Health Update

[Catseye3]

It occurs to me I never updated y’all regarding the progression re those mystery disappearances of mine, when I became too sick to keep up in here and was nowhere to be found for weeks on end. It’s been quite a long time since that has happened, and I have reason to believe those spells are a thing of the past.

I’ve been reviewing my old health diaries, and I believe I now know what was going on all that time. Since I know you’ve been waiting for this report with bated breath, I can now in retrospect clue you in.

It’s weird.

I believe the cause was twofold, one feeding the other. The overall cause was severe exhaustion, probably adrenal, in two parts. Firstly, by the time those spells commenced, I had sustained a number of years of great stress – depending on how I defined ‘stress’ even going back to adolescence. Unbeknownst, I was courting and coming ever closer to breakdown. Then I sweetened the deal by joining a fitness center, which I worked at hammer and tongs for four years.

I didn’t want to quit the fitness center; I loved it there. I quit because my breathing had become so compromised that I could no longer get from the parking lot to the locker room without several rest stops, leaning on cars in the parking lot and on workout machines inside the facility until I could breathe well enough to move. Which brings me to the second cause.

Poor protein intake. For a long time, money woes had me cutting that corner and making do with eggs and tuna and (gah!) Spam and lunchmeat and low quality stuff like that. No red meat, almost no fish.

So I was pushing a body that was nearing its last gasp with 4-5 workouts a week and a protein-poor diet.

When I disappeared from TNCR, it was from a level of exhaustion so critical that my brain was informing my dumb ass that if I didn’t go to complete bedrest, I would maybe possibly likely probably die. I had no reserves. If I did one thing even remotely strenuous including eating too much, I had nothing in the tank to sustain the rest of me. Then I got the rest I needed, and was quote-unquote fine again, and back in TNCR. Only I really wasn’t fine.

Then a friend suggested I maybe should be eating more and better quality protein, and so began the road back. By then I’d stopped working out also. So there followed a long period of good diet and better living and LOTS less stress, and puddling gently around the house and getting back the strength I’d never really appreciated I’d lost. All throughout, the weakening was too gradual until it got really bad.

For a long time now I’ve felt in pretty normal health. The icing on the workout center cake is that I pushed my musculoskeletal system so hard that I now have difficulty moving around – but that’s a walk in the park compared to how bad things got.

So that’s my story. Thanks for reading.

[Horace]

Glad you’re feeling better. Elimination diets are always a good idea to uncover root cause of unexplainable exhaustion. Just ask Jordan Peterson’s daughter.

[Mik]

Yes indeed, I have wondered but felt it impolite (like that matters here) to ask.

I don't doubt your analysis. I know I do not feel as good if I eat badly. I'm fortunate that I really prefer fresh, whole foods. I can eat a little junk, but not much. One Skyline meal a week or something like that.

I'm glad you have improved and anticipate it not coming back. It seems your metabolism and nutritional needs are quite sensitive.

[Rich]

Glad you seem to have gotten through it.

"Healthy enough to post, is healthy enough for most!"

[taiwan_girl]

Wow!!! Glad to hear that you have determine the reason and are able to solve it!!!

[89th]

Thanks for the updates. Not to overwhelm you but @George-K has been spamming you constantly with Hey Cats! threads. So you have a lot to catch up on.

[Renauda]

Gotta look after yourself, Ma’am.

A big part of that is consistently putting the right fuel in the tank.

Keep it topped up.

[brenda]

So glad you're getting healthier. I miss seeing your posts when you are feeling poorly.

[Rainman]

Really glad to hear some positives from you, Cats!
That word "stress" yeah, that can be a killer, if you can't somehow come to grips with it. I'm still working on it I guess, and all the manifestations that are the symptoms.
Still not really willing to discuss things, so sorry on my part to everyone for being rather distant and cold.
Anyway, hang in there kid! You're leading by example, like it or not!

[cathys]

Thanks for sharing Cats and very glad to hear you are on the right track in dealing with it.

[brenda]

@Rainman
Best wishes to you, too, Rainman.

[Jolly]

Best wishes to both. It's tough feeling bad for an extended time. It taxes mind, body and soul.

[Catseye3]

@Rainman said in Health Update:

That word "stress" yeah, that can be a killer, if you can't somehow come to grips with it. I'm still working on it I guess, and all the manifestations that are the symptoms.
Still not really willing to discuss things, so sorry on my part to everyone for being rather distant and cold.

Thanks to everyone for your good thoughts. And especially to Rainman. Yeah, stress is a biatch. I'm only now starting to respect it; mostly when I heard the advice to lessen stress I was like, yeah yeah, all that woo-woo stuff, spare me . . . but you're right, it can kill you. Its invisibility makes it potentially deadly.

A mistake I made throughout was to overestimate the power of will. Will is amazing and wonderful and can achieve miracles, but it can't overcome everything. I was bound and goddamned determined to succeed at my fitness program and my body could just get over itself -- and my brain said oh yeah??? Next thing you know, I'm flat on my back, too mortally sick to eat or drink.

Please know you are missed here, and worried about. But know even more that you are not obligated to share anything you don't want to share. If you want to check in and just write nonsense (which you are so good at, LOL) that's very welcome and way mo' bettah than not hearing from you.

But no pressure.

[George K]

Just piling on to say that I'm glad you're better. Your comment about "will" is interesting. Yeah, having "the will" to do something is certainly motivational, but if you're having a heart attack, no amount of "will" will change things.

And @Rainman , what everyone else said.

[Doctor Phibes]

Really glad to hear the majority of your health problems are behind you, Cats - I hope everything continues to be good.

Rainman - sincere best wishes to you. I'm hoping you can make it back here from time to discuss Mr. Farage, if nothing else.