Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
Comments
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Hugz, I've always heard you can be tired but not fit, and I think that's what's happening with the new job. The old job was relatively slow paced for medicine, and I got home relatively early and would ride the exercise bike to burn off the mental frustration.
New job involves primary care of patients with significant mental health/substance abuse issues--tough people to work with at times. Hard to find common ground, sometimes.
But, on Friday, I saw a woman with stage 3 primary LE of the legs superimposed over lipedema, and--this is weird--was thrilled to see her and tell her we can get her good treatment and get those legs down. When I asked if she slept in a recliner, she thought I was a mind reader! So, I run around all day--I'm only in the clinic a couple of days a week, but do extra time if needed, and I am pooped when I get home and just haven't established a good exercise routine.
So, I intend to hang out on this thread, get my butt kicked, and get off of it.
We have my husband's aunt and uncle staying with us, and that's my excuse for why I didn't exercise today. I'll do better....
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Hi All--Back from Raleigh where I helped celebrate my godgranddaughter's 4th birthday. I posted on Friday before I left. I got up at 5:00 am Saturday to go to the hotel fitness center and completed 45 min on the elliptical. Did my MLD and Lebeds and had a great time at her house and party at a bounce house.
Did 30 min on elliptical this am, MLD and Lebeds and then completed drive home back to Knoxville area. Tired and ready for bed but it is only 7:00 pm!
Jo--I turn 65 in December and have an appt at a SS office tomorrow to apply for Medicare. I can't believe that milestone is coming! The Amish farm sounds great.
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Oh I forgot--Tina and Kira. I am so jealous. Have a great trip Tina!
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Hi Tina! I am doing the same study at penn. I love That they gave us the set of weights. I finished the initial 4weeks infebruary, but then had a flair, then port removal, then six weeks ago nipple reconstruction sx. I am just now ready to get back to it. I hope I don't ess up their results.
Jo,I was tired today. I think I overdid it yesterday and had no energy for any exercise today either. I did walk to church and back though, about a mile each way.0 -
BeckySharp, no way you are 65 based on your activity level and pic!
Though I don't post much, I read this thread regularly, and am inspired by it. All in all, I've been a pretty good butt-kicker. Gradually, since the spring, I've increase the speed and distance I walk. My arm & hand LE seem to respond well, but the rest of my body is less enthusiastic about the walking and has gotten cranky in varous ways (foot blisters, toenails falling off, leg ulcers, trunk LE, shoulder issues ...). I managed to keep walking almost every day until about 10 days ago when increasing lower backpain made going down stairs difficult. I took 7 days off, and the backpain had subsided enough that yesterday and today I walked again: went slower and shorter distance (6ish miles in 90 min). I definitely feel it, but am not incapacitated. I have a followup with my rehab doc tomorrow for my arm, but I'm hoping he has insight into the back stuff.
On the self-care side, I am unbelievably grateful to my therapist for her patience with respect to fitting me for garments. What with LE and neuropathy and vascular issues, it took 6 tries on the glove, but I finally have garments that I can wear 10 hours a day. My weight and blood sodium levels had gotten a bit low, so I liberalized my diet somewhat (bread and cheese!) and cut back on the water, and so far my LE is behaving. The one area where I should be better is MLD: I am very good about clearing the core, but too often my arm gets short shrift. KS1
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Well lesson learned..Again.. Can you guess what happened after all those steps yesterday? I sprung another leak.. I got severe chest/breast pain a couple of hours ago, then about 20 minutes ago my scar hole opened up and started leaking; not as much fluid as last time.. Got a hold of surgeon on call - he said to gauze it with a little of topical antibiotic and let it drain. Isn't that an oximoron? The antibiotic would clog up the hole? Is this activity making the lymph fluid flow out the hole instead of where the fluid is supposed to go? Why don't I just rest!!!
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I'm home after three days of a very large art-walk event. DH and I logged 19 miles in all, which means we walked long hours, because we sure were not walking fast! Also did tons of flights of stairs. It was amazing how many of the art venues were located on top floors of buildings, even parking garages, and so we chose to walk each time instead of taking elevators. I managed Lebed one time (NatsFan made me want to do it!) and some MLD; aside from all the walking, my biggest LE care accomplishment was drinking a lot of water.
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Carol, bet you are glad to be home. Breathe and have a great night's sleep!
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Cleaned up the hostas in my garden by chopping them with a machete. Also did some yoga today. Thought I was going to have a flare up, but didn't. I'm getting good control of this thing.
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Hmmm...I have lots of hostas and never thought of using a machete. Quick work of a tedious task?
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13655 steps.
Machete? I can injure myself with a finger nail file. I think I'll leave the machetes for the pros.
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When to the beach, had a fire and did 10,0000 steps along the boardwalk, Beautiful sunset came and went. Came home and read all you girls exercise logging. Man you girls are powerhouses! I just leave for a few hours and you all go and sweat up the Butt Kicker Thread.
See yah. I have a date with Sherry Lebed right now!
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Carol--Glad you had a good time. Be careful if you do go machete. That is the way they cut grass in Panama and sometimes a worker missed and mowed a body part!
Ah Hugz--a beach walk! How nice.. And all of those steps!
My 90 yr old mother lives with me and frequently goes out to the dam with me and walks several miles across the top while I do my walk/run. Plus she goes to water aerobics three days a week. We bought her a recumbent bike for her birthday and put it in front of her TV and she logs at least an hour a day. So being active at almost 65 is easier for me and I hope I keep it up.
Bad rains here today so am doing elliptical this am. Hoda and Kathy Lee are here for the Today Show at University of Tennessee on the 10:00 hour. Looks like they may get rained on!
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MLD this morning, 20 minute Pilates tape, then Lebeds. I wasn't self-conscious doing the pre-race Lebeds at all - some of those other runners were doing some very strange gyrations to warm up, so the Lebeds looked pretty normal. As you say hugz, it is sort of tai chi like, so if the other runners noticed me, they must have figured I was doing tai chi.
I'm still battling a truncal flare so I'm encased in my Maidenform long sleeve compression top - I worked so hard to get my perky little recon boobs and now it seems all I do these days is squash them flat.
Tina - how exciting to take part in the UPenn program! Kira - what a beautiful view - I relaxed just looking at your picture. Becky - wow, your mom is an inspiration! Carol - the art event sounds wonderful. I love getting in exerise without even noticing it.
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I'm done.... giving it up...
Ladies you are great at encouraging each other and are wonderful... I just am never going to get to where you are... I just don't see any tunnel light this morning...
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Seriously, I would not have a clue on where to even find a machete. I am in awe of Nibbana that she has one and knows how to use it. Safely.
Becky, your mother is amazing. I hope that's where I am when I'm 90.
Hugz, beach walking is the best. Peaceful, like Kira's picture.
NatsFan, you are spot-on with the squished boobs. We have a very high deductible, high co-pay plan that works well for us most years, but the year of the bmx/recon was very expensive. DH refers to them as the $22,000, add-another-year-before-we-can-retire-boobs. When I wear a compression shirt or cami he says (with a good laugh) I'm not 'maximizing' our investment! All we can do is laugh. I have not seen a Maidenform long-sleeve compression top. Do you have a link or description that would help me find it? I've lost a lot of weight since spring and now I need to go down a size in my long-sleeve compression wear, so looking for new ideas.
Kira, knock knock...are you exercising today? Maybe take the dog for a speedy walk?
I have a gym appt with my trainer today, after missing two full weeks because of work. So I have to back the weights down, which is frustrating, but I know that I will feel great after the workout anyway. I'll report back later on cardio, weights, and Lebed.
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Jo - Every time I try to be more active, I blow another(same place) hole in my scar..by the time I get into the doc, it looks fine. So last night i gave the answering service a call and told them how it was and he says I would be ok until morning and call to have it checked out by my surgeon... Why? it is at the same point again, as it was a week and a half ago??? He will tell me, "It looks fine and is starting to close..." Why pay $200 for that? I can't seem to do anything without producing fluid in my LE breast..but I don't like what my body is becoming...
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Gma, I know this thread is all about excercising but maybe for a bit of time you should turn it down a bit? I am sure someone will jump on me for saying that but give the boobie scar a bit more time and maybe the spot will not open up
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GmaFoley, when I had my reconstruction (diep), I had some wound healing problems that went on and on and on...it was very frustrating, and it included the kind of leaking you've been putting up with. The little holes would close, then open, then close, just as you're experiencing. It's so hard to wait through this, but eventually, it does heal. The medicine is, as they say, 'tincture of time.' (Which can be very hard to swallow!!)
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Carol or anyone else - Can I still do my MLD, wear my sleeves and see the LE T as I'm going through this?
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Thank you Jo-5, I think I read that but thanks for the reminder.
Just really down today - but I don't want to bring you all down ... So let me lift your spirits!
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Carol,
You can find a machete in an Army/Navy surplus store, and they're cheap, under $20. It mowed down the hostas, much better than trying to cut then with hand pruners. One thing I should have done for better body mechanics is used two hands and swung low like a club. Better to have two arms and shoulders sharing the work.
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this is getting funny, machetes...works to help lymphedema!!
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Let's start spreading it around the Internet that machetes are the next line of defense in the fight against lymphedema.
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Love it - a bunch of PO'd women with fat arms/trunks armed with machetes - that'll make 'em pay attention to us!!!
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BTW, I have to admit I own a pink machete - we have one up at our mountain cabin. Our shed got broken into a couple of times when we weren't there and stuff was stolen, including a machete. My dh got so mad he engraved all the replacement stuff, then spray-painted it all pink to make it distinctive. So we have a pink machete, a pink log splitter, a pink ax, a pink lawn mower, etc. The local sheriff's office thought it was a great idea - who's going to steal a pink machete? Thieves certainly can't use it anywhere without a lot of attention and questions.
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NatsFan, you have a kinky funky hubbie! a pink log splitter!
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You know how Sherry Lebed has her comment about always reaching into the waaaaaay back of the freezer in the grocery store? Think instead: reaching for the waaaaaay low hosta with the machete (only of course we have to cut the hostas in slow motion to qualify it for Lebed benefits....)
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Oh, and I have some tools that are pink, for the sole reason that when I want to find a hammer or a screwdriver, I do not want to have to wade through the unorganized workshop in our basement, and I do not want 'my' tools to be coopted and disappear into said workshop. I think the pink theft prevention strategy is genious-level thinking. Of course, at this time of year, someone might think you're really 'aware' of BC.
I should report, too. 3.8 miles, with some jogging in there to pump the heart a bit, plus an hour of weight training. I still need to do Lebed and MLD before bed.
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carol57 - I thought of you when I saw this. CSN was where I first went when I got diagnosed with BC. I rarely check in there anymore but did so tonight and found this thread.
http://csn.cancer.org/node/247661
Don't know if you'd like to chime in and don't feel obligated but I thought of the work you've done to inform nurses...0
