BLOOMINGTON - Dee Werry walked from the leg extension machine to the leg curl machine. She was stooped forward and to the left side and took small steps. But that didn't slow her down. As she walked determinedly from machine to machine - while chatting with her attentive personal trainer, Chris Hallam, who walked beside her - fellow exercisers less than half her age spotted her, smiled and stepped out of her way.

It's Dee-Time at Gold's Gym in Bloomington. Dee-Time is 1:30 to about 5 p.m. almost every Monday, Wednesday and Friday when the 72-year-old Bloomington woman is at the fitness center to lift weights, walk up stairs, stretch and do water exercises.

"People look forward to seeing Dee walk through those doors," said Shannon Wahls, 37, of Bloomington, who befriended Werry about a year ago after they began working out at about the same time. "If it's 1:40 and she's not here, we start to wonder 'Where's Dee?'"

But Werry is more than a nice older woman who weight lifts. The retired businesswoman exercises to battle a rare disease. And she's succeeding.

Werry has polymyositis, an uncommon disease that causes inflammation in the muscles and results in severe muscle weakness.

"My body is attacking itself and we don't know why," Werry said matter-of-factly during a break in her workout. "My body doesn't like itself, I guess."

Polymyositis is a slow, progressive disease for which there is no cure. But exercising may help to maintain muscle strength even as the disease continues to attack the muscles.

Werry knows this. That's why she is comfortable spending her afternoon working out beside younger people in peak condition.

"She is focused when she's here," Wahls said. "She's a woman on a mission. She's here to do a job. There are not many women her age here doing leg presses."

"I know I have to do it," Werry said between sets of walking up the stairs. "If I want to keep doing the things I want to do - to take care of myself, my husband, my house, my yard work, cleaning off my driveway - I have to do this."

Walking without help, or a cane

She's succeeding. A year ago, she couldn't stand up without assistance, couldn't walk up stairs, walked with a cane and couldn't walk from one room to another without running out of breath. Now, she's walking without help, without a cane and can walk up stairs - albeit slowly.

"Now, if I lose my balance, I can catch myself," Werry said. "Before, I'd end up on the floor. That's big progress."

"She's definitely come a long way," Wahls said. "But she hasn't done it overnight. There's a lot of determination in Dee."

"From when we first started, she's doing great," Hallam agreed. "Her weights keep increasing. She's had no fall backs.

"Slowly but surely, she's getting stronger, which is helping to improve her everyday functioning," Hallam said.

Werry had her body mass checked in November and she'd gained five pounds of muscle since January.

"That's really good with polymyositis," Hallam said.

"If it weren't for exercise, I wouldn't be doing much at all," Werry said.

Even her doctor agreed.

"Delores Werry is an inspiration to all," said Dr. Karyn Catt, a neurologist at Carle Clinic-Bloomington/Normal. "She is determined and driven to exercise in the face of the adversity of polymyositis. Her exercise helps her to maintain her muscle mass and strength."

Werry, who owned Action Parcel in Bloomington from 1993 to 2000, is married to Marshall Werry, a retired minister. They have three adult children, nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

"My biggest hobby is working in the yard in the summer time," she said.

In 2001, she became weak and had pain in her lower back. She began therapy at Carle Therapy Services, then located in Gold's Gym. She started with water therapy, then joined Gold's so she could exercise after her therapy sessions.

In 2002, she received training so she could begin weight lifting at Gold to strengthen her muscles. But, by this time, she was walking with a cane and becoming progressively weaker.

"I was doing all these exercises at the gym and I wasn't getting any stronger," Werry recalled. "I thought 'What's going on?'"

Her doctor ordered blood work that concluded that Werry's muscle enzyme was elevated. She was referred to a neurologist, who did further testing, including a muscle biopsy, and concluded that Werry had polymyositis.

She was told that there was no cure but the oral medicine prednisone, a steroid, could help to relieve inflammation and slow the progress of the disease.

"I responded to the medicine so that within two weeks my muscle enzyme was within the normal range," Werry said.

New diagnosis: Arthritis in right hip

About the same time, she was diagnosed with arthritis in her right hip. But her doctor told Werry to try to keep exercising so she continued to exercise on her own.

But one Sunday morning in January 2008, Werry couldn't stand up at church. The disease was progressing. She went to physical therapy to strengthen her legs, then hired Hallam to help her to target her leg muscles.

"We hit the weights," Hallam recalled. He developed a program for her that includes three sets each of leg press, leg extensions and leg curls. He also had her do standing calf raises on the stairs at Gold's, then had her climb the stairs to the second floor.

"Originally, she took one step at a time and used both hands to pull herself up," Hallam said.

Then Hallam added upper body weight lifting, including the seated chest press, seated rowing, shoulder press, bicep curls and triceps extension. After her upper body work, lower body works, stairs and stretching, Werry changes and goes into the Gold's pool to walk while using aqua paddles to work her upper and lower body.

Meanwhile, the disease has attacked the muscles of her tongue and throat, which means Werry has had trouble swallowing. Each day, she does tongue and swallowing exercises that she learned from a speech therapist.

Werry works out hard, as she proved during her workout on Dec. 29. Hallam is working with her to improve her range of motion in her legs and her leg and arm strength.

"We work as hard as we can," Hallam said. "If there's a flare up, we back off a little bit."

For example, Werry took Christmas week off - not only because of the holiday but because her arthritis was bothering her intensely.

"Pain is telling me something," she said. She slows down when her body tells her to do so.

Werry has realistic goals. She knows the disease will progress.

"I wish I could do whatever I want to do without someone helping me but I know that won't happen. This disease is going to continue to attack my muscles. My goal is to keep going."

Hallam wants her to be able to walk up stairs without holding onto the handrail. Werry isn't sure but is willing to try.

Werry gets blood work each month and sees Dr. Catt every two to three months, including on Dec. 30. Catt is pleased with her progress.

While the severity of polymyositis is highly variable and Werry's condition could worsen, the exercise and prednisone are helping her now, Catt said.

"This is something I've got to do," Werry said of her exercise. "I would rather take a chance on damaging my muscles than to end up in bed because I was so weak I couldn't move."

---

Polymyositis facts

• Polymyositis (pol-e-mi-o-SI-tis) is an uncommon, connective tissue disease that causes inflammation of the muscles and results in muscle weakness, especially in muscles closest to the trunk.

• The disease can occur at any age but affects mostly women in their 40s and 50s.

• Symptoms develop gradually but include progressive muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, mild joint or muscle tenderness, and fatigue.

• The cause of the disease isn't known. Doctors suspect that polymyositis is an immune disorder, in which the body's immune system mistakes normal components of the body for foreign substances and attacks them.

• People who experience continued muscle weakness in their shoulders and hips should see their doctor. The earlier that polymyositis is detected, the better the body's response to treatment. People with polymyositis are often referred to a rheumatologist or a neurologist.

• Diagnosing polymyositis may include a physical exam, muscle strength assessment, family medical history, electromyography, blood analysis, muscle biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

• While there is no cure for polymyositis, treatment may improve muscle strength and function. Doctors generally prescribe corticosteroids, especially prednisone, because they suppress the immune system, limit production of antibodies and reduce muscle inflammation. But prolonged use of corticosteroids can result in a variety of side effects. Doctors often recommend supplements to counteract some of the side effects.

• Physical therapy and exercise may help maintain and improve strength and flexibility.

SOURCE: www.mayoclinic.com

---

Don't give up

If you're considering starting an exercise program with the New Year, here are words of encouragement from Dee Werry, Shannon Wahls and Dr. Karyn Catt:

Dee Werry

"As long as your doctor thinks it's OK, I'd encourage people to exercise. I'm convinced that exercise is the best thing for you for your overall health and to keep you from getting sick. But your doctor needs to know what exercises you're doing."

Shannon Wahls

"Some older people think that becoming weaker is a natural part of the aging process but it isn't. It's not about getting older. You can do something about your life and can get yourself stronger. You're never too old to try something new. Just because you have an ailment, it doesn't mean that you can't keep it under control. You have to do what you need to do to keep yourself healthy."

Dr. Karyn Catt

"Everyone, not just older patients, can learn determination and perseverance from Ms. Werry. It is important to make the most of what we have and keep going. Patients should talk with their primary care physician about whether it is safe for them to exercise before embarking upon an exercise program. Don't give up."