Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
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I have tulips and daffodils blooming, and a forecast of 1" of snow tomorrow. This too shall pass
Life has been crazy busy, so have to count the moving I get at work keeping up with preschool and elementary students, lugging all the equipment in and out of my 4 schools, and doing lots of fun exercises with my students in their occupational therapy sessions as my exercise for the day. Can't wait for the weather to settle into spring again and get my walking shoes moving again before I head off for summer camp.0 -
Laural, that sure sounds like bona fide exercise to me! Sounds exhausting!
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carol57, I look forward to hearing about your workouts again, too. Hope you have steady progress.
Laural, that does sound exhausting! Yikes!
As for our Seattle spring weather, it has been nice for three days after a March of record rainfall. Rain returns tomorrow for the week. Boy, when the sun comes out we all crawl out from our houses, squinting, looking for our lost sunglasses! No annuals until after Mother's Day.
Just walking with the family around the Ballard Locks today, shin splint, bruised shin and all.
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I did an upper body workout at the gym today, plus about 20 minutes on a stationary bike (PT recommends that for my cardio. Seems odd to to that with a knee in rehab!). The weight lifting felt wonderful! I went into the gym all pout-y over my crappy knee, but I worked with a trainer who knows me well, and pushing those muscles must really release endorphins: bad mood banished!
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Having read some of these posts I'm understanding that movement of the arm and exercising helps LE???? I've been so lazy and have recently parked my behind on the couch to get through all the seasons of Breaking Bad. I'm sure just sitting there and getting up to go to the bathroom or get water doesn't help my LE. What do they mean by avoiding repetitive movements? Does that mean do 12 bicep curls, then do a different thing, then go back to the curls, then something else???
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hi everybody, hope you're all doing well :-)
I've been asked to stop any lymphatic massage (self or otherwise) for the next few days and continue very cautiously only with gentle activities that feel ok, as an angiologist today suggested that there could be a muscle problem (tendon rupture 3 months after surgery, a year ago, and still limited arm range), affecting the lymph system in the area and hindering any progress I may get from the massage (salt and all!
). So I need to have an ultrasound in the next few days and then meet with said angiologist and a PT to see if there is any truth in that. Also, I was told that could be a reason why when I use the sleeve the armpit/trunk area feels worse afterwards. I shouldn't use the sleeve till we get the u/s next week.She also prescribed magnesium to relax the shoulder muscle (she found it really tense, does that mean it's fibrotic???) and Lymphomyosot (German biomedicine?). I had never heard of that last one before, but she said as long as my thyroid works ok I can take it and it seems to be very helpful in LE. Does anyone have any experience with it? Here is a link, sorry it's in spanish, but you can see the pic:
http://www.heel.cl/medicamentos/lymphomyosot.html
I've been doing the lebed intro faithfully every morning for the last few days and do gentle stretching and some yoga, things look stable for now :-)
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mcgis....I am not a pro but when my own exercise gave me achie arm, I found a exercise guy at my gym who was working on his PHD in treatment of cancer survivors....anyway, he measured me first, then he restarted my exercise with...sort of like baby weights, really the lightest. Then he would measure me every time we met (weekly) and only upped my weights when there had been shown to be no increase. Seems to have worked out for me and now my weights are up to pre treatment. Still no big weights but improvement with no harm.
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I'm nursing a shin splint from three days of hiking, as well as a big bruise near it that I got while getting off a metal teeter-totter! I really want to be moving. I'm wondering if the recumbent bike would be okay or walking in the pool. Any thoughts?
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I should clarify that it wasn't three full days of hiking---I'm not in that kind of shape! Just beginner hikes, really.
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Jeannie, those are two exercises that I turn to when ever something is bothering me...like right now I have a back ache
I would do them but not try to overdue them...that is me. I do remember they were both the first things my foot doc let me do after surgery...hope you feel better, yeap, sounds like my sort of illness!
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Thanks, Proud.
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Lia, interesting. Please keep us posted. Lymphomyosot has been used experimentally with mice (whose tails have been given artificially-induced LE), but the research has not gone further than that. Apparently it has somewhat of an anti-inflammatory effect. Do let us know what you discover.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC369693...Be well,
Binney0 -
Just letting you all know - I'm taking a break from BCO for a bit.
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thanks for the link Binney, I'll keep using it, I guess I must be a magnet for strange/experimental stuff...
GmaFoley, take good care of yourself
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Lia, having thought about this for awhile, I wanted to add that the reasoning of the researchers as to why Lymphomyosot may ease swelling is that it encourages lymphangiogenesis--that is, the proliferation of new lymph vessels. That sounds like a good idea, but what we know about cancer tumors is that they require both blood vessels and lymph vessels in order to grow and thrive. So encouraging new vessel growth may help with LE, but it may also encourage tumor growth. We just don't know that yet. There's other research being proposed with a different lymphangiogenesis agent called Lymfactin (it too has been studied on mouse tails and rabbit ears, but not on humans), but the FDA will not allow that study to happen in the U.S. because of that risk.
Just a thought. Your call, of course, but wanted to mention it anyway for you to consider. Be well!
Binney0 -
I am currently in Barcelona for a few more days. I survived the long flight with no problems. What helped most was that the plane was not very full and i was able to move to three empty seats and I did stretch my arms and legs.
Barcelona is a very interesting city and there is a lot of walking to get to see the most popular attractions. We are walking 14 to 16 miles a day and my legs started to hurt. However, I am very proud of myself because I was able to keep up like a fully healty person, which gave me some sense of normalcy. I was very deconditioned after 3 surgeries and this trip was a great opportunity to have fun and do some serious walking.
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Daninayd, Barcelona has been a dream destination for me for quite some time now, as one of my best friends just can't stop talking about the city! Happy you're there and having a great time
I don't know if I'd be able to do 14-16 miles walking everyday, even before bc, haha!! Binney, thanks so much for taking the time to look more into this! I'd sure like to bring this up with the angiologist in our next apptmnt, as well as my onc. I don't mind trying out sth that may or may not work, as long as it's relatively safe, so this is something I do need to consider beforehand. thanks again :-)
no exercise today, but I did manage to sneak in the lebed intro...
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Daninayd, how long before you got on the plane did you put your compression on? and do you have any issues with trunk LE? I am flying to England in the fall, and am trying to make sure that I have everything I need and get my LE under control, and get tips form ppl that have taken that international flight with LE. I am a little nervous about it, with taking tamoxifen being a clot risk as well.
If anyone has any tips to share, I would be appreciative!
Thanks!
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JWoo, I think it is more important to wear compression for three hours or so AFTER you get off the plane. Try to get up and move your legs often or at least clench and release them, do foot circles, something while you sit to keep the blood from pooling. I hope you have a great time with no problems!
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I am a little over 3 weeks post exchange and noticing that I have some pretty significant firmness/hardness around the bottom of my 'foobs'. My PS last week said that he noticed I still had some swelling there. I didn't see it, but I had not been feeling around, either. He said he felt it was a little worse on my right side (my LE side). Until today, I didn't see it. Now, I do....it's hard and I am even feeling a little more fullness around the front of my underarm. UGH!!! I was so hoping this would get a little better after exchange surgery. SO frustrated!!! He said he thought the CLT could help me out when I went back to her. I just really started doing MLD again today. I feel like I can't do it very well without raking across my scars with my arms, and I just didn't want to add any kind of infection to the mix. I also have tons of scar tissue (that's what it feels like) where he did lipo for my "mudflaps" . I am trying to hold out hope that when that scar tissue resolves (it's hard as a rock and still tender), that maybe things can move easier. I don't know. Does anybody else have experience with this kind of thing?
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JWoo, packing for travel is also hard on the LE--all that lifting and lugging. So you might consider wearing them while you pack as well. Good idea to put them on at home so that you're wearing them all the time you're loading and unloading luggage in and out of the car and at the airport. And of course make sure the fit is good on all your compression garments, and that you can wear them comfortably for the required length of time.
When I board I tell the attendants that I have a medical condition that requires me to stay really well hydrated and ask them to keep me supplied with water. Also, remember gentle arm stretches throughout he flight (and of course getting up to walk from time to time) and some deep abdominal breathing at intervals. Have a wonderful trip, and do let us know how it goes!
Binney0 -
Thanks for the advice ladies! I will be going with a friend, and because she is awesome, will be hauling most of our stuff. I will be packing in advance (because I am OCD like that) and should have everything ready at least a week ahead of my flight. (Of course I will check it 15 times before we actually go.) She'll be doing all the driving while we are there as well. I just have to help navigate
I am having a very uncomfortable flare in my trunk, breast, and upper arm right now on my phrofy side, and a little less on my cancer side. My PT had me doing a new exercise routine, and I think it was just too much all of a sudden. I have been wearing a pretty firm compression shirt for 3 days, doing regular MDL on myself, did the Lebed video someone recommended, stopped the workout, but no relief. It doesn't foo too swollen, but man, my shoulder is hurting and so is my chest. This stinks. How many centuries do we have to wait for medical science to take this seriously? There has to be something that actually works? I feel like I would be ok with a permanent drain if only it were safe and actually worked to get rid of this LE. I feel lost. I have my next PT appt on Tuesday morning, and am going to try a light wrapping tomorrow around my chest and trunk, and wearing my sleeves and gloves, instead of the shirt. Maybe that will work a little better.
anyone have any special tricks for getting it under control quick? or what is the best way to sleep with this mess?
MNM- i haven't had recon, and am planning DIEP, so can't speak to what you are feeling there at all. I do know that my 'shelf' on both sides is pretty hard, and with all the scar tissue I have now already, I am afraid to get any recon now. my drains left major internal scars that are causing most of my issues.
HOpe everyone else is feeling all right tonight!
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JWoo, I love the drain implant for LE idea.Anything to have us Swell down. Ummmm... can anyone actually swell down when you think about it. Sorry bad english. ha ha
.Carol, Fill us in. What have you found for a areobic substitute for walking. Sorry I have't read all the posts lately. I have been rebellious but did do my lebeds every so often., Now I am sure that if I go for a big tramp that my shin splints may develop.
Was it Jeannie that had shin splints from hiking. The best thing I have found is to kneel down and sit on my heels and lean back a bit. It stretches them nicely
I have been gardening alot and boy it has pooped me out. So I believe I will count this as exercise.
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Gardening is exercise! Yes, it was me that had a hiking shin splint. I had a huge bruise next to my shin from a teeter-totter incident, so I think that contributed. It is better now but my plantar fasciitis is acting up. I won't let it keep me down, though!
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hugz, I haven't found a good cardio sub for walking and jogging, but maybe in the end, that's a good thing. After a month of PT and lots of rest for the knee, I was referred to a orthopedist for further evaluation, because my leg was still swollen and I continued to have the willies in my knee. That doc thinks I have a meniscus tear, and I'll have an MRI next week to find out for sure. He advised no activity to avoid making it worse in the meantime, which is why I guess I'm glad I haven't been pounding the pavement. I hope to have an answer soon, and then a plan for how to fix the darn thing. Meantime, I've been keeping up my upper body workouts, paying great attention to avoid holding a lot of weight while standing. So at least my LE-arm training continues! I have gained weight from the lack of cardio (and because I'm pouting a lot over lack of exercise, and when I'm pouty, all I want to do is eat). That has to stop, so with luck I'll be back to normal before too many more months.
Oh, and OF COURSE gardening counts as exercise!!!! Hugz, good for you that you're outside in your garden, moving as you do what you love!
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Carol, I hope you're back to normal before too many months, too. Even better than normal!
I am off to the Y pool today to goof around with a friend. I hope she wants to run laps!
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Carol, Thanks for report. I did get out for a walk and lebeds today and once I get out there I sure do enjoy it. I am sorry that you can't even go for a stroll. My sis tore meniscus over a year ago and it still bothers her. She didn't go to specialist but MD said you can't heal it. Maybe because she is older or maybe her doc knows nothing about meniscus. Best you have the mri to see what is going on. How frustrating as I know you love your walks maybe even more than me. Who is walking doggy? DH? I miss your exercise reports so please still do post with your arm exercises. You upbuild us so much
CHOCOLATE ALERT STORY
I stopped eating gluten and dairy and over the last 2 months or so and I have dropped about 8lbs.
Yesterday I broke down and had a milk chocolate bar. Was good but I definately lost my sweet tooth because boy that was an overly sweet choc bar. The trouble was that I never had cravings for sweets for the last 2 months but this morn it was all I could think about. Girls at work supplied me with two tiny chocolates to get me over the addiction hump. Once you get that taste of high sugar your body craves it just like alcohol. I was doing fine with dark,lower sugar dairy free 75 percent lindt chocolate and I never got the addiction at all until I had that overly sweet chocolate bar yesterday. Now I am having to scale back and tape my mouth shut until I get over the addiction again. eeeks, do we ever win! I can't believe one large chocolate bar would do that much damage. END OF STORY AND RANT!0 -
hugs, I have to confess that I rarely eat chocolate or other candy. Gave it up years ago and do not crave. Now show me a good salty cracker or oh my goodness, a bag of hard Snyders Pretzels......I will mug you for them and can eat a full bag. Somewhere I read were you are either a sugar person or a salt person......
I really try not to even walk down the snack isle!
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I am a lover of both salt and chocolate, and love them together.
Trying really hard to curb both sugar and salt these days. it is not easy!
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well I went to a Ladies Tea at the local Sons of Norway lodge (who knew we had Norwegens in NJ) and just had to be polite and taste a few of the pastries....just a couple but my treat!
dinner was more legit!
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