overdoing it

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Kristina1

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Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
822
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
03/2017
Country
US
State
MA
City
Grafton
I'm struggling to find the balance between staying active (which my neuro recommended) and overdoing it. The problem is I do not realize I have over-done it until after the fact. And generally it has been at times when I thought I was engaging in a safe or harmless activity level.

This happened again this afternoon. I watched my kids play outside in the nice weather, which means that all I did was stroll after them and/or stand in place over a period of about 2 hours or so. But apparently that was enough because I'm in pretty bad shape right now.

How do you figure out your limits, especially when they are going to be changing (narrowing) as time goes by?
 
If you go to an ALS clinic, there is likely an OT who can help you find out what can be done to mitigate fatigue for your unique needs.

I just had a session last Friday with an occupational therapist for just this reason- she essentially told me I needed to log every activity and mood in order to figure it out. Then she handed me a whole pile of checklists and info on how to take it easy- which I can't make my way through yet on account the appointment itself was exhausting- there's irony there somewhere.

It's mostly through observation that limits can be placed. You now know that 2 hours of mild activity is too much. Some immediate things that can help is to make sure you are able to rest while observing your kids (park bench?). You may also have some "tells" that can help you assess potential fatigue. My tells are inability to process conversations well, unable to get started on multi-step tasks (like following an unfamiliar recipe), noticing that sound in the background becomes distracting, feeling "down", irritibility, and ringing ears. Those are my unique signs that I am doing too much- yours are likely different. It can be cumulative over several days, or as an immediate result of a single event of over exertion. It's not always tied to physical activity either- sometimes these fatigue signals show up when I communicate with certain people, process strong feelings, or if I'm trying to complete a task that requires full and sustained concentration.

Learning to listen to the signals your body and mood gives you can be really helpful. What is over exertion one day may be tolerated another day because of having a decent sleep or quiet time to yourself beforehand.
 
Especially at the beginning it is trial and error. And a lot of thinking " oh I am sure I can THIS" only to pay later. This does not help in this situation but the rule of thumb I was given for exercise/ activity is that if it takes more than an hour to return to baseline it was too much

Pacing activity is important both within the day and from day to day. Busy day one day should be surrounded by quiet day or days before and after. Rest periods are often needed during the day. I know this is next to impossible with little kids. Sorry
 
If you go to an ALS clinic, there is likely an OT who can help you find out what can be done to mitigate fatigue for your unique needs.

I have the first intake/assessment with OT this Wednesday. Good to know this is something they help with.
 
If your muscles hurt the day after then you overdid it. We just moved over the weekend and my quads are screaming at me. I didn't think I was walking that much with the rollator but I must have been. I am good for 90 minutes of aquatherapy in the heated pool, but I can't go far with the rollator without my legs feeling tired. Today I was sitting on the rollator and gliding around the house to give my legs a rest.
 
I can barely walk without grabbing something to hold on to, I can use rollater and limp my way into mall perhaps or grocery store but my legs are so tired. Takes my rest of day to recover. Am I ready for wheelchair??
 
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