Thanks DarkAngel and Neecee. I appreciate your contact more than you will ever know. I don't feel so alone with this.

I got my lab results this morning and my levels are completely normal. I'm posting this just to reassure those of you go through what seems to be a reoccurrence of rhabdo that it might not be. Last week I would have said that I was finished with all the after effects, but I guess I need to be patient. This week I've been very achy, tired and cold. It is quite a relief to know that this, too, shall pass. (I first had rhabdo May 2, 2011.) Thanks to those of you who advised me to get the blood work done; you're right, I shouldn't worry about anyone thinking I'm a hypochondriac!

I'm a 34 year old fit man that had just completed 90 days of P90X. I was continuing with 20-30 minute daily workouts with cardio and strength. I was diagnosed with Rhabdo after a week of beating the heck out of myself between workouts, taking in little fluids, and completing strenuous landscaping projects in the heat and humidity. I started getting knee and arm pain the day after overexerting myself on a project outside in the heat. I didn't catch what was going on until a few days later. I went to my doctor and had my blood levels checked, which were fine. He said that I was in the early stages and that I would recover in a week. It now has been a two month rollarcoaster ride of feeling better then worse. It has been hard taking it easy with three kids ages 1, 3, and 5. Your posts have been very helpful in understanding my injury, and I hope to stay up with this blog as I, hopefully, recover.

I'm sorry that you are suffering with rhabdo (or the after-affects of rhabdo). At least you know how you got it, by over-exerting, heat, dehydration, etc., alot of us on this site, unfortunately don't know why it hit us but knowing why you came down with it is little consolation when you're aching and fatigued! I will have my one year anniversary with rhabdo this week. Luckily, I have had a few good days in a row now but it has taken this long to really feel like I'm finally making some progress in my recovery. The oddest thing I experience is feeling fairly well and normal and then out of nowhere, my legs aching so much that it takes everything in me to take my evening walk. I have found, though, that pushing myself a little bit seems to really help. Just don't overdo it!! Post anytime when you have questions. We have to share our experiences since the doctors know so little about what we are going thru!

Thanks Neecee,
I was feeling really good a few weeks ago, my pain and soarness had gone away and I only felt some minor stiffness in my arms when I lifted something with a little weight to it. It then flared back up after I lifted some concrete blocks and pressure treated timber. I went back to almost as bad as I was initially. I also had upped my SSRI anxiety medication a couple weeks earlier, due to my anxiety kicking up from the injury. I have my suspicions that my medication made me suseptible to this in the first place, and is now complicating my recovery. I had read that there is research out there suggesting that SSRIs make you suseptible to exertional Rhabdo. Hope you and everyone else continues to recover well.

HappyDad--if you're like others on this site, ups and downs with rhabdo are common. I went to my doctor to have a lab test 2 weeks ago because the pain was bothering me a lot, and fortunately, all the tests were normal. I'm glad I had the tests done for my peace of mind, and it showed me that these after-effects take a long time to go away. If you think the SSRI anti-anxiety med causes problems for you, can you take something such as Ativan or Xanax? I was already on Ativan on an as-needed basis for anxiety when the rhabdo struck, and I've found Ativan helps with rhabdo pain a lot. This is a wonderful support group. No one can really understand what it's like to go through rhabdo unless they have actually had it, and people in this group are so helpful and positive.

HappyDad - I take Xanex to help me sleep since property rest is important in getting over rhabdo. Occasionally, I will take it if the leg aches are bothering me too much. My dr. said that the Xanex helps to relax the muscles and can be helpful if you're experiencing alot of side-affect pain. I've talked with AKarenina and her dr. has given her Ativan. You might check into getting a prescription for one of this anti-anxiety meds to help you when you're having a rough day. Finding this support group has been very helpful to me so don't ever hesitate to ask us any questions, we all want to share and learn about what we're going thru.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been on Wellbutrin XL, which I just learned is not an SSRI. I did some research and found that Rhabdo is a listed side effect of the medicine. This explains why when my doctor upped my dose, my symptoms flared up. I'm a full fledged Hypochondriac so this has been quite an experience for me. It looks like others are dealing with the same pyscological issue. It helps having this forum to vent and share experiences.

Having rhabdo does mess with you psychologically because, not only are you feeling bad, but you don't really know why, so all sorts of stuff starts going thru your mind. I remember thinking "there MUST be something worse wrong with me that they haven't discovered" then I'd get myself all upset!! Finding friends on this website has helped me alot because I've learned that the odd aches and pains that rhabdo causes are not unique to me but that most of us have had these various weird sensations. Post anytime. We're here to help one another!

I'm a 52-year-old woman, and I was admitted to the emergency room a month ago with acute renal and respiratory failure. I had a CPK level of 15,700. After a week in the hospital, several of the days in ICU on dialysis, it dropped to 132, and my kidneys show every sign of making a full recovery. My arms and shoulders were completely useless and now they have almost full range of motion, though they're still very sore and weak. I had been taking a variety of medications for cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, and HRT. The assumption is that the rhabdo was statin induced, but I was taking only 40 mg, half the dose that usually triggers rhabdo. So, like so many of us, I don't really know what caused it.

I can't believe there are so few people in rhabdo support groups!

Please keep us posted on your recovery. We really only have one another to depend on to get good, valid answers since we're all going thru this and we understand firsthand all the aches, pains and odd sensations that rhabdo causes. Best of luck and keep in touch!

To RhabdoBKJ--so sorry you are going through this. When I found this website I finally started to feel peace. I wonder, as you do, why there aren't more support groups or why more folks aren't in this one. The thing I was not at all prepared for were the after-effects that linger for many months after I finally had "normal" blood tests. On this site I found people who were just like me, experiencing aching legs and arms, being incredibly fatigued, having twitching sensations in my muscles, feeling cold in the middle of summer--months after we were declared "OK" by our doctors. There are quite a few people in this group who will respond to your queries rather quickly, so don't sit and worry in silence. You will get through this.

I was diagnosed with rhabdo July 17. Spent the night in the hospital with fluids and was released the next day. I haven't felt well since and I'm curious if anyone has had any of my symptoms. I haven't seen some of them listed on here so far and have been to the dr. several times for blood tests, brain MRI's and EEG. Symptoms are difficulty breathing and swallowing, feeling like I am going to pass out, nausea, disoriented and detached feeling, arms feel as though they really aren't part of my body. Muscle spasms, and leg pain and horrible fatigue follow for the next day or two. Not sure if what I'm feeling is rhabdo related, doctors say no, but I'm learning that they aren't always familiar with rhabdo. Thanks you for any replies!

My experience was the fatigue and the aching legs (which 12 months later I still experience). I have also felt a strange sensation in my stomach muscles, like I've been doingn set-ups, which, of course, I haven't done! I also felt like my heart was racing for a few days, several months after developing rhabdo. I've had some anxiety problems, and that, I'm assuming, is due to not knowing exactly what is going on, not getting any solid answers and wondering how long I'm going to feel bad. For me, finding friends on this site has helped alot to alleviate some of the stress and worry because I've found that many of us experience the same sensations, things the doctors have never mentioned. I'm not sure what you are going thru and if it's rhabdo-related but I do know that there is more to having rhabdo than just muscle aches, as you will learn reading thru the postings. If you have any questions, or need someone to chat with, we are on this site to help one another, so don't hesitate reaching out to us.

To tbam--I've certainly had the aching and fatigue that you describe. Are you keeping well hydrated with water? I've had nausea and headache when I'm "down a quart." When I had rhabdo I was drinking 500 mL every hour for 8 to 10 hours. Then I stepped down to 500 mL every 2 hours. For the last 3+ months, I take in 500 mL at least 4 times a day. Water makes an amazing difference. I make sure the color of my urine output is very pale to clear. There really is a need for a book for folks with rhabdomyolysis. This site is fantastic, and I find I reread posts all the time.