Exercise and well being during chemo and radiation

ksusan

...and beyond!

This thread is for motivating ourselves to exercise (everything counts!) and attend to other aspects of our well being during chemo, radiation, and after active treatment. While there are other exercise, diet, and health threads, this one is has a focus on how we take care of ourselves before, during, and after chemo, radiation, and other treatments.

Be sure to encourage new and old posters! We're in this together!

ksusan

After surgery in February, I started chemo in April and radiation in July. My goal has been to get at least a little exercise every day, do anti-LE activities, and keep my blood sugar stable (I have type 2 diabetes).

pboi

Thx Ksusan for starting this thread!

I had surgery in December, started chemo in January and radiation in July.

Goals?

Exercise...Be more consistent in exercising. Pretty much starting from the bottom and going to try to work my way up, hoping we can keep each other motivated!

Diet...chemo has caused weight loss for me, so not looking to gain/lose weight, but would love new ideas on healthy things to eat.

PB

Jackbirdie

I'm in!

Thanks for starting this.

I had a double in December, and just finished TC X 6. I wasn't fitwhen I started and am now very week. I have lost a few pounds, and clothes fit better, so I'm wondering if some water retention may come off.

My goals are general fitness and estrogen hiding bunker reduction!

I'm looking forward to moving forward with you ladies.

I'm going to start walking to the mailbox and playing with my kitten and some string. 😅

SueH58

I'm in too. I, also, need to get rid of estrogen hiding fat. I love to eat and cook, so I'll try to offer up some recipes. But I need to exercise. I know I've been moving about more since my surgery (since I'm off from my desk job), but it really doesn't constitute exercise. Gotta motivate this fat butt.

Had a good dinner the other day. Lots of protein and fiber in these burritos and they're delicious. Season it up to your taste:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-black-bean-burritos/detail.aspx

eheinrich

Count me in! I was out window shopping w/ a friend yesterday. Neither one of us really wanted to try anything on. We are both down about our weight but doing nothing about it except complain. We decided to check in with each other as to whether we worked out/walked/etc or not. My goal is 3xs a week either at the gym or home. I'm 12lbs up since last year (I'm 4'11 so that's a lot of pounds) and need to get a handle on it.

KBeee

Let's post our exercise here so we are accountable. We need to remember to celebrate every step. Some days we can easily do a few miles, but other days a walk around the block is a huge victory...and both need to be celebrated.

A lot of the March and April gals know I like to run. A lot. Understand I use the term run loosely. If it is fasted than a walk, it counts as a run. I am planning to walk/run the Rock and Roll half in November so I need to start adding some miles towards it. Thursdays are my "long" run day. Today was not as long as some, but considering I am fighting a cold/sinus infection/bronchitis thing, I did well. I made it 7 miles. I ran a mile, walked a mile for the first 6, but walked the final one too. Too hot. Did not have one more running step in me. I'm not trying to lose weigth; I could use to gain a few. I'm just trying to stay in shape for my job and get ready for the half in November because it is my way of saying f u cancer. I can do this.

ksusan

I've been getting up early to get in half an hour or so on the treadmill before radiation. Today I walked 30 minutes on the treadmill and did my anti-LE/ROM stretches, then did 15 minutes on the rowing machine at my PT's office. I'll walk at least another 30 tonight after dinner, again with stretches, and perhaps some light hand weights.

I had a training held at a pizza place at lunchtime today, so I went home first to eat lunch. I had a protein bar with me just in case, and got only a cup of tea during the training.

I'm going to pour oil on my radiated areas now and listen to a book while resting.

Hopeful82014

This thread is SO welcome, Ksusan! Thanks for starting it.

My basic goals are to get enough protein throughout and after radiation, stay hydrated, hold my weight where it is and rebuild some of the muscle I've lost since surgery in May. I love Katy's "estrogen hiding bunker reduction" - I think that's probably critical for most of us. I certainly need to do some 'bunker busting.'

I am a slave to my pedometer and it's rare that I don't hit the 10K mark but I need to up the intensity, which is hard since my knees and lungs don't like running as much as they used to.

I'm back to doing "girls pushups" but wary of planks and real pushups, to say nothing of my former kettle bell workouts (although I bet I could go back to that at this point.)

Having to juggle so much during treatment tends to make me lazy about pushing myself in other realms of my life and I need to get over that NOW!

Jackbirdie

hello ladies. Well I didn't exercise per SE, but I walked to the mailbox (it is about 100 yards round trip. Don't laugh) and I went to Safeway and the post office. I had help getting groceries in the car, and no help at home. It took several hours of starting and stopping. My body aches but I felt good about accomplishing something, as I sent something special to my brother. I'm on the heating pad now.

It is a beautiful, albeit very windy day here on the coast. Tomorrow I'll try to do at least as much. When my brother and SIL come I'm going to propose a day trip to the small fishing town I used to live in and try to show them some seals and whales. And a short walk at Cape Blanco. It's the kind of walk where I can stop and sit on a bench and they can continue if they want. I want to show them why this has become home for me, even though I'm far away from family.

I think some or all of these pictures have been posted on other threads, but this is what I want to show them. It's also a big reason I want to be fit again- so I can enjoy this outdoor beauty on a regular basis:

Above is one of the last working fishing ports with a dolly dock. The old wooden boats put in and are hauled out every day since the bay is not well enough protected to anchor. This was on the first day of crab season a couple of years ago. These guys go out no matter what the weather. Notice the one boat beyond the broken down jetty, headed out, loaded with traps, for one more run, while others are coming in for the day. You can watch all this activity for hours, days on end, and never get bored. Plus there is a resident population of about 400 whales that are almost always "blowing around" in the summertime.

Also above is the cliff trail north of the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Jack loves to run for the sheer joy of it here. I think it's both of our favorite place in the whole world.

Above is the Cape Blanco lighthouse. There are miles of trails that are nicely kept and we rarely see anybody else!

Below is Battle Rock Beach in Port Orford. Almost guaranteed to see whales in this little bay at this time of year.

Jackbirdie

hi Hopeful! Wow! This is so cool. Some of my favorite bco sisters have already found us here

SueH58

Gorgeous landscapes, Katy! Love, love, love the ocean!!!!!!!!!!!!!

shaz101

hello, well i see that many of my friends are here already.

I've put on 10kg during BS and chemo and i want it gone. I also want that lightness of the body that being fit gave me. I've started this week. On monday i started the Durkan diet with my mum. We plan to do the attack phase monday to friday while i stop with her during rads until we get our weight down a bit. We've also been walking each day. Walking for 20 mins the first day almost killed me and yesterday we did 45mins Considering i walked 100km in october for a fundraiser, its a big loss of muscle. But im determined to get it back.

we can all do this! We all have so much to live for. All it takes is one extra thing per day.

I'm looking forward to following you all as you are my inspiration through all of this.

Hopeful82014

Hi, Katy! It's great to see you out and about both on the boards and in real life, too. Thanks for the photo tour of the southern coast. It is so beautiful, isn't it?? Since this is probably the closest I'll get to the coast this year it is especially appreciated. Breathe some salt air for me, will you?

ksusan

Good for you, Katy! Cape Blanco is a lovely spot for a walk.

Italychick

130 miles on my bike each of the last two weeks with about 4900 feet of climbing per week. Gained 15 pounds during chemo, have dropped five, but it isn't easy. I continued to ride my bike all during chemo, and I shudder to think what I would weigh without all that exercise. Each 25 mile ride burns about 1,100 calories because of the hills, so I figure I'm burning about 5,500 calories in exercise per week.

65 miles so far this week. Took today off because it is hot and I am tired.

littleblueflowers

Wow, ksusan, thanks for starting this! And I see some of my favorite folks have found you already! May I join you and your fascinator?

My goal is to rebuild my body one baby step at a time until I surpass my previous level of fitness both cardiovascular and muscular. After surgery I almost bled out, and was terribly anemic for a month which really set me back. Then, the fun of chemo. I have jogged all they chemo, when I could. When I cant, I walk. 2 weeks ago I started physical therapy to build my core arms and upper back. I lost 20 lbs of muscle and tits over this, and my goal is to regain the muscle. Thanks again for starting this group!

ksusan

I'm happy to see all of you!

I'm at my treadmill desk at 2.6 MPH and a 4.5 incline--not much, but I do it consistently. My armpit is swollen on the radiation side, so no hand weights tonight, and more MLD.

I didn't gain weight on chemo, but I'm hanging in the same range just above my first BMI target, so now that I'm done with in-person teaching I need to revise my diet (not enough carb + too much fluid = unfortunate potential classroom

tangandchris

you ladies are amazing, stay strong.

Hopeful82014

Sharon, it's good to see you again.

Ksusan - I envy you that treadmill desk! I try to get up as much as possible and to stand to read my screens but those can't begin to touch a good treadmill desk. How long have you used it? Do you love it or otherwise?

ksusan

I love it and made it myself: Treadmill with flat arms (Pro-Form XP), laminated wood shelf with 3 holes drilled in it (and metal washers over the holes so they don't shed particles or dig into the strings), foam secured around the arms as a shock absorber, string through the holes to tie around the hand rests at the ends and middle of the board. There's a piece of non-skid rubber shelf-liner under the computer. It's no Steelcase, but it meets my needs and cost under $15. I can post a photo (with the desk cat, of course). I've had it for years and try to do my reading at 2.2-2.6 MPH, anything I may respond to at no higher than that, my grading and emailing anywhere from 1.8-2.5, and for music or video, anything goes. During the academic year, I usually go 1.8-2.2 MPH for 2-5 hours at high-volume times ("When is the paper due?" "Please look at your syllabus.").

Bonus--as long as I pump my fists now and then, my LE PT is happy that my hands aren't hanging down or swinging.

Leighrh

Well of course I am in on this thread!! I made it to Crossfit 3 times this week and I am pretty pumped about it! I have been only averaging 1 or 2 times a week so yeah me!! It's tough I am not gonna lie. Prob more mentally tough than physical because I do really scale down the workouts because my body just can't do it right now. My MO says I am running on about 2 less pints of blood rt now so to forgive myself but when I am at the gym and I can't do even half of what I used to do it makes me RAGEY!!! LOL I have 7 more Taxol's to go then rads but hopefully I can keep up this routine somewhat. I do try to eat pretty well. I bring my lunch to work, usually a chicken breast and veggie/ sweet potato. That way whatever the whole office orders from take-out doesn't temp me Home is a different story, I tend to pick at what I make for the kids and not sit down for a complete meal. That needs to stop!

ksusan

I'm going to take advantage of our ability to edit previous posts to put my daily well being activities into one post a day. I'll start with my morning exercise, and later I'll add whatever else I did for today. I'll put conversational posts in the regular way.

7/17:

• .5 hr treadmill (T) (2.6 MPH avg) = 1.3 m, + ROM/LE stretches
• Radiation #6
• .5 hr T (2.7 MPH avg) = 1.35 m
• 1.0 hr T (2.5 MPH avg) = 2.5 m, + ROM/LE stretches (5.15 m total)

SueH58

Leigh, your blood is down 2 pints????

littleblueflowers

walked a couple blocks after treatment yesterday...considering Trying to precipitate the roid crash byjogging this morning befor neulasta, cause after that I'll feel like shit! Seems like sweating it out helps though!

Katie, are you working with a PT? Beautiful pix bTw! I heart the Oregon coast!

Leighrh

That's what MO says..... Ive stayed pretty anemic .. think my last RBC count was 3.2 or so WBC stay around 3.5 to 4.0. I don't pretend to know what all the numbers mean but MO seems to think I am moving along fine. Yesterday he says #'s should start staying around the same or climbing a little in the next weeks.

Jackbirdie

Littleblue- yes have been working with a PR off and on for several months. She's trained in scar tissue management and other mx issues. It is extremely painful and towards the end of chemo I kept having to cancel. Finally decided I can't fight both battles at once. So I stopped with the intention of going back and really working after deportation. I think the port somehow flares up pain in the region. At the very least it is always bruised and sensitive. Have a consult to get port out week Monday so should have it out in about 3 weeks.

littleblueflowers

yay for deportation! I was suprised my MO scheduled me to get mine out this tuesday...

Italychick

I have a work desk from thehumansolutions.com called the hover uplift that helps me at work. I can stand or sit, and when I stand, I admit I put on music and kind of dance around a bit. It helps me not get stiff and creaky at work

Hopeful82014

Ksusan - how cool that you made your own, and for such a minimal investment compared to the commercial designs. I'd LOVE to see a photo when you get a chance.

There's a lot coming out about the risk, for women specifically, of sitting even if one is a regular exerciser. Of course it is early days but it seems to be connected to metabolic indolence and (no surprise) estrogen. We women must be pretty tough to survive everything nature throws at us and to still outlive men!

Katy - love your new term (deportation). Glad to know yours is coming up. same for you, Littleblue. Another milestone.

KBeee

Leigh, My RBC is 3.4, so I'm right there with you!!!

I walked 4.5 miles this morning before the blazing heat. I may try to get another short walk in tonight. Tomorrow I work a crazy long shift, so I'll be getting up at 0400 to get my walk/run in. Yikes!