Kicking LE's butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log

Hugz - oh I'm so jealous. I walked around the entire ship's track several times - and more than once a day. Great outdoor exercise.

Varga - I haven't ever wrapped, but my LE is mostly breast & truncal. My LEPT did the kinesio taping on me a couple of times. I agree - that was great. But no way could I stretch it out over my back like she did.

Silver Sneakers is great. Every teacher has their own specialties, but it always includes aerobics (standing by a chair), stretching, balance exercises, weights, stretch cords and a ball. It's on my calendar just like a doctor appointment and I give it the same importance, if not more. All of us wish it were more than 2 days a week. Most standard medicare policies pay at least half (except for Blue Cross apparently), and most of the HMOs or PPOs that I've seen often pay in full. I pay $200 a year to belong to the gym. Even if I do absolutely nothing else there, these classes work out to be less than $2.00 each. You don't have to be 'old' either. Lots of our class members are under 50. Some come on their lunch hours from work. Classes are also available at many YMCAs and other centers nationally. (rah,rah - no I don't have any stock in the company - too bad)

Hugz - hope you had a wonderful cruise! The weather has been either snowing, in the teens or raining here! I got the body sculpt dvds and I really like them. They were a litthe pricy but I need exercise that's accessible to me with my girl. So...living room work out it is! I've also been bouncing on my rebounder.

Stay warm and keep moving!

Twinkly - I bought a re-bounder 8 years ago but never used it. Finally gave to a neighbor who'd grown daughter was interested. Glad it's working for you.

Hello ladies! I have been trying to stay with a regular exercise routine. It has definitely been hit or miss around here! The weather has been crappie lots of rain and wind. Oldest grandson has had many band auditions and concerts that have kept me hopping! My girl was sick name few days and I have been on OT 2 times a weeks for a few weeks now but...anyway I have this Denise Austin DVD that is the bomb for my LE. It's Blast Away The Pounds. Its basically a walking workout with lots of stretches. It's a total of 3 miles if you do all the work outs and it take about 45 minutes. Keep moving my LE ladies!

Dear lisaleigh,

Welcome to the BCO community. We are sorry that these issues along with your breast cancer diagnosis have brought you here but so glad that you reached out to our members. We hope that you will hear from others about their shared experiences with LE. In the meantime check out this link to information on our main site about Lymphedema. Perhaps it can offer you more insight. Let us know if we can help you navigate the site. Please stay active here and keep us posted on what you learn going forward.

Hello Lisa and welcome. These ladies have been very helpful and supportive to me . I had radiation and developed breast lymphedema but no nipple color changes except it is darker from rads. which I expected . If you have lymphedema, I think it needs to be evaluated by a certified LE therapist .You can be taught do do self exercises to form new lymph pathways and the therapist should be doing extensive massage to keep the LE from progressing. I had twice weekly sessions all last summer and now do my manual drainage exercises 2x day as well as arm exercises and daily 2 mile walk as well as wearing a compression bra 24/7. I also used kinesio tape for several weeks this summer which really reduced the swelling. I hope you will follow up with someone . I also have found step up speak out website very very helpful.

Twinkly -Hi and welcome. Maybe you need to revisit your LE therapist to be reevaluated.

Hello to everyone else and hope your weather is better than mine- Rain , rain and more rain!

I don't know if they have a name. My therapist gave me a handout to follow and then gave me a few extras to incorporate . Takes about 10- 15 minutes twice a day. I start with massage of the nodes in neck and clear all the pathways -neck, then diaphramatic breathing x 10 ,axilla, chest, back, inguinal, side, breast and chest again. There is a you tube video that features a woman from India demonstrating and that is the closest I could find to what I was taught.

Can you post the link? I am new and not sure policies here but that would be helpful.

lisaleigh - Take a look at the link I posted above on the 18th for StepUpSpeakOut. It should give you all the info you need. You can google LE massage, but there are as many techniques as doctors and it really should be diagnosed & massage taught by a certified therapist.

Ok all I’m into the swing of it. Still lifting my weights and cardio killing the tready

can’t wait for sunny outdoor weather, today a bit decent to do gardening even though soil frozen in some parts. Clipped down the black eyed Susan dead daisy stems. Looks like the birds have moved onto a different kind of seed head.

Minus. Are you sneakering still?

Vargadoll. Kids keeping you hopping and walking!

Hugz - thanks for asking but I've been 'absent'. I picked up a bad cold from all the little kids & the hugging when we went to scatter my sister in law's ashes. It's the first cold I've had in 12 years - and boy it's a doozy. Haven't even been to chair Yoga since I couldn't breathe w/o coughing. I plan to start back to Silver Sneakers this week - Tues & Thurs. Hopefully I'm not too far out of shape after 3 weeks. Chair yoga was cancelled for spring break today & next Monday, but I'll get back in the harness.

Varga - you continue to amaze me.

Thanks Varga - We'll see how Silver Sneakers goes in the morning.

I like to go 4 times a month but my insurance allows 38 visits I think. I end up paying for some of my visits. Its worth it!

I had a few issues with my flexitouch pump. The velcro in the bottom just would not hold anymore and the arm piece would not deflate when it was done. I called Tactile Thursday night and received both my replacement pieces today...no charge! I remember someone else having a problem with the velcro on the leg part but not sure who!

Hello Murfy

I don't post much on this thread but read all the comments. Like Minus2 , I have a Bellisse bra which I have worn most of the time since last summer and it seems to be the most effective for my breast LE and I find it comfortable . But I am looking for something cooler to wear this summer and plan to order the sydney bra from a local shop that carries the wearease brand as medicare will cover some of the cost. Good luck to you.

To all of you- Happy Spring! You keep me motivated to exercise daily !

Murfy - they are really good about returns if the size doesn't work.