Kicking LEs butt!! Exercise & Self Care Log
Comments
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Just completed four miles out at the dam. 60 degrees, cloudy, and blustery. I was the only one out there! I loved it.
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Today I stayed quiet again, willing my aches and swelling from a fall on Sunday to fade away. Making progress, and tomorrow I plan to return to the gym and do both cardio and weights. Today my exercise accomplishment = Lebed, period. Also drank lots of water. Not stellar, but I hope to be back on track tomorrow.
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Gee Carol. I hope you heal quickly. Healing thoughts coming your way.
I am going to do the usual--MLD, exercises, and then weights. Then off to an appt with the eyedoctor.
Got more exercise in last night. Homecoming where I teach is this weekend. My students who have Best Buddies (matching a college student with an adult in the community who has mental challenges) are making a float. We always have the community buddies in the parade. I was climbing up and down a lot and a lot of stretching. The float is shaped in sign language of I Love You. Can't wait to see it finished! Missed out on my recliner time last night.
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My exercise plans for yesterday were derailed by a conference call with my mother's attorney, but major decisions have been made. Whew! Today I gathered all that info and met with her financial advisor. Tomorrow there's a conference call with the three of us. Major wheels are finally in motion. I no longer have a sick feeling in my stomach. Most of my efforts will soon be done. Not sure whether I will exercise later tonight, but all basic modes of LE self care, night garments (last night), day garments, water, deep breathing, accomplished today. MLD tonight at bed. Hoping I have time for weights after dinner. Meanwhile, I have to gather some info for tomorrow's meeting. What does this story have to do with LE self care? Well, it's a lesson on managing stress, which definitely can cause swelling for me. Ideally, some walking would really be helpful right now, but it ain't gonna happen.
Carol, I hope your foot is feeling better!!
Keep on truckin', Becky! Sounds like your time with Best Buddies last night was a combination of fun and exercise. You are so kind and generous with your time!
JO-5, I am uninformed about when to use the pump. All I know is what you do about using as part of self care in conjunction with MLD. I'm sure someone who knows will come along.0 -
Jo, I do node clearing both before and after, and upper chest MLD after as well. But you might want to ask your therapist, because everybody's different.
Binney0 -
Tina, You get the biggest HUGZ from me because my personal experience with eldercare is a nightmare. Sounds like you are on the downslope so that is great news. Yah... I bet LE is worse with stress because mostly everything else is, so that makes perfect sense that you are affected by it. Won't it be nice to be ontrack soon? maybe even jogging on the train is in order!
All you damm walkers and runner/joggers, I am so impressed. You girls rock!
Jo, Stairs are a terrific workout. I like your getting in extra walks strategy. I did that and my sis protested. She said. "What are you doing parking at the back of the store?" Well................... I thought it was a novel idea after all it was shaded and I got extra steps in. That can't be all that bad!
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I park remote from stores, etc. too! If you make it a habit, you can really add some steps to your week.
Today I was able to return to my exercise routine, pretty much anyway. There are some lower-body weight lifting moves that were a bit troublesome for my ankle, but I got some help from the clever trainer in the gym and we did some great work-arounds. Upper body--no problem, although I'm a bit below the weight I was lifting a few weeks ago, because I missed some sessions due to work travel, and then after landing on an arm and causing some soreness. I think 'adapt' is my middle name when it comes to weight training.
I had no trouble doing some Leslie Sansone today, which helped my daily step total, and I managed 4.9 miles today, with some good cardio accounting for about half of that. Also did Lebeds!
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Tina, thanks for starting this discussion. I am new to these discussion boards. I have been battling with lymphedema since last May. I have had the MLD training and how to wrap my arm. I have a sleeve and glove. I tried to walk for my exercise but everytime I walk, my arm swells. Do you folks know a secret that I don't know? What weight exercises do you do?
Would love to hear from others. Everything goes fine if I just lay on the couch with my arm elevated and do NOTHING but obviously that's not very realistic. I've been reading the above post about drinking lots of water, food choices, and exercise. Is there a site I can go visit to get move information about these topics?
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Shari, walking can be hard on the arm if you let the arm hang unsupported. So, ideas to try are to put your hand in a pocket at waist level or higher, or to use walking poles so your arms are high as you walk. Be sure you're wearing your compression garments as you walk, and stop every so often to do the deep belly breaths that you do during MLD.
The weight exercises depend on who is working with us, but I think for most of us, it's a simple routine: stretching (back, shoulder, chest, triceps, hamstrings, quadriceps, inner thigh, calves, back) followed by core exercises and alternating upper and lower-body weight lifting. So, various ab exercises and then (I'm not suggesting any order here) triceps pulldown if you're using a machine, or triceps kick-back with dumbbells from a bench; leg press, lunges, squats, chest press; biceps curl; seated row; back extension, chair digs, side raises, leg extensions, leg curls are all common weight moves in a gym or at home.
THE IMPORTANT PART is to make sure that you are lifting very, very light weights at first --start with one pound--and move up very slowly, in very small increments. Also remember that you should be lifting only what you can measure, and that means no bodyweight exercises such as push-ups or planks, and no resistance bands--because the amount of resistance (or weight against your arm and upper body) cannot be measured, nor can you know if you are adding small amounts of resistance as you change your position while you get stronger.
The reason for these guidelines is that getting stronger helps prevent your lymphatic system from interpreting a heavy load as an emergency that requires more lymphatic fluid to be sent to the rescue. But--the very process of getting stronger with weight lifting means that you can unwittingly send that same signal when you pick up a dumbbell, if it's too heavy. Hence, we acclimate our arms and upper bodies to lift heavier and heavier weights, but we must do that slowly.
These precautions come from a research study called the PAL Trial (stands for physical activity and lymphedema). The simplest way to review the PAL information is to read lead researcher Kathryn Schmitz's article clarifying misconceptions about the PAL Trial results, which were poorly reported in the media when the study was released: http://www.lymphnet.org/pdfDocs/Weight_LE_Misconception.pdf
If you start weight training, it's always a good idea to have at least a few sessions with a trainer, so you can be sure your form is good and you don't injure yourself. Best possible approach is to find a trainer who is familiar with the PAL Protocol. (But hard to find!)
Finally, lots of us do Lebed exercises, which are not cardio, but a good stretching routine that has been designed to stimulate lymph flow. Here's the DVD I think most of us use: https://www.gohealthysteps.com/shop/product/focus-on-healing-through-therapeutic-exercise-and-movement-dvd-1014.cfm
I'm not aware of a particular website that focuses on exercise for lymphedema, but perhaps some others will drop in with ideas.
And....do what you can, because almost everyone starts off with a little exercise and builds from there!
Good luck on finding a way to exercise without aggravating your arm,
Carol
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Thank you so very much for the advice and sites. I had not thought about using a walking stick. It just might do the trick. I am so excited to find a place to talk with others about lymphedema. I live in a small town and there is not much in the way of information. I appreciate your help.
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Shari, welcome to our group. Carol has given you excellent information on how to start slowly and progress with weights and cardio, as either or the combination of both can provide a cartain "load" to your lymphatic system. Finding that initial starting point where you are doing some work but not causing swelling is key. After a period of stability in doing that level of execise, increase the weight or distance slowly. Remember to space out chores (such as weeding or scrubbing the tub) to days when you are less active, as these tasks also add to the total load to your system.
The great thing about laying around on your sofa with your arms propped up is that it helps avoid swelling. The bad part about laying around too much is that it will eventually take less stress on your arms or trunk to cause swelling. Sort of like a catch-22, yes? So, better to get moving slowly to increase your strength and cardio endurance. Building strength and endurance over time means that your body may be able to withstand greater demands without swelling, and wouldn't that be terrific?! (In my dreams I am mighty!) By the way, this group is all about support vs competition, so anything you can do today is a good thing.
Carol, I will PM you tomorrow, as I would like your guidance in forwarding info to others.0 -
Good advice Carol and Tina,
Shari before you buy the walking poles try walking with you arms bent like you are holding the poles or so you look like you are jogging. See if you swell or not while walking like this. Also you can try pumping your fists abit which you would be doing with the poles if you had them. See if this makes you swell. For sure raise your arms high above your head and pump 25 or so times with your fists slowly to help move your lymph fluid down your arm while you walk. You can pump like this throughout the day but do stop right away if you have any weirdness starting up. Don't plan on even walking a mile for a while till you figure out what works for you. Maybe just ten or fifteen minutes slowly and then add. You will get it figured out eventually, be patient though:)
Are your sleeves and gloves too tight or to loose. They must fit dead on!
Carol,sorry about your ankle. I now have an orthotic to keep my ankle from turning after I sustained a third degree sprain and tore ligaments and tendons.0 -
Hugz, the ankle is much better now! No pain, just feels weak, so I am doing some strengthening exercises suggested by a PT friend. I can walk just fine, but I did reluctantly cancel participation in a fundraiser bike ride today, thinking that a few hours of peddling would be too much.
Like the tortoise in one of Aesop's fables, slow and steady wins for LE. That was Aesop, no?0 -
Carol you are correct - Aesop...
My 2 job day today - last time I put in 7200 steps in, just at work... my leak stopped for the moment and the LE therapist gave me some PolyMem gauze to use.. It works great, as a swell spot too. LOL - spendy stuff I hear but he told me not to look up the price on the net or he wouldn't give me anymore. I promise to take it easy at the fabric store job.. I also was told to just do a few minutes of Ledbed at first to see how the hole/leaking do before going at it.. LE T says we might just wait until the hole is completely healed before starting any exercise at a bigger scale..
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Carol, I tried to see if anyone did the PAL program out west but couldn't find anyone. I left a message with the PAL dept but they never did answer me. Is there somewhere where we can pick up guide lines or do you just start of with 1 pound weights and slowly work our way up.
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Shari - Speed walking was my primary mode of cardio pre-breast cancer. Weirdly, it was speed walking that caused my fingers to swell the most.
I've had to work my way up again to be able to walk. For about a year my primary means of cardio was riding an incumbent (or recumbent bike ... the one where you sit down with your legs in front). Elliptical machine didn't bother me ... but boy, walking sure did. When I go for a speed walk now I hold my arms at 90 degree angles to my body ... it looks weird but it does keep my fingers from swelling up big time. I haven't bought the poles but after I buy new gloves and some new sleeves ... they are next on my list. 0 -
Shari, My hand does tend to swell when I walk, especially when I walk quickly or in hot weather. Here are some suggestions
1) I make sure not to swing my arms too much as that seemed to make my hand swell more. (I tried walking with my elbow bent when I walk, but I found it exacerbated my side LE and made my upper arm sore in a bad kind of way. Never tried pole walking, however.)
2) As per my LE therapist's recommendation, I now walk with hand wrapped (with arm protected by either wrapping or by class 1 sleeve), or I wear a higher compression glove than sleeve (i.e., class 2 glove with class 1 sleeve). Both seem to work for me.
3) I have noticed is that I must keep compression on my hand for at least an hour after I finish walking ... longer if I have gone for an especially brisk walk. KS1
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KS1 - Thanks for sharing what works for you! I do #2 (not the wrapping but the higher compression on my fingers/hands) and #3 as well. As per #1 ... I don't swing my arms much either ... good to know what works for you. We're all different. I absolutely cannot walk in hot weather either.
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Has anyone here tried one of these?
I wonder if it would be useful for LE?
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I just got one last week (99 dollars, costco online) and have only sat on it a bit. Great for posture as it keeps my back straight and if I use it enough then I could see my core getting stronger for sure. My sis using one all day at work.
However I am short (5 feet 2) and I have it at the lowest level and it is too low to use at a desk.
Bonus is you can take the ball out for exercises. I will be using it to watch tv as I am not allowed to slouch to0 much due to chiropractic treatment and general back health.
For LE you could do little bounces and see if that moves fluid. Have your arms straight up in the air above your head and pump your fists about 20 times slowly while bouncing. Try 5 minutes and see how you do. Some girls swear by it. It is kinda like a trampoline effect.
Anyone have more experience with it?
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The visuals of me falling off that contraption are endless.
I've never seen such a thing. Something about a ball sitting on top of rollers ... just isn't good. 
I have heard of people sitting on a ball to do office work because of back issues. I just haven't seen anything like this. LOL! And I have done the fist pumping while bouncing on a ball. It does help!
Edited to add: If you sit on the thing without the rollers and just the ball itself ... it really will strengthen your abdominal/core muscles.
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Dawne, Now quit mocking my ball!
It has two brakes so you don't roll away. You are right if you had to balance the ball without the holder you would get killer abs, etc.My sisters ball holder has no back on it and she said I am a lucky dog to have it as you can grab the high back and push it around to where ever you go. With no back you have to stoop over it to push it around. She uses it in a classroom setting.
I did use the back a bit for support when I tried it but I think that would defeat the purpose of keeping your back in good posture and it is not a heafy build for a full lean on.
I put it in my living room and tried to convince myself that it looked kinda like modern furniture. NOT! But my stupid back/hip likes the ball instead of slouching on the couch so it may stay!
Yah, I know it's weird, that is probably why my boss uses one...... as he is weird! Some people swear by them.
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OK. I ordered one. We'll see how it goes. My PT is convinced that my poor posture is to blame for much of my pain (it wasn't great before bc, but now? apparently I'm very slumped.)
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Cindy, if you think about it.. I think the slumping is true... we all have spent months in pain and if you are anything like me, I grab my breast and slump forward anytime I'm in pain.. doc thinks that is why my neck and shoulder always hurt.. it has been automatic for so long, it has become a habit.. With my home computer job and with the help of my LE T, I have pillows stuffed ahead of me on the keyboard so I can't slump and keyboard and mouse sit on a pillow.. I look weird but my back doesn't hurt as much...
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Thanks everyone. I'll try those suggestions. I can see where I was trying too hard too quick. I was walking about a 1 1/2 miles and I got hot. Yes, I think my sleeve and glove fit correctly. The weather is cooler and so maybe I can get back in a walking routine (and off the couch).
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Hugz, if you or anyone else want to get your hands on the PAL exercises in a big way, you can always bring the lead personal trainer from the PAL Trial to give a workshop in your area. Cathy puts the workshop on for personal trainers and LE therapists. She will travel, and the key is finding some sponsor funds to help defray costs, and then line up personal trainers who will pay some tuition for the day. True, this is kind of a big project, but it's possible--I did it in w. Michigan--and the benefit is that you can educate a group of trainers, and potentially reach a lot of BC survivors who need help with a safe strength training program. Visit www.cancersurvivorfitness.com and you'll find Cathy, or PM me if you would like me to share all the details of how I organized the workshop here. I have lots of documents (sponsor request, LE/PAL info sheets, flyers to send to area gyms, etc.) I can share. Oh, and Cathy has a list of trainers she has worked with already, although none are in the northwest, unfortunately for Hugz.
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Jo, I'm sorry, I forgot about that
. Okay, what both my therapist and the pump rep told me is that the node clearing BEFORE you use it is most important, but any extra you can do sure won't hurt. Hope that helps some. Be well!
Binney0 -
I'm new to the website and new to all the accronyms. Can someone give me a brief rundown on what they all mean?
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dispatcher906 - Huge question with almost innumerable possibilities.
Here's a link to thread with some:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/62/topic/735716?page=85#post_3235748
Tell us which ones you want to know and we'll try to help you or direct you to a forum where you can find the answer.
Edited to add:
Here is a more comprehensive list started by the moderators of BCO:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/131/topic/773727?page=1#idx_1
Further edited to add:
A pink sister from the American Cancer Society's site, "The Cancer Survivor's Network" recently posted an abbreviation list for the newbies over there. Lots of overlap ... but you asked. LOL!
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I have the stability ball but not the seat. That is quite interesting. I bounce a lot on mine--especially when resting between a rep of weights. I pump my arm in the air while doing it. I often use it to do work but a chair has to be my desk. You are constantly balancing which gets me doing some movement. It does force better posture. I can sit for hours without moving I am so laid back. I could be an immobile guard at Buckingham Palace!
Had Homecoming at the college where I work on Saturday. I walked all over campus all day. I tried running up any steps I encountered. We are in the mountains so our campus is not level. Yesterday I did weights only. Just finished 30 min on elliptical and now am off to work!
Have a good week everyone!
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