Motivation

Deanna ~Thanks for the update on Beverly. I thought of her often today.

Kari ~ You make me laugh, you Woo-Hooted me for my determination to keep after that 5# & what do you do?!? You still go out & walk no matter how much you hurt from your fall or how much your hip is acting up!! What an inspiration you are, my sister-friend!! And I laughed out loud at your comment on the previous page, "Hi to all of you! (or something similar that you said), I CAN SEE YOU!!" So funny!!  LOL

MBCR ~ I'm so sorry you fell, dang. Now it's like you have to start all over, isn't it? I hope your pain lessens soon & you can be back on track again. You can do it, we all can do it. WE ARE WARRIORS !!

Sleep well sisters,

{{HUGS}}

Val

Thinking of you Spring.  It's finished ..yeah!!  Sleep well and heal.  Really soft hugs.

Been a bit bummed about my "squeaky" foob but PS assures me I can still run if I can put up with the feeling.  Mmmmm. 

Love all your wonderful posts and am inspired by all these busy beautiful women exercising and doing all they can to stay well.

big hugs

Helena

Good Friday morning all you beautiful strong warrior sisters!  Love that Val!!!

Deanna, let me start off by saying I was hoping you would have an update on our precious Spring!  She's been on my mind constantly, so happy to hear the surgery went well.  Keep us posted (I know you will)  

MBCR, welcome!  so sorry you are in the 'klutz' club.  I read your bio and you're a PT!!  Wishing you gentle healing and staying motivated and active!!!

Val, you sweetie!!! Hugs to you my sister~

Vivre, please bottle those 70's and send them over!  Was 104 here yesterday, miserable!

Helena aka Squeaky!! HI!!!  So what is your PS doing about the squeaky foob??  You must sound like one of those pet toys that squeak when you squeeze it!!  My DD and I were at Petsmart the other night with her little doggies and they got 2 new toys like that.  Oh dear....now I'm going to think of you when they play with their toys.  Shouldn't poke fun, sorry!   I hope you can get that thing fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hugs sweet sister~

kmmd, so sorry to hear about your neuropathy and the long hours.  I can imagine DH being worried about you and your feelings of no control.  Try and regroup this long weekend and make it about YOU and getting that rest and workouts in!! and RELAX, you need a spa day!!!

Walked during my lunch hour yesterday at the mall, a brisk 25 min, but after 20 I felt so weird, got shaky and light headed (and of course hip was killing me by then)...I hadn't eaten my lunch prior!!  Went back to work, guzzled water and ate ate ate!!  Felt much better then!  Phew...was awoken with the smell of a fire at 4:15 and DH put on the air cleaner filter thingie.  A grass fire was burning 50 miles away and the winds were carrying the smoke very far!!  

Have an appt. with my PT during my lunch hour so will aim for some exercise this evening.

All the wonderful women on this site, you have ALL done something for me which I can never repay, THANK YOU!!!!!!!! love this quote: 

You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.
- Anonymous 

:::lurk:::

 

Hi to all--and special hi to Spring! We are thinking of you...

Kari--I had to laugh at "when it hurts, stop". Maybe you need to adopt a "no pain, no PAIN" mantra...you warrior woman!

Rachel--you lurker...

Helena--good luck with your squeeky foob. That must be frustrating...

We got back from an overnight stay yesterday afternoon (I tagged along with DH on a business trip but to a company estate that is like a private resort--lovely) so we are both looking forward to a weekend at home! Am off to the gym now--ugh, but am doing it.

Have a great holiday weekend all! And happy father's day to Helena... 

Such a great work out today.  Love long weekends when I'm rested and have the time to do it.  Great weather today, not to hot, sunny.  Wish I could bottle it. DH and I kept saying we're doing this tomorrow again and taking advantage of this weather while we have it

Brenda, thank you, your posting made me feel so much better.  Sorry for how hard it is, but sure is nice to hear someone else say it too.  I'm with you, TC really threw me for a loop.  DH keeps stressing, remember how far you've come, you can't compare yourself now to how you were before BC.  I too find I need MUCH more sleep then I used to.  I can't function on less then 9-11 hrs a night, and used to do 4-6.  Doesn't leave much else after a long day of work.  Don't know how you'll do with Tamox, but I got help with neurontin for the hot flashes and when the insomnia hits and I know I have a long day at work and have to be up early I'll take an Ativan.  The sleep makes a huge difference in my ability to be more efficient at work and be able to face working out when I get home.  Keep coming to this thread and getting motivation and reminding myself I HAVE to exercise.  Keep the cancer away, help with bone and muscle mass early menopause from chemo and tamox take from us. 

Brenda, we'll have to watch out for each other and letting work creep into our health.  Right before the Holiday had to catch someone else who was helping me out and therefore putting in more hours.  Can't do that to her anymore.  It's a struggle.  Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing, but I have to say, being back to work has forced some organization and structure that I think has been good for my chemo brain, and thinking about others and not thinking about my cancer all day has been good for me too.  I needed to exercise my brain like I do my muscles.  I needed to crawl out of the hole. 

One day at a time, and I guess we'll just have to do our best to make each one as good as we can.  

This thread is the one single best thing right now.  Love it and need it.  Kari, gave up and started wearing a brace on a knee giving me trouble, I too have such a hard time saying if it hurts stop.  But, but, but, the endorphins haven't kicked in yet!! 

ok don't laugh girls, I'm back already...only 13 minutes and the pain came, so I quit, I noticed myself saying 1 more minute....but then I said STOP!  LOL geez, stretched out and did my PT exercises and now its margarita time 

Good evening ladies

UGH... weekend is over... got to for the rads again in the morning.  the good thing is that only 8 rads left.

Thanks for all the good wishes and the wonderful tips.

Uma

Good morning everyone, and welcome LittleFlower!  Glad you've found us, and hope we can keep you motivated and vice-versa.  And Rachel, I hope you'll be encouraged to post something more than "lurk," although we're glad to know you're there!

Kari ~ Thanks for sending the slightly cooler weather!  I just returned from a Sunday walk -- which I usually don't get in -- so that makes 14.15 miles for the week.  I found in the heat, I've really had to scale back each day to 30 to 45 mins., so have tried not to miss a day. 

Gee, I'm sorry that hip is giving you so much pain.  Have you tried any of the topical rubs -- Arnica's good, or there's one called Voltaren (or something like that) -- there's a whole thread about it here.  Just a thought -- although I think your doctor is right about not working through that kind of pain, which is very different than tired muscles, etc.

kmmd ~ I really appreciated your perspective on needing a relaxing weekend.  I must admit, I was feeling like we should pack up and go somewhere, but for several reasons it seemed more logical to stay home, inspite of the heat.  So I've just relished doing some of the projects I needed/wanted to do -- from a bit of shopping without guilt (I saved so much on hotels & meals!) to coloring my hair (next on my list for today), and stopped regretting that we hadn't been able to get away.

Brenda ~  So glad to read that you're doing well on Tamox.  That in itself is a huge accomplishment, and I'm sure you'll eventually fit in the exercise, too.  I just don't think we realize how long it takes or give ourselves enough credit for how far we've come as we're recovering from tx.

No further update on Spring, but I know she was supposed to be in the hospital for 4 days, so I'm sure she's doing as well as can be expected after such a grueling surgery.  Hopefully, we'll get an update on Tuesday.  And just a reminder, I have her home address for anyone who might want to send her a card.  Just PM me for it.

(((Hugs))) to all, and enjoy the remainder of this lovely, restful weekend ~  Deanna

  

Deanna, excellent link, thank you.  I think your weekend sounds wonderful.  I think I'm going to add a long soak in the tub and a pedicure to mine--after working out of course.

just checked Facebook, Spring wrote that she "is ready to leave the hospital tomorrow "

In addition to what Kari has shared, here's a bit more on our sweet Springy ~

"Hi all, I talked with Richard and Beverly today and she's due to leave the hospital tomorrow (Mon). She sounded really good on the phone. Beverly told me her surgery was a micro-surgery, where they use microscopes and special lenses during the 11 hour procedure. She's still sore, but recuperating well. She's been on lots of pain meds Friday and Saturday, and has already been up walking around a little bit yesterday and today. The surgeons are very happy with her progress so far and she's in good spirits. Her appetite is back already and they've been making sure she gets plenty of food and nutrition -- Richard too! In fact he said his shirts are getting tighter with all the food he's been eating! They're due to move into the Homewood Suites tomorrow and then they travel back home to Raleigh on Friday, Sept 11.

The best way to reach them at this point, is sending email to *****.  They're very thankful for all their friends and all your prayers, support and love.

Keep those prayers coming!

Jackie"

If anyone wants the email address I omitted above, just PM me.   I'm really impressed with how well it sounds like she's doing!  

Kari ~ I can't believe all you got done today!  I'm glad my DH won't see your post about all that cleaning and stuff!  You're setting the bar too high for us!

LittleFlower ~ You're off to an excellent start!  Do you know what's causing your hip pain?     Deanna

kmmd--I'm glad that I can be a kindred spirit with the struggle to manage work life and all those wonderful things we want to do for ourselves to be well, strong and healthy. Even though I write from time to time about wanting to do what I can to reduce my risk of recurrence, what I really want to do is promote my well-being and live my life with gratitude and celebration rather than with worry or fear that cancer will come back. Although I think it is wonderful to reduce risk, I really want to live my life without looking through the cancer perspective all the time.

kari--You sound like me sometimes! I have been quite the achiever in my 53 years of life, and I have to really work hard to give myself time to just relax and be (now doesn't that sound like a really interesting combo--working hard to relax--but you probably know what I mean). And I have to admit that at times I just outright WILL my body to do too much, then later suffer the consequences. I am relieved that I am not as compulsive about being productive as I once was, but it can be a tough struggle sometimes. As I recover once again from cancer treatment, I find myself  wanting both to be gentle with myself and to prove that I am still able to do what I want to do.

Joy--You mentioned being stubborn enough to get through treatment, and I can relate to that as well. I think I have a deep seated perseverance trait that really pops up when I am challenged in some way. I guess that trait and the compulsive trait are pretty tough on me at times, but I also like to see the "shadow side"--how these traits help me. I just--once again--have to strive for more balance in my life.

Deanna--Thanks for the welcome and the link (wasn't that from you?--I apologize if my chemofog has created yet another gaffe on my part...). And Little Flower, you really jumped in with motivation--congrats--and keep going without getting hurt!

Oh, yeah, the exercise update: I did walk 30 minutes each of the last 3 mornings, and I am trying to incorporate mini exercise moments into my day, like when I pop out of the bathroom I will do 10 wall pushups or when I check my hair for new growth I will do 10 biceps curls. I'll keep you all posted on how I try to deal with the work/Tamox fatigue/exercise challenge!

My virgin post on Motivation... cherishing the moment, I only get to be a virgin once  I hope my post is appropriate, I haven't back more than a couple pages.  Apologies in advance if I screw up

Well, yeah, you motivate me.  I was already going to walk home (if not walk to as well) a friends house with my kid (29 pounds) on my back and our young nanny, but as we walked back, it was more difficult than recently doing the same trip- about 3 miles.  I guess I was tired today to start with, didn't get enough sleep last night because I am an idiot and stay up late for no good reason, and I am always hotter than everyone else, so to be wearing long pants on an 80 degree day, well I dunno, but as much as it was getting to me, and as much as I wasn't going to stop, and really couldn't have anyway (subway almost as far as continuing to walk, can't take a taxi because we don't have a car seat with us, couldn't really stop because it was so late and kid was sleeping limp in the carrier), maybe it was harder because our nanny doesn't really speak English and had never seen where we were before, so she was asking a lot of questions, and it does raise your heart rate to speak while you are walking, actually it raises your heart rate just to speak, and trying to speak in English to someone who understands Chinese is an effort lemme tell  ya), I felt even better about pushing on because of that article Deanna.

Yeah man, I am fighting cancer. 

And then the eloquent Brenda speaks for me:

"what I really want to do is promote my well-being and live my life with gratitude and celebration rather than with worry or fear that cancer will come back. Although I think it is wonderful to reduce risk, I really want to live my life without looking through the cancer perspective all the time. " 

Yeah, that too.  And that becomes a nice little complementary cycle, a symbiotic relationship:

Doing something good for you that fights cancer recurrence allows us a little more room to live our lives without so much fear of recurrence, which allows us a little more room to look at life without the overbearing cancer perspective.   And it feels good.  My Dad is 84 and walks strenuous walks nearly every day.  He's in France now, this is him in France in 2006, walking the Chemin De Paradis in Gourdon 

He says there's a legend that if you can climb the Chemin De Paradis (the Road to Paradise) twice a week (or something like that) you will live to be 120 (or forever, man I can't remember now but you get the idea).  So he does it twice a week.  This is what the path looks like:

 On the upper right hand corner you see the "Eagles Nest" restaurant overlooking the valley and the path. Then slide down the steep cliff to the second bump, there's a spot of the path peeking out.  Then look down to the valley below and you see how steep it is.  

This is my Dad coming into the town at the top of the hill after his walk up the path:

That's an 81 year old man.  Walking also fights aging of the brain, alzheimers, stress... My Dad can literally walk circles around me- and I can't even attempt the Chemin De Paradis.  I hope to.  My measly 3 mile walk on level ground is like a fart to  him.

So for the moment that I am looking at that kind of walking as a goal, I can forget a little about cancer- and be fighting it at the same time.  

Brenda wrote: "I find myself  wanting both to be gentle with myself and to prove that I am still able to do what I want to do. " 

And nailed it again.   

My nanny was BEAT like an old rug, or like I am walking with my Dad, by the time we got within 6 blocks of home, she was 50 yards behind me carrying the kid, couldn't catch up, had to sit down - hahahahahahaaha!  She's like half my age (I'm 49).  But... I have to say, when we got back she was fine but my legs and feet are killin me!  I can barely move.  I am hoping that carrying the kid is also strengthening my back and please G-d my abdomen, but neither is feeling the burn...

Well - for those of you I am "meeting" for the first time, hey, sorry about the loooong post.  And for everyone else... well, same ol same ol, right?

Thanks for the motivation girls.

And thanks for the updates abotu Springtime!

Hugs