Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
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Thx girls. When you report in it encourages me to get back to gym ASAP. I'll probably have to back off on weights.
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Ok slowly did first gym day in ten days. Muscle loss but I’ll just be careful and stick to exercise because it’s the best thing anyone can do for themselves. Backed off weights
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Hugz - glad to see you're back moving around some
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Minus. Wow your still yard spring around. I need to get out there soon. Spend a few hours before flu but really need to putter out there.
Just back from gym. How's sneakering this week, it’s tomoorow your going. Let us know.Let's get ready for our summer activities. I don't want to be dragging tail on the trail!
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Sliver Sneakers class on Tues & Thurs. I need to force myself to do the treadmill other days, but I've been doing yard instead. Or rather, I was doing yard but except for class, the last 3 days I've been sitting in my recliner reading books. Temperatures went from 80's back to 50's and gloomy/cloudy. Our community pool won't open until Memorial Day weekend, and then we hope to have water aerobics 3 days a week if I can get a class together.
Glad you're feeling well enough to hit the gym.
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I'm jelous that you guys are outside in the garden. We had another inch of snow yesterday. We are usually in the low 50s by now.
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Ok chugging away. Lost some muscle here while sick so it's a uphill battle to regain but I won't let that stop me. Counted the days since mid Dec. I was sick 60 at home days! I swear I won't touch my facial orfices ever again cause that is the only way I figure I'm picking up germs. Ugh. Dang
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Oh Hugz - 60 days!!! I'm amazed you're as perky as you sound. Glad you've back in circulation.
My painful, sore hands were tentatively diagnosed today as Synovitis. Likely not Carpal Tunnel & an X-ray won't be useful just now. I have special hand exercises for 8 weeks from an orthopedic hand surgeon. I'm to take NSAIDS, soak in warm water & get a blood panel screening for arthritis & maybe gout. I can still lift weights, but should not be squeezing the ball at Silver Sneakers.
I'd comment about how much fun it is to get old (NOT) but I think most of my issues are left over from the cancer treatments - just like the LE.
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Minus. Well this is not good news. Synovitis and possible Gout would be aweful. Please do your hand exercises. I'm finding my cold lazer home machine beneficial for my joints when they flare. Worth every 500 dollars I paid for. I was just saying on other thread that naproxen antinflamatiry drugs cause swelling. But we got to bite the bullet sometimes to get over the hump.
Yes getting old sure does stink. If I knew when I was playing so hard when I was a kid that I would feel every injury now I would have sat and read a book instead! I hate falling apart! It's not buying makeup at the drugstore anymore it's buying drugs. No fair
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hugz, do you have a link to the cold laser machine? I've been looking for one and all I could find were ones in the $1500 range
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Thanks for the naproxen comment. He gave me the choice of Advil or Aleve and I think this final bit of "evidence" that I needed. So it's Advil for me. I'm an aspirin girl but it doesn't have the same anti-inflamatory properties.
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hi all,
it's my first time to post on this thread. i have LE i think on both arms although measurements by my LE PT showed its more on the right. i definitely have swelling on hands sometimes. my main symptoms are feeling of heaviness, tightness mainly on the hands but also creeps up to the lower arms. just waiting for auth for LE therapy but i see my PT now for frozen shoulders.i do have gloves and sleeves. my question is how often do you wear your sleeves/gloves? according to the LE class i attended, the body will somehow regulate itself once the treatment is over.i dont want to overdo the sleeves but lately the taut feeling on my hands ( sometimes i also feel like my skin is stuck to the muscles on my hands, sorry that the only way i can describe it) is pretty much constant.i wear the sleeves /gloves during the day but once i remove them , the symptoms return...i do MLD on myself and i also go to an oncology massage therapist while waiting for auth.do you guys wear your sleeves everyday?how often do you do MLD? thanks in advance...
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Jae: Welcome. Really quick here cause I’m off to bed but it sounds like you need to be in le gear from morn till night daily if you get symptoms once you take it off and maybe even a night garment. Be vigilant with this so it doesn’t get worse. Usually morn we have less swell and increase by nite. Do join us because education us our best defence.Gradual exercise is usually helpful to move fluid but wear your garments for sure. Occasionally you may swell when you walk then hold your arms up like a jogger when you walk. Drink lots of water, elevate arms on sofa when you can but don’t tire them out
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thanks hugz4u! what is a night garment?yes when i do my brisk walking every morning and my hands are down they tend to get heavy and swell..can you recommend exercises? thanks again!
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Kae- I'm in a night garment. I started with just one for my arm. It's a sleeve that's padded (like a swell spot pad) and has a light compression that goes over it. I'm in a full chest and right arm garment now. My night garment was sent off to be adjusted 5 weeks ago and I am sleeping in my orginal night sleeve and a compressing bra with a swell spot/chip bag that wraps around my breast and goes around my back to the opposite side. I have everything in the wash now or I would post a picture. My arm pit is now getting much compression at night and I am swelling some there. My tribute ( night garment getting adjusted) should be back Tuesday and I never thought I would say that I was looking forward to it. It makes a difference it keeping my chest LE under control. (In other words keeps my boob soft! )
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Kae. You might find it helpful to walk with Nordic poles which puts your arms in great position. Did I mention you will burn extra calories if done right. I love my pole but don't use often because my dog needs to be on a leash.
Go to stepup-speakout.org a fabulous web site some of our experienced girls made. See the exercise section.
Exercise for newbies must be gradual. I started out with measly one pound weights and moved up in about two years to 10 pounds for my arms. This way you get no flares or if you do you will know how much weight flubs you up. Then you back off to the safe weight. This is the PAL program developed by a university for lymphedema. You need to start out with gentle stretches first and end with them. Deep abdominal breathing is a good way to open up your biggest lymph channel to prepare you before you stretch or exercise.
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thanks ladies! i am on 1 lb weights and i do stretches too. can i use swell spots at night? i would appreciate a picture of the night garment..so as long as i feel heavines,not necessarily swelling,i should be wearing the garments right
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Good your starting with light weights. If you mean, you feel heaviness should you wear day garments. Yes. Anything that feels abnormal indicates something internal is going on.
Swell spots are great alternative if you have no night garment. I'll wear at night if I'm flaring. They channel fluid out of the area. Night garments are the cats meow. Unfortunately we can't seem to get a good fit with mine so I don't wear it. It rides up into my arm pit. I'm ticked cause they adjusted it but it's still not good. There expensive. Maybe if I lose some weight it will stay down. I'm working on that! They look like a mummy wraped in bandages or a big ovenmitt that's extends down your torso. NOT sexy in the bedroom. Ugh dang
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i feel heaviness everytime my arms hang down so i guess, i am resigned to wearing the garments for life?....
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kae,so you will want to build up to wearing them for a full day till bed unless you are use to them by now. for life. I only wear mine 10-12 hours a day because I can manage my Le doing this amount of time and my elbow crease is so sensitive that even with silicon tape in the crease it gets sore so I'm on limited time.
I don't have your heaviness symptoms unless I am gardening for hours then I know I need to go in and wrap my fingers in compressive gauze and arm in a soft cast like short stretch bandage to get things back to normal. I try not to overdo it in the first place. That is the gold standard care if your having a flare or need to get your arm swelling down.
Get Custom garments made. They are the way to go if you can afford. They fit so much better. Not many can wear off the shelf but it's a start and you might fit them.
Rest those arms on pillows or back of sofa as long as it's not tiring whenever your relaxing. Above heart is good but be comfy so even a bit of elevation is better than nothing. Dangling arms can send fluid to hands depending on your condition. See what is helpful. Try raising your arms above your head like your eager to answer in school when their heavy, and pump fists slowly 25 times to drive fluid back up the arm. Do a few times a day.
Go to stepup-speakout.org a great website some smart le girls here made for all your lymphedema education and needs. And do ask questions here.
Knowledge is key and having a educational toolbox for lymphedema emergencys is essential to success. Yes it's for life unless your early stage and you don't sound early stage. Be very proactive and you will stay on top of it controlling it instead of it controlling your life. Ok I gotta spilt. It's getting late
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thanks hugz!!!
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Hugz and Binney-I wish I had started following this LE thread a year ago! I'm almost certain I had LE straight out of surgery and had I found you girls I would have got into PT sooner and possible even gotten things under control much faster. I'm still learning and hope that one day I an help others like you girls help us! Minus two and 2fun you girls are awesome to!
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Thx but I'm not really an true expert,still learning and as you know le can be different each day so it's never ending learning. Binney is our all time knowledgeable LE guru and did contribute so much time to the stepup-speakout.org. website that we all need to be on for excellent Lymphedema education. Binneys AWOL right now dealing with family illness. I miss her very much here and hope her family has a speedy recovery. She is a true blessing, Awesome indeed.
We just got to stick together and fight le as a team. Doing it alone is not constructive to mental and physical health.
Some one I miss much is Carol57 who also wrote the exercise guide in the stepup-speakout.org site. She was the true exercise guru who was also the frequent flyer guru and had put in many miles walking at the airport on at least a weekly basis. I met her in person. Such a lovely personable gal. Another gem. Look up her threads for flying and exercise. She got me into the PAL exercise program with gradual weightlifting. Much thx to her I'm in better shape than ever and controlling Le partially thru exercise.id love her to pop in once in awhile. She’s a busy girl and sometimes we just need to move on.
One way we can all help if we don't have lymphedema answers to newbies is guiding people to the stepup-speakout.org site. Very comprehensive. You can even find a therapist in your area on that site.
I really appreciate those posting on the le surgery threads. They are breaking ground for us and gives us the good bad and ugly of the surgery. This is essential for us because le surgeons don’t do too much follow up years down the road and so it’s good to get their opinion. Much thxto them for taking out the time to check in.
I worked out yesterday and am going for one hour walk today. Sunny but cold. Looking at whitecaps on the water out the window. Garden calling me to.
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finally some sun for next two weeks. No excuses for me. I'm better now and dog is looking a me with THOSE EYES! Went to gym today. Not the best cardio but we're getting there.
My new cool down seasonal drink. Herbal lemon-mint tea with green tea/herbal lemongrass. Steeped, cooled and shaken over ice. Poured into mason jar with straw. Looks good! Delish! Just enough caffeine for a light boost! Shhh ...don't tell Starbucks but I'm putting them out of business with this yummy go to.
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I got my night garment back today! I had to have it altered because it was riding up. The zipper would almost be over my mouth. I will lost a picture of the handout that came with it. Only difference is my glove is not attched. The picture not load. I'll try to post it separately.
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Top picture is my garment. The second picture is the compression cover that goes on top. Bottom picture is the flyer. You will see my hand is separate. My DH calls it the ove glove.
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This should have been the top photo. It disappeared from my previous post.
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Vara Mine is identical to yours. My jovi wants to do the same as yours but doesn’t ride so high and they already adjusted it once. Mine wants to ride up about collarbone height and this makes it ride into the pits also. Speaking of pits. It is the pits when you lay out this much dough and your not comfy. Mine is blue coloured with black jacket.
Had good walk today
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I'm afraid to ask how much they cost! Insurance has covered all my compression gear and 2 Belize bras. They are disputing my Flexitouch pump now they're saying that pre-certification wasn't done but it was. I've got the Plexi pump so good luck with anybody getting it back!
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Vara. No worries, it’s good to share info. If I’m correct mine was 1700 without jacket. I later got the jacket because with the new tailoring they suggested overjacket to hold it down better. Not working though. I’m truly not sure but I think jacket was six hundred. Cnd funds. Is that in line with yours? I think my fitter charged me less. She try’s to. Insurance covered bit.
Good workout
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