Motivation

HelenaJ

... really quick ladies as I have to choof off to work ...saw PS yesterday and got the OK to run again ... and of course had such a crappy nite sleep.  Posted on another thread and had a big whinge about being too tired to run ... came here and read all your posts and started crying ...so got up and went out ... didn't manage my usual run but I did it!!!!!  I am sitting here crying softly.. guess I'm not superwoman after all but I'm pretty proud of myself anyway.  Thank you so much ladies for your inspiration.

I did it Kari!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hugs everyone

Helena

vivre

Oh Helena, Good for you! You understand now. Exercise is healing and now you are one step closer to good health, and one step farther from cancer. The faster you run, the faster you will get there! I love all those aussie terms. I have to choof off now too. Out to dinner for our anniversary!

dlb823

Helena ~  Good for you!!!  So glad your PS cleared you to run, but you don't have to get back to your usual or previous level/distance all at once!  One step at a time!  You're out there again, and that's huge!  YaY!!!

vivre ~  Congratulations on your anniversary!  Isn't it wonderful how post-bc all our celebrations seem sweeter than ever?  Enjoy!!!     Deanna

kfinnigan

Helena - what Vivre and Deanna said !! LOL!!  So happy that you were given the all clear, slow and steady wins the race as they say!  choof off!  I LOVE THAT!!!  haha  sorry you were crying, hugs to you girl!  Take good care today!

Vivre - as I was walking last night I repeated 'each step I take is a step farther away from cancer' - thanks for that! Happy Anniversary!

Ainm

Deanna, thanks so much - I thought that either I was a total wimp or else imagining things. I still find the pain very off putting and have to really convince myself to exercise - it's only been a weeks since I finished rads and started to exercise but I have done something everyday this week averaging out at about 30mins a day.

The rest of you ladies - sorry I haaven't taken the time to be more specific but it's almost midnight and there is a tamox tablet calling my name!!  I'll try and catch up tomorrow - after my walk of course!!

Cuddles to all!!

Ainm

Oh vivre -so sorry forgot to say Happy Anniversary:-)) And thanks for that wonderful piece of motivation which I will use as my walking mantra - 'each step I take is a step farther away from cancer' . Have a lovely evening.

saltykm

Hello Ladies! Just got back from my walk, was going to slack off but thought of you guys and off I went. Helena sorry you were having a bad day, It will get better one day at a time. Virve Happy Anniversary. { How many}  Had 30 for me last month! Everyone have a nice evening/day?  Kathy

ktym

Helena, those days count the most

Vivre: Happy Anniversary

everyone else, sorry haven't been on much, but have been exercising, hope everyone had a great day 

AllieM22

Helena and Vivre--congrats to you both!! 

I finally got some proper exercise in today--walked this morning with Beemer, about 2.5 miles, and went to yoga this afternoon. Feels good!

I hope we are all taking steps away from cancer, everyday! See ya later Charlie, hit the road jack, etc...

Valjean

I didn't work out on my skier today but I did 3 big hours of gardening, up & down, up & down pulling weeds & trimming.

Helena ~ You should be proud of yourself! We are proud of you!!!

Ainm ~ You are doing it - a little bit every day! YOU GO GIRL !!!!!

Happy Anniversary vivre!!

off to bed,

hug,

Val

AllieM22

Good morning ladies! I am up early and off to take my DH to get his colonoscopy. Poor thing is probably starving since on a liquid diet all day yesterday! But at least it should all be over in a few hours...

sobx

slacker is back! I have checked on you girlies but haven't posted. I have walked twice daily with the mutt but kept on going the other direction. Had a great visit with my DS. Spent the evening sitting on the back of the boat watching the people on the boardwalk and talking to the other fishermen. Some of them were staying at the Inn too. I did errands for him since he didn't have a car. I do beer runs but no cigarette runs. And Walmart runs since he doesn't live near one. Imagine that!! I didn't spend much time with him on Saturday night. They didn't come into the  money but did catch a white marlin and a sailfish. He is now back in Hatteras.

I got new tennis shoes and now new blisters to go with them. I now have to walk with open back shoes till my heel heals. My old shoes had a hole in them so I had to get new ones. Guess what I read is that my feet have changed too and now I'm paying for it.

Everyone is doing a great job and I will get back into it. I mowed the yard the other day. Takes me an hour with the push mower. It is still 90 at 6 PM so I got a lot of sweating done.

This is also Pyrate Invasion weekend in Beaufort. The town is taken over with pirates and all of that stuff. Re-enacments and cannons and the whole nine yards. They are even coming in by boat to invade the streets of town. I'm going back on nights today and Friday and then off this weekend. Then all next week I'm on nights again. Mammo on Wed and bloodwork. Doctors on the 20th to find out about everything and to ask a lot of questions. No ice cream this week and I lost 2 pounds!

Welcome everyone and keep up the good work. Where is Lisa? Looking forward to the show whenever it airs.  Make it a great day.

kfinnigan

Good morning cuties!

Sounds like we really motivate each other to do something each day don't we!!  I did some yoga after work and then took a walk.  My hip got really aggravated though when I did the yoga!  darn...thought I'd give it a try anyhow.

Well, I gotta run, shout outs to all!!

Oh...today is my last Avastin for the clinical trial I am on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Woohoo!!!!!! 

You can't expect people to look eye to eye with you if you are looking down on them.
- Anonymous 

living4today

Although I am not part of your motivation group, I just wanted to drop a quick note of THANKS to you all!!!!  Your example and enthusiasm is very motivating to others.  I still have 3 1/2 weeks of rads to do, but did start walking again a few weeks back.  DH and I try to walk between 1 to 3 miles every day.  Also trying to do some yoga to help get rid of the chemo s/e's.  I tried real hard to keep exercising during chemo, but was one of the lucky ones who had a rough time of it and could barely manage working and chemo.  Thanks again--You all ROCK!!

mumito

Ivory Mom  My husband has cancelled his colonoscopy apt twice as well.(LOL) How do we motivate them to take care of themselves? I can't even get him to go for a walk with me in the evenings.

Ainm

Just checking in before I hit the sack. Half hour walk today - but got further than before!! Half hour Wii Fit. No significant weight loss:-(( I'm still having to keep telling myself that I have to do this and I really cannot believe I am still listening to myself!!

Val : Thanks for the verbal slap on the back - appreciated and needed (I'm such a child!!)

AllieM22 :  I hope that your DH has had a good meal at this stage and that test results will be ace.

sobx : Poor you - hope your heels heal soon!!

Kari :  Wahoo - congrats on finishing the Avastin!!!

Meg: I can hardly carry myself on my walks, I would never manage a weighted backpack - you put me to shame!!

living4today: Just say the word and you are part of this group - they are a very welcoming bunch - they left me join!!!  I take my hat off to any of you who worked through chemo. I don't know how you did it - taxol absolutely floored me - I was reduced to a whimpering wreck who couldn't wait for the next pain med to come around. My onc said only about 1 in 50 would get as severe a reaction as I did - why couldn't I get those kind of odds when I buy a lottery ticket - huh??

Sweet dreams and uninterrupted nights to all!!

vivre

Thanks for the anniverasary wishes all. We had a nice quiet and healthy dinner of fish, salad and artichokes. I let dh have all the desert to himself. It is nice that we still enjoy each other after all these years.

Alli-men are such babies! The colonoscopy is a snap next to childbirth or bc, even though it makes you feel a little shi%%y! But it is nice to get everything all cleaned out.

Val, when you finish with your weeds, can you come and get mine. I keep pulling and pulling because I am so afraid of the chemicals, but it just never seems to end. I may have to hire someone.

Living4today-Walking during treatments will not only help with the side effects, you will recover much faster. Plus it helps to deal with all the emotional stuff. Keep going. We are with you!

Ainm-do not get on a scale for at least 3 weeks of walking daily and eating healthy, no sugar or cheese please! Then when you do weigh in, you will see noticable results and be motivated to keep going. I do not know how to compare in metrics but we get sugar in 5 pound bags. That may seem like just a little but if you can lose 5 pounds, pick up something that compares to 5 pounds of sugar or flour and carry it around with you for half an hour. You will realize that it is really a lot! Then go for 5 more! Remember too that muscle weighs more than fat, so sometimes we even gain a little as we gain muscle, but muscle burns calories, even at rest, so the more muscle we build, the higher our metabolism, and the more we will eventually lose. Do some free weights when you walk, starting out with low pounds and increasing as it gets easier. I take one hand weight and keep changing sides so one side does not get too fatigued.

Lisa WHERE ARE YOU? How did the TV star do??????

sobx

evening everyone - just got home and not very sleepy yet. My dm (mutt) kept me going through all of my treatments. We walked everyday and sometimes I dragged myself for a short walk. It helped me a lot. I also worked everyday. With my schedule I took off the day of treatment and then 3-4 days later a day so I could crash. When I slept so did my dog. She kept me very close company. Now she is very rotten.  And we still walk. If I don't she sits here and hits me with her paw and begs. Suppose to be very hot this weekend so I might have to do inside exercise. I did do about 20 minutes of abs, buns and thighs before work today. Will be back on in the morning. Night to all.

kfinnigan

Good morning cuties!

living4today!  Thanks for telling us we rock!  You made me SMILE!

I did it! I finished my clinical trial with the Avastin!  25 treatments!  4 DD A/C and 12 wkly Taxol and 17 Avastins!!  I am the bomb! LOL!!  My veins are relieved I must say also!  A couple more appts related to the trial, my 5th MUGA in 2 wks and a sigmoidoscopy thanks to the Avastin se's.  Can't wait for my body to heal from all these se's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So my oldest daughter calls me as I'm walking out from the hospital and says 'so how did it go? When can you see about reconstruction?' I was like Hold on, geez I just barely finished Avastin! Another hurdle down!  

Meg, it was me with the acupuncture!  So you got to keep your clothes on huh?  Bra and panties and hospital gown for me...Next time I'm bringing socks!

Ainm - Keep on truckin' baby!

Shout outs to all!  Let's make it a GREAT day! 

Never giving up and pushing forward will unlock all the potential we are capable of.
- Christy Borgeld 

dlb823

Good morning, ladies!  It was cool and breezy here at 6:30 this a.m, and knowing I may not walk much over the weekend, I was able to get in an exceptionally long walk -- 10,971 steps (5.49 miles) in 1.3 hrs. -- which is probably some sort of record time for me, and -- more importantly -- 10,971 steps further away from bc!!!   I noticed that I'm also able to do about 500 jogging steps at a time (I don't do those every day, especially if it's hot), which is a significant improvement over just a few weeks ago. 

Ainm ~  I was thinking about you a lot as I walked -- trying to send you strong postive vibes to keep up what you're doing.  I also remembered that when I was 3 mos. post rads, my WBC and RBC were still extremely low.  Unless you're very different, that may still be true for you, too, in which case it's even more understandable why it's hard to find the energy to do as much as you would like to do or think you should be doing.  But it's all very cyclical, and your energy will build as you keep at it.

living4today ~  You are so welcome to join us, and I hope you will.

Joy ~ That's cute about your mutt, as you call him, pawing you to walk him.  What's his name?

Well, have a healthy day and weekend, everyone ~  Deanna

HelenaJ

Gosh ladies, I sat down with my notepad to write stuff down but I have missed so much.  A big hi to everyone but Vivre happy belated anniversary, sorry I missed it!!  Kari ... you are the bomb!!!!!!!!!  What a fantastic relief to have that all behind you now.  ((hugs))  Valjean - my favourite thing is gardening (we have 5 acres so am kept pretty busy!).

Going for a walk today as it is blowing a gale and will run again tomorrow - promise no tears this time 

Kmmmd, saltykim, Ainm, Deanna, Meg, Joy, mumayam, AllieM22, living 4today - hello and also to all those who I may have missed!!!!

Have a great weekend my motivators

Helena

Valjean

Have a great weekend everyone! Sorry I won't be able to do any weeding for you, Meg or vivre, any time soon, I'm just sooooo busy!!  LOL  One of my favorite smells in this world is moist black dirt with the added scent of plants.

Kari ~ Hooray! Finally done with the clinical trial. You made it!!!

hugs,

Val

saltykm

Ugh!  Chest cold, no walking today.  How  does this happen in the middle of summer? Kari, congrats on finishing clinical trial. Have a great weekend everyone. Kathy

kfinnigan

Good Saturday morning cuties!  oops, or night or whater day or time it is!! 

DH and I just returned from a nice walk.  Lots of families out and about and we walked by the dog park along the trail, it was packed!  Such a pretty park with huge oak trees and grassy lawns with dry river rock beds...and lots of happy pets!  Will be finally back to summer heat starting today.  I've really enjoyed the mild weather we had last week.  Thank you for all the congrats on finishing the trial.  Did my part for research!  yeah!  My dad and his girlfriend are coming over today and then we're going to lunch.  Haven't seen him but once briefly in the past year.  He doesn't do illness very well.  I unfortunately, had no choice!!

Deanna, my DH gives you big kudos for walking so far in that desert heat!  As do I my dear!

Helena, it is your winter and you get out there and move it girl!!  You are always an inspiration to me with your sweet disposition.  I tell my DH the land of Oz is on the list!!  One day...

SaltyKathy, those chest colds can be nasty so take good care.

Making it a great day!

P.S.  Penny, where are you??

The future depends on what we do in the present. - Mahatma Gandhi

pk0199

Hey Kari, right here. I have been lurking but only posting (arguing) with a few on another thread. I am having trouble focusing on anything right now. I am going for surgery again on Thursday, I have known for awhile, that is another reason Hawaii was so important. I chose not to do Tamoxifen but opted for a totat hysterectomy as I was also having long standing issues with pelvic pain and endometriosis. Thought I would kill two birds with one stone, sort of speak. It is weight very heavy on me and not unlike when I had my lumpectomy, I am questioning my decision. So I guess I am just a bit out of sorts.

ktym

pk:  sorry to hear that.  Am I reading your posting correctly, you're going in for a hysterectomy Thurs and second guessing yourself right now?  Don't know anything behind your decision, but just wondering if it is possible for you to call and talk to your gynecologist or ask for an appt before your surgery so you can talk about it again.  Maybe help you be more comfortable with your decision?  Hope things go well for you and in the meantime cyberhugs to you.

Ainm

Hi All (Saturday evening 8.35pm here),

Vivre -  No CHEESE - how cruel can you get!! And carry weights when I walk - you slave driver - I find it hard enough to carry myself!

sobx -Your dog begs to go for a walk and I beg not to have to LOL!! But I'm getting better!

Meg -I'm doing about 30 min walk most days an a hilly area. Then I do about 30 mins Wii Fit - mainly aerobic stuff (trying to burn calories!!). I think once I have a bit of weight lost I might find it easier. At the moment I'm still finding my rhythm. Thanks for all the advice. Stay tuned in to hear my progress.

Deanna-Thanks for those positive vibes - they must be working because as you can see in my piece to Meg above I'm sticking with the walking and Wii Fit. I often wondered about my blood count. One week into rads they were low ad they never tested me again so it is possible that WBC and RBC are still recovering.

HelenaJ - Hi, it is a busy thread and I'm finding it very helpful. Hope your weekend is going well.

Kathy-  My DD complained of cold symptoms today so I dosed her up with Vit C and blackcurrant. Make sure you take lots of fluids. (((((((Hugs))))))))

Kari -Have a good visit with your Dad. It took my brother 7 months to phone me himself - he used to get his wife to phone to ask how I was doing - is it just men???

pk -Poor you - the waiting is soooooo hard. I hope you can relax about it. Like Kmmd says, maybe a chat to a relevant person might help.

To the rest of you (yes you too!!) - please enjoy your weekend. I've done my todays exercise and am sitting here checking on you all!! My feet hurt all the time even tho' I am taking painkillers - I guess they must be in shock from all the use!!!

Thanks for all your encouragement!!! Taker Care XX

mumito

PK  Sending healthy vibes your way this week hope all goes well.

sobx

PK you are in my prayers and have that talk. I had to weigh chemo or not and finally went with it. You are the only one that can make that last decision. Let us know. Joy

HelenaJ

quick post today ... I just made it all the way on my 5km run...yeah (very red in the face at the moment).  I have never been much of a team sports person - lap swimming, jogging but today I felt like part of a team.... team BCO!!!!!  Thank you ladies, good luck with the motivation and exercise over the weekend.

 big hugs

PK - what a tough time - you are in my thoughts,hope you find some peace.