How long to work out after mastectomy?

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KGBinDC
KGBinDC Member Posts: 45
edited October 2017 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Hi my name is Kimberly and I was diagnosed on 25 Feb 2010.  My breast cancer is a little strange as the lump became apparent after I lost weight from a diet and exercise regime I started 1 Dec 2009.  The lump actually hurt which is why I went to see the docs, it was interfering with my workout.  The lump appears to only be 1.6cm but we won't know positively until after the surgery.  Surgery is scheduled 12 March.  Military medicine moves fast nowadays!  In the meantime I am doing a lot of hot yoga, cardio and abs to prepare myself.  I am having immediate breast reconstruction and possible breast lift or implant on my other breast which appears to be healthy.  I have a great attitude and I am determined not to let this get me down!  I am constantly making everyone laugh at work and at home.  I have a great diet which includes a lot of lean protein, veggies and fruit which is a habit.  So my question is how long until I am able to exercise.  Not hardcore but just gentle cycling or cardio or hot yoga?  I'm thinking my stress relieving hot yoga days may be numbered for a little while.   After 25 pounds and almost three dress sizes I am determined to stay healthy and fit.  Thanks!  Kimberly 

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  • tamgam
    tamgam Member Posts: 255
    edited March 2010

    Kimberly- Sorry you get to joing the club!  At least everyone here is really nice and helpful.  I just asked my BS the same question today.  I am scheduled for a dmx march 26 with immed. recon.  He  chuckled and told me "a while!".  From what I gather it is pretty much forbidden for the first 4-6 weeks.  With the exception of walking as I am told. 

    I pretty much say we'll see about that!  Everyone is different.  I plan on following my PS orders to the T because I have read some stories about comlpications.  As soon as it is safe I plan on kicking into gear.  I lost 50 lbs after my third child.  I was the slimest I'd ever been for 2 1/2 years and gained about 20 this past year( long story).  I had just committed to a strict exercise routine and was very motivated until my biopsy in Jan slowed me down for close to 2 weeks with a huge hemotoma! Then BC came along! I threw a pity party for myself for a few days and have been back working out strong ever since.  It really helps with the stress.

    Take your time recovering and keep a really healyth diet while you are laid up.  I personally gave my DH strict instructions on what to feed me while he is in charge. I do not want to get depressed over my weight after all this. One day ata time.Positive Attitude is key but let yourself feel whatever comes up even if it isn't all bright and positive.  I find it can be exhasuting being strong for everyone else and that can interfer with energy levels.  If I am feeling a little blue I sit with it for a while and do not fight it.  It usually goes away rather quickly and I can get on with day to day stuff.

    If you need healthy competition to stay motivated there is a running thread on here or jut PM me and we can cheer each other on.

    Best of luck!.

    Tracie

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  • KGBinDC
    KGBinDC Member Posts: 45
    edited March 2010

    Tracie, Thank you for sharing your situation with me.  I will definately look forward to the cheering each other on part.  I am being seen at Walter Reed and they are moving so fast I haven't had time to let myself get down which is a blessing.  I am also throwing my cancer a going away party on Friday.  I get to see my friends and hang out for a while before everything starts.  Until the surgery I am going to keep pushing.  I am doing immediate reconstruction and am looking for good bras that open in the front and are supportive.  Do you have any recommendations?  I found one site but I am still looking.  If we are going to do this we might as well be as comfortable as possible! 

    Wishing you the best of luck too!

    Kimberly

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  • typhoon55
    typhoon55 Member Posts: 184
    edited March 2010

    Kimberly,

    Again sorry about joining this club.  I exercised like crazy prior to BMX. However my PS said part of the reason I was having pain with the TEs was due to the fact I had radiation on 1 side, I was thin and in shape.  Now by immediate reconstruction you mean that you will have TEs right?  Well my limitations were no lifting arms above head for 3 weeks.  No pushing on your hands like pushing your self out of a chair using your hands.  PS said no exercising in the beginning except for maybe stationary bike.  I will say that after the BMX I really did not want to exercise.  I tried a couple of times but the TEs felt so hard and uncomfortable I just stopped.  Then towards the end of the fills, I did start back exercising, light weights and elliptical. 

    After the BMX I did not wear a bra, except for the surgical bra given after the BMX.  No need for me  as the TE has a very strange shape.  I did get JC Penney sports bra with a zipper front.  I wore that after the exchange from TE to implant. 

    Good luck and PM me if you need.

    Janet

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  • tamgam
    tamgam Member Posts: 255
    edited March 2010

    Kimberly- Walter Reed?  R U military?  I only ask because my DH just got back from Iraq.(Army Nat. guard) He spent a year on deployment and is now recovering at home from a knee reconstruction from injury while there. I thought once he got home life would be a lot easier for us. BOY! was I wrong! ha ha!  Funny how life works isn't it?. I find I really focus on all that I have and it gets me through the difficult stuff. Plus I try to laugh at myself a lot.

    I hit the treadmill pretty hard last night and it felt great.  I am dreading the days when I have to sit still but in the end I'll be cancer free with perky boobs!  There is always an upside.   I have met some really courageuos and funny people on here.  They make you laugh and keep you grounded.  Maybe that is part of the good in all this.

    Hugs!

    Tracie

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  • tamgam
    tamgam Member Posts: 255
    edited March 2010

    Kimberly- forgot 2 mention that some of the ladies on here are so funny they threw their MX party at HOOTERS!  Hysterical!  You can even make a "boob" cake for dessert.  Check out some pix on flicker.com

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  • toni67
    toni67 Member Posts: 62
    edited March 2010

    my PS and BS told me no exercise until the TE has been filled for the first time. I'm bored out of my mind at home. I am not allowed to lift anything more than two pounds. Going crazy.

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  • Giselle7
    Giselle7 Member Posts: 104
    edited March 2010

    Hi Kimberly -

    Being fit prior to surgery gives you the best chance for a great outcome.

    I am one month and 3 days out from having a bilateral with reconstruction/expanders. I have always exercised daily and was dreading life after the surgery. In the hospital I was given a list of stretching exercises. (about 8 of them) I started on day 4 and never looked back. I began walking on my treadmill when I was one week out. (2.5 for 30 minutes)  Week 2 I began lifting 3 lb. weights and walking at 2.5 for 30 minutes - twice daily. Week 3 -  5 lb. weights. I push for whatever I can when I go to my PS to get filled because I cannot sit still too long. My PS tells me to listen to my body and I do. I have now graduated to 3.5 on the treadmill twice daily for 30 minutes. I am doing crunches, squats etc. The weather here in the Chicago area in getting better so I have been recruiting neighbors and walking as long as they will put up with me. It's not my usual workout but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I know that soon enough life will be back to normal and I will have new perky breasts!

    Good luck to you and "listen to you body".

    Giselle 

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  • tamgam
    tamgam Member Posts: 255
    edited March 2010

    Giselle- AWESOME! Your story is an inspiration.  Thank you so much for posting it.  I am 3 weeks away from my dmx with immed. recon.  I have been dreading the idea of being immobile and getting fat because of this BC.  You've made me think it can be different.  I am hopeful now that I will be able to post a similar story in a month.  Congrats to you and best of luck on the road to full recovery!

    Hugs!

    Tracie

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  • iHEARTu
    iHEARTu Member Posts: 213
    edited March 2010

    Giselle - WOW! That IS amazing! It pays off to be in shape before any surgery. I just joined WW, and now I know and want to maintain a better lifestyle then I had before. I was a yoyo exerciser and dieter and now it feels great to be nice to myself and make me a priority and to exercise daily. You're an inspiration! I'm in MN, so I'm there with you on weather!

    TAM - Like you I was dreading the idea of being immobile...I had lost some weight over the summer and was terrified I was going to gain it all back. Fortunately I hadn't. Plus I hadn't gotten my tubes out till week 5, and I was told by my PS, no exercise till the tubes are out including my arm exercises. Try and get some fresh air, perhaps it might make your mood better? Take care of yourself...it's only been 3 weeks. I didn't get my energy back till week 5 and even more week 7. It does get better:)

    (((cyber hugs!!))
    Cathy :)

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  • Claire_in_Seattle
    Claire_in_Seattle Member Posts: 4,570
    edited March 2010

    I want to weigh in here although I was able to have a lumpectomy.  But I couldn't lift anything until my drains were out either.  And with an exerciser, that meant FOUR WEEKS.

    I started walking the day after surgery and exercised every day except for an action-packed day I attended a conference.  I was also extremely fit going in.  I was able to cycle 10 days after surgeon as I had the OK from my surgeon.

    I have also exercised every day during chemo, and just got back from a 25 mile bicycle ride with two friends.  Taxol is so much easier than AC was, but I rode every weekend then as well.  Have to say I ride with a lot more enthusiasm now.  I even did the Chilly Hilly last week, but 35k and not 50k.

    The great news is that I am buff and fit.  Weekdays, I walk a minimum of one mile daily, plus weights and crunches.  Really helpful is that I can lift my bicycle over my head and load onto my car.

    I plan to do the 70 mile LiveStrong course in June, when I will also be done with radiation.  My red cell counts should be normal then.  WOO HOO!!!

    So I would counsel anyone to walk and also do the arm exercises.  And then focus on maintaining your core fitness.  My take is that I might as well be fit and dragging as opposed to just dragging.  And this has worked for me.

    Good luck with everything.

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  • Giselle7
    Giselle7 Member Posts: 104
    edited March 2010

    Tracie - You are very welcome. It is clear from the other posts that it is possible to maintain a healthy exercise schedule after surgery. Even if you have a little set back here and there, don't let it get you down. Life is too short and it's the only one we have. "The glass is half full!" is my motto. And when I'm feeling a little low I come to this forum for inspiration.

    Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

    Giselle 

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  • tamgam
    tamgam Member Posts: 255
    edited March 2010

    Giselle-  Have to say I could not find time for exercise yesterday but about 9:45 pm I hit the treadmill for hills and running for 3mile.  About an hour later I felt sooo much better and slept like a baby after a hot shower.  So much better for my emotional state than vegging out in front of the news from 10-11pm. 

    Just to clarify I am 3 weeks away from having my surgery not post-op.  Can't wait to get it over with! Hugs to all!

    Tracie

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  • Embraced
    Embraced Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2010

    Thank you, Giselle.  You are a great encouragement.  I will be following in your footsteps after my BMX w/reconstruction/TE in April.  Thank you for showing us that our active, wonderful life can continue shortly after.

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  • hymil
    hymil Member Posts: 826
    edited March 2010

    I went to running club a week after surgery. (Shh, don't tell my doc!). I thought, There's nothing wrong with my legs. But, in hindsight it is very much easier without the drains. A month later I am still very careful about lifting though, and I've struggled with the "arms over head" thing since I had a bout of cording which I'm stilll fighting.
    Cardiovascular stuff before surgery is a very good thing because your lungs and heart have a big job to do, working with the anaesthetist keeping you alive, while the surgeon is busy trying to.....er.... do his job.
    I'm also very glad I learnt and practised the arm/shoulder exercises beforehand so I knew what to do afterwards. even if I couldn't do it,
    I'm back running now (not fast but determined) and I think the natural endorphins are far superior to paracetamol or ibuprofen, I do the arm stuff when I get in and I'm all well warmed up.

    And one view of cancer is, if we are going to survive, then let's learn to live, and that means enjoying what we do, and doing what we enjoy. Pushing bikes is okay, pushing the vacuum cleaner is not!

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  • AnneW
    AnneW Member Posts: 4,050
    edited March 2010

    When I had my bilateral with expanders, I was in PT for regaining strength and motion at about the 5 week point, and back on the climbing wall at 7 weeks post-op. Consider getting some rehab as soon as you're physically able--someone who has experience with mastectomies if possible--because it's amazing how quickly you de-condition, even if you were in fab shape to begin with.

    That most painful part to recover from is the lymph node biopsy.

    After my first node dissection (two levels at the time of my first cancer and lumpectomy) I still had drains in and was pedaling gently on the exercise bike. Couldn't move my arm, but nothing was wrong with my legs! Being in the gym always made me feel more normal after ALL my surgeries (and I've had more than I care to discuss!) Just go slow, and really listen to your body.

    And, I wouldn't advise hot yoga right away. You're going to have nodes removed, and some people get lymphedema--which can really be aggravated by the heat (and lifting weights, etc) at least initially till new lymph channels/circulation are developed.

    Good luck!

    Anne

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited March 2010

    Just wanted to add that heat is a MAJOR lymphedema trigger, and the risk does not decrease with time -- your lymphedema risk is for life. As research moves out farther in time from treatment the rate of post-cancer lymphedema unfortunately is increasing. The more our bc survival rates increase, the more lymphedema is in evidence. The up side (besides the obvious fact that more women are surviving cancer!Smile) is that more lymphedema = more lymphedema research into new treatments and prevention. In the meantime, it's definitely worth being aware of, as it's a major QOL issue.

    Be well,
    Binney

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  • KGBinDC
    KGBinDC Member Posts: 45
    edited March 2010

    Hi everyone, I got carried away in all the preps leading up to surgey.  I am happy to report that my surgery went extremely well.  Due to my physical fitness level, I was able to get a single step implant and so far it looks great.  It will be one week old tomorrow.  I was home the next day and out at Macy's the day after to get the right bra.  I haven't had any problems with lifting my arm at all.  However I do get beat after being out for a few hours a day.  I started the exercises today as well.  Hope everyone is doing well!

    Kimberly

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  • GeorginaSmith
    GeorginaSmith Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2017

    Very informative thread.

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