Can u workout? Zumba, cardio with an active arm? Or will that cause another bleed?
I was wondering the same thing. I gained a lot of weight when the pain was keeping me in bed (till I met with dr. Yakes) I’ve been working out since dec and had to stop for over a month because of the pain. I wear a compression glove when working out and it keeps swelling down. But other then pain I haven’t had any bad issues with it. To be honest, although im on cumiden, I really haven’t had any large blood clots.
Erica, I think activity is fairly restricted when you are waiting for gamma to kick in and obliterate. Check with your doctor and see what he recommends.
Iva had 2 embos and 5 radiation treatments done about a year ago. But I guess it takes 2/3years to see if its closed up. I meet up with the doctor next month. I’ve gained so much weight! 
I did Zumba A LOT at home with my mom. However, this was after my craniotomy. Though, I’m sure you can even if you haven’t had one. I ran cross country for years before I even knew my AVM existed, so unless your doctor told you not to, I don’t think you need to worry about it. Plus, Zumba isn’t super intense…but then again, I’m no doctor. I would check with your neurologist.
I'm not at all sure you can, erica, so please check with your doctor. Many of our members have had worsening symptoms and possibly bleeds after workouts.
im very active sportmans player, be it 11 a side/5 a side football, tennis, swimming, running, gym, etc. Its something ive always done - i play every evening, just about. ive never let it stop me - thats before 2 GKR doses, during and after. The only sport i never tried that could damage would be boxing! The only time i ever asked for info from my neuro, would be whether it could be dangerous during very fast rides (had free tickets of http://www.chessington.com once) which said was not a problem.
Theres always the risk of injury during any sport tho
Check with your doctor..but ask for specifics. What exactly are their concerns/restrictions? Raising your heart rate above a certain level? Overheating? Jarring movements? Going up side down? etc. Swimming might be ok, but zumba may not. Yoga might be ok, where as pilates isn't. Don't let them give you a quick "No exercise" answer. For example, my surgeon told me that he didn't want me running right away because of the bouncing, but I could do something like a spin class. I couldn't ride outside because I have stitches across my forehead and the helmet would rub. You just have to work with the doctors to figure out the best answer.
Hi Erica.
I've decided since my diagnosis to keep in shape by working out....however my definition of working out may be different than others. I go to the gym and I walk on the treadmil,(running aggravates my avm) I do leg lifts and the exercise bike and the stepper. If I do weights, I don't do anything over 10 lbs. When I do, I notice often that my head starts to pound and I can hear my heart beat in my ears, so I'm very careful. Listen to your body because we are all different. :-) Good to know you're still wanting to workout and keep moving.
Before my diagnosis I was a fitness freak and was training for a marathon actually. I have had an AVM and an annie pretty much my whole life and have been dancing since I was 2, weightlifting (heavy weights) for the last 10 or so years and running for the last 3. Heck, I have been skydiving with an active AVM and annie (without knowing about them at the time of course) When my annie decided to pop on me i was sitting at my computer and was not doing anything physically active at the time.
I still ahve an active AVM and my doc has told me that working out, as long as I am not powerlifting should be just fine as long as my body allows me to. I just started to run again however I do like to watch my heart rate to make sure it doesn't spike too high. I also listen to my body a lot more now. If I am tired or just not feeling into it I stop what I am doing and take a break. I also like to make sure that I don't workout by myself at this point in time just for precautions.
I would always double check with your doc before doing anything though.
Hi Erica
I have just seen my neurosurgeon and he informed me that as long as I do aerobic traning, such as bike, treadmill, swimming etc all should be ok, as I would be puffed out before risking any rupture to the AVM.
I have been trying to lose weight since November and have gone on a strict exercise regime along with joining weight watchers and have lost quite a few kilo's. So don't want to go back to being a bit of a "fatty"
However I would check with your Doctors/Neurosurgeon to see if its ok, as all of these AVM's are so different.
Thanks everyone for your replies! I called my burro doc and left a message, hopefully he gets back to me soon:)
Hiya - I have just had another round of Radiation - I have gained lots of weight as neuro advised not to do STRENUOUS exercise - weights & boxing are the mains ones they should advise you to stay away from. But walking is the best exercise you can get - and you can even walk at a lower pace at least its something to keep the weight down. But i understand sometimes cant even do that, as with radiation and surgery causes a lot of swelling and its a constant battle to reduce it - evening primrose oil and fish oil works tremendously to reduce swelling on the brain and get back to exercise. weight gain also obviously emotional too with what we are going through - so check your mental health and if your scared of seeing a psych...dont be - they help a great deal when you find a good one xxxx
Yeah walking or swimming I’m sure is ok. We swam a lot in rehab to work out the weak muscles, but I’d stick in the shallow end…
I normally work out about 3 hours… Biking, Weights, Swimming… Build up slowly.
B.
I find yoga and ballet helpful. Keep it light. I wouldn’t recommend a zillion sun salutations. For ballet, I stick with slow barre work and no combre forward as that gives me an instant headache. But plies and low leg work is fine.
My doctors told me I should exercise, but pay attention to my body. Stop when I needed to stop. They told me I could not make the actual AVM worse or better. Your AVM may be different than mine, so you should just ask.