Exercise - Working Back to it After or During Treatment
Comments
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Specialk. I embrace my new senior status. Care to join me? :-)
Today did capitol hill home and garden tour and did more walking than usual for me, so I'm pooped. -
Gritgirl.. Your walk sounds like fun! Great job! I'll claim my senior status (especially when it come with discounts and perks!)
Hi Ladies! Been afraid to post, more that I didn't want to be accountable. It took me 2 weeks to feel well enough to get off the pain meds, then wasn't too steady to get out walking by myself. My DD lives about 30 miles away going to school full-time and working 25-30 hrs a week, a lot for a 19-yr old, usually comes home Friday (her only day off) and leaves Saturday. We have a park at the bottom of the street, she goes walking all the time. Used to ask if I could go too, always told, no mom. 2 weeks after exchange surgery, she asked me to go walking. First time, only once around, took us 20 minutes. Didn't feel well enough to go by myself, but I did venture to restorative yoga that week - didn't do much, hurt like hell. Following weekend DD got me out shopping and walking. That week I ventured out to buy produce by myself, didn't see a puddle, slipped, holding onto cart, it went forward as I fell, hurt my arm, shoulder, chest doing so. Giant step back to the way I felt after surgery. Spent a week not walking, yoga was worse that time. My DD took me out again, went twice what I had done. Tonight we went out 45 minutes, 3 times the first try. (We live on slight hills so its tiring)
The important thing I realized tonight though is that I beat myself up for not getting out, when I should be happy with the accomplishments, however small. Am I alone here? -
What an inspiring topic! Thank you all for sharing your baby steps.
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2nd time. Wow. That's a lot of exercise, especially so soon after surgery. And you have a built in work out buddy. I'm envious.
I feel lucky in that I don't hassle myself for not doing enough. But I have a friend who just finished chemo and radiation for throat cancer. He was hassling himself for being exhausted after mowing only 1/2 the lawn. I told him next time do 1/4, chunk it down to manageable levels.
That's what I've been doing. When I was on chemo, one day I wouldn't stop and walked several miles (that was a steroid day). I came home, threw up, and laid down in exhaustion. After that I was much better at honoring my new limits and chunking things down to work my way back.
For me it took throwing up to back off myself. I really hate throwing up. :-)
Welcome aboard, 2nd time. -
Well, I figure that some of the department stores and the movie theater classify me as a senior so I might as well go with it on the exercise front too, right? I do the Livestrong program at the Y and they also have a "Silver Sneakers" program that some of the members are trying to recruit me into.....
I think all of the challenges of BC have to be broken down into manageable and smaller pieces - accepting the physical and emotional change is so hard - it is one of the reasons I think we all come here - to be with others who share this struggle and support each other because we understand, when others sometimes can't. I have personally been very fortunate that my friends, my children, my DH, his family, have been great - nobody has turned their back and everyone has been wonderful to me. I think this is unusual and I have been lucky, but being able to come here and talk with all of you is invaluable to me.
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Specialk. You're right. Breaking it down is key. It sure helps for me to come here and talk about it too. Otherwise, it's too overwhelming for me. Oy.
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gritgirl - I found, and continue to find, that dealing with BC is sometimes day by day, sometimes hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute! I participated in a study at the U of S FL school right after chemo that focused on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. It was a quantified study measuring cortisol levels with saliva (ick, right?) and blood, done before and after instructed meditation in a 6-week class. We learned a lot about control, and the lack of it, and how to relinquish the need for control over the past and future, and really living in the present. It was very interesting - we learned formal and informal methods of meditation. I was way better at the informal, I kept wandering off (in my mind) during the eyes-closed formal meditation, or my nose would itch, or I was focused on something other than calm peacefulness, lol! The informal is preferable to me - fully experiencing whatever it is you are doing in each moment, whether it be washing the dishes or petting the dog. Coming to the realization that you can only live in the moment you are currently in - can't change the past or control the future. It was an excellent experience and it has served me well since. I wish it was available everywhere for everyone dealing with BC! There are some CDs on this, and they relied heavily on the Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
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specialk, you find the best stuff. i'm having to learn how to live one day at a time, that's for sure. i've been using the meditations from healthjourneys.com. they are great. when i was dealing with the big time pain, i was using a pain meditation from jon kabat-zinn. it was a big help.
yesterday did ok. walked to an appointment i had last night, so walked a mile. today i've decided to walk a couple floors up at work. got that start when an escalator was broken in the subway. one more to go. :-)
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Gee, grit - a broken escalator on Metro?? Whoever heard of such a thing????
Maybe all the broken escalators are all part of a secret WMATA plan to get users into better shape!
For those not from the DC area, the Metro (subway system) escalators are notorious for being out of order. Occasionally they'll stop suddenly while people are on them, sending everyone tumbling down the steps. Very exciting.
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natsfan - your Metro escalator comment made me laugh! Actually finding a non-broken Metro escalator would be the exception, wouldn't it? In all the years I lived there I never had one stop while I was on it though - scary! I realized that I ignored your question about my knee - I have not been referred to PT, but could be if I asked. The advice of the ortho docs was no running, but to work the elliptical - my guess is to stregthen my quads to better support the knee. I walked about 3 miles on Sunday morning - slowly, have been to the Y Monday and today, so far, so good!
gritgirl - yay on the walking and stairs! I have used those meditation techniques prior to surgery, when I am quietly freaking out, lol! Also, when I fly, and am also quietly freaking out! When I first had surgery for BC I also used Lamaze childbirth breathing techniques for pain control, which are very similar. I don't do well with pain meds, so was resorting to whatever came to mind, lol!
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Hey, all. Scan day today. Woohoo. Just wanted to check in. Bought a scale that measures body fat and muscle percent. Instead of focusing on weight, going to focus on building my muscles back up. So more squats and stairs for me. At least two flights of stairs a day at this point.
How are you? -
@gritgirl, what is the name of that scale and where did you get it? My total weight is about right for my height, but like you I need to increase my muscle percentage.
I think this will be a good thread for me to join. I was always pretty sedentary before BC but have been even more so during treatment. I went from working full time to half time, from working at a downtown office (and walking to/from the bus every day) to telecommuting from home, from living in a townhouse with two flights of stairs to living mostly on the ground floor (I've been staying with my mom during treatment). There's a bus route that comes close to her house and a recent change to that one made it much less convenient, so now I drive to places that in the past I might have taken the bus to. The next nearer bus is a mile or so from the house. Then I got really sick toward the end of my chemo and was in the hospital for a week. That was a few months ago, and I feel so much better since the chemo drugs are mostly out of my system, but I have practically no stamina any more. I flew out of town for a graduation last month, was on the go pretty constantly for four days, caught a cold and was sick for a week. It took me much longer to shake it than it would have in the past.
At one recent appointment they took my heart rate and it was 80 beats per minute sitting in a chair. That was a wakeup call for me even though I am an exercise-refuser from way back. So recently I have been trying to be more active, doing things like walking back from the bus stop (about a mile) instead of getting my mom to come pick me up, and I find I am much more tired than I would have been if I'd done the same thing last year before dx & treatment. I recently retired and have bought a little house to live in. It has a big yard and needs lots of work. I am having some remodeling done inside so I haven't moved in yet. My baby step yesterday was to take my bike to the shop to get it serviced (it's been in storage for a year and sitting unused in the garage for a long time before that). I deliberately chose a house that is within a short flat bike ride of many conveniences like the bank, grocery store, etc. Once I have moved in I plan to start biking more. I hardly ever rode while living in Seattle, it's too hilly for me here.
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gritgirl - hope your scans bring you good news, keeping my fingers crossed.
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gritgirl... would like the name of the scale too, Sounds really interesting.
Curveball.. definitely relate to your story. Have been doing so little exercise it's been scary. Not that I had been really physically active prior to bc, maybe that an issue I need to look into. Too little left at the end of the day after working, family... Now, I too need to make it more of a priority in my life.
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Curveball. Good for you.
2nd time. Moving less is sadly part of treatment. I was very weak after chemotherapy. I'm sure my muscle mass was higher before.
The scale I bought was the Ozeri Touch II. It measures percentage fat, muscle, water and bone, as well as weight. It was very well reviewed on Amazon. What I've read is that you pick a scale and stick with it since scales can vary in measurement.
I got more than 2 flights of stairs in today at the hospital and medical center. I am just exhausted. -
Hi Gritgirl, have you gotten results back from your scan? Hoping the results make you happy! I do understand about loss of energy during chemo, didnt mean to imply anything negative. I had my hands full going thru treatment, do housework and keeping up with a 3 yo daughter and 14 yo stepson. Some days I could hardly get out of bed let alone taking care of them. That was all the energy I could muster.
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2nd time I took no offense. I read that for so many days a patient is confined to bed, there are x number days of recovery. We're normal. :-)
Onc called with scans and those are very good. But have a clot in neck from port. At ER now to get MRI and then start blood thinners. Such is life. -
Gritgirl, oh no! ER? Will you remain in the hospital after or do you get to go home? So thinking of you now! Sending healing hugs your way!
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Thanks 2nd time. Hope I get to leave a couple hours. Long night
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Wow, Gritgirl, that is a very long day, and night! Especially with the time difference.
How are you holding up? -
2nd time. Doing OK. Tests done, now just waiting for doctor
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Gritgirl, hoping you get to go home soon and get some sleep! With all the stress, hoping you're not so exhausted you get home and in bed safely. Let me know how you're doing later today, okay? Nighty-night! ((Hugs))
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I have stage 2 bc with no lymph node involvement. I am estrogen positive. I chose to not do chemo but I am in the middle of radiation right now. I have been attending a fit for life exercise class at the hospital since I began radiation. I love it. It helps my emotions so much. I am 60 years old and certainly not an athlete but it has given me something to look forward to and to control in my life. I started with 5 minutes on the treadmill etc. but now I am doing 15 min. It has been a very positive thing for me. I do get tired from the radiation but not usually until I get home from class and then I take a nap.
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gritgirl - Oh no! So glad on the good scan news, but blood clot near the port - boo! Hoping that you have made some progress on handling this and are now resting. Is the fix blood thinners or will they attempt to remove the clot? I still have my port so I am interested in how this will be handled - but also very concerned for you!
sharon - good for you on the exercise! I have heard that rads fatigue is no joke, I was fortunate not to have it, so you ae doing well to be increasing your minutes on the treadmill! Keep it up!
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Specialk. For now we'll do blood thinners and then see what is next. I'll let you know.
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Are they giving you warfarin?
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They prescribed lovenox but that's only self administered shots, and that ain't happening. My oncologist is talking to a hematologist about something I can take orally.
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There is a member here locally that I talked to a while back when she was newly diagnosed and she did the lovenox for a clotting disorder prior to BC. I am not sure I could do self-administered either... I was happy when I was able to have Neulasta in the MO's office! Seems like they could give you Coumadin, it is an oral med.
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SpecialK. I'll find out today what they're prescribing.
But meanwhile, used my new digital scale to weigh myself and I actually lost a pound, but more importantly, gained a little bit of muscle. With the craziness of last week, haven't done much, but have done my 2 to 3 flights of stairs a day. Guess that's working. Woohoo.
I plan on being Iron Woman. Actually, I'd just like to be slightly in shape woman. :-)
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I looked up the scale on Amazon and might get one. The one piece of info I haven't found yet, is the country of origin. Where are they made?
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