Any rock climbers?

lisa-e

 Am glad to hear that your surgery is Over, and that you are home!  I'll bet it is such a relief to be out of the hospital! 

Do you live in view of the ocean?  If so, you are extremely lucky!  (Great energy from the sea

My husband and I are planning on moving to CA next year, hopefully by mid-summer.  We plan to move near Mendocino Village/Fort Bragg area.  I first travelled to the Pacific coast after my mastectomy and was undergoing chemotherapy.  The ocean was the only thing that would soothe my mind.....

Good luck in recovery! 

I was thrilled to find this topic on this site.  I have just been diagnosed and with multiple follow-up tests they still haven't really been clear on the extent of the surgery I will need.  I have been so worried about my climbing.  I climb both indoors and outdoors and am learning to lead.  I am 57 and have been doing this for three years and it is my passion, my tranquilizer, my social life, my favorite thing in the world.   I have climbed at The Gunks, Rumney, central Connecticut and lost out on two planned trips this summer - one to Jackson, Wyoming and the other to Acadia, Maine because of a fall that resulted in a compression fracture of my spine and put me out for three months.  I had just gotten back into it when my mammo came back creepy.  Arrrrrrrggggghhh! 

 Once my surgery is done and I have some kind of a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan, I'll be coming back here to once again read all that you have all written and ask all the questions that haunt me today.   Good luck to you all and many thoughts of excellent health. 

 Rock on.

Tina

Lisa-e,

The Gunks are a blast.  Come out to New York and  join me there!

I now know what we will be doing.  I am having a bilateral mastectomy on Monday with an immediate permanent implant.  They are doing a SNB and there is one swollen axillary LN that they plan to take out but so far two surgeons and an oncologist seem to feel that it's likely that has nothing to do with the cancer.  They are saying it is DCIS and as it seems to be  moving along a milk duct they are unable to save the breast.  So I opted to do both since I'm only doing this ONCE!!!!

I have been delighted to read about the many of you who got back to climbing quickly. I was scheduled to go to Red Rocks Rendevous this March but have cancelled as I really don't know if it will be worth it.  I worry about lymphedema, distortion, pain, scar tissue and all the rest but I guess I just have to be patient and see what happens.

Just recently I have started leading and this week I have my last three trips to the gym before surgery.  My gym buds have been very supportive and are actually coming to my house for the Christmas party and have promised that all I have to do is sit on the couch and be waited on.  Wow!  I was actually a little reticent to tell them my diagnosis since they are mostly all in their thirties and I thought it would creep them out but they have been totally amazing!

So once I'm all ready to move things again, I'll be reading what all of you have written again and again.  It is so encouraging to hear what you've said. 

Be back again.  Cheers to everyone!

 Tina

Anne,  when is the Red Rocks Rendezvous this year?  Have they published the dates yet?  I am planning on going to Joshua Tree in March (21st thru 28th) and it would be great if the dates worked out so I could go to both.   My sister (who is also my optometrist) lives in Vegas, so it would be great if I could also get an eye exam out of the deal.

Tina, I would be delighted to climb with you at the Gunks!  If/when I go to the East Coast I will let you know.  I hope your surgery goes well and you recover quickly.  I went to the gym as often as I could before my mastectomy; it helped me deal with my nerves.      It sounds like you are doing the same.   Regarding lymphedema, start slowly when you exercising again and build up.  I am at pretty high risk as I have had lymph nodes out on both sides, but so far I haven't had a problem. I got a referral to a pt who specializes in treating lymphedema so I could learn about prevention etc.

Take care!

 Lisa 

Anne, thanks! It would be great if the dates coincide.



It is raining here, so we are going to the climbing gym this afternoon. I think I am making progress, in endurance and my technique is coming back!

AnneW and Lisa-e,

Let me know how to get in touch with you by e-mail.  Lisa - let me know when you come East and we'll get a guide and go to some classic but easy and fun climbs in the Gunks.  You can lead or top-rope or whatever you like.  The guides there are great and I have a few favorites.  Anne - I still dream of getting to Red Rocks this year.  The group I was to go with have promised to save me a bed in their house but even if I can't join them I would definitely consider coming out for some easy start-up stuff.  What a great way to get back into it.  I was supposed to climb in Wyoming in September but got a compression fracture from a deck fall in August and was pretty much out until shortly before my BC diagnosis.

 So tell me what kind of physical therapy you both did?  My surgeons are so lah-di-dah about it all.  They just tell me range of motion will come back in time and that I won't need any PT.  There are so many articles and books about actual programs for getting back in shape after bi-mast that I kind of wonder where these surgeons have been hiding.  As it turns out, that one swollen LN that I thought was an axillary node turned out to be THE sentinel node and it came out but was clear.  So I only lost one node on one side (the obviously more painful one) and my recovery  has been so great so far (six days) that at the moment I am sitting home alone as all my nurses have deserted me.  I guess I should be acting more pathetic if I want more support.

Tina

Wow,

Looks like the climbing thread has gone wild since I last checked in! Has been awhile and am happy to see that you are all out there. I finished rads in April and have been doing 4 yoga classes a week with climbing trying for 2X (inside at Metro Rocks hers in Boston)a week as well. Rads has been harder to deal with from muscular standpoint more than anything else. Worse than the MX (and the 2 lx) which was not bad at all. Chemo was hard and had it's own weird side effects but Rads made me start doing PT more as it made my back both upper and lower really tight. I have had to work super hard keeping the shoulder and side body open because I had to do all fields from the pos Sent node. As you know climbing makes your back tight as well. MY PT team got me to really work on core stuff and that has been important so now I am climbing a grade above where I started at 5.7 I am tall but not a natural climber so the going is tough but is starting to pay off with lots of effort and base building. If I can make the time I will go for some Pilate's classes as that seems like the next thing. I was never told not to climb aside form waiting post Mx but we did end up going for a great snowshoe up toe Piankham notch 7 days after the operation. I also have decided against a recon based on the fact that a DIEP would call for way to much insanity for me as far as waiting to climb/do yoga Have not had any issues with Lymphadema but am watchful as I garden alot and get stuck with all kinds of things in the summer time and work the arm pretty hard. I never did let them do an full axillary but did do the ax rads and I think that was a good choice. One of my nurses is convinced that lymphadema is directly correlated to your surgeons level of skill and I am apt to believe this. She told me that my particular surgeon in Boston never had patients that got Lymphadema. I thought that this was interesting and had already heard that my surgeon was considered an artist in the field. Based on the results that I had with my Lx, she is. Her Mx is not bad either!

I think that in the coming years that they will find that lots of activity is the best thing for avoiding L.

I am wondering how you guys have dealt with chemopause issues? I really miss my estrogen in some ways and in others way I do not. I have always been thin but now it seems like I have an extra 5 lbs in the belly that is more mushy. The husband says he does not notice it but I do! I am not doing Tamoxifen but I do take DIM which has helped alot with hot flashes which suck. I mostly climb/yoga with an amoena stick on form and it works super well and stays put. I can just wear a tank with a shelf bra and it is ok. One time I had used some oil on my chest and then there was a problem.....the form came right off in my shirt during a down dog. Now that was funny. Happily no one seemed to notice!

I may be out to NM in the Spring so might be into meeting up for a Red Rocks thing. I did my 3rd Sterling Rope event out in N Conway and took a good class will Arno the guy that wrote the Rock Warrior's Way. A good class and a great book to read while resting up post surgery for Lisa. My Friend Tiff was one of the teachers that helped with his class when he was out in Joshua Tree.

BTW One of the nicest comments I have ever heard a climber guy make was on the rockclimbing.com site. He was talking about women that have Mx and it went something like this:

"I have dated women with no breasts and women with no hearts and I think I know which ones I would rather be with"

Anyway Happy New Years all you Climber Women!

Tina, my husband uses the term 'medical dieties' to describe doctors.  Anyway, I am glad you are recovering quickl.  I hope your oncotype scoreis low.

The scarred lymphatic channel sounds awful!  I have wound up with bruises after having body work - I know what you mean by looking like a domestic abuse victim.  I also am pretty beat up looking after climbing trips; my gyn thinks my husband beats me.  I keep telling her no, I got that bruise climbing, but she looks skeptical.

Climbing is a lot more fun than weight lifting, so maybe that is why climbers are motivated to recover quickly.  Also, my social life tends to revolve around climbing.  If I stop climbing, I will have to find new folks to hang out with. 

Climbergirl, I have Arno's book and found it useful.

My climbing is coming along; I feel pretty good on 5.8s now and am starting to work on 5.9s.  Certain moves are easier now that I am flat chested; I can get my body closer to the wall.  If bc improves my climbing, all is not bad.

lisa-e

Fellow Rockies,

Have been silent for a while as am trying to ignore situation and pretend it never happened.  I finally got a go ahead from my PS although he said no fingerhangs and no dynos.  As if.  So  went back to the gym a week ago and found that  I just was comfortable rainbowing because I did not want to be forced into a move.  I even found that  had to stay on the really elementary walls as the ones that started at 5.7 or above did not offer enough positive holds even rainbowing.  So I  came home feeling all elated but found that I had soreness on my sides about where my drain tube scars are.   I have two on each side and am happy to have them be sore if it is about stretching out scar tissue, but of course  am imagining that  I am undoing the stitching for the Alloderm patch that holds the implants in place.  Anyone else experience this side-breast soreness?

Tina 

Lisa,

Actually, the discomfort was WHILE I was at the gym but it wasn't sharp pain.  Just a tenderness at the sides of my (faux) breasts while working my way up the walls.  That area is tender all the time which is why I think it is about the drain scars and not about muscle.  In any event, I'm on the sidelines again as my white blood count was too low on Monday for my second chemo so I'm hiding out in the house and hoping I can do it tomorrow. 

I have told my sons and daughter-in-law that for Mother's Day (or a bit later if the chemo isn't over yet) that I want to take them all out to The Gunks, grab one of the guides I know, and take us all up two pitches on a very easy climb and have a picnic.  And I get to build all the anchors.  I wouldn't even attempt a lead yet, but building anchors satisfies my need to play techie with the stuff.    Doesn't that sound like a fabulous Mother's Day?

Tina 

I'm envious of the climbing trips coming up!

Tina, I had implants after my mastectomy, and I remember that pulling feeling all to well. In fact, I welcomed it, because I always felt better afterwards! I'd get in the gym and just dangle from the pullup rings, really stretching out the chest pockets and axilla. It helped a lot.

It'll come back quicker than you think. I really doubt you'll rip anything out at this time, but listen to your body and just work on technique for now. You'll be ready for your Mother's Day outing!

Anne