Breast Cancer

Just read this post, and I'm sitting here seeing you with my third eye. So many thoughts racing through my mind and what you are going through. Please be well for all of us, you are such a force and an inspiration and we all love you.
 
jengollf said:
I'm sure there are quite a few women on this forum who have either had breast cancer or know someone who had breast cancer. I have breast cancer and will be getting a mastectomy followed by chemo and radiation then reconstruction, so I have a long year ahead of me. My question has to do with my workouts.

How long before you (or your friend/family member) could lift weights again after the mastectomy and reconstruction? How did chemo affect your ability to workout? I have ideas of ways I can continue to exercise--lower body only barre and mat workouts, riding my recumbent bike, walking. However, I have also read you do have to keep your arms/shoulders conditioned even immediately after the mastectomy. So apparently using my upper body isn't completely out of the question. To what extent can I use my upper body during workouts during the recovery period? Are mat workouts where I am all 4s with weight on my hands or forearms out of the question?

Will some ladies please share your (or friends/family members) experiences so I can get an idea of the recovery/rehabilitation time line? I'm specifically interested in people who were very active before the diagnosis and were able to regain their fitness level afterward.
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lily64 said:
Hi Jen,

I'll pass along a couple of things I wish I knew before chemo:
I found out about L-Glutamine from my acupuncturist after my first treatment. There are studies that back up the use of this to prevent peripheral nueropathy. I was also told this can help with "chemo brain" but I don't know if there are studies to support this. My oncologist OK'd the use of this, but I wish I would have been aware of this before treatment started.

The nurses advised me to take Claritin right before the Neulasta injection for the pain caused by Neulasta, but after Chemo #1 I realized that I needed to take it for a few days to keep the pain away.
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Hello Lily64, I know this is a late question but I just started chemo and it has become relevant. I got my first chemo infusion yesterday. I took a claritin yesterday. I have the "mobile" neulasta injector which will deploy at 7pm tonight. I just took my second dose of claratin and will take a 3rd tomorrow. This is what the chemo nurse recommended. Did you take it longer than that?

And thank you for the L-Glutamine recommendation. I did some research on it and started the regimen recommendation I found online. Hoping these things help get me through this.

Jen
 
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jengollf said:
Hello Lily64, I know this is a late question but I just started chemo and it has become relevant. I got my first chemo infusion yesterday. I took a claritin yesterday. I have the "mobile" neulasta injector which will deploy at 7pm tonight. I just took my second dose of claratin and will take a 3rd tomorrow. This is what the chemo nurse recommended. Did you take it longer than that?

And thank you for the L-Glutamine recommendation. I did some research on it and started the regimen recommendation I found online. Hoping these things help get me through this.

Jen
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Hi Jen,
I was taking the Claritin about 1 hour before the injection deployed and then for about 4 days after. I found that it really did help with the bone pain that I experienced after my first round. You're welcome for the L-Glutamine recommendation. I'm wishing you the best as you go through this. I was finding that I felt relatively normal starting about 2 weeks after each treatment. I hope the same for you & maybe you'll rebound even quicker!
 
I’m so sorry for what you are going through. There are many reasons for being physically active during cancer treatment, but your personal exercise program should be based on what’s safe and what works best for you. Your exercise plan should take into account any exercise program you already follow, what you can do now, and any physical problems and limits you have. That is what the doctor told me, when I’ve been diagnosed. I’ve been diagnosed with a lactating adenoma. I know it is not a cancer, but I’m worried because I heard a lot of cases when Lactating adenoma was confused with a cancer. Now, the goal is to stay as active and fit as possible, because that really helps maintaining emotional and psychological balance
 
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Yeah, LessiePMcCord has actually got a really great point. Physical activity is actually really important in case you are diagnosed with breast cancer, in case you are not in a really bad state. And as she said, you must be really cautious on the exercises that you are doing, as you have to be sure what is safe for you to do. My wife overcame the "odds" mostly due to the fact that she was physically active, and going to the gym almost every day. However, she was really afraid, she even filled in for a life insurance, after readin this https://www.lifeinsuranceblog.net/life-insurance-rates-by-age. She decided that it would be a good idea. Thanks God, everything is nice right now.
 
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Jen, you are in my thoughts and prayers! May God be by your side and help you through this time of healing. Jolie
 
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