Only 3 weeks ago I was pumped up to start back the GYM after stopping for 8 months. It was on a Monday I restart the GYM and did serious leg work. My leg was tens on Tuesday so I work the legs again but different exercises, Wednesday my leg got even worst so as usual I would exercise the again to loosen the muscles.
Little did I know I was making my legs worst and by Thursday I couldn't bend my legs and was walking like a robot :) then something more frightening happened. My urine was the color brown with I decided to visit the doctor who sent me straight off to the hospital.
This is when I was told I had Rhabdo which cause the muscles to break down, only then I realize I over exercise. I only in the hospital for a week because it was discovered early however when discharged I thought it was over but I was wrong.
My body was sluggish and my overall energy was diminish. I also experienced Headaches , stress and confusion. Now my energy is back by:
1. Staying HYDRATED, HYDRATED, HYDRATED.

2. I drink home made ALKALINE WATER from Alkaline veggies (Spinach, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Parsley, Broccoli, Bean) Hot water then add to veggies, drink hot or cold. Add water to the ingredient and place in the refrigerator. Steep fresh veg as desired. By drinking the Alkaline water my energy is restored for about half the day.

3. I also use IMMUNE BUILDER natural herds.

4. Plain Oatmeal with Warm Water

Note the about suggestion has always been part of my everyday healthy living and it can be your too.

5. Oatmeal with Protein Powder Syntra 6 by BSN, Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) by Ultimate Nutrition. and Gluta-Pure by Ultimate Nutrition. Stir the powders together with little top water until smooth then had hot. Stir to keep smoothness then use hot or cold.
By using Oatmeal which is like a meal and those 3 products which helps to prevent fatigue and maintain muscle mass and strength during times of physical stress instantly I know longer experience any of the side effects mentioned above. I am back to work as if nothing had happened.
Hope I didn't bore you with all that long talk...:) and my suggestion works for you.

HI,
I'm writing from hospital bed, still with drip attached to my vein, recovering from Rhabdo . 7 days ago after over exercise horse riding ( after 2 years break I done very hard 1 hour training) I end up in hospital with swollen calf and extreme pain.CK levels when was 9000 and went up until 17.500.Now they are slowly coming back to normal (still awaiting for today results) so maybe soon I'll be allowed to come back home. Physically feeling sometimes good but sometime very weak.
Doctors can't advice me what to do so after they will release me from hospital so all your posts was very helpful.
I know it is stupid but I've been thinking to start horse riding exercise in few days (nothing extreme, just bit of muscles work).I'll try to find my own way of recovering, maybe it will work....
Let me know if someone done such thing already.Awaiting your respond.
I will get back to you in few weeks to let you know how my body react to such treatment.

I am a 19 year old female, i did a normal weights training session on a Tuesday, as soon as i finished I was really sore but though it was normal, must of just pushed my self. Over the next few days my arms were still REALLLLY sore and started to swell. On the Friday i finally went to the emergency department at my local hospital as my arms had almost doubled in size and were rock hard. I was immediately put on a drip and my blood was taken. When the results came back a my CK level was 49,000. yes 49,000 not 4,900. My the doctors said they have never seen it that high before. I was only in hospital for 48 hours in which i had 7 litres of fluid flushed through my drip and 2 bloody tests. On the Sunday i was released, my CK level was still high at 15,000 but the doctor said i could go home. I was still a bit swollen but the doctor whom had never seen me before insisted that my arms had gone down from the last time he saw me released me which my mum detested. I was at the Redlands hospital and went back on Tuesday for blood test and ultra sound in which they informed us that they though i was still in hospital. It has been 1 week since then and i fell normal now but am not sure if i should go see a different doctor. Would not recommend going to Redlands hospital! Can someone let me know if i should go see another doctor, even though i have no symptoms anymore?

After being very active always and doing boot camp workouts for years I went climbing and tubing on labor day. It was very hot out but the climb was strenuous(12 miles). I was with my son and we had done this climb many times before. I realized I only brought him juice and forgot my water. I had drank a large low carb monster so I figured I would be fine. We finished the hike and all was well. I went to work the next day and almost went to the gym but instead went to have a cocktail with a friend. By 1:30 am I woke up frantic. My muscles were on fire. I started rubbing them and when I stood up to get water I blacked out. My head was spinning, my heart was beating, and I knew I had to call the ambulance. After waking my son I went to the hospital. I ended up staying in the hospital 7 days and for an active person it was miserable. I was ready to get healthy but this illness is so very draining. I have been out for 2 weeks and I was told I could resume exercise in a week. It has been 2 and I am still so drained. I have started to feel tightness in my chest and fluttering making it difficult to breath for a second. I treated myself to a massage and had no idea that could be bad. I have anxiety about this because I want to be me again. Im not sure if my chest pains are me just being over sensitive and sad or if there is a problem. Is there any vitamins/minerals that help this recovery?Diet? I feel very alone and everyone is so used to me being so strong and resilient I don't want to let anyone down. I fear the hospital and the many complications associated with this strange ailment. I need advise. I feel like I'm sinking and being overly informed on the possibilities makes me worry more.:(

Just 6 weeks ago, I was diagnosed with statin/exercise-induced rhabdo. My CPK was 5800 when admitted to the ER. I suspect my cpk was much higher but by the time I was admitted it was on it's way down already. I was in the hospital for 3 days and was released when my number was 1500. It took another 2 days to get my CPK back in normal range. Since being released I have experience many of the same symptoms as everyone else, muscle weakness, fatigue, pain, headaches, dizziness, etc.

There is not a lot of info on the recover phase, but 6 weeks in (Although not completely 100%) I feel so much better. I have not started working out again, but feel that I can albeit in moderation. My symptoms now only show themselves at night, and in the morning, but not every night, morning, or all day for that matter like it was just 3 weeks ago. The symptoms are happening less frequently, shorter duration and less severe as time go by. What's working for me: First I had to get over the anxiety of rhabdo. I went to doc office a few times complaining about the symptoms. They would run the standard blood work and everything would come back normal, even though the night before I was sure I was in full rhabdo relapse. After the 3rd doc visit two weeks out of the hospital I was told by my GP that I no longer have rhabdo and that you can't break down that much muscle tissue and expect to be back to normal in a short period. It takes time.

So with that said I got on with life, listening to my body in the meantime. I'm eating about 50% more food now then before rhabdo and have not gained a pound. It appears my metabolism is now in high gear repairing my muscle fibers. Just a guess but odd nonetheless. I started eating the same foods over and over everyday with a one whatever day a week. I make a multivitamin shake every morning (Whole-body brand but whatever floats your boat). Like Sweetnezz102 has said stay hydrated. Im drinking twice as much water now and throw in a recovery Gatorade once a day. Staying active (walking, playing with kid, etc). The very thing that causes me pain and fatigue is what my muscles need to rebuild.

I now have a lot more good days then bad ones. Jenn, I too experienced chest pain what I thought was heart issues, but was told if the pain was sharp and only last a brief moment it was most likely muscle or skeletal related. My chest pains eventually went away. It appears rhabdo doesn't discriminate with what muscle it breaks down (including the heart - Soft tissue) but from my understanding to a lesser degree than skeletal muscle. When it comes to recovering from rhabdo there appears to be no magic bullet, just time, nutrition, staying hydrated, being active as much as possible, and more time.

That's my story, and hope it helps someone suffering the wrath of rhabdo. Onwards and Upwards for everyone!

I am recovering from a bout with exercise induced Rhabdo. My first Cpk reading was 22,400. A week later I was excited because the doc called and said they were "almost" down to normal at 361! I didn't understand why he said "almost" since the scale I was familiar with was normal range of 200-400. When I looked at the results from the lab, they used a different unit of measurement and the normal range was 24-174. I thought I was back to normal and was gearing up to start back up my training and work outs! Now I'm just confused. Anyone else aware of 2 different units of measurement?

I was told 34 - 300 was normal.

I'm just checking in to see how everyone else is progressing in their recovery. I'm out almost 2-1/2 years past my statin-induced rhabdo hospitalization and kidney failure, and I am happy to report that I'm nearly pain free. My doctor tells me that I probably have some permanent nerve damage and will likely have some pain and loss of coordination the rest of my life. I hoping I can regain the fine motor skills I seem to have lost. Time will tell. I hope you all are having success in your recovery. Everyone has been very quiet, and I hope that means that no one has any complaints anymore. :-)

Hi All

After an hours work out back in November 2013, with a Personal Trainer I ended up in hospital on the Acute ward with Rhabdomyolysis. My CK levels reached 65,000. I'd been working out 3-4 times a week for the past couple of years so i would class myself as fit and use to working out. I had signed up with a personal trainer to get me ready for tough mudder July this year, This was my first PT session with him (AT my gym). And the result was a week in hospital and a lot of time off work... What i have been shocked about here in the UK is the lack of information and knowledge. No Personal Training schools or gyms I contact knew about the condition. This really scares me.

Almost 32 year old, very active, had taken three weeks off from the gym to get married and go on a honeymoon. Went to a crossfit class (which I have done many times before) and did a 2,000 meter row and 50 pullups among other things. I couldnt straighten my arms that night which has also happened to me before.

The next day I had an event to go to so I went to a salon to have my hair blown out because my arms were so stiff that I couldn;t do it myself but there was not significant pain except for when I tried to straighten them.

The next day I did laundry all day and went about my normal day to day routine (this was Sunday, workout was Fri night). Still felt fine other than my arms so I went to work Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday I started feeling a little light headed and nauseous so I went to my PCP who suspected rhabdo and ran a blood test and sent me home saying they would get the results to me the next day - didnt seem concerned.

That night I started to feel bad again and my husband took me to the ER where my levels were off the charts and causing errors (my pee was clear this whole time). After several bags of fluid my cpk levels came back at 65,000 and my liver enzymes were high as well. I was admitted and spent 3.5 days in the hospital when my cpk levels were down to 5,300.

I laid around for a day and a half after being discharged, am drinking plenty of water and eating normally, but I am still incredibly weak and a bit dizzy when I get back from taking my dog for a short walk. I hope this passes soon and I get back to my old self! I had no idea that something like this could happen :( Glad I found this message board!!!

I am very glad to find this group. I was diagnosed with rhabdo about a week ago. I've done a lot of reading since then, and this board has the best info I have found.

My story: I was hiking in the Alps for a couple of weeks, not hard hikes, but sometimes several hours at a stretch. I'm 59, reasonably healthy, have had fibromyalgia but I've been doing really well. We went on a hike that was way, way too hard for me. 6.5 hours of climbing down a cliff face on metal horseshoes pounded into the rock, holding onto wires. We had no idea what we were getting into, even though we had asked several people about whether the hike was strenuous and what was involved.

My legs started to give out after a couple of hours, and it was everything I could do to just make myself take the next step. But there was no choice but to go forward. By the end, I could hardly walk, and for the next couple of days, walking was very hard. Steps were worse. Getting up and down from chairs was even worse. On day 3 after the hike, I was home and went to the ER. My body seemed to hurt less but my head and neck were getting worse. The triage nurse found that my BP was 201/110. CK was 6400. Liver enzymes elevated. They gave me fluids, valium, a beta blocker, did a CT scan of my head, and sent me home, saying rest and drink water. Two days later, my PCP redid the blood work. CK was 5400. Liver enzymes a bit more elevated. BP still very high.

I've done very little since then. Achey, headache, brain fog, malaise. I had never heard of rhabdomyolysis until the ER doctor mentioned it last week. Suddenly, it's taken over my life. I am grateful for the many contributions of others on this list. I know from reading them that there's no telling when I'll feel better, but that all the weird physical symptoms and emotional reactions I'm having go with the territory.

I read that Gatorade is really bad for you, and that it's better to mix sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with juice. I'd welcome advice about this. Also, for how long is it a good idea to use sodium bicarbonate?

Has anyone else had horrible spiking BP from rhabo?
Thanks, pals.

Hi my husband was just discharged from the hospital and we were really not told anything about the recovery or anything. I started to research because my husband is very depressed and frustrated because he is not feeling his very active strong self. Has anyone tried any supplements to help heal the muscles?

I've seen two doctors--one at the ER and the other my PCP. The sum total of their recommendations are to drink lots of water and to rest. I think for muscle repair, rest is really essential. This is not like a normal post-exercise muscle ache. In fact, there has been muscle damage, and the body needs time to rebuild itself. Tlopez, I will be interested to see the responses of others to your query. My top priority is drinking gallons of water, because clearing the myoglobin out of the bloodstream is the key to avoiding kidney damage. Muscle repair is going to take time, I gather, from what I have read.

Though it seems too obvious to mention, I want to say that the thing that helps most in making me feel a little better is a hot shower.

Thank you for you comments glad I found this group. This has turned our life upside down he may not be able to work and has no PTO worried about losing his job.