enjoying the training.
So, I say to you, Lisa, GO FOR IT! Do what you want to do. Have fun, enjoy your life. If you maintain balance, you will stay healthy. Just listen to your body.
Good Luck!

[Dogmama]

Absolutely. I have lupus which is a chronic disease where your immune system attacks your own tissues. So, fatigue & arthritis are constant as well as mouth/nose sores & other irritants.

I take a medication every day that helps my energy level. I have to be careful in the sun. Sometimes I take Vioxx for the arthritis. And sometimes I have to slow down. I've had to make that be OK - which is hard for a competitive, type A personality who doesn't want to rely on anything - especially medication.

Listen to your body. Do a little something every day - even if it's just a walk.

[yogabear]

Thanks gals for sharing a very personal part of your life with me! Congratulations, Jan, you are a survivor, girlfriend! I have a couple of gal pals who survived breast cancer as well. You guys are my heroes and inspire me!

I appreciate the both of you sharing your experience with me. I am so inspired by the both of you for learning how to thrive with the challenges you both have had and living in a way that is balanced. I am definitely going to strive for that balance as well. I have learned lessons from the past and pushing too hard too soon.

I think I am going to start out with small goals at first and just see how I feel. I agree that just getting out there is fun and it's nice to be able to compete with yourself. It's a nice journey that involves not only the body, but the mind and spirit I think :)

Thanks again so much for sharing!

Many heartfelt blessings to you both,

Lisa

[cycleaxa]

I wish I could help. After my serious illness I ended up switching sports. I was a distance runner and tried getting back to it after my surgery and treatments, but I was not getting that feeling back running and it was a very difficult mental battle, because training before used to be so effortless. That was when I started cycling. :)

[Cdalekat]

My experience is slightly different since I will always be dealing with the aftermath of injury, not illness. But I suspect the mental effects are similar.

For me, I got tired of feeling sorry for myself and feeling limited. I wanted to prove that I could return to normal life and live however I wanted to. I was tired of living in a world of pain that I didn't know how to get out of. I decided to give the world of pain less priority and focus on the world of physical endurance.

The injuries still catch up with me, but for the most part my focus of physical fitness helped me tremendously. Those endorphins are magic! ;)