How To Exercise When In Pain

Health / Hot / Motivation / 5 September 2021

I recently had jaw and sinus surgery — and dental work, all at once. Nothing serious, two teeth broken by accident (one had to be pulled out, the other required an implant and dental bone graft), sinus which also needed an implant because there was not enough bone (which I’ve had since early childhood), etc.! However, as I am prone to trigeminal neuralgia since a very young age, we had to be super careful with this famous nerve. Add to that, the fact that I’m allergic to all narcotics, so no strong pain killers for me…you can imagine that for 7 days, it’s been quite the rollercoaster. And since this trigeminal nerve was obviously affected in the surgery, I — who rarely, if ever, complains — have admitted to being in agony!

Once a warrior, always a warrior

How do I deal with this excruciating sensation of a knife penetrating the bone all the time? Frankly, on a scale of 1 to 10, I’m rarely below a 9.
So, I use my knowledge about the body, supplements, alternative medicine and conventional medicine, and this is what I do:

CBD in oil and capsules at a rate of 50mg each dose: it does not take away the pain completely but it does go down from 9 to 8 or 7 if I’m lucky.
Cryotherapy: to calm inflammation associated with implants and other treatments. I do full body sessions at -155°C / -247°F (yes, it’s very, very cold!) ,as well as for my face only, following the path of the trigeminal nerve.
Ibuprofen: this works a little, but not enough to suppress the pain that keeps me awake. I take 600mg every 6 hours.
Anti-inflammatory drugs: Americans have a hell of a pain-management problem and refuse to give correct doses of products like prednisone. Whereas in France, we would prescribe 40mg, here it’s a meager 4mg! In other words, nothing, and therefore no effect on my pain :(.
Anti-inflammatory diet: my KETO SMART dairy-free program. In super strict mode, because sugar — as is well known — maintains and promotes inflammation.

No codeine, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl or any other pain reliever narcotic that would work wonders. So I meditate!

As a result, for the past 7 days, my training for Antarctica has taken a hit.
And I felt guilty about that. Really guilty, actually. Because it’s all good and well to let go and “take care of yourself first” but, no excuse, not even that of my severe pain will serve me any good when I find myself climbing a mountain in extreme cold without having been 100% prepared!

I handled this element as follows:

the first 3 days: I aimed for 5000 steps per day, and 4 min of hypopressive abs from my Flat Belly in 5 Minutes a Day® program.
then, with each relative lull in pain, I aimed for 20 squats, 20 ballerina squats, and 30 seconds hanging from my pull-up bar. More than that got my heart rate rising and the pain returning.
and today, 10 days later — although I’m still in a lot of pain — thanks to meditation and a positive attitude, I decided to walk more, and I’ve reached 10km in several of my outings, plus 100 squats in 5 × 20 reps, 100 abs in 10 × 10 reps and 50 reverse triceps on the edge of my tub in 10 × 5 reps. It’s not much, but it’s more than nothing, and the endorphins released by the joy of moving do soothe the pain a little more.

Moving, even a little bit, increases the production of endorphins — those hormones of happiness which help reduce pain.

And on top of all that, I’ve continued connecting with all of you…to occupy my mind, even if the pain was overwhelmingly stronger at times, and I had to give myself a few seconds to recenter. In the end, I’ve discovered that to give — and to give fully — is more effective than moping on my couch thinking only one thing: pain.

Of course, everyone has their own way of dealing with pain, but I have found that my way suits me well. What matters most is what works for you!

Remember, we are much stronger than we think.