Motivation

Happy New Year to all! I missed checking in with you guys while on vacation and thought of you when I walked, walked, walked or otherwise exercised. I turned into a giant (well, 5'4") slug when I got smacked with a sinus infection toward the end of my respite.Can you believe it? More than a year dealing with cancer stuff and no vacation, finally getting away and then getting sick during vacation! I got back home this past Saturday and since then have just gotten sicker; the infection has moved into my chest but now I have even more powerful antibiotics on board. I am hopeful I will be improving now, and I am getting lots of rest. Today I did some yoga for beginners and thought my knees were going to implode on some of the poses. I will try some more yoga later today, after a nap.

Speaking of poses--Kari, your version of the cow pose cracked me up! And kmmd, I am so impressed by your motivation in spite of the neuropathy/treatment side effects you continue to try to manage. I hope it also is inspiring for the new folks here; welcome Harley and Sandy! (Hope I didn't miss anyone....) With regard to motivation, I am not one to do the club workout but I have found different dvd's really work for me. I have a mix, and I also tune into a PBS morning exercise program (The Esmonde Technique), which I now have on DVD as well. I also like to walk outdoors when the weather is not too cold & windy, and I find that daily exercise really lifts my mood and my confidence in a stronger body.

I have a treadmill, but my husband is usually doing that in the mornings when I am most likely to use it; he is not likely to do other forms of exercise but he loves to walk, so I support him using the treadmill. One of my goals is to jump on the treadmill when I get home from work instead of venting about work stressors when I come home; I imagine my husband and I will both appreciate a change of pace!

Joy, I'm glad for you about getting time with your son and for managing workouts in spite of a busy schedule. Meg & Mandy, it's great to hear from you two. Mandy, good luck with the stairs workout; my knees are so funky that I never could manage that, but I agree with the others, do what you can! Deanna, I'm glad to know that your son's surgery was a success, and I hope that he is improving daily. I almost thought we had a new person visiting us when I saw your new photo; you look great!  pk, I agree with kmmd: what's fun for you and not just a chore to try to complete? When I feel bad or just too darn lazy, I will do about 30 minutes of stretching; it always helps me to feel more relaxed and looser. And Spring, I'm glad to hear of your progress; how did you like the Wii? And Allie, how are you doing in the new year? Ainm, keep up the good work!

Brendatrue, DH and I have been working on that exact same thing.  We went for walks in better weather or now onto the treadmill or some in house DVD's when I get home.  I can vent about work, but do it during a walk, or after yoga or something.  Half the time I figure out better how I'm going to handle things after a work out.  Anything worth talking about while walking at a good pace is fine, anything else I need to let go of.  I've found some of it isn't worth talking about when we do it that way.  After yoga a lot isn't.  It has been helping.  I was stressing DH out and stressing myself out more.  It has helped. (thanks for the encouragement about continuing to work out with the muscle weakness and neuropathy, because it does get me down some days)

It sounds crazy maybe, but I swear I've been calmer after adding in the acupuncture too.  Its helped with the insomnia, hotflashes and back pain and I think I'm stressing about things less.  

Hi ladies! Happy New Year to all!

Joy--yaaaay you are going to see your DS and get away from work--finally! Stay warm.

Kari--so glad to hear your back/hip is better. Did you try seeing a chiropractor? You might have something misaligned...

Harley-am laughing about your 'torture" on the elliptical--since we just bought one!!! Hee hee--hope I don't come to feel that way about it.

Brenda--ugh, no fair you are sick! Feel better soon--hope the drugs work.

Deanna--yes that is a sassy new pic of you!

I went to yoga yesterday--ahhhhh--felt good but kicked my butt! Speaking of which was sore along with arms and hips this morning. But it was good to go. Heater went (again) so am typing this with a hat and vest on! Hoping my McGuyver of a DH can fix it...! 

Have a good night all! 

Hi Ladies! Deanna, I agree with Kari about your cool new pic! Hot! 

So, I have walked 2 miles every day since getting back from family holidays out of state! this takes about 32-34 minutes. And it has been CCCCCOLD here! I am just gearing up!

Also, today I did gentle "at home" yoga for over an hour for the first time since surgery! YAY!! I am very tight and sore, but this is the way to loosen. It will take a month or two. Next week, I start up studio yoga again! I have not been there since last Aug (prior stage 1 and 2 recons!) I moved down to the "gentle Yoga" class from "Warrior Woman Yoga" class for a few months.

Anyway, just wanted to report in! I need to go to the chiropractor - my back needs attention!

Spring.  

Just popping in for a quick "Hi," to everyone.  I've had my hands full the past couple of days with DS and a surgical complication that, thank God, seems to be behind him now.  But there were moments yesterday when I was actually thankful that I'd been through bc, or I never would have had the patience needed to deal with his pain and other things going on.  And last night, as I fell into bed after two nights of no sleep, all I could think was, how much I was going to enjoy walking this morning to de-stress!

Happy belated anniversary, Harley!  How neat that you can celebrate on New Years Eve!  It's like the whole world's setting off fireworks for you!  And I also got a chuckle out of your references to the elliptical torture machine.  Joy ~ So glad you finally have two days off AND are getting to see your DS!  ENJOY!!!, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your visit.  Brenda, hope you're feeling much better today. 

So sorry so many of you are dealing with the CCCCCOLD, as Spring put it. But I guess that's the trade-off of having 4 distinct seasons.  We escape that here, but then we don't have a true Spring or Fall either, which is kind of disappointing and gets old after awhile.  So I'm not sure anywhere is perfect, so I guess we just have to turn up the music and plug along!    

Penny, how's your boy doing?  Allie, did your DH get your heat back on?  Lucky you're not in the NE!  And kmmd, I feel so bad that you're still dealing with so much muscle weakness and neuropathy.   Are you taking B6?  I recently started using it again, and it seems to help my feet, especially, which don't hurt as much first thing in the a.m..  I also recently got a little exercise ball called The Gripp II.  It's a firm-squishy material, and using it is definitely helping my fingers, which were even weaker than I'd realized when I first started using it.  My thumbs, especially, could barely press into it, and after about a week, they're noticeably stronger and not quite as painful when I first wake up.

Headed out to walk now...  "Hi" to Kari and everyone else...  Deanna  

There was a clip on the news about how great Eliptical trainers are on the knees, as opposed to the treadmill.  Harley, I lived in N.C. at two different times and I FROZE in the winter!   

Penny, I highly doubt you look like a cow in shorts! LOL  you are too hard on yourself.

So, I got to thinking long and hard last night about my back.  I haven't been back to my chiro.  Wondering why it felt so good on our 2 nights gone and think it may also have to do with sleeping on my side and I use a small travel pillow between my knees, that has flattened out.  When we were away, I was using the larger pillows from the bed.  So when I went to bed last night, my back/hip was achy (from this chair I'm sure too) and I used a larger pillow and noticed when I woke a couple hours later (I swear I pee every 2 hours)...my pain was gone, just a tad sore in one spot.  And it feels good today!  My chair isn't bugging me and when I get up, my back isn't so tight.  So changing the pillow and raising the back of my chair, I just may be on to something!  I can't tell you how HAPPY this makes me, and I'm praying this is the answer!

Penny, I believe we won?!

Kudo's to ALL!!  we are DOING it and MOVING it and feeling GOOD about it!

Penny, you made me think of that commercial, well maybe they only show it in California?  That Happy Cows are from California (its a cheese commercial)!! heehee

Had time for 10 min on the treadmill, but this a.m. I upped the incline every 30 seconds, but at the 6 incline I had to go down from there, I am a little sleepy so I just made some tea, don't want to fall asleep at my desk! 

Harley, don't you mean the "torture" chamber?  haha  good luck

I am new to this post, but am looking forward to joining the chat.  I live in Las Vegas and the weather was great today.  I am 3 weeks out of surgery and began working this week.  I get home and just want to fall on the couch.  Last week, when I was not working, I was able to walk 1-2 miles everyday, and then take a nap.  Today was so beautiful, 65, sorry to all of you who are freezing, that I made myself walk 2 miles around the block.  I feel so much better.  I am a firm believer that exercise is not only good for the body, but the mind as well.  Thanks for letting me join the chat.  Enjoy your evening.  diane

Happy New Year everyone! How has everyone been? I have been following your postings, but haven't joined back in. I have slacked off on the Skier, shame on me!!

Deanna ~ love the your new pic!

Penny ~ my Red Wings aren't doing very well this season. Sniff, sniff!!

Kari, Beverly, Joy, Allie, Mandy, & anyone I've forgotten  ~ missed you guys!

Had my 1-yr check-up last month & am doing well. All tests clear, with a little scare along the way, but all is good!

Hope everyone's Christmas was beautiful & wish the very best for 2010.

{{hugs}}

Valerie

Hi ValJean and PK!!! 

We are sooooooo not use to cold, icy weather here in Ireland.  Rain and cold we are born to but ice - yikes!!!  It's been 20 days now. 

You are all so positive and busy and exercising!!! My family got me Wii Fit Plus at Christmas and I still do some everyday.  But I'm lazy about changing the routine so I just do 60 mins step (about 8500 steps) every day.  But my old enemy, food, can still be a challenge especially in this cold and when I can't get out I get bored and that leads to eating and my very good friend, (she's near Seattle), sent me a chocolate hamper for Christmas and well it would just be impolite not to enjoy it!!! 

Because we haven't been able to get our car up the hill near our house I have walked (or should I say slid) that a few times but DH is very nervous of me on the ice so I've not been out much.  He knows that if anything happened like me having a fall and getting hurt I'd be convinced that this year was going the same bad route as last year!!!

We were so not prepared for this bad snap of weather, it's the worst and longest cold spell since 1963 (the year I was born!!!) and we are like headless chickens - the towns and cities are not so bad but in the countryside it's crazy, our roads are sheets of ice. We have almost run out of home heating oil and deliveries are impossible. Those of you from areas that get severe weather must think we are real wimps - but it's just that we are not use to it - water supplies have frozen, schools are closed, the road service departments have run out of salt and grit (they only do the main routes anyway) and the forecast is for the same and worse for about another 10 days!!!.  Across the Irish Sea in Britain it is even worse.

I know it's been awhile since I last posted although I have tried to catch up reading all your posts but between the freakish weather and I'm coming up to one year since dx and can't quite bring myself to relax and I'm very apprehensive and didn't feel I would add to the motivation aspect of this thread.

So my first consult was 9 Jan 09, mammo, us and biopsies on 13th Jan, dx on 16th, hosp 18th and mast on 19th - so which date is my cancerversary, date of dx or date of surgery??? 

I'm having my first mammo since dx on the anniversary of my surgery, the 19th, and a follow up with my onc that day and then I'm due a smear test on 21st - that's if I can get to the city (40 miles away) and then I think I'm due a follow up with BS at end of Feb - it's never ending.  Of course in the meantime I'm worrying about every ache and pain and that suspicious little dry patch of skin on my palm - hmmmmm????  And I wonder will the onc notice the 47 lb weight loss since I last saw him??  Although I have so many layers of clothes on at the moment I look like the Michelin man - big and squishy!!!

Must go and make dinner - love you ladies - you keep me sane!!! XXXXX

AINM, DS lives in MN.  To fill you in, they are famous for cold winters.  I can never complain about our weather, because DS's is always a minimum of 10-30 degrees colder.  I'll be snuggled in, and he'll be out in that colder weather ice fishing.  So, even though our winters are usually worse, you have ALL of my sympathy.  It really is harder to live where there aren't big orange salt trucks used to this weather waiting for the snow to fall.  And, if your Onc doesn't notice the weight loss, we all did, and we'll send him/her a big cyber boink on the head for ya. 

A year today I did my first chemo.  Happy its this year, and really happy I didn't know what was coming.

Ainm, there you are!  I was wondering how your spirit was as your "date" is coming up.  I asked my clinical trials nurse last year what date they go by and she said its the diagnosis date, they you can officially say you are a one-year survivor next week!  I felt down around my date too, but then the day came, and it was a whole other story, felt much better.  Jan 15 will be a year since my last chemo as opposed to kmmd's first chemo.  Certain dates, you just never forget...

47 pounds, now that better get noticed!!!  You are doing so great!  I think we are all getting used to our new normal, the one where we try and move on, but still wonder about that ache or pain or dry patch....sigh  Hope you thaw some and don't run out of heat!!  Scary for sure.  The news was showing Britain and how much snow they've had.  Been a cold winter!  Can't wait the Spring!  

Harley, like the pic!! 

1 week!!! I walked 2 miles, 7 days, 14 miles! Did gentle yoga 3x. Not too bad.

Back is better already. I think was messed up from lack of exercise, yoga, and wearing those stupid compression garments, which I am sure are necessary, but ugh. I do believe in the chiropractor!  

It is going to get really really cold for the next couple of days. BUNDLE BABY BUNDLE!!!

he he he.