Exercise – Isaiah Jacobs

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: I Hiked Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains!

“Great Smoky Mountains”
(C) 2022, Isaiah Jacobs

I am thrilled to share with you that I hiked Clingman’s Dome at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, and made it to the top of the tower. Are you surprised? I am, but then again, I’m not.

Clingmans Dome is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina/Tennessee border. You hike a steep paved incline trail up the hillside to a concrete trail that leads to the dome area. Once there, you have a view of seven states. On a clear day, you can see 100 miles or so. For someone with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), this can be a serious challenge to hike. Visit Clingmans Dome to learn more. As they state, “It is not wheelchair accessible.”

In late May, my wife and I took off for our annual Memorial Day weekend vacation. We enjoy attending the Bill Gaither Homecoming Family Fest in the Smokies at the Gatlinburg Convention Center for a few days of Southern Gospel music. After the concerts, we stay a few days longer so I can enjoy the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains.

This year, since it seems that Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) may be getting worse for me, I decided I wanted to attempt hiking up Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Many years ago when I tried it, I hiked up only a few feet, thereabouts, and determined it was too much. However, since that day, so much has changed healthwise, for the better, I thought I would give it one more try.

A little backstory: Before I attempt hikes anywhere or do any physical workouts which are out of the ordinary, or that could stress my body physically, I prepare for it. Since I walk my dog, Abby, every day in our neighborhood, up and down gravel roads with challenging hills, it has helped me to be prepared for hikes like this one. Fortunately, I have been walking my dogs for many years which has really aided in my ability to do other activities. Also, it doesn’t hurt that I used to take nature hikes through local parks either. I frequent a chiropractor and massage therapist who provides tips on staying healthy and exercising. Though Clingmans Dome was definitely a challenge for me to hike, the preparation helped considerably.

We arrived at Clingmans Dome to find the parking places were full so I began thinking that I’d given it a shot- maybe we’ll just go elsewhere. However, God provided us with a parking spot at a perfect location. Not too far from the trail, restrooms, and gift shop. We were headed to the trail. Needless to say, I was excited to attempt the hike.

While I wish that I was able to select a hike and go for it, with CMT, I am limited and must take that into consideration. For one, I can walk around a half-mile without my braces wearing Crocs or walking shoes. Much further, I should wear my Arizona Braces with hiking boots. However, the Arizona Braces are designed to prevent me from turning my ankles, therefore, they are fairly stiff with little wiggle room. If I wear them walking down a slope or hill, they push a bit forward. If I am not paying attention, it is very easy for me to lose my balance gaining speed as I walk downhill. My wife saved me from what could have been a disastrous fall while walking down a hill in Baltimore not realizing ahead of time what could happen. I decided to wear my Hoka One One (no affiliation) walking shoes for this hike. They would offer comfort and stability.

I started my hike using a pair of ski poles my chiropractor suggested I use. I quickly learned they were excellent for helping me with stability. I wish that I could say that I made the hike since it is only a half-mile without stopping or sitting down on any benches. However, I found the benches the National Park Service placed along the trail to be quite a blessing and most definitely took advantage of them. I hiked until I needed to sit down, then started again. I tried not to use every single bench just so I could at least say I didn’t use every single bench. The view was incredible and made the hike so worth the effort. And, the amazing part is I completed the hike with no pain in my feet at all.

Along the way, I had the blessing of meeting several nice people while enjoying beautiful views of nature. I met a nice family from Pennsylvania who spent time at Cades Cove where they saw sixteen bears. I have to admit, I was slightly jealous because I’ve only seen one or two, maybe three, when I’ve been there. Their young boy was so happy to share his photos of the bears he saw with me it made my day. Also, when I reached the top of the tower, the father shared some very kind words of encouragement. He is a Christian and shared his faith. That warmed my heart. Also, he said he knows most people in my situation wouldn’t have even attempted this hike. He was happy to see me do it. His comments helped make my struggles up the hill more of a blessing.

Why am I not surprised that I was successful in the hike? I believe in a powerful God who made promises to me when I was in my twenties that He would be my strength and ability throughout my living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth. He has fulfilled that promise for 30+ years, He’s not stopping anytime soon. I will say, if the hike was something that I should not be attempting, God would have made me realize that too.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth affects all of us differently. Though I have been recently diagnosed with one of the more severe cases that my doctor has seen, I know my own abilities and have talked with a medical professional about exercising and workouts. Be sure to talk to your doctor before attempting any hikes or new exercise routines.

An Update to Charcot-Marie-Tooth, COVID-19, and Frustrations

Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with Bemergroup. I receive no payment should you purchase their product. I purchased a product for personal use so I am sharing my experiences as a Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) patient. My experiences are not guaranteed to be yours.

A few months a month ago, I wrote a post about my frustrations with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) and COVID-19. You read can the post here. I want to share with you an update.

The effects of CMT began showing their ugly annoyances during late October 2020 as I had no Deep Water Aerobics classes, my Service Dog had passed away, and I had no other exercises. Bicycling had to end when the weather got cold. It seemed I was losing more ground on feeling good. However, my faith in God reminded me there is always hope.

After my Service Dog passed away, I began to realize that he had been doing quite a few things to help me. Something about dogs! Not only did he keep me moving, but, he managed to stave off many of the neurological issues associated with my type of CMT. Also, he helped my introverted-nerd personality become a little more extroverted. Fortunately, I was able to adopt another dog who is learning to be a companion. I am looking forward to seeing what she does to help me with CMT.

Since my last post about being introduced to the Bemer Group products, I bought the product and have been strictly following a daily routine as instructed by my Massage Therapist. Before I did this, I went through a few months of testing the product and learning the results, and going over them with her. Successful results led to having the therapy daily.

As you probably know already, CMT causes quite a bit of discomfort in many ways. I lived in shorts and T-shirts most of the fall-winter season as I could not be comfortable in other clothing. For me, that’s unusual because of the cold. Thankfully, the treatment with Bemer Group has helped me with relief from the discomfort.

The best part of the Bemer daily routine is I can do it at home from the comforts of my own bed. It’s the first thing I do every morning and at the end of the day. My routine takes 16 minutes with both sessions. The short bit of time has given me quite a bit of energy as I have never had before.

For me, I have noticed that the arthritic pain in my hands has gone away. The winter of 2020-2021 was the first one in which I did not have to take pain medications to ease the arthritis pain. Also, I have noticed an awesome increase in energy level which has caused renewed interest in many aspects of my life.

Now, I just need to find an exercise routine to make up for not taking the Deep Water Aerobics classes.

Talk with your doctor and neurologist about Bemer Group products.

Please note: Bemer Group products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. I am writing about my experience. Please consult your own physician or healthcare provider if you have any medical concerns.

Happy Spring!

While Summer is my favorite season, Spring is the close second. It means time for me to get outside much more often. Also, I plan to begin a new exercise routine this season since Deep Water Aerobics was cancelled and never restarted.

If you remember from a previous post, I started a routine this winter using a Bemer Group product (no affiliation, more about it later) which helped tremendously with the cold weather. My current thought is to start biking. It will help my legs to get more exercise and something for me to do outside!

I am planning to explore my universe with my new dog more this spring and summer. There are several places that I can go railfanning so we will explore them as well as hike a few battlefields!

How do you celebrate Spring? Any new exercise routines? Please share in the comments below!

Charcot-Marie-Tooth, COVID-19, and Frustrations

“Coronavirus!”
Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Well, if I were a betting man, I would be richer today than I was a year ago. Why do I say all that? Somehow, I knew COVID-19 was going to be an issue with its lockdown nonsense at least into the election season. Most people seriously doubted me. As more stringent lockdowns began in some parts of the country, my frustrations continue as the “lockdowns” have harmed more people than we really know.

While I understand the need to be careful because of a virus. I’m not seeing where any pre-cautions are any different than those I was taught as a very young boy probably soon after birth! My mother taught me not to put my hands in or on my mouth, do not pick my nose but use a tissue, do not cough into my right hand since you might shake someone’s hand, wash your hands frequently and often (I know, right?!), stay away from people who are coughing or have a cold. Common sense health care, right? Right.

My first and foremost frustration is how diligently I worked for many years, probably close to twenty, to help me feel better and stay ahead of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). It’s been proven that if you stay active, you can slow the effects of CMT, though not truly stop it or cure you. I have been careful not to be lazy or take the easy way out with many aspects of life so I would stay active. When the governor of Virginia closed everything in the wake of COVID-19, it really upset me because he was messing with my health- along with many others.

Back in 2006, while in physical therapy sessions I learned quite a few exercises to help me with some pain. At the same time, I had started taking Deep Water Aerobics (DWA) classes. It wasn’t long before I connected the exercises in the physical therapy to the exercises in DWA and realized it could be very beneficial to continue taking the DWA classes. After that, I made sure not to miss any classes as it was more fun than going to physical therapy. In the time prior to the COVID shutdowns of March 2020, I never missed more than a few classes at a time. Now, it’s been about a year.

Thankfully, during the summer of 2020, I was able to use a friend’s pool to workout. Thanks to my brilliant Deep Water Aerobics Instructors who provided excellent instruction prior to COVID and provided me an instruction list to a workout routine. Also, I took up riding my bicycle every day along with walking my dog. This routine helped me through to the fall season when it finally got to cold to swim or ride my bike.

Since it doesn’t seem like my DWA classes at the local fitness center will ever start up again, I inquired about personal training sessions. However, the classes would be very expensive, possibly unreliable with the whims of the politicians these days, and there would be no use of the locker room to change. Not good. I could change in the hallway bathroom but I am not too interested in sharing my naked self with the world as I just knew the door would open at an inopportune time. The other choice was to go home in a wet bathing suit. For me, CMT affects my nerves which happens to NOT mix well with cold water and winter weather. A recipe for nerve issues and becoming ill. So it didn’t work out.

Fortunately for me, I have learned to pay quite a bit of attention to my body and what I do to make it feel better or worse. I learned that continuing to have my massage therapy and chiropractor sessions, but spaced at least a week apart, and scheduling every three weeks would mean minimal discomfort.

The blessing in all of this frustration is coming, I believe. My massage therapist is always on the lookout or learning new ways to help people feel better. Not too long after my frustrations of no Deep Water Workouts began, she introduced me to a new type of therapy called “Bemer.” Since it is what I call holistic, meaning no medications involved, I was willing to try it.

My journey into using the Bemer product to help me feel better with guidance from my massage therapist has begun. I will share updates as I can.

Please remember, my experiences are my own and cannot be guaranteed to provide you with the same results. CMT affects each person differently. Discuss any exercise routines or products with your doctor.

A Visit to the Great Smoky Mountains!

The Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA
Photo by Micah Williams on Unsplash

One of my favorites escapes is to visit the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.

I took one of my first really long hikes there and love taking a drive through the mountains looking for landscapes and wildlife, especially bears, to photograph. Of course, be very careful around bears! Know the regulations and law!

What do I like about the Great Smoky Mountains? It’s beauty. Being able to get outdoors and away from all the noise of the city.

Escaping to nature seems to help me incredibly to deal with Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Though hiking is more difficult for me than the average hiker, the trails I can hike are awesome.

There are quite a few things you can do and enjoy at the Smoky’s. To get some ideas, please visit the National Park Service – The Great Smoky Mountains. I will share more about the Smoky’s and other places to visit in upcoming posts.