Back in 1999 I visited a drop in clinic because of a nagging cough that wouldn't go away. Within an hour, I was at Mount Sinai Emergency. Never saw that one coming. Most people don't see any health issues coming their way. Turned out I had developed a 1 in 200,000 condition called Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). What the heck is that you ask?
It's the condition of having a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) of no known cause (idiopathic). As most causes appear to be related to antibodies against platelets, ITP is also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura or immune-mediated thrombocytopenic purpura. Often ITP is asymptomatic, however a very low platelet count can lead to visible symptoms, such as purpura (bruises), or more seriously, bleeding diathesis.
The only reason I found out I had this ITP thing was because of hundreds of tiny little bruises on my lower legs that looked like a rash. The drop in clinic doc tried to hide his panic and wonderment when he abruptly ordered me into a cab headed for Mt. Sinai.
I spent a week in hospital while they pumped platelet transfusions and steroids in me to little affect. Shortly before my platelet count started going up, I had literally no platelets left in my body. It was really scary. I even got to witness the death of the woman beside me. After days of moaning, she passed away in the middle of the night. I spent a good 8 hours in a hospital room with a dead body. That same day I started responding to the treatment. I was just hours away from a scheduled bone marrow test. Ouch! It was a character building experience for sure. I was new to the big smoke, had no family with me and a few new friends who came to support me, one of whom visited me every day. She's now one of my most beloved friends. Big hug JoJo.
Why am I telling you this? Because I'm not afraid of working with people who are ill or injured. Over the last four years, Urbanfitt has been evolving into a place where we embrace clients with more specialized needs. And I hope that everyone who walks through the door leave feeling more powerful, fit and vital.
I'm not saying in any way shape or form that we treat conditions. But I truly believe that anyone benefits from movement and that feeling vital to whatever extent possible will impact health outcomes. Under proper medical supervision, anyone should feel confident in being active in a safe and confident manner. Any personal trainer working with medical conditions should be consulting experts to ensure they know what the heck they're doing. Every new condition is a new opportunity to learn.
Here's a list (albeit not complete) of the types of illnesses and conditions that have been at Urbanfitt:
Breast cancer
Bladder cancer
Prostate cancer
Renal failure
Bipolar disorder
Anxiety disorder
Brain cancer
Stroke survivor
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Patella femoral syndrome
Multiple Sclerosis
Frozen shoulder
Rotator cuff injuries
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Meniscus Tear
Degenerative disc disease
Colitis
Crones disease
Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome
Gestational diabetes
Postpartum depression and anxiety
Broken wrists and arms
Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteopenia
Osteoarthritis
Type II diabetes
Emphysema
Endometriosis
Post traumatic stress disorder
Shoulder dislocations
Idiopathic neuropathy
Hypertension
Broken ankle with loads of scrap metal
Leukemia
Early onset menopause
Peri-menopause
Menopause (not these two things are conditions but just a normal part of life that can suck sometimes)
Bulemia
Anorexia
Ankylosing spondylitis
That's all I've got time for to list. My main point in this post is
DON'T LET YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION STOP YOU FROM MOVING AND FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOUR BODY! DO SOMETHING TO PICK YOURSELF UP AND TAKE ACTION!
“You cannot change until you have awareness of what is not working.” – Max Simon
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