Stretching makes me cry

MT1

I completed my surgery 6 months ago. My range of motion is limited and stretching makes me cry. Feeling the emotions related to the cancer experience is not the easiest thing in the world. I want my body to feel better, to move beyond. I do the stretches, I cry too. I cry just thinking about it.

Do you? 

coraleliz

I think when you can get beyond the "stretches" you'll start to feel normal again. When I got in the pool & swam the first time after surgery, that really helped. I was only able to swim one lap & it was pathetic.  I liked the idea that it was more puposeful than just stretching & exercising. I can swim a lot longer now.  Now I'm shooting baskets in the backyard with my 14yr old son. Hard to get those shots up. I'm 9 months out & I really don't see how I can harm my BMX area. The threat of bilat LE is always going to be there & I probably worry about it more than I should. You might be a the point where you have to start pushing yourself. But I guess this thread might really be about emotions & not exercise, but exercise helps me emotionally.

crystalphm

MellyT, It is always something with recovering from breast cancer, isn't it?

 I don't cry, but I am in pain. One thing that has helped me along this journey is myofascial release, so i stretch my scars every day and it helps me get a better range of movement. It was very painful when the therapist did it initially, I had so many adhesions in the scar.

My strength is not returning, I lift my 2 pound weights every day and when I progress even to 3 pounds, misery.

I am 20 months out, and 10 weeks out of two mastectomys. I am sometimes depressed over all I cannot do yet. but one thing I consistently see on these boards is how one woman can be rowing boats 6 months later, and others are still nursing things along, because not only are all of our surgeries different, but we also all heal differently. It is frustrating big time.

Laurie08

Yes.  I go to PT and love the massages I get to make me feel better.  Then we do simple exercises and I can not do them because everything goes into spasm.  It frustrates me and makes me want to cry.  I am 36 with a 2 and 4 year old and my body feels like it is 86.  My whole muscular structure was ruined by surgery- I wish I had known prior, things might have gone differently. I don't know.  But I hate that I ache every day, in a different spot and wonder what is wrong with me now?

newfmama

I have found 2 DVD's that have been helping me thus far.  

The first one is The Lebed Method, Focus on Healing.  It is kind of corny but it is designed to help prevent lymphedema and to help you stretch and work the areas that are important for healing.  The lady who created is a breast cancer survivor and has lymphedema.  You can search the title and find it online.  

The second one is Strength and Courage, Exercises for Breast Cancer Survivors.  This includes posture, stretching, flexibility, weight training and aerobic.  I found this to be a great DVD.  You can order from: http://www.strengthandcourage.net/

I alternate the DVD's throughout the week and am trying to hit the gym 3 times a week for more aerobic (eliptical) and strength and resistance exercises on the machines.  I am only using 2lb weights at this point also.  My PT said to stick with those for several months and only go up 1/2 lb at a time, hard to do that since there are no 1/2 pound weights I can find.

I still have pain, especially if I overdue it. It's only been 4 months since my BMX (no recon).  I am anxious to feel better but know it's going to be a long time coming.  

I hope you all may get some benefit from these DVD's.  

Deborah