First gear: (gentle) exercise during or after treatment

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited December 2015

    I walked a LOT during Christmas week, and felt myself getting stronger. Then I sat in a car for a long time and developed what I'm calling "carthritis." ;)

    Surgery tomorrow, and then it's on. I mean it. MsBrompton, you inspire me.

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  • MsBrompton
    MsBrompton Member Posts: 357
    edited December 2015

    Yeay Kate, you inspire me too. Fingers x'd for your op today!


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  • MsBrompton
    MsBrompton Member Posts: 357
    edited January 2016

    Strategies to help you exercise:

    http://nancyspoint.com/do-you-hate-to-exercise-10-strategies-to-help-motivate/

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  • DeeRatz
    DeeRatz Member Posts: 350
    edited January 2016

    That is a great article. I had a breakdown at the gym this past week. Was trying to do some leg exercises that I used to do before this shit show started. I can't do them and it frustrates the hell out of me. I started crying. My daughter came over and gave me a big hug. Moved me over to another piece of equipment and helped me do something different. It is hard to not be the old me and do the things I used to be able to do. I long for my old body, my old life. Trying to work thru these feelings and find the NEW me!
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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    You'll get there. I picked up my 20-pound cat today without thinking about it!

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    We'll all get there. Dee, I know exactly what you're saying. I'm still walking/hiking and taking a post-surgery break from yoga, but I have grand plans to start back to the gym on 2/1. I've lost at least 15 lbs of muscle mass, but I look at it this way: rebuilding that muscle mass will be a goal, not an obstacle. You know?

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  • DeeRatz
    DeeRatz Member Posts: 350
    edited January 2016
    I too have lost muscle mass. I am slowly starting to feel less flabby. I can't believe how fast things went to pot. Those steroids and chemo drugs are killer.....but we are here and we made it thru treatment. Just when I will be back in the groove of things I will have my exchange surgery and won't be able to do any lifting again for 6 weeks. Will I ever be strong again? At least his will be my last surgery(hopefully) in a very long time!
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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    You WILL be (physically) strong again, Dee! We all will. I think of it like this: I may have lost muscle mass, but I proved to myself, through surgeries and chemo, that I'm a helluva lot stronger, at least mentally, than I thought I was. . . .

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  • tessu
    tessu Member Posts: 1,564
    edited January 2016

    Thank you women for posting encouragement. I'm 12 days PFC (except Herceptin and AIs which start the end of the month) and also miserable at how I went from quite active and reasonably strong to a pile of jello. Chemo took so much oit of me, I haven't been able to exercise more than slow dogwalks, and not even those the first week post infusion. But yes I've had to build myself up from zero several times before when non-BC health problems wreaked havoc on my body, so I just have to make the decision and commitment to build myslf up yet again. Nobody else is going to or can do it for me, and I most certainly don't want to be a couch potato forever

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    Tessu! You survived FEC!!! Congratulations. I still have two more rounds and am a pile of jello, good description. I am not able to do much exercise yet but following here for encouragement! Walks around the grocery store and up and down the house stairs several times a day are what I get lately, baby steps for sure.

    All: keep it up. a little at a time. It took MONTHS of treatment to tear us down, it will take twice that long to recover (so don't beat yourself up at the beginning when it is slow going). Walk-crawl-RUN!

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  • MsBrompton
    MsBrompton Member Posts: 357
    edited January 2016

    Friends

    I'm back in the pool, 11 weeks post final chemo. I can swim!! And as an ex competitive swimmer I've torn up my previous expectations. But I'm doing a bit more every day. If we measure success as 'improvement from rock bottom' instead of 'how do I compare to pre-cancer me?', we'll make progress.

    My progress this week: I got me a sports injury!! (swollen knee, possible meniscus - feels good to be seeing my doc for something trivial at last!)

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  • DeeRatz
    DeeRatz Member Posts: 350
    edited January 2016

    I went to an Ab Blaster workout at my gym today. Not sure what I was thinking. So now I am laying on my bed with the heating pad because my back is sore. The old me did this workout without batting an eye. I'm feeling 55 not 45

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    I haven't done much true exercise this week, but I count dancing around in front of a classroom for something. I can't believe how much energy I have, at least during the workday, compared to what I had even a month ago. The body is an incredible machine.

    I may go back to the gym this afternoon. . . If not today, definitely this weekend. I keep repeating this mantra: "legs and cardio only. Legs and cardio only. . ."

    It's gonna be so hard to avoid upper body exercises for the next three weeks!

    My wonderful yoga teacher is going away for almost a month, so I'm left to my own devices on that score.

    How's everyone else doing?

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    That's great, Kate. My Fitbit shows anywhere from 1 to 3 miles of "classroom walking" depending on how many classes I have that day.

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  • MsBrompton
    MsBrompton Member Posts: 357
    edited January 2016

    My swimming is going well (can lap up and down the pool slow but steady now, 3 months PFC) but MRI on knee booked for Monday. I think I tore a meniscus jogging. Be warned ladies, all the gristly bits are very friable after what we've been through!

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    MsBrompton, friable gristly bits + upcoming radiation = some kind of fried food festival?

    Haha; what would we do without humor? :)

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  • DeeRatz
    DeeRatz Member Posts: 350
    edited January 2016

    well I have been dancing up a storm in Nashville. My feet are sore but feels good to be out having fun.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    Sounds fun, DeeRatz.

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  • Mamiya
    Mamiya Member Posts: 432
    edited January 2016

    Dancing sounds like great exercise! After all of this I feel that we should all give ourselves credit for dancing and not only count grueling gym workings as exercise! Dance, dance, let's all try to dance (I am actually a terrible dancer but I love the concept).

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  • glennie19
    glennie19 Member Posts: 6,398
    edited January 2016

    I borrowed some Richard Simmons Dancing to the Oldies DVD's from my friend. The music is not really oldies,, LOL,, it's from my youth! Either I'm in crappy shape,, or it's really a good workout. Didn't make thru the whole DVD, but hey, that can be a goal.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    Dancing in the living room is a good workout. I mostly listen to Zumba music but mostly don't do Zumba moves at home.

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    Yay, Dee! Have fun!

    Went on a long hike today; yoga tomorrow. It feels good to move again.

    ksusan, why no Zumba moves at home??

    Notdoneyet, I agree 100% re: grueling gym workouts.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    Not enough room for Zumba at home.

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  • tessu
    tessu Member Posts: 1,564
    edited January 2016

    My cardiologist confirmed that my heart survived chemo; the shortness of breath I've experienced from walking even half a block lately is not heart damage, but from being sedentary for so long --- and from chemo just wearing down my body. He stressed NO GUILT, just celebrate surviving such a rough regimen. I asked for and got an "exercise prescription" --- how to safely rehab my poor jello-body safely ---- and I've already started: 15 min. on the exercise bike twice a day, using settings that give only light sweat and very mild breathlessness. I've also started from the beginnng easy level the neck- and back problem exercises I got from a physical therapist over a year ago. I'm letting myself do those every second day, and will build reps very very slowly. The road to wellness will be longer than it's ever been, but I refuse to believe it is impossible. I will just have to learn to be more patient with myself than usual

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    When I began exercising again after surgery, my surgeon laughed at my poor range of motion. I was so far from being able to do the exercises that I couldn't even remember if I'd ever been able to lie with my hands behind my neck and my elbows touching the floor. It seemed impossible. Yet now I'm managing to stretch and walk/dance 5.5+ miles a day in steps and my ROM is within a few centimeters of where it should be even on the radiated side. Small steps!

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  • Hazel_Nut
    Hazel_Nut Member Posts: 84
    edited January 2016

    Finally, went to yoga today. We have free yoga here at work every Tue and Thur. Man, I've lost so much flexibility and strength. Could only hold some of the poses for a wee bit. Anyways, I had one bad hot flash midway through...lol started stripping...off with the sweatshirt...then off with the beanie.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited January 2016

    I tried a yoga breathing demo and became lightheaded (then had a hot flash).

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    ksusan, you just made me laugh out loud.

    I'm back to yoga and walking, most days during the week. I strongly recommend a YouTube yoga teacher (I never thought I'd type these words). . . Check out Yoga with Adriene. She's great.

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  • MsBrompton
    MsBrompton Member Posts: 357
    edited January 2016

    Hey lots of 'baby steps' progress in this thread, well done all of us!

    I've been advised to use therabands (those stretchy rubbery things), to stabilise shoulder girdle before doing anything more strenuous with my arms/shoulders. Haven't started yet but am going to try to get some. Anyone used these after mastectomy?

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited January 2016

    MsBronpton, I use therabands for shoulder work, too. They're a great way to strengthen those little support muscles (the ones that get pissed off and cause problems) in the shoulder girdle

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