AutoImmune Disease Motivation

[mikeyWRX]

I know theres a bunch of you here on bodybuilding.com that are here with an extra 'obsticle'
in the way of training. Ive spoke thru private message with many of you ranging from people with SLE to MS to MG. Lets here your storys. Lets here where you were, how your condition knocked you down, and how far you've come now that you have decided your not going to let your condition take over your life.

I believe that once you get an autoimmune condition, it forces you to become a better person. It forces you to re-evaluate what you want out of life, and how you live your life. It forces you to become mentally stronger than ever before, just to be able to live a "close to normal" life.

So lets here them!!! Also, dont be afraid to share your tricks to how you personally combat your condition mentally and physically in addition to all the horrible medications we take to control out conditions.

Hopefully we can get this thread to grow to to the point where everyone can take home something from it and forever motivating.

[clr18287]

I know theres a bunch of you here on bodybuilding.com that are here with an extra 'obsticle'
in the way of training. Ive spoke thru private message with many of you ranging from people with SLE to MS to MG. Lets here your storys. Lets here where you were, how your condition knocked you down, and how far you've come now that you have decided your not going to let your condition take over your life.

I believe that once you get an autoimmune condition, it forces you to become a better person. It forces you to re-evaluate what you want out of life, and how you live your life. It forces you to become mentally stronger than ever before, just to be able to live a "close to normal" life.

So lets here them!!! Also, dont be afraid to share your tricks to how you personally combat your condition mentally and physically in addition to all the horrible medications we take to control out conditions.

Hopefully we can get this thread to grow to to the point where everyone can take home something from it and forever motivating.

I'm with Mike on this one. I have MS and Lyme disease and I've been battling with the symptoms for a long time now - mainly near blindness, hormonal failures and fatigue. Being healthy is not only something that is absolutely required, it's something that I would have never thought of accomplishing if I had not been cursed/blessed with this illness. Bittersweet for sure. Crazy to think it would take an illness of this magnitude to decide that 30%BF was unacceptable. Since the Dx @ 18, I've developed pretty big fearlessness of a lot of things - kind of like that sense where you know that you can push another 2 sets of those ridiculously painful squats if you convince yourself enough times. Pretty soon, spinal taps, biopsies, surgeries seem pretty routine and harmless. Putting that into perspective against a lot of the little things in life you really just brush them off. Like, the guy who gets in front of you in line.. worthless to worry about it in my life.

I'm looking forward to hearing from other autoimmune folks. Mike and I were discussing the fact that there are probably a lot of you. Your tips and tricks to living normally would definitely be cool.

CR

[mikeyWRX]

I figure ill post up 2 quick pics........first one is me, about a year ago this time......i was almost 240lb and on very high dose prednisone(about 50mg)

Second pic was from today after a back/bi workout.......im currently just under 210 lb., and trying hard to get to 200. I am still currently on 20mg of prednisone. Ive done all my gains from a year ago to now on doses of prednisone tapering from 50mg to 20mg where i am now.





My autoimmune is Myasthenia Gravis......A neuromuscular disease.

My Cliffs notes: Symptoms of MG started october 2007. Never worried or even took notice to health prior to oct 2007......never got sick, never worried about it. by dec 07 i couldnt pick up a coffee cup. After multiple horrible horrible diagnostic procedures(emg's, spinal taps, etc.) I got my diagnosis and started treatment, which is based off prednisone....i ballooned up to what i looked like in the first picture in about 6 months time as i "recovered" and got my antibody level down.
June 2008 I decided I was fed up with all the weight I gained and got back to the gym even though I was on high doses of prednisone(a catabolic steroid).

My basic hope is that people with autoimmune conditions dont let prednisone or their symptoms get in the way of their goals.........It is possible to get the body back you want even on the horrible drug prednisone.........

-mike

-mike

[Human710]

Having read your post, I have concluded that all the efforts we make they cannot be in vain.

[goaa16]

hey mike, im just about to be diagnosed very probably with MG. its all new to me and been reading a lot awful stories about it, mainly from elderly people with severe MG. so far in two years ive had 3 times just ptosis of my right eyelid and double vision. no other symptom. so far my life has been normal, whats weird is that ive taken celltech (powder) 3 times, the exact same times ive got this symptoms, coincidence maybe but still weird. im taking mestinon 60mg 3x a day, to see if i react to it, so on monday i can be tested for MG. ive been lifting for 10 years now, im 26, and never had weakness issues, i still lift and feel pretty strong, just got a little weakness yesterday at the gym, nothing to worry about, but i think is the mestinon trial period that affected me. i will lift the rest of the week and asses that over again. after seeing ur pics, damn that means we can still look and feel good, and continue one of the things we enjoy the most, lift weights. i really hope it stays in ocular MG if this is what ive got. i´ll come back on monday to update my visit to the hospital. u´ve encouraged me far beyond what i´ve read so far, to overcome this. thanks mike!!

tony

[miked512]

hey mike, im just about to be diagnosed very probably with MG. its all new to me and been reading a lot awful stories about it, mainly from elderly people with severe MG. so far in two years ive had 3 times just ptosis of my right eyelid and double vision. no other symptom. so far my life has been normal, whats weird is that ive taken celltech (powder) 3 times, the exact same times ive got this symptoms, coincidence maybe but still weird. im taking mestinon 60mg 3x a day, to see if i react to it, so on monday i can be tested for MG. ive been lifting for 10 years now, im 26, and never had weakness issues, i still lift and feel pretty strong, just got a little weakness yesterday at the gym, nothing to worry about, but i think is the mestinon trial period that affected me. i will lift the rest of the week and asses that over again. after seeing ur pics, damn that means we can still look and feel good, and continue one of the things we enjoy the most, lift weights. i really hope it stays in ocular MG if this is what ive got. i´ll come back on monday to update my visit to the hospital. u´ve encouraged me far beyond what i´ve read so far, to overcome this. thanks mike!!

tony

Wow!! You've only experienced symptoms when taking the celltech? That's weird. I forgot that other Mike had started this thread and thought it was one of mine.

At any rate, I have an idea that the disease is insulin affected but I am not entirely sure. I usually only get symptoms and get out of remission when I'm doing something crazy that affects my blood sugar, for the better or worse.

Mestinon can (it does for me) affect your performance in the gym in a good or bad way but its human and dose dependent. Good luck with the MG (if that what you've got) or whatever you do have though. My 10 years with it has been an interesting ride, but eh ... you can still get yourself a pretty good life and body with it.