10 Exercise TIPS for Cancer Folk (and don’t forget the significant others!)

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

“You should just exercise! It will take away the stress! It will help you heal faster! Exercise will make you better!”

Cool.

Fine. Sign me up for the next Grandma’s Marathon! Running twenty-six miles should be good for at least one chemotherapy session, right?

Exercise…

What exactly does this mean? How do I turn “exercise is good for you” into something I can DO? Oh, and is the “exercise is good for you” mantra only for the loved one with cancer? What about me – who put on something over ten pounds during the chemo sessions and can’t seem to shake the weight now?

The answers to these questions a literally scattered all over the internet, so I’ll try and analyze and condense them here into TEN workable breast cancer treatment and after-treatment practical exercise tips (ALWAYS TALK TO OR CALL YOUR CANCER CARE CENTER BEFORE YOU START ANY KIND OF EXERCISE TO SEE IF IT’S SAFE FOR YOU):

1)      “‘You don't have to be Lance Armstrong,’ stresses Dr. Julia Rowland of the National Cancer Institute, speaking from a survivorship meeting this month that highlighted exercise research. ‘Walk the dog, play a little golf.’” Walk the dog, walk to the end of the block, walk somewhere. Several people recommended finding a neighborhood indoor mall that opens early and walk the perimeter before the stores open. Walk!

2)     “Researchers think exercising together may help both partners stick with it. They also are testing whether the shared activity improves both physical functioning and eases the strain that cancer puts on the caregiver and the marriage.” Walk with a loved one (in my case, ME! I should be walking and exercising WITH my wife. WALKING. Doing DANCE FEVER to an enjoyable music routine. Life weights – or cans of soup if you don’t have weights. A little weight lifted a number of times during a day counts as exercise! Hide the weight in your work locker or in a desk drawer – or leave it out and tell people what you’re doing. You will find a remarkable amount of support.

3)     “For example, Schmitz led a major study that found careful weight training can protect against lymphedema, reversing years of advice to coddle the at-risk arm…” See #2 – lift anything! (By the way, this is called resistance training – the weight “resists” being lifted.)

4)     “…at-home exercises with some muscle-strengthening, plus a better diet, could slow physical decline.” There are dozens of DVD exercise programs. If you can’t buy one, check one out from your local library or ask to borrow one from a local gym, YMCA or school. Do as much as you can, then stop. (See #1 above!) Also, lifting the DVD into the player is exercise! Here’s the address for a DVD specifically for breast cancer survivors: http://www.strengthandcourage.net/

5)     Arms at your side, hold a towel in both hands. Using the unaffected arm, pull the other behind the back. Alternate Pain is to be respected and the stretch should be held to the point of discomfort not pain .The stretches should be held from 5-10 seconds at first, gradually increasing the length of time. It’s better to do this several times during the day, rather than all at once. With arms bent (on either side of the head), hold a towel in both hands. Using the unaffected arm, pull the other behind the head.

6)      “If lymphedema is a concern, you…should be fitted with a sleeve which is worn while exercising especially when lifting weights. Progress…slowly and start with a light weight – ONE pound is just fine.”

7)     Walking and cycling are quite beneficial as are swimming, cross training, or aerobics. It is best to begin with a 5-10 minute walk to judge...if a long period is too much, multiple shorter aerobic sessions are fine. Your goal will be to gradually increase the time period engaged in aerobic exercise and to slowly increase your exercise tolerance.

8)    Doing yoga can provide flexibility benefits as well as instruction in stress reduction techniques that can prove beneficial. [I know nothing about yoga, so start with a library visit or a YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vLZqPZxZE]

9)     Yep, I’m sayin’ it again: “Walking, a common fitness choice, offers the benefits of aerobic exercise without overly straining the body. According to a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the benefits of walking peak when a breast cancer patient or survivor walks 3 to 5 hours weekly at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour.”

10)  Find a swimming pool and join a waterobics class; if you can’t join a class, get this CD: http://www.maryessert.com/bcr.htm This site lists the exercises and exactly how to do them!

References: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37978604/ns/health-cancer/t/get-moving-cancer-survivors-urged-exercise/#.TyPj4lxAb_M

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/MoreInformation/exercises-after-breast-surgery

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/PA_Intensity_table_2_1.pdf (A really, really LONG list of things you can do to exercise!)

http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/articles-and-newletters/research-articles-index/womens-fitness-health-issues/fitness-tips-for-working-with-breast-cancer-survivors/

Image:  http://www.diseaseproof.com/uploads/image/YOGL.jpg

GUEST POST: David Haas -- Fight Cancer With Physical Fitness

When a cancer patient first finds out he or she has any form of cancer, skin cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, or any other type of cancer, one of their first questions is what they can do to help their body fight the disease. Conventional ideology by patients and cancer treatments staff, including doctors, was to rest and take it easy during diagnosis, treatment and remission stages. Yet recent studies have indicated that physical activity no matter what your stage of cancer can have tremendous health benefits.

According to the National Cancer Institute, physical activity is a critical component of something called energy balance, and not only does it increase energy levels, it can also reduce the risk of some cancers, like breast cancer and colon cancer.

Physical activity has the added benefit of improving overall quality of life and reducing fatigue. It is also associated with positive psychological effects that result from the knowledge of taking good care of one's body, the release of feel good chemicals like serotonin, and the hope of not giving-up.

Studies into the benefits of physical activity in those who have cancer have indicated a positive correlation between increased recurrence rates and chances of survival in those who were more active post-diagnosis.

Exercise also strengthens the body and increases its natural defense mechanisms. This helps the body withstand rigorous treatments like chemotherapy by reducing the side effects like nausea and fatigue, fights off any opportunistic infections and empowers the body to mend. It also helps reduce excessive body fats that are a risk factor for chronic diseases like heart disease. Other conditions that are positively affected by physical activity are cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Finally, exercise also promotes good sleeping and this is especially beneficial to cancer patients as they bodies need rest. Therefore, contrary to conventional thoughts on resting which involved keeping sedimentary, good rest along with a host of other health benefits can result from keeping physically active. Therefore whether a patient was just diagnosed, is going through treatment or is in remission, physical activity is an important component of their weekly regimen. Exercise does not need to be intensive, even the smallest changes that keep one active like walking a dog or taking the stairs can make a difference. It is important to check with a doctor first before getting started.

David Haas is a cancer patient advocate and the Community Awareness Director for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance who writes and researches for the betterment of others.

image: http://topnews.ae/images/Susan-G-Komen-Race.jpg

Metastatic Breast Cancer: Brain Cancer

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

The first question that comes to mind is, “Is a brain tumor the same as brain cancer?”

While I don’t usually go to Yahoo Ask for my medical information, I decided today to START there because the answerer is both an MD and clear:

“Interesting that you bring this up. Primary brain malignancies have always been called brain ‘tumors’ rather than ‘cancer of the brain’. Yet many are clearly cancerous, locally invasive, progressing malignancies. Strange the way people perceive words. If you tell patients they have a ‘tumor, it does not seem as ominous to them as saying they have ‘cancer’…there is confusion that many people have in regard to this topic. A person with lung carcinoma that has spread to the brain has lung cancer in the brain. It is not a brain cancer. It is still lung cancer that is growing in the brain area. A person with a glioblastoma multiforme has a brain tumor - but these are usually aggressive cancers. As for cures - that depends on the primary brain cancer/tumor type and the stage.

Interesting question regarding the semantics of this.”

Source(s): MD medical oncologist - cancer specialist doctor Spreedog, 2010 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091114024633AADSsIx

This is in concordance with what I’ve already found out about bone cancer and lung cancer – when you have had breast cancer and is spreads (which is what Metastatic Breast Cancer is), you have breast cancer cells growing wild in the bones, liver, lungs, brain and various  other places.

So what happens? This seems to me to be a truly horrible kind of MBC because the brain is the seat of Human consciousness.

The writer here expresses this terror: “It was because of a few unusual symptoms, that several months ago I requested a brain scan. By the time the date arrived for the scan, the symptoms, along with my fears, had disappeared. Imagine my surprise when the next day my oncologist called to say that they had found 2 tiny spots on my brain. The news was devastating. While breast cancer is every woman’s nightmare, and metastasis is the nightmare of everyone who has breast cancer, brain metastasis is the nightmare of everyone who has metastatic disease. It was so frightening that I couldn’t speak to anyone about it. I could barely allow myself to think about it. None of this is news to you. You wonder how many tears you can actually shed. You wonder if you will ever feel like your old self again and if your friends and family will ever think of you in the same way. You wonder if you will lose the person you are. It is the most terrifying diagnosis anyone can have, even those of us who are used to bad news.”

What are the symptoms? Please keep in mind that the symptoms are DIFFERENT depending on where the cancer attacks first. Also, OTHER things can cause these symptoms. My wife works as a classroom aide with kindergartners – she gets headaches sometimes, as anyone would who tries to work with a room full of five-year-olds!

Symptoms include: “changes in the ability to think, understand and use words correctly; emotional changes; weakness; dizziness; seeing lights, seeing double, or narrowing of vision; problems with balance; seizures; nausea and vomiting; changes in smelling, taste, hearing. If any of these symptoms persist (that is, stick around for a while) like a headache that is worse in the morning, lasts for days, or recurs every day, then you’ll want to talk to your health care authority.

Once you report to the cancer care center or your doctor and there appears to be reason to suspect MBC-brain cancer, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is the most effective technology for diagnosing breast cancer brain metastases. It does a better job in distinguishing a single metastasis from multiple metastases, which is an important factor in determining what kind of treatment a patient needs.

Unfortunately, treatment for MBC-brain cancer is problematic still. In m0st cases, whole brain radiation (which is exactly what it sounds like) is the first line of offense. There is good evidence that this treatment is effective almost half of the time in completely reversing the effects of the cancer. In MOST cases, it reduces the symptoms significantly. It is also a shorter-term treatment than the original chemotherapy with radiation doses given daily for 5-10 days (though this is sometimes spread over a longer period to lessen the side-effects.

At other times, the radiation is aimed from multiple directions at specific metastases. This has the advantage of fewer side-effects, but there is no clear EVIDENCE yet that this is as effective as whole brain radiation treatment.

Other, less common treatments include brain surgery (physical removal of the cancer), chemotherapy (not effective usually because the chemo can’t break through the barrier into the brain through the blood (called the blood-brain barrier); and a combination of the above.

Finally: “‘So much depends on the aggressiveness of your individual cancer, the time to recurrence from original diagnosis, any other metastases, and overall health—and, the number, location and size of the brain mets (metastases), and whether they are symptomatic or not,’  Patty observed. ‘I was so sure that I would die within 18 months of my first diagnosis with brain mets.  I readied for the time of my death. Now, I’ve had to revise things a few times.  I wonder if I hold some kind of record for brain MRI’s, having had them on average every two months for five years—that would be around thirty, with bad veins! I’ve had brain mets for five years and have been living with eight lesions for two and a half years.’”

References: http://brainmetsbc.org/

Image: http://www.velocitymedical.com/users/92100/assets/515214_1219571.jpg

All Quiet On The Western Front

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

Like most of you, I recognized this blog title as the name of an old book – maybe an old war movie.

I’d assumed it was about World War II, I suppose because that’s the war I’m “familiar” with.

It’s neither and it fits even better my current state of mind.

The main characters of the book are German boys sent to the Western Front – the leading edge of the German invasion into France and a place where the war essentially “stopped”. From its closest approach to Paris in September of 1914 to the position the Allies pushed them back to 1916 and where the war stagnated, little of import happened there. That is the thrust of the book. From the ground, when you are young and the horrors of war can’t possibly match anything you’ve ever seen, “nothing happens”.

The problem is that while nothing appears to change on the Front, nothing also changes back home. When you return home, while everyone is glad to see you and everything is just as you left it – you are no longer the same person who went to war. You have seen things you can’t even explain to those who remained behind.

In the book, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, the main character, Paul Bäumer is a soldier who—urged on by his school teacher—joined the German army shortly after the war began, and who is all of nineteen years old. Some time later, Paul visits on leave to his home which highlights the cost of the war on his psyche. The town has not changed since he went off to war; however, he finds that he does ‘not belong here anymore, it is a foreign world.’ He feels disconnected from most of the townspeople…not understanding ‘that a man cannot talk of such things.’”

I can understand something of that feeling.

While the breast cancer threat has disappeared, we no longer have to go to chemotherapy sessions and the imminence of the cancer has seemingly faded; it’s not gone from my mind. I am still worried. I still wonder. When I rub my wife’s head, touching the soft hairs that have grown back in the months since chemo ended, everything seems so peaceful.

Everything seems “over”.

But it’s not and I can’t explain that it’s NOT over to people who only ask occasionally now, “How’s your wife?” Some of it is that I don’t have the time to talk about my fears of MBC or the long-term effects of the estrogen-blocking drug she has to take. Some of it is that I don’t want people to think I’m whining and say, “Oh, get over it! She’s fine now! The drama’s over!”

Some of it is that while the drama isn’t on stage any more under the bright lights and makeup, it continues in the body. It continues in my mind. It makes me say things like, “Liz is three-and-a-half-months cancer-free!” and smile and high five people.

It makes me feel things like I do “not belong here anymore, it is a foreign world...a man cannot talk of such things.” I suppose I’m also afraid that I’m “weird” in that I’m not “over it”; or that someone might just look at me and say, “Man! Get over it!”

I’m pretty sure now, nearly a year after the initial diagnosis, that I will never “get over it.”

Image: http://theoscarsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/51C001ESG3L.jpeg