05.24.08
Cramps
Cramping is something a lot of people with cGvHD deal with all the time, but I think it’s basically still a problem with low minerals and electrolytes. As cGvHD is a complicated systemic autoimmune disorder, it just makes it more complicated to maintain proper levels and good physiological efficiency throughout the body. Two days ago I did a sub-mile long jog. I haven’t been conditioning my body for jogging in recent months and my body just has never been efficient at jogging anyway (although, I used to pole vault and run the 220 and 440 on the track team). The next day, my feet and calves cramped when I did anything other than walking.
Since my first diagnosis five years ago, I have avoided taking vitamins or supplements of any type, relying instead on trying to maintain a healthy diet. Even during all the endurance training and riding since then, it’s been difficult to keep going without supplementation. Twenty miles into a 100-mile ride, I’d start cramping, even when I was in relatively good condition last year. Relatively good, meaning for someone who had a bone marrow transplant just a few months before. Being on a century ride and knowing that you have 75+ miles left to go with serious cramping is discouraging. And century rides are supposed to be fun, not like racing.
The prednisone is keeping me from sleeping again. I average about four hours a night now. Part of the problem was the lack of vigorous exercise recently. I feel better overall, which is the desired result of the tradeoff for using steroids. But, it is a temporary tradeoff and one I wish I didn’t need to take but for the cGvHD.
Carl and I did about 22 miles on the towpath this morning. He was expecting an “old man ride” from me, but we averaged 14 mph and I didn’t slog. I need to get in gear and ramp up aggressively for our annual NYC Century singlespeed ride in September. Last year, I was in better physical condition around this same time and I was feeling it on the NYCC (the big issue being the cramping). I’m in worse condition now and will be on steroids for a while, so by extrapolation, I predict I will have a tougher time this year.