The ability to move again
March 12 2005, a regular Saturday afternoon at the gym; getting ready to get pumped to do a heavy chest workout. Just like everyone else, trying to follow the muscle heads that we see in our society. My workout buddy, Fred, who is going onto his 60s and happens to be a huge guy, arrives 15 minutes prior to gym closing. Working out takes control over everything. My blood is pumping, and I’m feeling great. I happen to be in the midst of having a conversation with my buddy about how much I hate hospitals; without even knowing that in less than 24 hrs, I was about to be submitted into one.
Almost 3 weeks prior to that night, I was feeling “Too Skinny,” had great mobility and agility patterns with my body, was able to move and do pretty much what I had wanted to do, except for what I wanted it to be… to be big and solid like a rock. I found myself with the solution in my hands, Steroids. I started doing something my body did not need, leading me to be big, but in a hospital bed with half of my body paralyzed. I guess when we are young all we want is looks, so we will do whatever it takes to get there. Forgetting how healthy we should and could be, forgetting how precious our body truly is, and how important basic movement throughout a regular day can be. So I thought, “Hey?! Why not? It’s only 3 little pills a day!”
After my chest workout, at the beginning of the third week into my cycle of steroids, I headed out to my favorite coffee shop to meet up with a few friends. At around 9pm, while waiting for my friends, the right side of my body started to lose feeling. I remember it beginning at my foot. I had no ability to move it, with the feeling traveling upwards to my leg. I felt small feelings of panic, but nothing serious. I felt the tension at the stretch point but no mobility. After my friends arrived, my right leg was pretty much numb, but once again instead of making the right choice, I decided to go home and have “a few drinks” with some friends.
After a fun night of drinks and jokes about how I was not able to move my leg, my right arm became about 70% weak, but I was having fun so it didn’t really matter. The next morning after I woke up (more like just after opening my eyes) and felt hung over, I was not able to move the muscles from my shoulder down. I was barely able to reach out from the bed to try to get my friends attention to tell them to take me to the hospital. So at that time all I had thought about and was wishing for was the mobility to get out of bed, to have the function our body needs to move and to just do the things we do the basic things we do in our daily lives.
Arriving at the hospital, it took about 10 minutes to get a bed in the red zone of the emergency room (funny because it usually takes hours just to check in). I was submitted to get a CAT Scan of my brain. The results? A small arterial venous malformation, that led to a hemorrhage that was approximately 2.5cm in diameter on the left side of my brain, because my blood pressure was so high from being on steroids. It was like having a golf ball on the left side of my brain. That’s why the right side of my body was paralyzed; it put pressure on the motor unit that controls my arm and leg. A rough Monday morning started with seizures on my leg, later on moving to my arm. The cause for all this was one word: Steroids.
Thankfully, after 4 months of rehab and learning how to walk again, the bleeding ended up going away without having to cut my head open. I then realized that to be in peak shape all you need to do is to move, be active, and to train the right way. I wonder, was it really worth putting my body through such a rough time when all that is needed is to be able to function and to move injury free on a normal basis?
All I can say is that I was lucky. Since I was able to move and be active before, I was able to recuperate fast. So my message to you, not as a trainer, but as a person from experience, is that in most cases the shortcut will take you the longest way.
Steroids are not the answer, train to live not to be hurt.
-Alex

March 12 2005, a regular Saturday afternoon at the gym; getting ready to get pumped to do a heavy chest workout. Just like everyone else, trying to follow the muscle heads that we see in our society. My workout buddy, Fred, who is going onto his 60s and happens to be a huge guy, arrives 15 minutes prior to gym closing. Working out takes control over everything. My blood is pumping, and I’m feeling great. I happen to be in the midst of having a conversation with my buddy about how much I hate hospitals; without even knowing that in less than 24 hrs, I was about to be submitted into one.
Almost 3 weeks prior to that night, I was feeling “Too Skinny,” had great mobility and agility patterns with my body, was able to move and do pretty much what I had wanted to do, except for what I wanted it to be… to be big and solid like a rock. I found myself with the solution in my hands, Steroids. I started doing something my body did not need, leading me to be big, but in a hospital bed with half of my body paralyzed. I guess when we are young all we want is looks, so we will do whatever it takes to get there. Forgetting how healthy we should and could be, forgetting how precious our body truly is, and how important basic movement throughout a regular day can be. So I thought, “Hey?! Why not? It’s only 3 little pills a day!”
After my chest workout, at the beginning of the third week into my cycle of steroids, I headed out to my favorite coffee shop to meet up with a few friends. At around 9pm, while waiting for my friends, the right side of my body started to lose feeling. I remember it beginning at my foot. I had no ability to move it, with the feeling traveling upwards to my leg. I felt small feelings of panic, but nothing serious. I felt the tension at the stretch point but no mobility. After my friends arrived, my right leg was pretty much numb, but once again instead of making the right choice, I decided to go home and have “a few drinks” with some friends.
After a fun night of drinks and jokes about how I was not able to move my leg, my right arm became about 70% weak, but I was having fun so it didn’t really matter. The next morning after I woke up (more like just after opening my eyes) and felt hung over, I was not able to move the muscles from my shoulder down. I was barely able to reach out from the bed to try to get my friends attention to tell them to take me to the hospital. So at that time all I had thought about and was wishing for was the mobility to get out of bed, to have the function our body needs to move and to just do the things we do the basic things we do in our daily lives.
Arriving at the hospital, it took about 10 minutes to get a bed in the red zone of the emergency room (funny because it usually takes hours just to check in). I was submitted to get a CAT Scan of my brain. The results? A small arterial venous malformation, that led to a hemorrhage that was approximately 2.5cm in diameter on the left side of my brain, because my blood pressure was so high from being on steroids. It was like having a golf ball on the left side of my brain. That’s why the right side of my body was paralyzed; it put pressure on the motor unit that controls my arm and leg. A rough Monday morning started with seizures on my leg, later on moving to my arm. The cause for all this was one word: Steroids.
Thankfully, after 4 months of rehab and learning how to walk again, the bleeding ended up going away without having to cut my head open. I then realized that to be in peak shape all you need to do is to move, be active, and to train the right way. I wonder, was it really worth putting my body through such a rough time when all that is needed is to be able to function and to move injury free on a normal basis?
All I can say is that I was lucky. Since I was able to move and be active before, I was able to recuperate fast. So my message to you, not as a trainer, but as a person from experience, is that in most cases the shortcut will take you the longest way.
Steroids are not the answer, train to live not to be hurt.
-Alex

Excellent article man!!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what we will do to ourselves when we feel "not good enough". What is even more amazing is the miracle that really happened here: its not that you didn't die, it's not that you were able to walk/move again, its that you REALIZE that life is a precious gift and you yourself are a miracle.
ReplyDeleteThe small things, the abilty to walk, lift your arms- these are things some people do not have and NEVER will. We take for granted our every day abilitys like sight and sound, not realizing that these are gifts we are given and they can be taken away in an instant.
I am so happy to hear that you were blessed with the ablity to see how precious these gifts are, even if it took a hard road to get there.
You know what they say, "You don't know what you've got 'til its gone.." -- the good thing is that you got it back... and from what I've read, I'm guessing you will never jeapordize it again. I admire your willingness to share your story, you will help someone you don't even know from making a potentially fatal mistake.
Wowww! Unbelievable article!
ReplyDelete- Scott