CYCLING
For my 23rd birthday in 2009, my sister Mary Ann, gave me a gym membership as a present. I really wanted to start living a healthier lifestyle because my family has a history of many different heath issues that I may be able to prevent if I change my current habits. I had already began trying to improve my eating habits so the next step was to change my exercise routine which at this point only consisted of walking up and down the stairs from my room to the kitchen and walking around work as a server. Things had to change. I began slowly going to the gym a couple times a week doing simple exercises and I decided I really wanted to try some of the classes that are included in my gym membership. I finally decided to take a cycling class.
It was Monday, November 23rd 2009; I had just gotten off work around 4 pm. I called my best friend Janice and asked her if she would like to take a cycling class at 6 that evening and she agreed. We met up at my house around 5:45 and realized that we were running a little late. When we arrived at the gym we climbed on what seemed to be the last two bikes left in the class. Not too long after we got there the class began and we didn’t even have enough time to warm up. It was intense! I was taking it really easy not pushing myself too hard (or seemed not to be pushing myself hard enough). The hour seemed like it would never end and when it finally did my legs felt like jello. We did some stretches and headed home laughing at the fact that we were so out of shape we could barely walk.
The next day I woke up and I was so sore, I was having a difficult time walking and for some reason I could barely bend my right leg. I really thought nothing of it because I called Janice asking how she was feeling and she said she felt the same. I thought I was so weak, and then I realized that my right thigh was really hurting and when I compared it to my left thigh it was a lot bigger. I showed it to my sister, who is a nurse, and she told me I probably over worked my leg and to take ibuprofen, and place a hot towel on it to reduce the swelling and I would be just fine.
A couple days go by and still no change and I end up using crutches to help me walk. I’m refusing to go to the doctor because I have no insurance and I’ve convinced myself that it is getting better because I can slowly bend my leg. It’s the night after Thanksgiving, technically very early Friday, November 27th morning around 3 am and I wake up screaming to what feels to me like the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I guess had quickly bent my leg while I was sleeping which shot pain throughout my whole body and woke me up. That was the last straw for my parents they didn’t care what I said they were bringing me to the emergency room.
I hate going to the hospital. When we get to the emergency room I began getting flashbacks of when I had rushed my dad to the hospital just shy of a year ago in December 2008 and found out he was having a heart attack. This made my stomach turn. Luckily there weren’t that many people there and I was brought to get checked up on quickly. At first I thought the doctor would check on me give me a prescription and I would be all done and on my way home. Boy was I wrong.
The doctor comes in and does his check up. I tell him what happened and he checks my leg. He tells me it looks like I have just overworked my leg and to take ibuprofen, and place a hot towel on it to reduce the swelling and I should be fine. I think to myself “well that sounds familiar”. I tell him that that’s what I’ve been doing for the past four days and his facial expression changes. He has me take a routine urine and blood test to see what’s going on. When my results finally came in a different doctor came in with a very serious look on his face. He began talking to me and says that according to my lab results I have a very high CPK level which means I have severe Rhabdomylosis. I have no idea what he is talking about and he continues talking and begins lecturing me about how this usually occurs in athletes and marathon runners. He tells me that I was being irresponsible and I should have consulted a doctor before beginning to work out and look where it has gotten me. He sees a blank look on my face and explains to me the seriousness of my problem.
According to Wikipedia Rhabdomylosis is the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscles due to injury to muscle tissue. The destruction of muscle leads to the release of the breakdown products of damaged muscle cells into the bloodstream; some of these, such as creatine phosphokinase (CPK muscle enzyme), are harmful to the kidneys and may lead to acute kidney failure.
After explaining this to me I completely broke down. Apparently normal CPK levels are around 30- 200 and mine was over 100,000. This was a big concern for the doctor and they decided to admit me into the hospital to try to flush my system to lower my CPK levels and monitor my kidneys because I was at a high risk of kidney failure. At this point I had no idea how long I would be in the hospital.
It was awful I ended up being in the hospital for 7 days, one whole week. The entire time I was there I was hooked to an IV to flush my system, wobbling back and forth barely making it to the bathroom in time. I was given morphine for the pain and I was getting poked and prodded every morning at 5 am for lab test. The visiting hours were from 11 am to 8 pm so I spent most of the time by myself either reading a book or watching a movie on my iphone. I was being seen twice a day by a regular doctor and a kidney specialist to give me updates on how I was doing. According to the kidney specialist my CPK levels had dropped significantly and had not damaged my kidneys at all. My doctor consulted with the specialist and they agreed to let me go home. I ended up being put on disability until January 2010.
Who would have thought that trying to improve my lifestyle would lead me to a weeklong hospital stay and two months on disability? In the end I know it was my fault because I didn’t consult a doctor before beginning to exercise. Also I know that you should always do warm ups, stretches, and drink lots of fluids before beginning a work out. I have consulted a doctor since then and slowly returned to the gym. I know my limits now and my leg has never felt the same since. I know one thing for sure; I will never take a cycling class again.
