My rebounding experience

lynn1946

Hi gang...just wanted to share this. I have LE in both arms, chest, back and abdomen.. I would say it's a bit more than mild with swelling in the chest and back and my arms. I use Sigvaris sleeves and wear gauntlets when I walk my two miles each morning and have been wearing a Marena Compression garment which comes down to my waist.. I cut the long sleeves off and make it short sleeves for just covering my compression sleeves. I do Lebed exercises each morning and sometimes in the afternoon if I get a bit desperate..so... hang in there with me while I get to the point. Lately my LE seems worse and it's been a bit of a struggle to keep it under control (we all know how that feels) .. I started rebounding (gentle jumps WITHOUT leaving the surface) for 6 mins twice a day.. I started out with more but it felt too much and made my LE feel worse, burning and pain under my right rib.. found it hard to put my socks on for the pain if I bent over... SO... at first I think I felt a bit worse but I'm putting that down to the lymph moving.. after a week of doing this every day my body feels calm, my pain has all but gone (I dare not say it's completely but it could be) I can put my socks on easily - AND I haven't worn my compression garment for three days straight!!!!! unheard of.. I truly and absolutely believe I'm moving lymph like crazy - also peeing a lot. I got my rebounder (mini trampoline) from Walmart - less than $40 I think..I did not wear my gauntlets this morning and my wrists stayed normal looking. I'm really excited about it.. I use spotify music - any you like at about 112 to 118 beats a minute..there is a low tempo playlist with some good tempo music if you search. It's not hard to do.. keep it gentle (I tend to get carried away) easy on the knees... I can feel the lymph moving now which is reassuring.. drink lots of water after (squirt of lemon is good) to flush toxins..If you try it and I hope you do let us all know how you felt about it and if it worked for you. We need all the help we can get. (remember to hold onto something - when bouncing). Would love to hear from you.

Trishyla

Sounds wonderful. I'm so glad you're getting relief. I have truncal lymphedema that has now spread to my legs. I've been looking at surgical options, but I'd rather try less invasive treatments if possible. I'm going to look into the rebounding.

Thanks for the info.

Trish

SuQu31

lynn1946,

Thank you so much for posting this! I had not heard of rebounding. My lymphedema (arm and side of breast) is relatively mild, but I've been trying to consider all options for dealing with it. Rebounding makes sense to me, and it also sounds like fun, good exercise. I'm excited about the possibility of finding something proactive I can do to get my lymph fluid moving, instead of just dealing with swelling after it occurs. I had exchange surgery a few weeks ago, so I won't be able to try it right away (don't want any jiggling), but I will post my experience after I try it. Please continue to keep us posted!

Yogatyme

I bought a trampoline just before my diagnosis but haven’t started using it yet. So glad to hear it is helping you so much!! I’ll have to get rebounding...

lynn1946

I think rebounding would help anyone with lymphedema.. I love the idea that when you gently bounce you are opening and closing little valves in the lymph system that pumps the lymph around to were it should go.. apparently you have more lymph in the body than blood and the lymphatic system doesn't have a pump so bouncing takes the place of a pump.. works for me... I'm still not back in my compression top.. just my sleeves.. I'm REALLY excited about my improvements.. HIGHLY recommend it.. give it a week before you really feel good.. I didn't feel so good for the first couple of days but that gradually went away. I think my lymph was stuck in all the wrong places and refused to move for a couple of days.. SOON FIXED THAT.. don't forget.. recommended is 5 mins 3xday for lymphedema.. not staying on it for 30 mins or more.. start out carefully. There is a ton of information out there to google.. look for rebounding and lymphedema..

Happy bouncing my friends.

Lynn

lynn1946

Little note to add to my bouncing thread. 1. If you are a dance (ballet) enthusiast like me (an old one for sure) I can highly recommend this website that I came across. Along with my rebounding it just hits all the right lymph swell spots and strengthens as well.. plus I love the movements. I've noticed that I'm getting a little bit of a headache from the rebounding... I recognize it from my fitness class teaching days - tight muscles in the neck and shoulders.. so I've toned it down a bit to a bit more gentle..

All the best

Lynn

website is called: balletbasedmovement.com

SuQu31

Thank you so much for continuing to post here and keep us updated. I'm going to check out the ballet-based movement website, although I must admit that I'm terribly uncoordinated (wouldn't it be neat if, when BC took away something (breasts, health, feeling of well-being), it gave us back something unexpected and good, like the ability to dance or sing or create where it did not exist before? Sorry, just an odd thought while I typed.)

I return to the PS this week and I'm going to ask about timing on getting started with this. I've found during TEs and now after, that certain bras definitely exacerbate the lymphedema, so I'm anxious to start (as well as find that “perfect" bra).

LaurenInPHX

I have extensive mets to my neck lymph nodes. I bought a rebounder to reduce my right arm LE plus exercise. I thought my oncologist would say it’s no big deal to use it because we move lymph every time we move, however, she doesn’t want me to do anything “exaggerated” to move the fluid through my neck nodes. So needless to say I have a $135 rebounder collecting dust in a corner and I’m still too paranoid to use my pump. Fortunately the LE isn’t too bad but it will get there if I don’t get over this fear. I doesn’t make 100% sense to me but I’m not going to risk spreading the cancer

Has anyone ever heard of this with rebounding?

lynn1946

Hi Suqu31 - the ballet class starts out soooo easy... it's perfect for oldies, beginners and people without an ounce of co-ordination lol... def. check with doctor first . With the Lebed exercises first, then my rebounding and later in the day this easy ballet class I'm feeling sooooo much better.. still wearing my sleeves but no bra or compression on my trunk.. it feels sooo liberating to not be scrunced in and feeling like the Michelin man. Good luck at the PS.

lynn1946

Hi LaureninPHX .. Sorry to hear about your rebounding.. I'm a 100% with you.. I would be very careful too.. give the rebounder away.. s'no big deal lol - I would say to anyone to definitely check with doctors before rebounding.. it may not be for everyone. When I do it no matter how gentle I am it still feels a little aggressive. I've never used a pump so I don't know about that. Glad to hear you LE is not too bad.. Wishing you well and maybe someone else in the forum will have more information for you.

Take care

Lynn

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Lynn... I'm glad you have relief from lymphedema with the rebounder. Do you rebounding with your arms hanging or do you carry them up? I have a rebounder and I would like to use it to prevent LE. Thanks!

Yogatyme

LaurenInPHX, I am so sorry about your rebounding. I am new to it and haven’t heard it could cause problems with lymphedema. I hope you can eventually get to it as it is fun and a good aerobic workout.

lynn1946

Hi Yndorian, No I try not to have my arms hanging down.. I have them on a rail and also extend up for triceps and out for biceps one arm at a time and half time temp. When I do my 2 mile walk each morning my arms do tend to hang down some.. I try to keep them up as much as possible. My le is mild to mod and am trying to keep it that way.. I am also doing an easy easy ballet barre (20 mins) each day and the reaching and stretching is wonderful.. the leg work is great too for strength. I think the secret is to do as much as you can but keep it gentle.. if I overdo it back fires.

Please make sure your doctor says it's ok... there could maybe be some reason why it's not good for certain situations.. I don't know.

SuQu31

lynn or anyone who rebounds for lymphedema, I finally got my rebounder and I'm ready to get started. Do you wear your sleeve when rebounding? I know we are taught to wear it during vigorous exercise, but this doesn't seem that vigorous and (this may be a stupid question), won't the sleeve inhibit the lymph from moving?

lynn1946

Hi SuQu,

Yes I wear both my sleeves when I do any kind of exercise and also when rebounding. I put them on when I get up in the morning and keep them on all day. I was wearing compression garments on my back and chest but have found I'm doing better without them and just rebounding and doing Lebed exercises. I don't like the idea of lymph draining down my arms at any time, especially when rebounding and my arms are down some of the time. Just my 2 cents.. Remember to start off slow and easy.. I don't leave the floor actually just gently bounce for 6 minutes at least twice a day.. three is better. Elton Johns "Are you ready for Love" is a good tempo as is "Thriller" by Micheal Jackson.. I use spotify. 118 to 120 beats per minute seems about right for me.

Good luck with your new rebounder!

Lynn

SuQu31

Lynn,

Thank you so much for the response! I'm about to go try it now, with sleeve on. Thanks also for the song examples- that gives me a good idea of what I'm looking for. I don't use Spotify much, but maybe I can find something similar on Pandora with search. I hope I'm not setting myself up for disappointment with this- I've been so depressed because my exchange surgery seems to have made my lymphedema a little bit worse. I'm having to wear my sleeve most days now, whereas before, it was only occasional. I just really like the idea of doing something a little more fun than the exercises the PT gave me. I'm so happy to hear about your good results.

*edited to add: just completed first session. I don’t know if it will work, but it sure was fun! Found a Spotify playlist for Rebounding with some old Bee Gees, and I rebounded like a fool, in the privacy of my own home. Definitely uplifted my mood

Yogatyme

SuQu, I rebound daily and really like bouncing to I Want To Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston), Life In The Fast Lane (Eagles) and Georgia Rhythm (Atlanta Rhythm Section). I bounce to others too, but these are my rebounding “standards”. Happy bouncing!!

SuQu31

Yogatyme, thanks for the suggestions. For some reason, I had that Whitney Houston song in my mind today and thought it would be good for rebounding. I dread the treadmill, but this seems a lot more fun!

Yogatyme

SuQu, I’m with you!! I also dreaded the treadmill but absolutely love the rebounding! I look forward to my “fun” everyday and when I’m particularly stressed I just bounce a little extra and it really helps!!

SuQu31

Yes, I might have overdone it a little yesterday (day 2). My calves and ankles hurt a little today, but I was enjoying myself.

Yogatyme

yes, that can happen early on. Once you build up slowly it is rarely an issue. I currently bounce for 30 min but built it up 5 min at a time.