Port surgery, chemo and Yoga question

havehope

Hi!

How long after the port surgery can I return to Yoga? 

Are there any poses that I should avoid all together during chemo? Will I be able to do Yoga during chemo or will I be too tired? I had chemo twice already but I was not taking Yoga. 

Thank you.

NancyHB

Hi, havehope! 

I was an avid yogi before dx, and was really nervous once I had my port placed.  I returned to yoga a week after my port surgery, and did what I could during my chemo.  That's the blessing and beauty of yoga - we honor our body by doing only what it wants/needs during our time on the mat.  I was nervous at first and eased myself into poses like downward dog and chaturanga - afraid of using that pectoral muscle! - and pretty much avoided strenuous heart openers like fish or cobra. After a couple of weeks I started to slowly explore those poses, too, and found they were just fine! 

Yoga helped me maintain my center and heart balance - and when chemo threatened to get the best of me I simply settled into yoga breathing and found peace.  There were many evenings I was too tired to do yoga and so I didn't.  But I did what I could do, and I believe it truly helped me endure treatment with a positive attitude and a good physical feeling.

Blessings to you - Namaste!

NatsFan

Havehope - your surgeon can tell you when you can resume yoga after your port surgery.  Fatigue hit me hard with chemo so I wasn't able to exercise much during chemo, but 2 weeks after my last chemo, I joined a gentle yoga class.  I wasn't able to do many poses and those I could do I could only hold for a few seconds, but I kept at it.

If you've had any nodes removed, remember that you are at risk for lymphedema.  You need to be careful about doing certain poses like downward dog, cobra, or other poses that put a lot of strain on the upper body.  The Step Up Speak Out lymphedema website has document about precautions to take when resuming an exercise program after surgery.  There's also a document you can give to your yoga instructor that explains lymphedema.  Both documents contain info especially about yoga and provides info about alternate moves. Here are the links:

Basic Patient Info    Info for Trainers and Instructors

You may find that these documents provide useful guidelines for you as you resume your yoga practice.  Good luck!