Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
Comments
-
I often wonder if I hadn't chosen reconstruction ... if I would have gotten LE at all or it would have been much better....
I wonder if the chair massage I had made it go to my hands.I wonder if the jewelry making I did caused this.
I wonder if my impaired circulaory system was what set me up for this.
I wonder if the manicure I was never warned about caused this.
I wonder if the normal adl's I did after my surgery made this happen.
I wonder if the icepack I fell asleep with brought this on.
I wonder if the exercise I went back to is why this occurred.
I had an LX, SNB, no rads. WTH knows ?! I have tortured myself with all of it . SO hard to say "dont wonder", but don't agonize Dawn ( as I have ) because so many other women in you EXACT position just did not get LE!
I will say this much:
WE NEED and must advocate for risk reduction warnings and booklets prior to our surgeries so we can avoid certain things and THEN, if we get LE, we will still have to live with it ...but not with all the regret, just the grief. Which is enough !0 -
Dawne,
I am unconstructed, I didn't want any more trauma so I just walk around with my flat chest. I almost thought of cleaning up some of the lumpier parts, talked to my breast surgeon, then decided against it. Even though a lot of mammary lymph nodes have already been destroyed, I don't want to play with anymore fire!
0 -
Well, you ladies have inspired me....I am back into action.
Did 2 miles with Leslie Sansone so far , but not sure I want to push it just yet. It doesnt take long to have the inactivity really kick us back a few notches, and the last thing I want is a flare !
0 -
Dawne-Hope, here's a link to an abstract of a study published in late 2010. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1245%2Fs10434-010-1112-2?LI=true
The purpose of the study was "to determine the impact of immediate tissue expander breast reconstruction on the risk of developing lymphedema." The authors concluded that "tissue expander breast reconstruction in patients undergoing SLNB or SLNB/ALND does not increase the risk of developing measured or perceived lymphedema." The study included only women who had nodes removed, so it's not possible to say if their results extend to all mastectomy/implant recon experiences.
I always have to remind myself that some studies are better than others. Without access to the full report, it's hard to judge this one's merits because we can't know how researchers defined (or even measured) LE, and how long they followed patients after surgery. The implant study says that 'median follow-up' was 5 years, meaning half were followed up for more years; half for fewer years. That seems a study weakness to me.
Even so, I hope you'll take heart--call this study a good 'hint' at the likely relationship of TE/implant and LE. You can't re-do that history, any more than I can go back and erase the extra pounds that I now know were probably my biggest LE risk going into surgery. We can only move forward to do what we can to minimize continuing risks, and as those of us in this thread know, exercise, if we follow some LE precautionary guidelines, helps manage LE; and building arm and torso strength can help reduce flare risks from daily lifting activities. So, you are doing exactly what you should--and as Binney sometimes says--Onward!
Carol
0 -
I'm probably not going to exercise today, because I woke up quite ill in the early morning. DH and I went to a restaurant last night that was new to us, and I really cannot come up with any other explanation for what are classic symptoms of food poisoning. Ick. Ick. Ick. So I'm having a quiet day and as you can see, hunkered down with my laptop and able to spend some time poking around the internet. And also, the darn arm aches more than usual, plus my truncal spots that rarely bug me. I suppose that's just because the rest of me is sick and the darn lymph is revved up system wide?
0 -
Did chest and back workout, and I WILL do yoga this weekend!
Yikes! Feel better Carol.
0 -
Carol, sorry about the food nasties, have had that in the past and sure no fun
Gee my brain is confused today, I thought today was the day for my trainer session at 9 followed by my monthly cleaning person at 11
not, it is tomorrow for both and has been for several months.....clearly I am a little mixed up
oh well, did the gym and home and will do chores. Gym got some new elipticals. I have never been good on the old ones at the gym as I found them hard to get onto.....new ones are more me friendly and I find I get a much better workout on them then the bikes or treadmill. Now ai just have to work up my time on it! Felt good that I got 7 minutes this morning so need to bump up by a minute each time
gorgeous day so after my chores it is out doors for me!
0 -
Carol: I'm sure being sick revvs up the lymph. Why not everything else does?
As for what caused my LE... I'm not even sure that I can blame any of the cancer treatments.
Looking back there were times when the mornings "almost snug" sleeves were tight by the end of the day. I don't recall any specific trunk issues, but would I have noticed that a bra that fit well in the AM was tighter by bedtime? My ankles and feet sometimes swell. So... I think I was primed for problems and the LX and rads just pushed me over the top. When I had my LX with SNB the surgeon removed 6 extra nodes because they "looked funny" but when we found no cancer, I was so relieved that I didn't question what "looked funny" meant. I do wonder if we went and took a node elsewhere, would it "look funny" too? Not that I'm signing up for such an experiment.0 -
Carol - Thank you for posting the link to the study. I'm with you on trusting these studies ... I've taken several "Research Methods" classes and some of these studies really are a joke. I do take heart, though, that there isn't a likely relationship and all we can do is look forward. "Onward" is a very good motto. Thank you for posting that link and your encouraging words. Sorry you're sick. Agree with the others ... that is probably the why on the aches.
Hope you feel better soon.Purple - Thank you. I totally agree on the advocacy and continued education of our docs, of our trainers, of our local gyms ... whoever will listen.
_____
I cut up too many vegetables without my sleeve and glove last night to make some cabbage soup. The soup was delicious ... my arm ... totally paying for it today ... along with snow storm moving in tomorrow ...
... make for a not so great LE day. I'm drinking away ... lots of water ... and will go to gym for about 20 minutes of cardio later. Hang in there, everyone.
And yes, to quote our LE superhero (aka: Binney) "Onward"
0 -
I always have to remind myself that some studies are better than others
Reminds me of the study I am supposedly in at MGH- nobody has documented the fact that I have LE and they ACKNOWLEDGE it! Now imagine the ladies who dont yet know they have it !
Carol
Sure hope you are feeling better SOON!
0 -
Carol, you must have great healing powers to be ok today. Happy for you. I know missing exercise for you is a big thing as you are so consistent.
Well I have finally made it to the 4 mile walk deal. Have done it a few times this week. I get bored though. My hams,quads,hips and back seize up after mile 1 and I have to stretch them out every 15 min thereafter. Sheesh. Oh you would think I am losing weight doing all that walking.....Not!0 -
Did some barefoot running, getting further every time I go out. Also did some butt-yoga, (hip openers.)
My hip adductors and psoas were really short and tight.
0 -
I've done no exercise today.
We've had every form of preciptation possible: Rain, hail, sleet, freezing rain, snow ... horrible thunderstorms this morning and now it's snowing. So, no gym for me.
Drinking water, stretching.
nibbana - I don't know why but every single night my hips are tight ... I do those stretches faithfully every night before bed ... you'd think they would loosen up ... but not yet for me.
0 -
Nibbana, are you literally running barefoot, or are you wearing some of those shoes that feel like you're barefoot? I cannot fathom not protecting my tender dogs!
Hugz, 4 miles is great, and eventually, those stretches will bear fruit and you'll be stopping less often.
Dawne-Hope, with luck the weather will improve!
Today I got 4.9 miles in, with 4 of that one walk indoors. Pretty fast, actually, so I was breathing hard enough to feel like I was doing a real workout.
0 -
Carol - Great! Your post reminded me ... that during the break in the weather ... between the hail and the snow
... I went to the mall and walked the entire length. It's about 2 miles ...0 -
Hey, mall walking works for me! At home, I'm an hour from the nearest mall, so I don't do that in bad weather. But when I travel for work it's a common strategy, even when the weather's nice. If I can get to a mall, I know that I'm walking in a safe place, and it's usually not boring.
0 -
OK Nibbana, what is butt yoga? I have tight hips and even though yesterday my trainer stretched them out and I swam, that helps everything!....this morning they hurt, again! actually just the one side.
anyway, I know a couple of yoga stretches, like right leg on left knee but open to any and all other ones! Pigeon pose looks scary to me so have not tried that one
0 -
Looks like I have some 'splaining to do
I run with Vibram Five Fingers, just got some Bikila LS with my REI dividend. The best toe shoes yet.
Butt yoga, yoga using no arms. When the video says ok, downward dog, I say you do down dog I'm going to sit on my butt for a second.
About the only thing I use my arms for is sun salutations or getting into a lunge for lizard pose.
I use to be Miss Inflexibility, so if I can do pigeon pose, anyone can0 -
Ok, if you worked up to pigeon pose then I need to work up to it too!
couple folks at my gym do it so I need to try! Dang hip is tight and hurts so need to have a new plan for it
thanks
0 -
proudtospin - You don't have to do pigeon pose with the back leg straight ... you can keep it bent at 90 ... it doesn't look so scary that way!
And you will still totally feel it. 0 -
nibbana - Glad to hear those barefoot shoes work for you. I wore them for awhile and ran in them and my knee was great. But then my feet started to hurt (the bottom of my feet.) I wondered if it was the beginning of plantar fasciatis ... so I backed off and started running in my Asics running shoes again ... and within a few days ... the knee pain. When I start back running again I'm only ever going to wear barefoot shoes.
0 -
Dawn, you have given me courage to try pigeon pose, think I will get one of the trainers to show me the first time~
it sounds good to do
0 -
proud - Great! Wise move to have one of the trainers show you. Keep us posted!
My trainer is big into martial arts and so he wants me to stretch every night before bed ... he's given me a list of stretches to do. It's so relaxing and you get up feeling so good. Often it's like: "I didn't know I was tight until now I feel loose."
Do keep us posted
0 -
Dawn, yeah on the days I do not stretch, much nastier ~~
trainer has me lie on a massage table, dangle my leg down the side and then he stretches the leg muscle...feels good and lasts...a bit~
I do find that the footboard of my bed is the perfect height to hook my foot onto and give a good stretch in the morning when I get up~
0 -
...you learn the best tips and tricks in this thread!! Not to mention great cocktail-party conversation starters, like 'have you tried butt yoga?'
Have I told you all how much I enjoy everyone here?
0 -
0 -
Did arms and shoulder workout.
Another good yoga stretch is "happy baby" pose. You can also rock side to side in this pose and get a good massage in the lumbar and sacrum.0 -
happy baby, will try that one out also!
hippie is happier this morning so all the stretching seems to be working, will do it serious at the gym tonight
thanks for all the suggestions!
0 -
Hey all you LE butt kickers. I have been chugging away in the sunshine here by the ocean. No snow for me! I clocked in 6 miles walking in last two days. Woohoo.
Let's go girls!0 -
Hugz - Good for you!
I have done very little today LE-wise besides drink a lot of water.
I had a good LE care yesterday...cardio intervals at the gym, stretching...but not so good today. I meet with my trainer tmrw.
I love the ocean. Miss it so.0
