Exercise and well being during chemo and radiation

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited November 2015

    As Kathy Bates said in Fried Green Tomatoes, Twanga! I wasn't going to let chemo take away from my life any more than I had to.

    LivingThis one day at a time. Just slog through as best you can. I viewed exercise during chemo as equivalent to altitude training. Once chemo was over, it got easier pretty fast. But I won't lie, I've never walked my bike, and twice during chemo I had to walk about 50 feet at the top of a steep hill.


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  • Jackbirdie
    Jackbirdie Member Posts: 4,693
    edited November 2015

    Kathy Bates ToWanda

    Thanks T for inspiring me AND making me laugh! Kick A and take names

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited November 2015

    love it! Actually, love that whole movie! Silly story. We were in Sicily, drinking late, with a bunch of Italians. The women were yelling ToWanda all night. Funny part was, I maintained, they got drunk and puked in the bushes lol.

    U.S. Women are tough and we rock

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    Welcome, LivingThis!

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  • Trvler
    Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
    edited November 2015

    PB: I know! I never in a million years thought I would be working out 6-7 days a week. But the thing I cared about most being able to do was exercise after surgery. I am very thankful that I am able to. How is the recovery going otherwise? Do you have a treadmill or something you can start off slow with? I started with 15 min on the elliptical not using my arms at all about 2 weeks out.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    I started with treadmill at no incline, 1.5 MPH, 30 minutes about 4 days after surgery. Kept my arms still.

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  • pboi
    pboi Member Posts: 663
    edited November 2015

    Allison...I'm thankful recovery has been going well, post op day 4 yesterday and didn't need any pain meds, but very tired after doing just a little bit. Been feeling really down the past few days. Hoping that getting moving again will help my mood.

    Ksusan...thanks for posting about your post-op exercise. I do have a treadmill at home and think I'll try to start slow today. I still have a drain in so hoping exercise won't increase the output much, cuz I want the drain out asap!

    PB

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    Good luck! Watch that drain!

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  • pboi
    pboi Member Posts: 663
    edited November 2015

    Post op day 5...crawled back into the wagon today! Can't believe how much I regressed energy wise after the surgery. Wasn't going to start on the treadmill until a week or two post op, but ksusan your post inspired me to try...so today

    30 min T @ 1.5 = 0.75 mi

    It was a little bit of a struggle to make it 30 min, but I did it!

    PB

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited November 2015

    Awesome job pboi! One day/step at a time! You will get back to where you were.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    How's that drainage?

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  • LivingThis
    LivingThis Member Posts: 38
    edited November 2015

    Thanks for the encouragement italychick and ksusan! pboi - wow! good for you for making that effort! I hope all is well today and you feel a bump in energy from that! The only way I am going to be able to run today is to do it indoors at the gym on a treadmill...how can I reduce the boredom? I do use music but somehow, running indoors, just isn't the same....

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  • pboi
    pboi Member Posts: 663
    edited November 2015

    Thanks everyone. Surprisingly there was no increase in drainage after exercise. Draining nearly nothing now, and drain coming out tomorrow.

    I hate insomnia!!! So tired today yet can't sleep or nap. Dragged myself outside and walked slowly for 1 mi today, hoping it will help me sleep better tonight. I hate all these pills and what it's doing to me....ugh!!

    PB

    Edited to add... Ahh...feel so much better after a night of sleep now...onward to a better day and getting my drain out later today!

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    pboi- so glad you are getting your drain out! They are horrid little things, aren't they? No matter how much they help.

    Ok, so yesterday, in addition to the dog food spaghetti fiasco, I did 1.5 hrs on the stairmaster at level 7/8, and unloaded 2 pallets of paint for my upper body. Was a little concerned because I wasn't wearing my sleeve, but so far so good. Now that I think about it, my mom had been kind of annoying me (which proves i'm all better) and I had gotten into a little of my herbal chemo medicine before I started cooking. That might have had something to do with me not noticing I was browning dog food LOL. Let that be a lesson to ya'all! If I offer to cook you italian food...RUN!

    Today, so far- 1 hr walk on the treadmill while I read reports, very light arm workout using 5 lb weights. Later, going to check out the new climbing gym!

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  • Jackbirdie
    Jackbirdie Member Posts: 4,693
    edited November 2015

    Jen- you are a treasure. 😍😍😍

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    I'd eat dog food if you prepared it.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    ksusan, I'd make you dogfood any time!

    Wow. Just wow. Not so long ago we were all the living dead, and look how far we have come! Ya all make me so proud!

    Walked for 45 min on the treadmill while I edited reports, then did 5 lb arms. Then....wait for it....climbed for 1.5 hrs!!!! So fun! My arms are wrecked. What a great workout!

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    I thought I'd posted, but maybe it didn't stick.

    11/9: 1 hr T (2.2 MPH) + Fitbit + stretches = 5.89 miles11/10: Fitbit + Zumba + stretches = 8.47 miles

    11/12: Fitbit + stretches + 10 reclined triceps + 5.25 miles

    11/13: Fitbit + stretchesx2 + 10 reclined triceps = 4.25 miles + Zumba

    11/14: Fitbit + stretches + Zumba + 5.13

    11/15: Fitbit + stretches = 1.75

    11/16: Fitbit + Zumba + stretches = 5.97

    11/17: 2.30 miles

    11/18: stretch x 2 +100 crunch + 50 dead bug + 100 bicep + 10 tricep + weights [4x3] + 2 yoga planks + Zumba =5.5 miles

    And nothing is as hilarious as having your guest speaker climb onto a table and drop trou to demonstrate how to use a squat toilet.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    I do think your assessment is correct, ksusan. Nothing would beat that...

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    I do think your assessment is correct, ksusan. Nothing would beat that...

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited November 2015

    11/19: Fitbit + light furniture moving + Zumba + yoga plank + stretches x2 + 50 crunches = 8.5 miles.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    Nothing to report today, except for general soreness from climbing yesterday. Not too bad though because my 23 year old partner is sore too! Also, and big YAY! No arm swelling issues yet!

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    Hi Jay, and welcome. So are you a survivor? Or a fellow traveller?

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited November 2015

    I'm going to try doing my exercise a week at a time, so it doesn't seem to monotonous.

    Saturday 34.1 bike miles plus 5 hours shopping

    Sunday 17.5 bike miles

    Monday - 1 hour spin class (approximately 18 bike miles) and weights

    Wednesday 13.5 bike miles

    Thursday 4 mile walk

    Friday 13.5 bike miles

    100.6 miles total, 3,100 feet climbing

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  • Jackbirdie
    Jackbirdie Member Posts: 4,693
    edited November 2015

    T- excellent! I think till end of year we need the yearly cumulative !!! Let us enjoy your victory with you

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited November 2015

    Lol, ok.

    Right now I am at 2,683.5 miles, 199 hours and 21 minutes of total riding, and I have climbed 101,654 feet, which my husband says is the height of some mountain on Mars.

    Hoping I can hit the 3,000 mark! That means I think about 53 miles a week until the end of the year, which might be close with the holidays.

    But for a year of riding during cancer treatment, I will take it.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    1.5 hrs stairmaster, abs, arms. I'm still sore from climbing lol.

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  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited November 2015

    T- just any book lusty enough to hold my attention lol. I used to love to get lost in a book...now I have the attention span of a hamster. Oh wait...was that on this thread? (Time to scuttle into my hole and eat seeds )

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  • Italychick
    Italychick Member Posts: 2,343
    edited November 2015

    A friend at work got me addicted to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by Karen Marie Moning. It's a series about these vampire brothers, but not like traditional vampires. They are all like 6'7" tall with corresponding sized appendages. I also loved her Highlander series, but I love all highlander romances. For all my intellect and the type of job I do, I am a complete historical romance junkie. Hey, a girl has gotta have some vices! I also love the Bertrice Small series Skye O'Malley. She was a heroine back in another century who kicked ass and took names. The first book is called Skye O'Malley I think.

    I switched to reading a lot on my Kindle because my house became a library

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  • Trvler
    Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
    edited November 2015

    PB: I was exhausted after surgery. I think it was a combination of not sleeping well because I was damne$ uncomfortable sleeping on my back and not moving. But the second I could move, I did it and it helped. You will get there. You are exactly like me wanting to get back to it. The drive to do it is what's important.

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