Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
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Kira, thanks a lot. I hope your mom is feeling better now. Good luck for your presentation this week-end. The participants will receive an amazing amount of information and I wished the nurse I am having problems with, will be there to listen and learn from you. She is not giving lymphedema therapy, but thinks she knows so much. Does not know a damned thing about international best practices and recommendations, but will not take my comments into account because I don't have any "scientific" background.
"You can swim in a sea of knowledge and still come out completely dry". Norman Juster.
Tiina337. I have compiled all the moves in a 2-page document. I can send it to you by PM if you are interested. I am in the same situation as you, flat chest. I chose not to have reconstruction; I have prothesis, but I never wear them. I found a great model of swimwear. A 2-pieces bikini with a twist bandeau top with removable straps behind the neck, molded cups, wide enough on the sides to cover the scars. The cups are empty, but you don't see a thing and the twist and "wrinkles" in the front create a sort of "volume" that compensate for the empty cups. Just google Twist bandeau top bikinis, you will find lots of models.
Have fun and relax in the pool. P.S. don't forget to bring a bottle of water. One also get dehydrated in a pool.
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Nitocris, the amazing irony is that Binney knows 100 times more than I do, yet because I have some medical background, when we email the same person with the same concern, overwhelmingly, they respond to me! Ridiculous.
Can I borrow your quote?
Kira
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I love that quote, too, Kira. Ain't it the truth! Hope your presentation goes well.
Nitocris, I will send you a PM later tonight. Okay, bikini - are you trying to hurt me?
LOL!!That does sound like a flattering look for a flat chest though. Maybe if it were part of a tankini top or one piece I would wear. Doesn't it hurt if top is tight enough that it won't fall down? I am concerned about my bathing suits cutting in on the truncal area, which is the issue I have with finding shapewear or compression camisoles. I'll let you guys know what works after I finish packing. I am trying to do a little bit at a time.
On the down side, I got the results from my mother's swallowing test. She failed, as anticipated. Interesting info. I spoke quite a while with the speech therapist and then social worker. There will be a care meeting next week while I am there to discuss pros and cons of feeding tube.
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Oh Tina, it's so hard. My FIL literally fell and broke his neck the day they moved into assisted living, and the neurosurgery messed up his gag reflex, and he was all set to go home, except the doctor noticed he was aspirating his breakfast. Unfortunately, he never made it home, over the last 18 months of his life.
There's a great geriatrician who teaches with me, and I lean on him when I'm struggling with my parents.
My FIL did get a feeding tube, but he still aspirated the feeds. There was a study today that nursing home patients with feeding tubes had many more bed sores: likely they're restrained to avoid dislodging the tube.
So hard, and we want the best for our parents, and I'm guilty of not having an advanced directive and I don't know if my parents have ones either.
Hope the team can help guide you.
Kira
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Tina: Thought you might want to re-evaluate Pinterest in light of this article today.
The poplar website Pinterest is facing a spam problem, according to Bloomberg.com.
Computer experts say spammers are responsible for as many as 40 percent of the accounts on all social media sites and Pinterest is one of the hardest hit is one of the most popular sites.
The spammers are embedding links into photos so if you click on the picture it could redirect you to pornography or download a virus.
Experts say the site became so popular, so quickly, that it apparently didn’t take enough time to set up effective blockades against spammers.
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Wonderful exercises to check out, bathing suit dilemmas, and elder care to worry about. With a side dose of water-worry! We are covering a range of topics, and every single post here is a gift to the others. Thank you, ladies. In the last few days I have obsessed over finding a suitable suit (we have a pool and plan to de-winterize it soon), realized I need some new exercise alternatives to keep me motivated, and had long discussions with close family about how to begin approaching my elderly parents about transitioning to an independent living apartment, for a host of reasons. How amazing that we have this resource to help each other with LE needs and well beyond.
Today my batteries are seriously drained, because I have not slept well in several nights. Last night of all things, leg cramps woke me up twice, ouch! I wondered if it was because I did my outdoor mileage in supportive sandals, but sandals nonetheless instead of true walking shoes. Today I taught a seminar all day and then walked 3.5 miles in proper shoes. Now off to dinner and then I'm hoping for some better quality Z's! And today I also managed to drink more water than yesterday, so perhaps that too will help prevent a repeat of the leg cramps. Honestly, isn't the LE ache in the arm enough, without having calves bark at me too????
Nitocris, I hope you can wear down some barriers through sheer persistence. I'm cheering for you!
Carol
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Just popping in between looking after momzie's foot in cast on my days off and going to work. I didn't get my exercise in yesterday or today.
But at work tomorrow I will.
Steps too!Just skimed through the posts and noticed that we all seem to be having trouble with the water drinking thingy!
Loved Tina's water reminder, So LET"S DRINK WATER. Try some lemon or lime in it. That Perrier is a good idea.
Carol, I see you are on the West Coast working. Vancouver B.C. perhaps? Cause I would love to meet you and maybe do a beach walk.
All you girls are such a great support on this thread. Keep on Kicking LE in the BUTT!
E X E R C I S E E V E R Y O N E !
GO FOR IT, MOVE IT, SHAKE IT, DANCE IT, HOOLA HOOP IT, ROLLERBLADE IT, SUP IT, WALK IT, JOG, IT, BIKE IT, AND YES,
S W E A T I T!
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Water it the easy part for me. Besides coffee in the AM, water is the only beverage I like.
I have started using the Lebed DVD which is very good. I always do the LE section and add on one or two other sections each day. It is very helpful in just regaining my strength and developing my muscles again. I didn't have the energy or desire to exercise during chemo and rad tx so have much ground to re-gain.
MLD. Doing that 2-3 times daily on travel days and that is helpful. Wearing my sleeve at least 8-10 hours a day.
Using Carol's advice, I spend time walking in the airport instead of sitting. I have knee pain from some arthritis and my AI but the flat surface is easier than any grade. The walking is more relaxing than I expected. At at customer site this week (a hospital) and spent quite some time touring the facility so that was more movement than normal - a good thing. Walked a few blocks from the parking lot to the restaurant last night even though a co-worker offered door service. Just looking for ways to increase movement.
I think my arm is looking better than it has in many weeks so all this stuff really does work. I've never been one for exercise so these new routines are a concentrated effort for me.
Ok - must get moving and start my day.
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Nitocris--Thanks so much for the links. I took some Ai Chi classes a few years ago and loved it. It really helps in flexibility. Now that it is getting so hot I need to get to the pool more. I can walk on the ac walking track then jump in the pool afterward.
Tina-safe journey.
Kira-Good luck on the presentation.
Carol-I get leg cramps too from the tamoxifen. I never know when they will hit. They usually come and go.
Did 7 1/2 mi yesterday but it was so humid. I continued to do a minute on the elliptical every 30 min when I got home. Am going to stay in today and continue my cleaning out frenzy so will probably do the treadmill plus the elliptical.
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Kira, I also borrowed that quote. I fitted so well the situation with that nurse that I had to use it! A simple sentence says it all.
No exercise today, I am aching from head to toe, so it will just be "meditation for pain relief". My therapist thinks that I might have fibromylgia, as if all the other side effects were not enough!
It is one of these days when pushing oneself will not do any good. Lots of rest and a big bottle of water by the side of the bed.
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Nitocris, thanks for the links! I like the first one, dancing my fat belly away! Very upbeat and lots of good movement. Now if I can just keep myself motivated...!
I'm emptying my kitchen today because we have a leak behind the wall and have to tear up the entire sink wall, cupboards, counters, everything. Trust me, it's exercise!
This, too, shall pass!
Binney0 -
I've read this thread with awe: you guys are amazing!
I've been pretty good self-care wise (no salt, healthy diet, lots of water, compression, MLD,) since my hand blew up 4.5 months ago. I've definitely made *some progress*: I now can wear a sleeve during the day, but because I *still* don't have a day glove, I continue to wrap my hand 23/7. My exercise has been somewhat more limited because I don't have proper day garments, and my hand swells when I exercise wearing the day garment + hand wrapping.
At Kira's urging, I am cross-posting (from the wrapping thread), my (meager) athletic triumph exercising with wrapped hand and Tribute....
I finally finished two weeks of end-of-semester grading: After way too much time sitting and typing in damp soggy weather, I woke up early this AM and desperately wanted to get some exercise, but my day sleeve was still wet from last night. Decided to risk it and went for a very brisk 6 mile walk wearing what I sleep in (an axilla-fingertip Tribute night garment with fingers wrapped in gauze and palm and dorsal swell spots). All I had to do was throw on some sneakers and go! It was only 50 degrees when I left for my walk, so the warmth of the tribute was welcome (other arm was bare). Not viable in the summer, but it was great to be out.
I wore it for 2 hours post exercise, partly to play it safe and partly because I was afraid of what my hand would look like. The answer: fabulous. The skin is deliciously loose -- wrinkly like the skin of someone who lost a lot of weight. My fingers bend in ways they haven't bent in I don't know how long. KS1
PS: My OT gave me a gift for getting through bandaging: elastic shoelaces. Love'em.PPS If the weather is cool enough, me and my oven mitt are going walking again tomorrow.
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KS1, woweee, that's awesome! Six miles is terrific, and glad to hear your hand was happy after! You certainly deserve this joy!
Binney, a leak behind the kitchen cabs does not sound like fun, and emptying them is a lot of work. Yes, it counts as exercise. While you are busy clearing things out, leave out the brownie mix as a reward. Ugh, that kind of stuff is so disruptive and not helpful with LE. Hope you feel fine after, and source of problem discovered/remedied.0 -
KS1, Anyone that wraps 23/7 and then proceeds directly out early morn to do 6 miles deserves a whole whack of chocolate. Nordy says chocolate milk is good when you exercise. I am sending over a virtual cow that dispenses ice cold chocolate milk! Congratulations, and hope you drop in on the thread to report your exercise and self care.
Binney, Please don't tell me you are in your Michelin man tire outfit trying to empty the cabs! You gotta do that dressed much more scanty to get into those cupboards.
Becky, Sounds like you try a bit of everything, That is good you mix up your exercise. I really should do that.
I wonder if you take 2-3 oz of tonic water every night if the leg cramps will subside. My doc said to try it. It works for my legs cramps when I get a bout of them. I am not on Tamoxifen anymore so don't know if it will work for you.
I was to walk today and do steps but only made 17 floors today. No walkies
Ohio, You sound really dedicated to looking after your LE. Good girl. Keep it up!
My kid teases me when I do the Lebed DVD. She mocks the songs! I mock them back at her. Keeps life interesting.Nitocris, You are a fireball, I can tell, Your kicking LE right hard in the butt and dancing your pants off while your at it. Do you think maybe you got sore from exercise or maybe it is the Fibromyalgia? I hope you don't have it.
Dawn, Carol, Tina, Nordy, Minus two, Binney, Kira, and all the rest I missed. COME ON! We gotta exercise! It destresses us, It make us feel, a good tired feel, It motivates us, It uplifts us, It builds our immune system, it makes us feel accomplished and it is a real treat to our body! Let's go girls!
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Hugz - you are the best cheerleader. So then for exercise today I went to a Power class then swam a half mile. I am a slow swimmer, but maybe someday that will change!
Binney- cleaning out the cabinets does not sound like fun! But on the bright side, you may find somethings in there that you had forgotten you had!
KS1 - I totally feel your pain! I was there not long ago! You can do it!0 -
Worked out with my trainer today...weights, a little yoga and bike. So tired, though. Unusually so.
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Leg cramps again last night, so thank you Hugz for the tonic water suggestion. I will be home tonight and will pick some up on my way from the airport. Today I'll have either a very short conection time between flights (so not much walking), or a lot of walking if I miss my very tight connection.
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The weather cooperated again this AM, and me and Mr. Michelin went for another brisk walk. Went a wee bit farther and a wee bit faster. I am working from home today and so was able to keep my Tribute on for a couple of hours after walking. Hand looks great -- not as good as yesterday - but definitely on the better side of how it has looked the past few weeks.
The limiting factor for me walking with Tribute (with outer jacket)/wrapped hand is going to be weather. It's been 50 degrees the last two mornings. Just wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants, my arm gets warm in the Tribute (I wear an over jacket), but not to the point that my fingers are swelling, and the Tribute isn't getting sweaty to the point that I have to wash it. Maybe a cooling vest?
I've been on a very low salt diet, and this weekend is going to be a bit of a challenge food-wise because of traveling and restaurant food. My strategy is going to be to bring nuts (easy to pack, high in protein & calories), and mainly eat dessert. Even restaurants probably haven't figured out how to pack salt into brownies ... K
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I missed so many posts the last week. Is Tina at her mom's doing evaluation on her? I think so. I hope all goes Ok and she is not to stressed. Making descisions for elders is daunting,. You want the best but may have to settle for less.
Will be at mom's over the next few days looking after her leg, cooking, cleaning, so I won't be posting. I am going to see if I can slip out and go to the rec center pool while I am there. Maybe use the treadmill to.
Dawne, Have a wee rest. Maybe today just isn't your exercise day.
Carol, You do the tonic water at bedtime. NO gin in it!
Everyone look at Tina's water picture. DRINK WATER and PRETEND IT IS A MARGARITA!
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Carol--You can get the tonic water in diet with no calories. Before tamox I used to drink it as I had leg cramps occasionally and it helped. But it does not seem to help with tamox. These are cramps that go on and on. But yours may be from walking and the tonic water may help. Good luck!
Just finished 70 min 4 miles on the treadmill. Also 30 min of elliptical doing a minute every half hour. I am tired. But making headway on my cleaning.
I would rather have a daquari (sp?)!
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Becky,how do you do it! My word ...I complain if I have to do a hour walk! I see you are keeping up the elliptical too! Just thought I would lurk the thread before I get on with my weekend and couldn't help but comment on your ever moving body parts! Daquari (sp?) deserved but a glass of water first!
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Becky, as usual, I am in AWE of your exercise commitment! Today I am at about zero; got up at 4 am for a flight for home that departed in the o'dark hour, and had to sprint for a really tight connection (but not far, so no real cardio out of it). It's evening and I'm just getting home. I'm pooped!
KS, your eating plan sounds delicious. When I travel for work, I am usually without a car, but still I can almost always do some shopping for healthy foods for breakfast and lunch, the evening of my arrival. I can usually find a bag of pre-cut raw veggies in a market, or a convenience store, or sometimes a drug store, and that's what I eat for lunch, with a cup of Greek yogurt (for its high protein) that I find in the same place. And some fruit..that's easy to find.
If I'm lucky enough to have a hotel room with a refrigerator, I buy several days' worth when I'm in one place for that long. Sometimes I buy a yogurt-based veggie dip or a small container of hummus to dip my veggies in. I have a small insulated lunch bag that folds flat, and I use that to pack a lunch that I take to my seminars when I leave the hotel in the morning. If no refrigerator for storing it overnight after I buy it, I just fill a small ziplock with ice and use my little lunch bag as a cooler. For in-room breakfast I use the coffeemaker to heat water for my little packets of instant oatmeal with extra fiber, which is too sweet for my tastes, so I put a square of Ghirardelli baking chocolate in it. It's so good that way, I can pretend I'm really in the hotel restaurant eating Danish.
So, I eat very healthily for breakfast and lunch, and at dinner, I can enjoy myself. Nothing crazy, but I relax about what I'm eating, knowing that for the full day, I'm fine on fat, calories, and sodium. Not that all of this helps me lose weight while traveling, but it keeps it stable, and I feel like I'm helping my LE by limiting restaurant traps to just once each day.
Are we SURE that gin in the tonic water negates its anti-cramping effect?
Carol
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Tina - will look forward to following your notes on parental care. My brothers (4), sisters (2), two sisters-in-law and myself met last night to discuss our parents. 6 of 7 siblings built homes on the family farm and live right here with parents. It's wonderful. Parents are 79 & 80 and it's time to do more but it's hard to know how much to do and not infringe on their independence.
Dad wants to meet with the siblings to discuss end of life and their wishes. He was in the hospital recently and there were a few scares. While I am glad for the willingness to discuss it is a meeting I don't want to attend. I mean, I will be there I just don't want to face that facts.
Kira - I don't have advance directives or a living will. I gave my sister Medical POA and told her to do the same thing she would want for herself. I am very nice to my sister
.Okay - off to do some yard work that I am going to call exercise.
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I'm having similar discussions with my brother (my only sibling) and with my and his children. They all live near my parents; I am 6 hours away. When my mother was hospitalized a few months back for pneumonia that led to discovery of a carotid blockage, my father announced adamantly that no kids of his would ever make a decision to put him or my mother into any 'home.' I understood the fear that was prompting that announcement, but their home is not conducive to independent living if health deteriorates (they are in early 80s).
So now our strategy is to identify all the plausible facilities meant for independent senior living but have availability of assisted and then nursing support. Then my brother and I will sit down with my parents and ask them to look at it this way: if you don't want us making decisions for you later, you need to make some decisions now--check these places out, begin adjusting to the idea that you cannot stay in your huge home forever, and start to work out a plan.
Like ohio4me, I'm not looking forward to that conversation, but I'll be there. I expect to carve out a week when I'll be staying at my daughter's house, and she and I will do all the investigative legwork to see what's available, all the while hiding out from my parents. My brother is optimistic that we can convince mom that it's her idea to check some places out. I don't think it will be that easy. Meanwhile, my daughter says she's taking notes on this process and will ask me to sign them, so I cannot be in my own state of denial twenty years from now...she has a good point!
Exercise for me today starts with some gardening. I'll get some good walking in, too, or maybe a Leslie Sansone DVD.
Carol
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I'm having similar discussions with my brother (my only sibling) and with my and his children. They all live near my parents; I am 6 hours away. When my mother was hospitalized a few months back for pneumonia that led to discovery of a carotid blockage, my father announced adamantly that no kids of his would ever make a decision to put him or my mother into any 'home.' I understood the fear that was prompting that announcement, but their home is not conducive to independent living if health deteriorates (they are in early 80s).
So now our strategy is to identify all the plausible facilities meant for independent senior living but have availability of assisted and then nursing support. Then my brother and I will sit down with my parents and ask them to look at it this way: if you don't want us making decisions for you later, you need to make some decisions now--check these places out, begin adjusting to the idea that you cannot stay in your huge home forever, and start to work out a plan.
Like ohio4me, I'm not looking forward to that conversation, but I'll be there. I expect to carve out a week when I'll be staying at my daughter's house, and she and I will do all the investigative legwork to see what's available, all the while hiding out from my parents. My brother is optimistic that we can convince mom that it's her idea to check some places out. I don't think it will be that easy. Meanwhile, my daughter says she's taking notes on this process and will ask me to sign them, so I cannot be in my own state of denial twenty years from now...she has a good point!
Exercise for me today starts with some gardening. I'll get some good walking in, too, or maybe a Leslie Sansone DVD.
Carol
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Yesterday and today, when I click to post, it gets posted twice. So I deleted one of the doubles here, and if there's a deleted post after this one, that means it happened again. Is anyone else having this problem?
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Carol - too funny that your daughter wants you to sign now. That is thinking ahead. I am #3 of 7 and my youngest sister announced last night that we (the older ones) better have our plans made because she wasn't take care of all of us. However, I reminded her that I cared for her many years. She is 13 years my junior and mom worked afternoons so I was chief cook and bottle washer when I got home from school. We all laughed but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to think ahead.
Done with yard work for today. Now on to some Lebed and MLD. Then lunch with a great niece and nephew. Yeah!
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I have been too upset to even look at this thread... then last week I met with my new PS and he told me the opposite of just about everything my old PS said... I can now exercise!!! Super exciting! I have walked my dog several times, about 2 miles each time... feels so good to be getting back to normal.
On a disappointing note... turns out I have LE under my arm pit (which I have been worried about) and here I was so against changing to Kaiser, when I couldn't find anyone in my old insurance to treat LE... turns out Kaiser has an LE clinic, I am just waiting for referral. Also - have frozen shoulder, due to all the inactivity thanks to old PS.... anyway, they are sending me to PT for that too! I am so thankful to finally be moving forward. For the first time since December I feel like I am on the right track!
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I'm cheering for you DM! Activity will help in so many ways, and wow, what an unexpected bonus to have access to an LE clinic when you thought the HMO approach wasn't going to make you happy. Keep us posted. Walking dogs is so therapeutic!
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Welcome DM. Where I first received therapy told me all I could ever do again was MLD exercises. I switched places. My new therapist slowly started me into exercises and now I can do more and more. Stay with us and keep at it. What kind of dog do you have?
Yesterday instead of elliptical every thirty min I went up and down my steps for two min at a time. Whew. Much harder. Then an hour of treadmill--30 min of it on incline. I was tired so only did 3 mi. I hate this heat!
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