I had asked a group of friends with Chiari to come up with some guest posts about their own experiences with Chiari and how they have overcome the sometimes devastating effects.

This post really does show how you can overcome something so serious - talk about a positive mental attitude!

Thank you Jade, you truly are an inspiration!

Chiari and Fitness

I am a fitness fanatic I have been for as long as I can remember, at school I ran cross country, track I did field sports and played hockey all the time! Once I left school this took a back seat as I worked silly hours…its no excuse not to exercise you make time, well you should!

So once I made the decision to join the Police I jumped back in to it, running daily dragging my dogs with me, but by this time I was about 23 and the headaches I’d suffered for many years were slowly getting worse and couldn’t be controlled. Me being completely pig headed and stubborn I just got on with it. I joined a gym going up to 6 days a week, classes, pool work you name it I gave it ago even kick boxing at one point but my vanishing balance put a stop to that! When I finally found out about my Chiari I was advised to stop my fitness as I was doing a lot of weights…and the straining brought on the pain! One of the first questions I asked my Neurosurgeon was when can I go back to the gym, along with hair loss.

It was 9 weeks after surgery that I started my fitness again…some would probably say a bit too soon. I went to a convalescent home through my Police force. There I got the best physiotherapy that was on offer and they gently got be back in to the gym, on the bike at first and using thera-bands (these are long wide rubber bands of different resistances that allow you to gently build up muscles) They are great for injuries! As you don’t work too hard with the lower resistance ones. I even got to the pool for aqua fit classes they were fun!! I tired fast though so could only workout for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

So here we are, I’m 13 weeks post decompression and I’m back at the gym. I didn’t just jump back in to it though, I organised a one to one with an instructor and I explained what had happened over the last few months…he was shocked to say the least! So down to the workout…It looked pretty simple when we went through it but boy do I feel unfit now. I stick to the cardio machines first of all, no running though as this still makes my head feel a tad odd when my feet hit the ground. The toning and muscle building is all done on the power plate and the giant balls. I’m still taking it easy and stop if it hurts. But I think I’m doing pretty well and if I can do it then anyone can, you just need some determination or in my case a very stubborn streak!!!

And make sure you do it safely and that your doctor has given you the go ahead first.

Whether this helps anyone I don’t know but I hope it shows you that anything can be done and that you do not need to restrict yourself forever.

It may take weeks, months or years but you will get there in the end I’m sure of that.