A friend's husband came down sick about a month ago and they are trying to figure out what he has. Docs are stumped. Did find some nerve damage. So many symptoms scream Lyme.
But oddly, the only thing that makes him feel better is exercise. He mowed the lawn and actually felt good afterwards (then went downhill again after a while). The same thing happened after he ran on a treadmill for a stress test.
This is so opposite how I felt/feel with my own case of Lyme and I've never heard of another Lymie feeling great after exercise. Has anyone experienced or heard of this? Could this still be Lyme?
If not, any other ideas? I was pretty convinced it was Lyme until she told me this part about feeling great after exercise.
Posted by gz (Member # 43818) on :
Exercise makes me feel really good most of the time. Even when I'm having a really bad day, it makes my body feel better. Even lifting weights a little bit makes a nice change. I like to mow the lawn too
My problem with exercise is that I absolutely must have sleep for my body to recover. The "feeling good" lasts for an hour or two afterwards. If I don't then go to bed I will crash like a rock. So physical activity for me must be done in the evening.
I do go through periods where any exercise is physically too much to handle even if I can force myself to get it started.
Posted by WPinVA (Member # 33581) on :
Thanks so much for the response. This is the husband of a close friend. They were assuming it wasn't Lyme since his experience with exercise was so opposite to mine. So this is very good to know.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Never rule out anything because one piece of the puzzle might look different.
"So many symptoms scream Lyme." He's been ill for about a month. Listen to that.
Also, feels good with exercise "afterwards (then went downhill again after a while)."
That's a big hint, actually. If that downhill happens later that day or the next day. The next day crash implies too much activity the day before. But you don't say when the "afterwards downhill" slide hits. Still:
He needs to be properly assessed for lyme and for TBD / other possibilities. The crash later on is very classic. Many report that earlier on exercise had made them feel better - for a while.
The endorphins from movement we enjoy or in accomplishing a physical task, too, can mask the truth for awhile.
It may be that the body is working with one on this, too, for a while - until it just can't anymore.
But with time and no diagnosis / treatment then that's more often when the exercise intolerance can talk stronger hold. Some might have that very soon in; others later on.
And, once in a great while, there will be some who do well with exercise just as they might do with heat although most with lyme tend to have major problems with all this.
It's really important to never rule it out just because any one of the classic signs might be different than what most experience.
It might be wise to suggest that he not give up on physical movement yet to pace himself and be very wise about it not doing any aerobic stuff.
Listen to his body - not what he WANTS to do but check in good with his body to get a sense on what might be wise and be mindful to "read" the body's signs when it's time to stop.
I pushed myself terribly and likely caused a lot of damage to my adrenal system - and injury from falls due to deep fatigue when I just pushed on (stupidly).
So often, because we might actually feel better & enjoy the sensory or social environment during some exercise we just don't get those signals from our bodies.
This happens a lot for those with lyme earlier on, too. It's not until the next day - or maybe a few hours later when it's clear the body just can't move or however that might manifest.
Also advise him to not get overheated.
And, as you say "So many symptoms scream Lyme." and he's been ill for a month and his doctors are perplexed, I hope he can be assessed by a good LLMD. -
Posted by WPinVA (Member # 33581) on :
Thanks Keebler. I hope so too! I've given them info and names of LLMDs and made lots of suggestions, but they are just not there yet. They got turned off by the high fees of the LLMDs. It's frustrating to watch but there is only so much I can do.
Because they did not want to go to the LLMDs, I gave them the name of a really good functional med doctor. She's not fully an LLMD but she's seen a lot of Lyme so I'm pretty confident she would pick it up. Perhaps that will be more palatable to them.
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