Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
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Purple,sounds like your using your head to gently plan your exercise. So glad you checked in. Very proud of you!
For those that don't know this, purple broke her two ankles and one arm/wrist falling off stairs. I think I got that right didn't I purple? I just remember that putple has three affected limbs. Purple is moving ahead in her life by trying to incorporate exercise. Good job purple. Slow and steady wins the race here on le thread.
2fun. Can't remember if you had nodes out or radiated. If so LE can start out as having a heavy or full or tingly arm or breast or trunk on side nodes were out. This would be very early stage and can be reversed at this point. Or it can come on full blown with swelling aching stinging type feelings usually not reversible. In other words it doesn't feel like your non le side. Your smart asking about it? Get educated to save a potential disaster. You may or may not ever get it. Some do after 30 years so dont believe your doc if he says you can't !
Rest arms if tired. Prop up on back of couch if comfy. Every so often take deep belly breaths to move le fluid. Raise arms above head and pump fists slowly 25 times. Drink a lot of water. These all move lymphfluid.
Back off exercise if you are taking on to much. You don't want to overload your arms.
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Thanks hugs4u!. At this point I just have TE discomfort. I'm awaiting more surgery (thyroid removal, TE exchange and excision of tisdue along incision due to close margin ). But no problems that I would identify as circulatory. everyone talks about full blown LE, but you don't hear much about beginning stages. Thanks!
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I am fortunate and blessed. I truly believe min avg since the BMX is about 3 hrs. Watch TV while doing massaging surgery scar and MLD. Go upstairs lay down flat on a bed w IPAD music turnned on and do the same. Take my happy pill and go nappy nap like my 2 yr old great niece does. Sleeves are wonderful and I finally got used to wearing min 7 hrs a day. I feel extra relaxed w soft music stretching.
Received flexitouch pump which I am excited about.
Been walkking moring and nght. Currently at 7or 8000 steps per day. I plan to increase to 10000 steps. I realized that going to strores when not busy and go up and down each aisle helps. Even this helps because i see my palpition frequency and recovery time went down. I lost some.muscle tone since surgery but not going to lose any more.
Even my two bad days after each chemo, I try to move and stretch as much as possible.
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The first possible drug treatment for LE.
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Rebamacfan. Great sounds like you have things under control. It's work but worth it in the end.
2fun. looks like your on a bit of a bumpy road now. This to shall pass!
Not sure if it's the lousy weather changes or extra gardening but my arm is a bit achy. Will get MLD done by therapist today and see if that helps. Hard to get out of the garden when that's my fav place!
Good day at gym despite having a bit of acold.
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2Fun~ Good luck getting through the surgery (ies). You've got a lot on your plate but there are easier times ahead!
You wrote: "Everyone talks about full blown LE, but you don't hear much about beginning stages."
I don't have LE, but I've had a lot of post-mastectomy pain. My LE PT has been prepping me well. She has instructed me in LD massage techniques, warning signs, and how to purchase a sleeve if I ever need one.
She's emphasized how much we can do in the early stages so that it doesn't progress.
Today I heard about a woman who developed a severe case of LE 5 years after treatment ended.
For crying out loud. Can we please catch a break here??
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I think I am going to set up an appt with an LE PT. I know our profession is all about prevention, and LE is something to prevent!
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garden. Yes mine started about five years after. Some people get it 30 or more years after. There is no rhyme or reason to getting or not getting it. Crapshoot.
So Ive slowed up my cardio and have been gardening 3-5 hours about every other day instead.
Interestingly I measured my heart rate while gardening and it was beating 110, usually it's about 85 if I'm moving around leisurely inside. So I'm counting it as a workout!
Arm was tad achy (just pushing outdoor work a bit to much) so I went to my Le girl to get drained. It helped. More flower gardening tomorrow then ready for veg seeds this weekend. Then I'm pretty much caught up with the heavy part of gardening. Oh I'm tired!. Just want to wash off patio furniture and rest my buns for the next three months but that will never happen
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im impressed with all the gardening! It will be beautiful to look at and eat. I was planning on re doing some garden beds, and realized I need to get it all done before my surgery in early july, and then I won't be able to do anything until fall. I think I will clean the beds and leave them until next year.
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2Fun~ Yes, that's a good idea. Plant some cover crops in the beds and your soils will be happy happy happy till you return.
hugz~ Do you get cardio while you are gardening? If I am really hustling I do. Our frost free date is the first weekend in June. That's when I feel safe to get the tomatoes and pepper seedlings into the ground.
Be careful in the garden!
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gardengypsy, any reason you say to be careful in the garden? I was told to wear gloves, be careful fir insects and small nicks and scrapes that can lead to infection. Any other reasons for vigilance?
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2Fun,
I just meant don't over do it.
I got plenty of insect bites and scratches out there today!
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Garden. Yes if I have tons of work my cardio goes up. Today I was on a time crunch so I ran to my Solomon seal rhinzomes,divided them ,planted them then ran to other side of yard to get more. I did this for one hour. Got the job done! Yes I know my Solomon seal shouldn't be done at this time but man I got so much to do I had no choice.
I'm on 1/4 acre lot and every edge is landscaped. So there is always much more to do than my age can handle. Every time I think I'm done I find more work. Sheesh dang.
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hugs- good work out!
At this point in my life, the garden is all I want and need to keep me content. There is too much interrupting me from that right now.
We are buying a new house. This means building a new garden.
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garden. Yes gardening keeps us content and many find it thereputic. It cleans out my brain. Ok things on the wind down with gardening. Transplanted hosta and sedum today and about 50 black eyed Susan. Tons of backbreaking exercise here. Gardened the other day right up till 11:30 pm. 6 hours. Lots of neighbour and street lights made it bright.
When I turned my back on the hole where the sedum came from,the next think I knew was there were four bees trying to nest. Then about ten and finally a couple chased me right out of the area and I had to shut the house door to stop them. They were mad.
I love bees but not in the ground were they can surprise me in the future. In the eve I sprayed hole with water to make them move before they settled in. I sure didn't want to use raid. With LE i just can't take a chance. I feel guilty if I drowned any. I know your all calling me bee killer. I love those little guys.Sorry.
Got mosquito bite on le arm. Of course it would have to be that one. I dresse it quick.
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hugz, I LOVE the bees, but hate the wasps and the like. I find the "ground bees" I have in various holes in our yard are really wasps. Wasps are agressive, bees only get in a tizzy when they are threatened! I keep forgetting I need to protect my legs too, as I had pelvic lymph nodes removed from my endometrial cancer in jan. I have one good limb!LOL
My gardening is not really happening. Work wears me out, so my yard looks bad, but whatever. Focus now is on DS graduating from HS.Yay!
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2fun you have just started work so save your energy for that and the garden will be there waiting next season. Enjoy some walks as they destress after a gruelling work day.
Didn't want to go to gym but put on my big girl panties and went anyway. It paid off!
Bees have returned. Ugh can't water my plants till hubby does it. What to do? What to do
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gardengypsy, that trial looks promising. I already take a leukotriene inhibitor—Singulair (montelukast), for allergies and asthma. Unfortunately, it inhibits LCT4, LDT4 and LET4, but not LBT4. Dang.
I started twice-weekly personal training at my local gym (sometimes 3x/week if I've been traveling or my trainer or I are sick)—strength, flexibility and especially balance work. I always wear compression (and my MedicAlert bracelet) and my trainer (a PT/OT) knows not to push the arm work too hard (working more on shoulders, lats & obliques than on biceps or triceps). Absolutely no push-ups, planks or pull-ups. My LE doc and PCP also printed out stretching & strengthening exercises he has me do. Then I follow it up with 5 min. of walking around the cardio machine floor, 15 min. on the treadmill or bike, and another 3 min. cooldown. Then, unless the weather sucks, I walk home.
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Possible lymphedema in my breast. Going to my lymphedema lady, Weds to get measured. I finished radiation about 12 days ago. My RO wrote breast lymphedema on my chart and my MO repeated it but gave me no direction. I usually ask about everything and anything but was overwhelmed by the info about my estrogen blockers, I was starting and these other 2 trials she is recommending. I did zumba yesterday taking it easy when my surgical area hurt.
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Sorella - the only doc who took me seriously was my RO. Glad yours noticed.
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2Fun: Congrats on high school graduation. One of the most important accomplishments ever! I found it difficult to garden during radiation. Wished I hadn't planted. It was a good choice for you.
Hugz: My garden is starting to look ship shape. Lots of veggie planting this week. In my zone, it's "plant now or never." I am usually a bit behind. I have contemplated getting a rototiller, but they are tough to wrestle and probably not good for my LE risk factor.
I have raised beds in the veggie gardens. I still dig a lot.
My legs are not adapting to the gardening season at all, esp. my ankles. The garden kneeler is helping my knees, but walking around all day is a killer. I have upped my dose of Gabapentin.
It helps me sleep. Now that's a good side effect.
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I'm hanging in there with a 'classic' Silver Sneakers class twice a week. I usually walk on the treadmill for a least one fast mile while I'm there. I didn't keep up with Yoga, although I really liked the 'slow, stretch' instructor. It's hard for me to commit to a structured class every darn day. But next week I'm planning to start a water aerobics class 3 times a week at our subdivision pool. Since two of those classes are in the evening & only 3 blocks from home, it should be easier to manage. I can just come home, hop in the shower & settle down to a light supper. If I had a bike, I'd ride up there. Hmmm ... something to consider again ... although the 97 degree temps with 105 heat index is somewhat of a deterrent. It has sure shut down my gardening.
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Minus~ Your commitment to classwork is impressive. I am taking a break until the garden gets established.
Chi~ Good advice on the push ups, planks and pull ups. I will ask my LE PT what she thinks.
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sorella. Welcome here and do let us know what happens at your therapy session.
Minus. Anyone that can think about wanting to ridebike or walking in heat even one block deserves a medal! Glad your silver sneakering still. The pool sounds great though.
Garden. Your going to love the fresh vegs. Tomorrow is our last planting day and I'm done. Yes gardening is hard on my feet too as I have no fat on the ball of my feet and all my weight goes onto that nerve where ball should cushion it when crouching forward. Knees don't like me either. Ugh dang. All hard gardening done just got to weed and water and try to keep up the muscle tone I gained over the month from digging,bending,hauling buckets of weeds etc. Dahlias are up and I hope for blooms by end of June. Darn rights I'm counting gardening as an exercise program! It bushed me out
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hugs- Never grown Dahlias. Bucket list. I have about two more weeks of hard gardening. Neuropathy is through the roof. What do you expect when you go from .5 hours a day of exercise to 6?
Sorella: Find an LE certified PT and begin learning the exercises asap. Wishing you the very best..
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Thank you for your welcome. I am on my phone so hard to maintain your screen names so hope you don't mind my message to all. I go to my PT today. She is certified LE. I was referred to her a few months ago while I was in chemo because of surgical pain from Sept 2016. I had to stop going to her because of radiation which ended 2 weeks ago. I have tried to keep up on my stretches but when my skin was burnt, I kind of gave up. I am trying to get back to my exercise. I even went to zumba last Saturday. I want to start swimming again but have to get there at 8 to avid the crowded swim lessons. I have a very small garden as I live in the city. I should plant some herbs! How about some garden photos?
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Sorella - be careful with the exercise. Start VERY slowly and work back up to where you were once you have the swelling under control. Kick back a notch for awhile if the LE flares and the swelling increases. Hugs will be by to tell you more about taking it in stages.
Oh, and yes it's perfectly fine to just post for all w/o addressing a specific person.
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sorella. I follow the PAL exercise guidelines for lymphedema patients. Gentle stretches first then one pound weights until you have no side effects even though you could lift more.
That said if your lifting weights now with no flares then add one more pound. If you have no side effects add another and so forth. After ayear and half I'm up to 7 1/2 pounds. I had s set back and had to go back to 3-4 pounds last year. That's how it works.
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walked for about 50 min yesterday after chemo.
None today but did scar massaging and daily recommended stretching.
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Added 10 min. on the rowing machine twice a week to keep my kyphosis (incipient dowager’s hump) from progressing. Getting some “crawly" itching on the inner R arm to the L of the elbow, and up a couple of inches. Puzzling, because it’s actually smaller than my “normal” L arm. Today I noticed there’s cellulite (no, not cellulitis) and a developing varicose vein directly beneath the itching. Oh goody—estrogen deprivation is the gift that keeps on giving. But at least it’s not LE flaring up.
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