Motivation

Kari- although I have not posted I would like you to know that I thought about you and your ordeal a lot often sending you positive and healing vibes. Hope you are better.

Love to you all Ladies! I am having some really difficult and depressing days. Chemo took a toll on my teeth. I had to spend a lot at the dentist. The money I have been saving for moving out. I am back at square one again. Oh...c'est la vie!

I did 90 minutes hatha yoga tonight and feel amazingly refreshed. I am glad I went. On the way back I walked home for about 30 minutes and  had a calming chamomille tea. It also started to snow. I loved it!

Spring, I think I gave you some wrong info yesterday, I thought I had it right, but then I saw my LE therapist this morning, and she wants me to wear temporary compression gloves til I get my customized garments.

 We reviewed my clearing technique, and she was really surprised at how well I did, I mean really surprised. She said she was going to bring in a fly swatter just in case. I was doing one thing wrong in my armpit area.

She then showed me the arm/hand motions. I hope I remember those tonight!! She said since I did so well, she showed me how to wrap my hand (since we are waiting on my compression garments), and also gave me 2 interim sets of gloves. She wants me to wear 2 gloves while working (hard to type though) and 1 at night, to see if we can get this hand swelling down. I go to the lymphedema class next Monday and back to her on 2/7 for a re-check.

I walked at lunch today with my glove on, when I took it off to go to the restroom, my hand looked a bit better!  

Survivor, hugs to you...the positive news is that you had the money for the dental work and you got some awesome exercise in!!  I'm trying to look at the positive things, you know turn the frown upside down thing!  ha!!  sending love for hanging in there til you can get away from H. 

So no compression at night, well that explains it! Wear on plane, not in bed! Silly me. doy.

45 on the elliptical tonight after 2 nights off. I never typically take 2 nights off. I was in a "it is too cold out" funk or something. This has been a mild winter and I still can't stand it! I don't know how I was born and raised in NJ and now I can't even take a mild winter in NC!

Yoga tomorrow night.

I miss the bike! I am going to look for a Zumba class. Or else I'll have to face the elliptical again!  

Spring, I'm with you!!!  I can't take the cold at all!  Very mild here as well, and I still shiver, except when I'm having a hot flash, LOL!!  It is nice when we can mix it up exercise wise, it gets boring, very boring.  I miss yoga, I didn't go again Monday night, because I had been 'going' all day and was exhausted and my hand was bothering me and it was COLD out.  They were doing free health assessments too, darn it!

I finally saw relief this morning in my hand, I practiced the new arm/hand massage after the clearing and wore the glove.  Felt great to finally see an improvement, and still working on it!! 

Babysat last night and again tonight, belly laughing with baby girl has to be worth something!  OH and my LE therapist has me adding a tummy crunch while doing my deep breathing and my tummy muscles are now sore!  work it girl, work it! haha

Deanna, be careful with the free weights, I've done that before, whacked myself in the head, you forget how heavy those things are.  10 lbs, wow haven't lifted that much in a long time!  go easy!

We are finally supposed to get rain starting tomorrow, its been a long time!  All of our storms are staying up in the northwest, where we have relatives, YUKKO to winter storms.

Stay safe all and KEEP MOVING!! 

LOL Spring!!  Sometimes you just gotta do it!  

Up early and on the treadmill since we have a lunch meeting at work, so no lunch walk.  Danced with GDD last night too...oh my aching back LOL

I see my onc for my checkup at 4 today.  fingers crossed. 

kfinnigan, good luck with your checkup. 

OMG, that cupcake is on my mind. I've been into the biscotti lately. Definitely going to get it together now: enough fooling around with food. I went to a new exercise class today. I'm going to a class 4 times a week now. Feels pretty good.  Deanna, what kind of things does the trainer get you to do? I am kind of intrigued by the trainer idea. 

Hope all went well at your check-up Kari. Sending love and hugs.

Glad you tried and enjoyed ZUMBA, Spring!  Good for you!  And I've got to review that neck massage video again, and remember to do it!  Thanks for reminding me!

Kari, how was yesterday's onc app't?  Was she overly concerned about your LE flare?

I just got back from a 50 min. walk -- about 3 miles.  It's absolutely beautiful here today, and I can already tell my stamina's noticeably improved in just 3 weeks of working out.  Cath, I can't tell you the names of all the stuff my trainer has me doing -- things like "seated lateral overhead pulls" -- but for the most part, they use free weights, balls, and bands, as well as a few machines (tricep, bicep & one you do on your tummy for gluts).  Prior to starting, he had me fill out a lengthy questionnaire, so I was able to share my concerns re. my "bad" side/weakness/LE, as well as that my interest was strengthening and toning.  So everything he shows me is very targeted to my specific needs, which I have been thrilled about.  In fact, when I see him with other women before or after my appt, their routines are entirely different.  He's also a real stickler for form, and it's obvious even to me how many fewer reps you need to do when your form is perfect vs. sloppy. So that's been a perfect match for me -- to have someone focus on form and not max weight or quantity.

Happy Friday, all!  Have a great weekend!    Deanna 

50 minutes on the elliptical, which I must say seemed easy after Zumba last night! Also, my claves are sore from all that jumping around on my toes!! lol!! I have been doing hand weights at my desk because my once toned arms are looking less toned to me. Also today did a few things with bands during a conference call!!! (Good thing the video cam was off!).

Kari, glad the hand LE is getting better. You will get it out! Have you asked your Onc about this decreasing bone mass on the AI? Is there anything else to take? Tamoxifen? Your poor bones! You skinny thing...

Good walking Deanna!!! 

Tomorrow is 66 but rainy. I am so wondering if we can catch a bike ride during a dry spot...hmm... 

Forgot to mention that my onc RX'd Fosamax for the duration of the time I'm on Arimidex.  A once-a-week pill.  I started taking it on Saturday.  UGH, all these meds and their side effects!  I was nervous to take it, but I did.  Had GDD's 1st birthday party at our house, WOW lots of work!  I was pooped, we kept her overnight, and will have her each Saturday night for the next 6 weeks while my DD trains for her half marathon on Sunday morning early!!  That little girl is pure joy!  And I can lift her up and get some strength training in, just have to be careful of the hand swelling.  I tell ya, all the work we did Saturday, my hand swelled and was aching!  UGH!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm off to a Managaing Lymphadema Class that my dr. signed me up for in about 10 minutes.  Will let you know how it goes.

Spring, I've been to 2 Zumba classes, the first one I liked and the 2nd one had WAY too many people, you couldn't even move without touching someone.  I honestly didn't like that class. 

This afternoon I attended a talk by an 89-year old triathlete who is still competing! He didn't start running until he was 55, and has since done 250 triathlons, many of them Ironmen. A triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full marathon!

Here's his daily workout... 30 mins. of weights each a.m., followed by a 2-1/2 mile walk.  Gym 3 to 4 times a week for an hour.  Bikes 3x week, a total of 25 to 30 miles.  When he was younger, he would easily do 80 mile training rides.  And he has bone-on-bone arthritis in one knee!  

Here's a page I just found about him:  

http://www.aptriathlon.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bill-bell-resume9122007.pdf 

Gosh, Kari, it sounds like you really overdid it, getting ready for DGD's party.  But from the adorable photos of her on FB, it looks like it was worth it!  I hope the class you went to today was worthwhile and gave you some additional tips and strategies.

Cath, it sounds like you're really going to town with everything you've been doing!

And aspen, thanks for the motivational quote!  I need all the help I can get!  What sort of work out or exercise are you into?    Deanna 

Cath, you GO GIRL!

Deanna, WOW that 89 yr old is quite an inspiration!!  Reminds me of Jack LaLane, just started later.

Spring, you and I were DX'd at the same time.  AND I TOTALLY can relate to what you said and what you always say.  Too cool/funny about your cancer center!!  Boy are they hip!    I want a wish list for my vagina too, heehee!!   

So LE class was informative and only 2 of us in class.  My therapist led the class.  We could ask questions, so I cleared a couple of things up on my manual lymph drainage, I was doing something wrong, now I've got it down!!  Reminder to only wear compression sleeves or gloves during the day!  Not at night, there are separate UGLY garments for night!! LOL  And, if you opt for the decongestive intense therapy (which they used to do a lot of a long time ago), you have to be prepared to make a total lifestyle change with the therapy and maintenance involved.  I'm not ready for that yet.  My hand swelling is less again and I plan to keep it that way.  I told her about my bone density loss and that I need to do more strength, she said start with no weights at first then add small weight and only do 3 reps, but do different motions, not the same, til you build up.  You can do wall push ups and knee push ups, just not full on boy push ups.

Went to yoga last night, and it was mostly an inverstion class - UGH!!

Quick mile at dark thirty and will walk again at lunch, did some push up work this a.m. too. 

I come here, again, for motivation and inspiration 

Moderator Melissa 

Hi,

 Deanna, I love pilates. I have being doing it for over 4 years. I even went to my regular class during chemo. I have always done weights (light ones), but I feel pilates has made me strong in an all over kind of way. It's hard to explain. My instructor uses lots of equipment: bosus, stability balls, elastic bands, springwalls, chairs, etc. I work muscles I never knew I had. It's great for me because I have a habit of ignoring flexability and I also ignore lots of small muscle groups that stabilize us as we grow less young, and pilates takes care of all that. Anyway, that's my two cents.

Springtime, nothing worse (and I mean nothing worse) than having gas during yoga. Been there.

Cath