Stage IV MBC Fitness
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Hi, I'm new here.
I'm 3 weeks post Stage IV dx during which time I stopped eating anywhere near enough and pretty much stopped moving (I don't recommend either!) I started to feel really awful, weak and shaky which of course made me feel more anxious and upset about how sick I was already and I haven't even started treatment yet.... My albumin and hemoglobin are both low but the MO think this is due to my liver mets more than diet, however, no doubt not eating was not helping. The last few days I've started eating more nutrient dense foods, reactivated My Fitness Pal to track my calories and I'm on a mission to gain a couple kgs as I've been kind of wasting away since Dec when I started to feel unwell and very anxious. I feel stronger and more optimistic already.
I love Zumba and hope to get strong enough to get back to a class on a regular basis. In the meantime I plan to resume walking and doing some workouts at home.looking forward to getting to know everyone here
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Moth, glad to see you here. Physical activity is definitely one of the best things to do when stressed and or depressed. It can also make side effects less severe. You should be proud of yourself and certainly more than welcome. Post anything you do, even if it is a 5 min walk.
I confess that though I am a voracious walker, I cannot even imagine Zumba myself. I like doing different workouts from youtube and also laughter yoga when I think of it. Welcome to the group.
I was considered slightly anemic myself recently so I started eating my spinach heated up and black beans most days. It usually also has queso, cheese and a small handful of tortilla chips. I am pretty sure this is equally helping my endurance as much as the exercise. I also occasionally cook up liver and divide it into small portions and hide it in proteins I like more. Just grind it up like ground beef.
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Moth, hate to welcome you here but you are on the right track, kudos! Zumba is my go-to exercise and I often do it at home on YouTube. I also bought a Nintendo Zumba which I still have to figure out.
Illimae, glad you are at it again. Hoping for speediest healing from surgery.
DGHoff and Andi, I've been trying to do Yoga as much as I can since the start of the year and it's already reaping benefits. My neck and shoulders are a lot looser, I can touch my palms to the floor bending forward and made the deepest squat I've done in a decade or two.
Mara, keep laughing and walking. Both are great for you!
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Welcome, Moth! I've been doing Leslie Sansone walking videos lately - I've been trying to slowly get back into fitness after being left completely exhausted from my new chemo, which caused weekly blood transfusions. I'm sad to drop out of my training program for a 1/2 marathon in April while my husband & son continue to run. Maybe I'll start my own training to prepare to hold up a sign & yell encouragement from the sidelines, maybe some vigorous cowbell ringing 😆 Great job to everyone, glad to see this thread getting active again!
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Welcome, Moth! Glad you have found us! I have never tried Zumba but so many on this thread love it... I think I will have to find a class. Momchichi - I am right with you on the running front. I had actually signed up for a full marathon in April and my husband was doing the half.... the Nashville Marathon/Half Marathon. I think we both just wanted an excuse to go to Nashville. I'd apparently forgotten what running can be like in Denver in the winter, and the full marathon quickly became a half marathon for me, and now I am not even sure we can do that. We've been on a little ten day ski road trip through Utah, Wyoming and Montana which was great but a) involved zero running and b) did involve catching the worlds worst flu. (okay, well … not quite the worst) I have been immobile for the last week.... a few days ago I even said to my husband that I'd never felt this bad since I had chemo almost 8 years ago. We are now back in Colorado, and it is supposed to be sunny and beautiful for the next several days so I am hoping to snap out of it and at least go on a walk around the block. Even a mile run seems completely unattainable.
Glad to see everyone else is staying busy!
XO
Andi
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Andi, I'm sorry the flu has knocked you down. I too hope it resolves soon so you can get back to your active life.
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I went for an hour and 10 min walk in the forest with some friends & our dogs. I walked very slowly but steadily and there was a fair bit of elevation changes too which added to the exertion. Wish I'd brought my fitbit to see the distance. I think it was maybe 2 km. We kept getting passed by super active powerwalking & jogging seniors but I'm trying hard to not compare and to celebrate that I made it out of the house at all and managed to enjoy it.
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Moth, sounds like a lovely walk in nature. Do not compare. You are right to celebrate getting out and walking. Good for you! Very impressed for you.
I also walk slow and steady. I set a goal of walking to a shopping mall where I am. Going to and from the mall was 11km. Took me about 3 hours between stopping here and there to rest and have water and a bit of chocolate. Did some shopping at walmart and then stopped for lunch before walking home. Was 17000 steps on that trip alone so I feel proud of myself. Feet got sore about half an hour from home so I had to tell myself that my feet did not hurt and kept telling myself I can do this the whole way. We will see how everything feels tomorrow.
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hello fitness friends!
My daughter and I walked a 5k race today in beautiful sunshine (but a brisk 35 degrees)! My son ran a 10k and my husband did a 15k on the same race loop so I was in no hurry to finish. She and I took in the scenery, snapped some pictures of the downtown Columbus skyline and really got our money’s worth out of the race fee, lol. There were plenty of other racers with 0% hustle today, too. Probably the spring forward time change today creating sleepy zombies! Took us almost an hour but I was proud to finish the race at all and enjoyed the time with my family. Hope everyone else is enjoying sunny days and signs of spring!
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Good for you Momichichi. Being in a hurry is not the goal, just enjoying yourself and finishing. Helps that there was nice scenery and you could enjoy time with your daughter.
I did have sore feet a couple of days after the 11km walk. I have purchased toe separators to keep feet stretched out and compression socks. Also am not going to wear the running shoes I purchased as my walking shoe is actually much more comfy. Will just keep the running shoes for treadmill work. Today I did head out for a walk to a grocery store, would have been an hour but 2/3 way in, got very tired. Listened to my body and came home. Think it was because I had junk food, not a big protein lunch right before going. Still got in around 40 mins which is fine by me. It was beautiful, sunny and warm.
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Good to see you back at it Mae! Hope you're feeling better Andi! Wow Mara - 17K steps! My feet hurt just thinking about it!. Moth and Momchichi - Way to go!
Finally got out in the woods Sunday afternoon for an hour. I saw six people and two dogs on the trail....more than I've seen since last fall. I did some yoga this morning. Haven't been pushing myself at all and can feel weakness sneaking up. With this new virus going around the gym looks less attractive.
Hoping we can all find ways to keep moving while avoiding the flu (any flu)!
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I am resting my feet today. They were not too terribly sore after the 11K last thursday but I don't want to fracture them either. I have not really rested them too much so taking it easy and doing shorter walks throughout the day. Also ordered some compression sport socks and toe separators as well and using insoles I used to use too on my treadmill running shoes. Going to go back to skechers shoes for outdoor walks. Bit of a softer insole.
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Mara - I use compression socks for both running and skiing and I love them. I think they make a huge difference.... so hope you can find some that you like!
I am still pretty much down and out. I am not as exhausted as I was but I am still coughing AND my back issues are back. When I wake up in the morning I literally cannot get out of bed without immense pain. I have to take some Advil and some Lyrica and lay there until it kicks in, and then I can hobble to the shower. It's HORRIBLE. I am getting a cortisone shot on Tuesday. In the meantime, I am barely walking, let alone doing anything else. Ugh. I hate being inactive! I almost think it compounds the problem because my body isn't getting any blood flow.
Anyway, great to hear about all the activity in the group, especially as the days get warmer and longer....I am hoping to be back at it soon.
XO
Andrea
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Andi, hope you feel better soon. Being sick really sucks.
I was fighting off some sort of infectious process myself. Made me really tired last Sunday and Monday. Though I walked, it was scaled down a lot. One walk where I was headed to a store, I had to turn back since I did not think I would make.
The tripping and falling is my kryptonite. Yesterday I tripped over a half step in my apartment. I was not seriously hurt and did not pass out this time thank goodness. I believe it was a tired leg (right leg which is weaker and trips me up.
I won't let that stop me. I put my step bench in front of the step. No way to trip on that and use my right leg which is weaker and always the cause of my trips. That will strengthen it. Periodically I will also put obstacles on the floor that I must navigate. Must practice the same aware walk (which feels like a march, but apparently does not look like one according to SIL) inside as I do outside as well. I have always tripped and fell, not all the time but sometimes, even before cance,r so will minimize the risk now.
Planning to do some walking today up to the burger joint to get some snacks. Hope everyone has a good day.
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I appreciate the motivation here. I was diagnosed in November 2019 with stage IV to the bone and had an IM nailing to my right femoral neck. That and having mets to the spine pretty much put a grinding halt to my exercise. I had previously been a 2-3 day/wk person at the gym for at least an hour. It's been a slow journey back but I'm getting there. I'm working on being able to walk any kind of distance again and improve my endurance. I had been swimming but am a little nervous about my gym with the COVID-19 precautions lately. My most recent goal is to walk 20 minutes consistently without becoming too fatigued.
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emac, I can totally understand the precautions at the gym, though those should be used anytime. I would recommend to stay a few feet away from other people and obviously clean the machines if you use them, if in pool just keep some distance from others. Obvious things, wash hands. Soap is fine. If you don't feel comfortable, outdoor walking is great. As far as you like or even a little walk is good.
Ask your MO how immune compromised you may be and use that information to decide about the gym. Most likely, there will not likely be many people there.
I have been dealing with some sort of cold but it never causes major issues so continuing life as normal. My feet still have been a little sore from the 11km walk I did. I bought some toe separators for a nice stretch to the foot and find the pain goes away. Going to keep trying them out when I am walking.
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I did the pool today for 40 minutes and its definitely getting there, but still not close to what I was this time last year. It did occur to me that its not even been four months since rads to the SI joint and it still cant take all my full body weight on one leg. I did hot tub for 8 minutes after to loosen things up, showered, then sauna for another 10. Then more showering.
After that I stopped at two stores, one to get cheese and the health food store where I could SWEAR I saw Dr Bronners soap last week. They didn't have it this week but they DID have molasses, like real actual molasses, so I got the jar and can now make molasses cookies or whatever (such a good source of iron).I think the hip exercises the PT has me on have really done the trick more than anything else!
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Sondra, so glad to hear those hip exercises are helpful AND that you got actual molasses too. Glad that all that is working for you and I am sure with all the work you are putting in, you will be able to put more weight soon.
My step bench in front of the half step in the apartment is working well. Since my right leg is weaker than the left, I always step up using my right leg. I am aware of the step so cannot see myself tripping and falling with that. I also do march slightly as well to avoid falls. Anything to help.
Purchased rise of skywalker and walked on treadmill while that was on. Small rounds, 10 to 15 mins with breaks throughout the movie. Quite enjoyable. Had some foot pain with a super long walk a week or two ago, so got gel toe spreaders to wear under shoes and socks. Managed to walk without pain until I wanted to take them off.
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Hi Everyone! Haven't been checking in lately and I've missed it! I have, however, been keeping pretty active. I've been really enjoying the Zumba classes at the gym but not sure how much to curtail with COVID19 worries. Today, I skipped out on the class (also I didn't wake up in time to get there!) and I just did the sauna at the gym instead. I figured no viruses are going to be able to live in 120 degrees. I did, however, get a nice 2.5 mile walk in outside. It's finally getting warm enough here.
Heidihill - so glad you are finding benefits from the yoga. It's what really keeps me going. The classes I teach at the cancer center are cancelled for the rest of the month due to the virus, so I just need to practice by myself for awhile.
Andi - sorry to hear you've been sidelined by flu. Ugh. Being sick is no fun.
Mara - you inspire me with your 11K walk to the mall. I walked to the local grocery store yesterday evening, but it's less than 2 miles away, so not exactly a stretch. Still, every time I think about driving there, I remember how much you walk to do things like that and then I remind myself that I should do the same.
Mae - I hadn't seen you were going in for surgery. I hope you are recovering well.
Moth - Welcome to the thread. Sorry you have to be here, but hope you find this thread as helpful as I do!
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You ALL inspire me! I seriously feel like a couch potato, or actually a bed potato, lately. Finally over the flu, but my hip has been bothering me again - that SI Joint thing that flares up because there is so much degeneration back there. I had a cortisone shot scheduled for today and yesterday they called to cancel - they said they were not doing elective procedures right now, and I freaked out - like literally yelled at them. I told them I HAD to come in or I'd end up in the ER, which might have been true... the pain is very bad. Anyway, needless to say, I got it. Really hoping that I am all well tomorrow! I can't go to work for 3 weeks - working from home - so this is a great time to whip myself back into shape. However, my yoga studio is closed as is the YMCA, so I am going to be doing lots of walking. I am considering ordering a step (thanks for the idea, Mara!) from Amazon... and I do have some weights, and I can follow along on yoga online, right?
Hope everyone is hanging in there. This uncertainty seems to be stressing me out...I feel like we have so much uncertainty anyway, and I don't want or need more!
Stay safe! XOXOXO
Andrea
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Thanks DG Hoff. I do enjoy the walking, good way to burn off stress from all the covid19 madness. I also feel like the walking builds my immune system.
I plan to walk to the hospital to and from my chemo as well. Feels good. I was just happy I was able to get black beans at the store I tried today. Had to get kale instead of spinach as no spinach. Going to check another store tomorrow and my niece was going to bring me some too. Sweet thing does not want me to go out.
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Well, had to do a walk this morning to the grocery store for spinach as they finally got some. About a 30 minute trek all together. I also am walking to and from chemo which takes approx 40 mins each way today. Planning to bring snacks for the clinic and on the way home. Doing the walking has made the first few days after my infusion feel less like getting hit by a truck. I get more done and just plain feel better for having done it.
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Got word today that my gym is closed for two weeks at least and could be longer. Not that I was going to go anyway what with the social distancing directives. So, I'm working from home and making sure I get up a few times a day to stretch, do a plank or two, lift a few hand weights, etc. Then I've been getting out for at least two miles of walking every day after I'm done working for the day. I guess the good thing is I'm getting a little more sleep each day since I don't have a 45 minute commute to deal with. It helps and I have a little more time to do some morning yoga too!
Aside from walking I have not gone anywhere since the 14th. I find I'm kind of looking forward to going to infusion next week if only for the chance to actually sit and chat with people in the same room that aren't my two family members.
I'm going to look up some zumba videos or something. Anybody know of some good ones?
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this is a short Zumba playlist that I used during treatments last time. I've heard that due to geoblocking some songs won't play for everyone in different countries bit it's a start. I have another 1 compiled too. Just let me know if you want the link to that one.
Oh and sometimes YouTube adds annoying ads between tracks but I just walk in place untilmthe skip ad button appears
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also one of my instructors is offering live zumba classes on zoom for $6. Maybe there are some in your area doing the same?
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The zumba classes look like a great idea. I should do them today before DH is home all the time. I hate exercising with others hanging around.
Outdoor hiking has been beautiful, peaceful, and muddy lately. Saw my first owl on the trail Sunday and some robins were hopping around. It feels great while I'm on the trail and hurts like crazy when I get home. Thank goodness for pain meds.
It's officially Spring later today! Gardening activities are underway...seedlings are sprouting and I plan to get my straw bales this weekend. I'll call and pay for them, then stop by and pick them up without human contact. What a weird world we are living in right now.
This photo was on White Oak Trail...only about 1.5 miles.
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yay for steroids! I'm on big dose as one of my clinical trial drugs requires it ... I did videoconferencing Zumba on the evening after my iv chemo and again the following morning lol.
Taking it easy today though - will do some stretching instead
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Moth, steroids are helping with the energy which is great because the exercise is also helping build stamina. Keep it up. So good for you.
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Bumping this thread. I hiked 2 miles today. It felt good to get outside. Must stop baking...up 12 lbs and can’t wear yoga pants all day every day.
Hope you all are finding ways to keep moving!
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I'm finding that other than the steroids days, I'm so fatigued and have some pain & just feel unwell that most of the week is a total wash. This is my "week off" in my first 28 day cycle of my treatment and the kind of thing I can manage today (day 27) is walking around the couch and doing a bit of salsa. I managed 800 steps today & that is a triumph as some days during treatment weeks I barely moved. I was super tired before we started treatment because my liver is not making hemoglobin or albumin so the MO is hopeful that if the treatment works and the liver recovers I will feel better. But I'm on 2 therapy drugs (+ either a 3rd drug or placebo) which all list fatigue as their primary side effect so I feel like I have double or triple doses of fatigue flattening me.
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