Cross Training / General Health & Fitness

[AntonioGG]

20 minutes ago, throet said:

On top of losing the weight, eating right has enabled me to stop taking Omeprazole and Linzess for various gastric issues.

I had to take that stuff for a while.  I had really bad side effects for me.  It got so bad that at some point I was getting all kinds of scans for possible endocrine tumors.  With everything cleared, I stopped taking this stuff and had really bad rebound heartburn for a couple of weeks, but then I felt so much better.

[AustinBike]

40 minutes ago, throet said:

On top of losing the weight, eating right has enabled me to stop taking Omeprazole and Linzess for various gastric issues. It's truly amazing how much my body has appreciated good food and healthy portions. Still taking cholesterol lowering meds though, and don't intend to give up red meat anytime soon. Gotta pick your poison! 

For me, I found that cholesterol had more to do with the sugar I was eating (including beer) and less with red meat. I don't eat much red meat but when I cut back on sugar the cholesterol got in line. And my doctor was all over red meat - never changed that so I can't say for sure it would have helped, just know I cut cholesterol without worrying about meat. I actual eat way more fat now, just few carbs and my cholesterol stays in line. Everyone is different, glad I found my secret formula.

[AustinBike]

Anyone interested in Tai Chi, my wife is finding a lot of them available online for free.

[June Bug]

On 1/28/2020 at 4:20 PM, Andrzej said:

I used to do 12 week programs off bodybuilding.com that really did whip me into shape and had a great effect on my riding.  I want to find another program similar to that but mountain bike specific.  If I have a plan written out for me I’ll have a much better chance of sticking with it.  Does anyone know of a good MTB strength training program that includes rides and interval training available for download? Seems like there are a few ads I’ve seen on Instagram and Facebook. 

 BikeJames.com   Some free stuff, some comprehensive training programs for sale. He's mountain bike specific. 

[throet]

My wife's been complaining for years that I'm constantly gasping for air during sleep, but I've ignored her pleas for me to take action. Finally got around to getting a sleep study, which confirmed moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Anybody studied this extensively? I feel somewhat like I'm falling into yet another trap of our US healthcare system, which is to over treat everything. The thought of sleeping with a hose and mask attached to my face is horrifying, but others I've talked to have said that their CPAP has been life changing for them. I've initiated the order for one, but frankly I'm really bummed about it. 

[AntonioGG]

1 hour ago, throet said:

My wife's been complaining for years that I'm constantly gasping for air during sleep, but I've ignored her pleas for me to take action. Finally got around to getting a sleep study, which confirmed moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Anybody studied this extensively? I feel somewhat like I'm falling into yet another trap of our US healthcare system, which is to over treat everything. The thought of sleeping with a hose and mask attached to my face is horrifying, but others I've talked to have said that their CPAP has been life changing for them. I've initiated the order for one, but frankly I'm really bummed about it. 

I couldn't handle it.  I got the kind that's just on the nose and was OK for a while, but then I had some unrelated anxiety issues which caused me a couple of panic attacks (also unrelated to the CPAP) and I could never put it back on.  I am a light sleeper, so moving with something attached to my face would cause me to wake up multiple times a night.  I lost some weight and became focused on sleeping on my side and I think that resolved my problem.  Also look into a night guard which pulls your lower jaw forward.  For some people, that makes all the difference.  You can see if this would make a difference by laying face up, let your jaw slacken all the way back, breathe in deeply, then compare to it with the jaw pulled forward to see if it's different.

[Ridenfool]

2 hours ago, throet said:

My wife's been complaining for years that I'm constantly gasping for air during sleep, but I've ignored her pleas for me to take action. Finally got around to getting a sleep study, which confirmed moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Anybody studied this extensively? I feel somewhat like I'm falling into yet another trap of our US healthcare system, which is to over treat everything. The thought of sleeping with a hose and mask attached to my face is horrifying, but others I've talked to have said that their CPAP has been life changing for them. I've initiated the order for one, but frankly I'm really bummed about it. 

 

After things got so bad that I was falling asleep at work, and worse, while driving to/from work, time and again, a sleep study revealed severe OSA. I have been on CPAP for a couple of decades now. It changed my life and quite literally may have saved my life.

By learning more about the many negative health effects Sleep Apnea can cause due to the body being starved for oxygen over and over, and also from getting no deep sleep cycle, it became a motivator for me to use the sleep scuba every night. Being a back sleeper the transition was easy for me. The immediate positive effect upon my restfulness, alertness, and life improvement was the convincer. The few times I've had to sleep without CPAP have been miserable, requiring me to be on my side or sitting up so gravity doesn't pull my jaw down to pinch the soft tissues and close the windpipe.

The only regret I have is not learning about it earlier, as I had likely lived with it for many years (decades) prior to being diagnosed.

 

Continue to study up on it, find some CPAP/Apnea forums and continue to read up on other people's experiences, equipment, etc.

[mtb_jeremy]

I started using a CPAP about two years ago.  I was snoring bad (wife let me know).  It definitely helps with sleep, where I consistently get a good nights sleep all the time.  I wish it meant I could get by with a hour less, but that didn't change.  My dentist is pushing mouth guards to help, and I am a bit curious because it would be nicer than having the machine attached or carrying it on trips.  Also would mean I could move while sleeping, as now I have to be on my back all night, or it leaks air.

I am not so concerned with the medical system locking me in for profit (insurance covers it anyway).  After having been through 4 deaths in my family in the last 18 months, I really value anything that is helpful for my overall health.  Good rest is something the body/brain needs to repair from the day's activities.  I remember even reading one article putting sleep quality as a possible factor for dementia.

[throet]

This is great feedback and much appreciated. I get plenty of sleep (8+ hrs per night), and don't feel tired during the day. According to my Smart Watch and the Sleep Study though, not enough of my sleep is the restorative Deep Sleep that is needed. My biggest concern is around the more serious side effects. My blood pressure has been on the rise for example, which could be attributed to the oxygen deprivation. Could also be attributed to my increased alcohol consumption. 😎

I like the idea of perhaps alternating between a mouth appliance and CPAP and will likely pursue that option. Could also try focusing on side sleeping, and in fact that used to be my go-to position. Not sure what's changed over the years, but I've definitely become a back sleeper. 

[RedRider3141]

21 hours ago, Ridenfool said:

 

After things got so bad that I was falling asleep at work, and worse, while driving to/from work, time and again, a sleep study revealed severe OSA. I have been on CPAP for a couple of decades now. It changed my life and quite literally may have saved my life.

...

The only regret I have is not learning about it earlier, as I had likely lived with it for many years (decades) prior to being diagnosed.

My Dad and Father-in-law had near identical experiences, they resisted it for probably 10-15 years before giving in and becoming a believer. I myself, should probably go in as-well and get a sleep study. 

[throet]

Another hard lesson learned about listening to your body, and another lucky outcome. Earlier this month I started experiencing a dull pain in my chest that got slightly worse when I exercised. I sort of wrote it off to aging and angina, since I wasn't feeling any other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, lightheadedness, weakness, etc. The one real oddity was a ride on Jan 7, where I was having to stop after every climb to catch my breath and where my max HR far exceeded the norm for me (and for any 65yr old dude for that matter) at 190. I wrote that off too, to lack of sleep and alcohol consumption the day prior, aka "low body battery". Still, I did make an appointment with my Cardiologist but the earliest available was in mid-Feb. Fast forward to Jan 28 (this past Sun) - woke up excited to pick up my buddy and head out to RPR for some much needed riding before settling in for an afternoon / evening of NFL action. I started feeling some sharper pains in my chest though, that would come and go as I was just going through my morning routine. Finally my better judgement kicked in and I let my friend know what was going on and that I didn't want to chance it, especially knowing the medical response at RPR would be less than ideal for anything life threatening. I woke up my wife and let her know that I was going to just run over to the BS&W Emergency Hospital in Cedar Park so that I could get checked out and back home for the NFL games. The EKG was perfectly normal, but given my past history of pulmonary embolism, they did a CT Scan, even though my D-Dimer (blood indicator of clotting) was only slightly elevated. Good thing they did as multiple clots were discovered across both lungs. Needless to say, instead of enjoying some ice-cold beer that afternoon, I was treated to a steady drip of Heparin while watching football on a hospital-grade (small) flatscreen TV. They found no DVT this time, and surmised that the clots may be the residual effect of stuff that's been going on for the past few weeks. In any case, I'll be on Eliquis indefinitely now given this second episode of pulmonary emboli. Moral of story, listen to your body and don't fear the dreaded "false alarm at the ER", as I've had a few of those myself as well. In retrospect, I should have gone much earlier and just got lucky this time, again.          

SIMILAR MTB RIDES DEC 30-JAN 13

Edited January 30 by throet

[mack_turtle]

On 8/30/2023 at 9:04 AM, throet said:

 Finally got around to getting a sleep study, which confirmed moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Anybody studied this extensively? I feel somewhat like I'm falling into yet another trap of our US healthcare system, which is to over treat everything. 

Late reply, but I did a sleep study and found that I have mild apnea. Several of the men in my family suffer as well. Instead of a cpap machine, I put a 1" long piece of medical tape vertically cross my lips each night. It seals my lips shut so I can't snore, and breathe exclusively through my nose. Sounds too simple but it has worked for me for the past year. I also haven't had my usual bout of cedar fever (yet), so we'll see how that goes.

Edited January 31 by mack_turtle

[mack_turtle]

anyone have neck injury stories to share, especially if they relate to local healthcare providers?

three years ago I noticed pain in my shoulder and left arm. I went to PT off and on for a year while they treated it as a shoulder injury, and thought it was resolved. then it came back hard. more PT with Airrosti gets relief for a week or maybe two months, but it comes back. I finally got an MRI this past summer and confirmed that the narrow passage where the nerves exit my spinal cord around C7 and down my left arm has spurs that pinch the nerve. my left arm is often sore and weak. I've had to end many bike rides early and skipped a few rides and events because I don't want to show up for something and then just hobble home in pain. I ended my NYD ride after about 30 minutes because I almost crashed in a rock garden when my left arm turned to jelly.

I had a steroid injection the past summer, which got me through a few months pain-free. the pain came back in December and was unbearable by New Years. I rode last on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 and haven't touched my bike since. I had a second steroid injection on Jan. 10, which did absolutely nothing for me. I managed to get an appointment with a neurosurgeon next week to discuss more drastic options. from what I've read, this becomes a problem for some people after 50 or 60, not 42!

it sounds like the problems I experience come from either inflammation, or structural bone issues. inflammation can be treated with PT and anti-inflammatories. bone-spur pinching means surgery—probably the kind where they root out the opening in the bone and maybe replace a disc if it's herniated, but not the kind where they fuse vertebrae together with screws and plates. yikes!

[AntonioGG]

I have cervical stenosis too.  I have successfully treated it with therapy so far.  I have so many nerve issues not exclusive to the neck though. I also have a pinch somewhere on my left shoulder as well as ulnar compression issues and carpal syndrome.   The neck and shoulder are the most marked and also the ones that dramatically improve with posture.  My symptoms are mostly numb hands or specific fingers (left ring finger is from the shoulder, full hand is from the neck, pinky+ring is ulnar, and middle, index, and thumb are carpal.  I can pronate my arm and feel immediate relief on the ring finger, and I can do forward head posture exercises and also feel immediate relief for the full hand issue.   Any PT should be able to at least give it a try. For neck issues I've gone to Austin Sports Medicine and Texas Physical Therapists.

[mack_turtle]

26 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

Any PT should be able to at least give it a try. 

That was the plan, but they have been trying for three years. Jumping from PT to spine surgery seems like a big jump. I love my PT, but it seems like this might be beyond their abilities.

[Barry]

For 23 years I only rode. I lifted a bit in high school, but not at all since. 

So I found out pretty early in Austin that I can do whatever at my company and keep getting great reviews. So I can take an hour and a half or more for lunch with no consequences... because subject matter expert yada yada with a limited scope. In Austin I lived right by work, so during this time, I went home and did whatever. But in Tulsa, work is 25 minutes from home. So I mostly used that time long-sitting at restaurants or freakin' napping. In August it occurred to that I could better utilize this time. 

So yeah, I joined a gym near work and go about 3-4 times a week. I power through 3setof10 on about 9-12 machines. No machine more than 3 minutes. And I'm done up in 30ish minutes. Quick shower and out in about 40 minutes total. 

I'm riding WAY less. But I'm having absolutely no problem maintaining my weight now.

[CBaron]

11 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

That was the plan, but they have been trying for three years. Jumping from PT to spine surgery seems like a big jump. I love my PT, but it seems like this might be beyond their abilities.

Back in 2007 at the age of 35 my wife had C6-C7 fused and it simply went amazing.  She was in an enormous amount of acute pain and it was iimmediately healed and its been pretty trouble free outside of her getting reear ended in a car accident (which has lead to a few minor issues with the next lower disc).  

I've got a bigger longer story of how we got to this poiint and how the Dr alleviated my skeepticism very thoughtfully (and ended up being predictiveely accurate).  If yoou are interested then I'm happy to get on the phone with more details.  If it can be determined that THIS is whats NEEDED, then I'd highly recommend our Dr.

Cheers,
CJB

[mack_turtle]

I'm hoping that if the surgeon confirms that surgery is the way to go, it will involve just trimming away the bone spurs that are pinching the nerve. Someone mentioned disc replacement as well, which sounds a little more drastic. Fusion sounds rough, but I'll get back to @CBaron when I learn more.

[Shinerider]

All this talk about snoring and apnea.  My wife says I snore a lot, but I am a stomach sleeper.  Not sure how that works out and how my jaw position could help.  CPAP would be a no-go for me because of the sleeping position.  Weird, eh?

[Ridenfool]

You're probably okay Apnea-wise. As long as you are getting a restful sleep and there are no points where you stop breathing for extended periods.

The prominent cause of Apnea is when a back-sleeper's muscles relax and the jaw follows gravity. Then, the soft tissues weighted by the jawbone closes the airway. CPAP inflates the airway, opening it so breathing doesn't stop and no O2 starvation occurs. (CPAP= Constant Positive Airway Pressure)

Of course, if the snoring is bad enough there could be other health repercussions due to injury by blunt force trauma from the missus.

 

Edited February 7 by Ridenfool

[June Bug]

On 2/6/2024 at 9:50 AM, Shinerider said:

All this talk about snoring and apnea.  My wife says I snore a lot, but I am a stomach sleeper.  Not sure how that works out and how my jaw position could help.  CPAP would be a no-go for me because of the sleeping position.  Weird, eh?

My nose doc, Zach Wassmuth, gently trimmed the turbinates for both Mr. JB and I, and fixed deviated septums to improve breathing. 

He also suggested a sleep test and I was blown away that I had sleep apnea.  There were three different types of CPAP masks offered: the little nasal canula felt like a fire hose of air straight in my nose.  The next option was a mini mask that covers the end of the nose and nostrils and that's what I use.  All good.  Initially the air presssure was too strong, but I asked them to lower it, which can be done remotely, then all was fine.  I think the next option is a big mask covering mouth and nose, which looked claustrophobic. 

Quote

"My wife says I snore a lot, but I am a stomach sleeper." 

How does that work? Do you face plant into your pillow and fall asleep from there? 

Edited February 21 by June Bug

[AntonioGG]

On 2/16/2024 at 8:03 PM, June Bug said:

My nose doc, Zach Wassmuth, gently trimmed the turbinates for both Mr. JB and I, and fixed deviated septums to improve breathing. 

He also suggested a sleep test and I was blown away that I had sleep apnea.  There were three different types of CPAP masks offered: the little nasal canula felt like a fire hose of air straight in my nose.  The next option was a mini mask that covers the end of the nose and nostrils and that's what I use.  All good.  I think the next option is a big mask covering mouth and nose. 

How does that work? Do you face plant into your pillow and fall asleep from there? 

Head to the side.  I’m a stomach sleeper too.

[throet]

On 2/16/2024 at 8:03 PM, June Bug said:

My nose doc, Zach Wassmuth, gently trimmed the turbinates for both Mr. JB and I, and fixed deviated septums to improve breathing. 

He also suggested a sleep test and I was blown away that I had sleep apnea. 

I'm planning to have that same surgery, after being unsuccessful with CPAP during 90-day trial. I don't expect the nasal surgery to fix my Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), but I figure it will at least give me a fighting chance with the machine since currently I can only breathe effectively through my mouth. I'm also looking into potential use of a dental appliance to try in lieu of the CPAP. Anybody tried one of those for OSA? My case is only moderate. Gonna try losing the 20lbs that I've added over the past year as well, since shrinking the tongue by mere millimeters could help.    

[June Bug]

Doc. Wassmuth is great, if you don't already have an ENT lined up.  He's in north Austin and does numerous of these "repairs" on a weekly basis, so super experienced.   He also does a procedure at the same time called balloon sinuplasty, that is super helpful if you have repeat sinus infections.  They now have an in-office surgery setup; all very convenient. 

Capital ENT and Sinus Center/capitalent.com/

 

[throet]

Any advice on getting accurate, consistent BP readings at home? Honestly, I don't even get accurate, consistent BP readings at the doctor's office. During my recent hospitalization though, my BP readings were nearly perfect throughout my stay. So why such wild swings almost all of the rest of the time? This is just from today, using my cheap Walmart Equate monitor. I'd be happy to invest in a more reliable device if there was some evidence that you truly get what you pay for with these devices. Garmin sells one for $150 that I could try.