{Update on my Fitness Journey} : I open up about my day-to-day struggles

        

Image from: communitytable.parade.com

       I have been fairly honest with how much pain I experienced during my pregnancy with my daughter. We all hoped  the pain issues were only due to being pregnant. Unfortunately, the issues have only gotten worse during the past 4 postpartum months. It has really caused a major hit to my postpartum fitness plans. I had truly hoped I would be much further along on my fitness journey by now. It's very disheartening to essentially "live and die" by your calendar of all the various doctor's appointments I have on a regular basis. I always thought this lifestyle would only happen to me once I was much much older {if at all}. On any given week, I will probably see at least 2 different doctor's {if not more}. 

        So far, we have found that I already have arthritis in my spine. The most recent discovery, my neurologist found was that I have neuropathy in my arms and legs. The Mayo Clinic defines Neuropathy as: disease or dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves, typically causing numbness or weakness. This discovery explained why I am definitely having many of my problems. I constantly feel a burning sensation, like as if your are or leg fell asleep and is just starting to wake up {that burning needle sensation}.  It causes much pain and weakness. This is a constant thing, not just an 'every-so-often' feeling. {Yeah, It sucks.} I tell family and close friends how much I hate being only 26 years old with a body that acts like I am 70 years old. My neurologist has already ran many tests to try to find out what is cause the neuropathy. I have not been told any results yet. Next week, I have to go get a skin biopsy done to see if my neuropathy is due to thick veins. If that is the cause, he said it should be a relatively easy fix by taking a particular medication that helps with this issue. Honestly, I really hope they can find what is causing the issue, so I can get back to "normal."
        All this being said, I have been in physical therapy for the past 3 months working on various strengthening exercises. My physical therapist thinks it could help relieve some of the pain. Every day, I see all these wonderful workout plans to get you into better shape. I only wish I could do some of these "get fit quick" workouts. Since I can barely write or type most days, these workouts would be practically impossible for me to complete. So, with the help for my wonderful husband, we are working on compiling some exercises and a fitness program for people with health issues like me {mainly the ones my physical therapist has deemed safe enough for me to do}. 

        I truly, truly hope that one day I can look back on all this, and be so proud to see just how successful this new workout regime has been. I will be working on compiling more and more information and examples of these exercises for all of you. I just felt that this is a great way to not only inform all of you about what's going on with me, but also let you know what I have in the works. I am so thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful support system around me. I couldn't deal with all this without all of you! I look forward to sharing and working on furthering my fitness journey.  I don't want this to become a pity party, I want to let you all know that I am hopeful that I can fulfill my wish to help others from my personal struggles.

Image from: www.laminaresearchcenter.com

Getting down to the "Nitty Gritty": Let's talk about PostpartumDepression

         

           I feel this is an important topic that needs more discussing. In my personal experience, it can be hard to realize you may actually be suffering from postpartum depression. Many new moms find themselves not feeling as amazing as they think they should feel right after having their sweet baby. After all, people call babies "a bundle of joy." So why don't you feel the same about it? You know you love this child and would do anything for your baby, but you may feel your world is crashing in on you. Trust me, I know. It's call the "baby blues" which can develop into postpartum depression (ppd). There really isn't much you can do to prevent the "baby blues" or ppd, but the most important thing you can do is get a jump start on noticing the symptoms and getting the help you need. You should also know that you should not feel ashamed if you have any of the symptoms. If you think you could be dealing with ppd, contact either your OBGYN or primary care doctor.
         There is a difference between the "baby blues" and postpartum depression. I did a little research to familiarize myself with the signs and symptoms of both. The Mayo Clinic explains that the "baby blues" should only last a few days up to two weeks. The symptoms of the "baby blues" are:

Mood swings

Anxiety

Sadness

Irritability

Crying

Decreased concentration

Trouble sleeping

All the symptoms are very common, and most women will blame it all on being a new mother. Which really if you breakdown the symptoms, that does seem like a logical explanation. {I mean seriously, "trouble sleeping?!"... As a new mom, you probably aren't sleeping because you have a newborn.} THE KEY to all this is to keep evaluating yourself and see if you are still experiencing these symptoms longer than two weeks. If you are, you may have postpartum depression. You need to speak to a doctor about any concerns you may have as soon as you can, because you do not want it to go untreated and get out of hand. The symptoms of ppd are:

Loss of appetite

Insomnia

Intense irritability and anger

Overwhelming fatigue

Loss of interest in sex

Lack of joy in life

Feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy

Severe mood swings

Difficulty bonding with your baby

Withdrawal from family and friends

Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

Again, I cannot reiterate it enough, if you have any of these symptoms, you need to contact your doctor about your concerns. I have dealt with this issue with both of my children. It took me longer the 1st time around to realize my anxiety levels, mood swings, and fatigue were not just simply due to a lack of sleep and being new mom. I was lucky enough that approximately two months after my first baby was born, I had to a check up with my primary care doctor. I talked to her about how I was feeling, and she explained that it was not just due to the baby, but that it was postpartum depression. I remember thinking how I should have mentioned it to someone earlier, and I wouldn't have been suffering so long. With my second baby, I was able to recognize the symptoms much sooner, and was able to get back on track quicker.

         One thing I did both times, was finding something that I loved doing before having a baby, and try to get back into it. Whether it's reading, blogging, cooking, or crafting... find a way to make yourself have a little "you time." I would either have my husband or family watch the baby for a little while, and dive into a fun hobby for while they had the baby. It really helped me each time. I love all those hobbies I mentioned above, so I would pick just one to work on at a time. Recently, I've been trying to get back into my blogging {obviously}, and my crafting. My latest creation are some coasters I made for my dad's new bar he built for his "man cave." I had such a blast making them, and my spirits were lifted to see them turn out so well. Since they turned out so great, I made sure I added them to my Etsy shop. You can actually give us an idea about a design you like, and we will try to match it up for you. Here's a link to our shop if you would like to check it out: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeekedOutCrafts

All this being said, I am serious about wanting new moms to realize if you might be suffering from ppd. If you are waiting to get help because you feel bad about not feeling so glamorized by your new baby, do not make that your excuse. It is not worth suffering when you can simply get help. You doctor can prescribe you a medicine to help. After you have sought out help, you can also try the "hobby" idea I mentioned about to see if that can help lift your spirits some. You should be able to enjoy this time in your life, not feeling constant dread. I'm hopeful this post may help some moms out there realize they could be actually dealing with postpartum depression.