I'm happy to report my lymphedema seems to have gotten under control. All it took was taking the time to take care of it: doing the massage nightly; wrapping; and staying bandaged longer. I also started using "chip bags"as part of my bandaging on my hand and forearm. I can once again wear my wedding rings without worrying that I will be unable to get them off!
It was a wake up call for me, though. I had spent most of the summer not massaging, and only wrapping a fraction of the time. Even with our trip to France, I was spared swelling. So I began to take it for granted. This latest episode has shaken me out of my complacent place. Especially now as my mileage for the 3 Day begins to increase. This week was a "rest' week with only 20 miles, but next week I'm in for 30! Keeping my arm bandaged for some of these long walks has definitely helped, although it has been difficult with the hot weather.
I was not so happy to see that I've crept up a few pounds on the scale today. Yikes. Another place of complacency that is being shaken. Considering all of my exercise, I haven't been careful about what I'm putting in my mouth, and the scale doesn't hide it! So I'm back to counting calories. I'll admit...the past couple weeks, I've indulged in wine, dessert, and too many snacks. (Like the huge bag of yogurt raisins I bought at Costco and pretty much finished off myself in a week!) I've gone past my "no go" number by a pound and its time to get serious again. Its ridiculous considering the amount of exercise I do! If I'm careful about what I put in, I should be feeling good again in a few weeks. (Just in time for my 25th high school reunion in October!)
I still am dealing with bursitis in my hip, but that I'm told takes a very long time to go away. I can't exactly stop using it. So I'm icing it, taking anti-inflammatories, and not sleeping on my left side. On the good side, my left foot/heel seems to be dealing with getting back into walking and running. I've added foot stretches and rolling my feet on a golf ball as part of my cool down. I guess this is another area where I am no longer complacent!
Showing posts with label weight management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight management. Show all posts
Friday, September 7, 2012
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Another good week
At the end of the work week is time for me to face reality. Forget how I feel or how I may think things are. It's time for the verdicts from independent sources. On Thursdays, I measure my hand, wrist and arm to see how my lymphedema is doing. On Fridays, I step on the scale for my weekly weigh-in. I'll admit that it does give me a little bit of butterflies. But its important to me to catch things before they get out of control.
Since today is Thursday, I asked Eric to help me with the arm measurements. I'm very happy to report that there is no significant change in my measurements from last week. Thank the Lord! I have scaled back a little on my lymphedema regimen. I'm only doing the manual massage at night, and I'm not always wearing my compression garments. It feels good to have my arm and hand bare, especially on sunny days. I'm thrilled that this little bit of respite did not result in swelling. I still massage and bandage at night, though.
We'll see what the scale says tomorrow. Last week, I was down 2 pounds. I'd like to lose 10-15 more to get to my ideal weight. Maintaining an ideal weight is important not only for preventing a recurrence of cancer, but also for lymphedema. My physical therapist told me she had at least one client whose lymphedema problem would probably go away (or at least be greatly relieved) simply by losing weight.
I'm approaching this weight loss differently than I did last year when I lost 50 pounds. Last time, I religiously counted calories in (eating) and calories out (exercise). I tried to keep the intake between 1,200-1,400 calories a day and burn 500 through exercise. It works! I could do that again, but I'm trying something new. I've been focusing more on eating whole, organic foods, mostly plant based. I'll have a little bit of meat, but honestly I don't miss it. The only reason I make it is because of the rest of the family. It's hard to count the calories in a green smoothie! It is a lot of volume, but veggies are pretty low in calories. Its a new eating style that I'm working on, not a diet. I'm also trying to limit sugar. Sugar feeds cancer. But that is really hard, especially at night. Especially when your French in laws literally send pounds of delicious French chocolate to your house. I'll admit that I probably have had a few more of those than I should this week! Hopefully the excellent plant based food I eat for the rest of the day will allow for a little bit of indulgence.
One thing that I'm doing the same is exercising. Although, even in that area, I'm doing it a bit different out of necessity. Last time, I did Jillian Michael's circuit training workouts from her website 4 times a week and did cardio alone once a week. I'd do extra little power walks with the dog too. I'm a little hesitant about going back into circuits full time. Weight training is okay with lymphedema, but you have to be careful and work your way there. I'll do a circuit workout once a week or so and see what happens. I mostly do cardio with a lot of abs and lower body exercises (lunges, squats, etc.) I'm not sure if I mentioned it here, but I entered my first race! On April 3rd, I'm going to run in the Carlsbad 5000. It's a 5k. I've never run in a race, so I'm a little nervous about it. I know I can run the whole time, its just getting out there and doing it! After the race, I'll focus more on long distance walking.
So today's measurements were good. We'll see how the scale treats me tomorrow after my chocolate-fest this week! Maybe I need prayer for some willpower!
Since today is Thursday, I asked Eric to help me with the arm measurements. I'm very happy to report that there is no significant change in my measurements from last week. Thank the Lord! I have scaled back a little on my lymphedema regimen. I'm only doing the manual massage at night, and I'm not always wearing my compression garments. It feels good to have my arm and hand bare, especially on sunny days. I'm thrilled that this little bit of respite did not result in swelling. I still massage and bandage at night, though.
We'll see what the scale says tomorrow. Last week, I was down 2 pounds. I'd like to lose 10-15 more to get to my ideal weight. Maintaining an ideal weight is important not only for preventing a recurrence of cancer, but also for lymphedema. My physical therapist told me she had at least one client whose lymphedema problem would probably go away (or at least be greatly relieved) simply by losing weight.
I'm approaching this weight loss differently than I did last year when I lost 50 pounds. Last time, I religiously counted calories in (eating) and calories out (exercise). I tried to keep the intake between 1,200-1,400 calories a day and burn 500 through exercise. It works! I could do that again, but I'm trying something new. I've been focusing more on eating whole, organic foods, mostly plant based. I'll have a little bit of meat, but honestly I don't miss it. The only reason I make it is because of the rest of the family. It's hard to count the calories in a green smoothie! It is a lot of volume, but veggies are pretty low in calories. Its a new eating style that I'm working on, not a diet. I'm also trying to limit sugar. Sugar feeds cancer. But that is really hard, especially at night. Especially when your French in laws literally send pounds of delicious French chocolate to your house. I'll admit that I probably have had a few more of those than I should this week! Hopefully the excellent plant based food I eat for the rest of the day will allow for a little bit of indulgence.
One thing that I'm doing the same is exercising. Although, even in that area, I'm doing it a bit different out of necessity. Last time, I did Jillian Michael's circuit training workouts from her website 4 times a week and did cardio alone once a week. I'd do extra little power walks with the dog too. I'm a little hesitant about going back into circuits full time. Weight training is okay with lymphedema, but you have to be careful and work your way there. I'll do a circuit workout once a week or so and see what happens. I mostly do cardio with a lot of abs and lower body exercises (lunges, squats, etc.) I'm not sure if I mentioned it here, but I entered my first race! On April 3rd, I'm going to run in the Carlsbad 5000. It's a 5k. I've never run in a race, so I'm a little nervous about it. I know I can run the whole time, its just getting out there and doing it! After the race, I'll focus more on long distance walking.
So today's measurements were good. We'll see how the scale treats me tomorrow after my chocolate-fest this week! Maybe I need prayer for some willpower!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Going in the right directions
It is a good day. I'm moving forward in radiation therapy, downward in weight (slightly, but I'll take it), and downward in my arm/hand measurements. I feel like doing Jean-Marc's happy dance! If you don't know what that looks like, check out this video:
First of all, I finished the first week of radiation. Sure, I was only nuked 4 of the 5 days. But I had to drive to the medical office all 5 days. A big part of this so far has been getting into this daily routine. Juggling getting the kids to school on time, carpools, Jean-Marc's Wednesday "Moove & Groove" class, and my self-imposed exercise regimen makes it a little complicated. As far as the radiation itself is concerned, there are no problems to report. I understand it will take a few weeks for my skin to react. Or not. Maybe it won't? We can certainly pray for that, anyway!
I also was pleased at my own personal weigh-in this morning. I was down 2 pounds from last week. I wasn't going to start counting calories until after radiation treatment, but decided it wouldn't hurt to be a little more mindful about what I'm putting in my mouth now. Especially after weighing in at the doc's office on Monday. Not that I really "count" that one-I think of the Friday number at home on my scale is "the" number. Anyway, it was down 2 pounds and I'll take it. Aside from just feeling better and meeting a goal I set for myself, I've learned that reaching and maintaining an ideal weight is important in my lifetime battle with lymphedema. "Battle" may be the wrong word, because there is no "winning" with lymphedema. It is something that you learn to live with. In any event, excess body fat impairs the flow of lymph fluid thorough the tissues and into the lymph vessels. It is another motivator to drop another 10-15 as soon as I can.
Finally, I had a pleasant surprise at my now-weekly physical therapy appointment this morning. The measurements of my hand and arm looked good. I did not swell anywhere! Praise God! My hand and wrist saw significant improvement--almost back to where I started from before the flare ups before Christmas. My upper arm did not improve, but it didn't get bigger, either. I had not been that careful about bandaging on my upper arm so it wasn't a surprise. The bottom line is that it looks like my "program" of lymphedema self-care seems to be working. I just need to keep an eye on my arm/hand to see if I start swelling as radiation progresses and adjust accordingly. If can get through this only bandaging at night, I will be very happy.
Thank you all for your support and prayers. I appreciate them very much. Keep them coming!
First of all, I finished the first week of radiation. Sure, I was only nuked 4 of the 5 days. But I had to drive to the medical office all 5 days. A big part of this so far has been getting into this daily routine. Juggling getting the kids to school on time, carpools, Jean-Marc's Wednesday "Moove & Groove" class, and my self-imposed exercise regimen makes it a little complicated. As far as the radiation itself is concerned, there are no problems to report. I understand it will take a few weeks for my skin to react. Or not. Maybe it won't? We can certainly pray for that, anyway!
I also was pleased at my own personal weigh-in this morning. I was down 2 pounds from last week. I wasn't going to start counting calories until after radiation treatment, but decided it wouldn't hurt to be a little more mindful about what I'm putting in my mouth now. Especially after weighing in at the doc's office on Monday. Not that I really "count" that one-I think of the Friday number at home on my scale is "the" number. Anyway, it was down 2 pounds and I'll take it. Aside from just feeling better and meeting a goal I set for myself, I've learned that reaching and maintaining an ideal weight is important in my lifetime battle with lymphedema. "Battle" may be the wrong word, because there is no "winning" with lymphedema. It is something that you learn to live with. In any event, excess body fat impairs the flow of lymph fluid thorough the tissues and into the lymph vessels. It is another motivator to drop another 10-15 as soon as I can.
Finally, I had a pleasant surprise at my now-weekly physical therapy appointment this morning. The measurements of my hand and arm looked good. I did not swell anywhere! Praise God! My hand and wrist saw significant improvement--almost back to where I started from before the flare ups before Christmas. My upper arm did not improve, but it didn't get bigger, either. I had not been that careful about bandaging on my upper arm so it wasn't a surprise. The bottom line is that it looks like my "program" of lymphedema self-care seems to be working. I just need to keep an eye on my arm/hand to see if I start swelling as radiation progresses and adjust accordingly. If can get through this only bandaging at night, I will be very happy.
Thank you all for your support and prayers. I appreciate them very much. Keep them coming!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Packing it on?
I've put on 5 pounds since my diagnosis. Ugh.
Fridays have always been my "weigh in" day. I almost didn't even step on the scale today, kind of knowing the direction it was headed. Today was a good 5 pounds more than I was a month ago. Not good. Now it is that time of the month for me, so that may account for a pound or two. But I don't want to re-gain weight because of this disease. I'm going to need to be more disciplined about things.
I'll admit, my "carpe diem" attitude has followed through to the table a little bit. I've been good with the meals, pretty much cooking as I did before, avoiding processed foods and eating organics. Trying to bulk up on veggies and fiber and less on animal proteins. However, being French, Eric considers dessert an essential part of every meal, including lunch. So there are always sweets in the house. I've been following him right along. I've also been allowing myself wine every evening. Might as well enjoy it while I can, I figured. But the scale has busted me!
I'm going to enjoy food & wine through the weekend. Its not like I'm falling down drunk. I'm just having it with dinner and dessert. Come Monday, I'll stop the wine. With surgery on Thursday, I need 48-72 hours without any alcohol. That alone will stop any weight gain. With the painkillers post-op, I probably won't be able to have a drink for a long time. I'll weigh myself again on Thursday morning so I can give the anesthesiologist an accurate number. I'll enjoy food until Wednesday night at midnight, though!
The other component of weight maintenance for me has been working out like a maniac. I've missed a couple workouts over the past few weeks because of appointments. I'll miss a cardio day tomorrow because I'll be at Glen Ivy. When I was in weight loss mode, I would do some "extra credit" cardio a couple times a week just for the calorie burn. I haven't really had the time for that with the kids out of school.
I have 2 more days of Jillian level 3 circuits: Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is supposed to be my day off, but I'll just make up the cardio on that day. That will be my last day of exercise before surgery. The exercise for me now is less about weight and more about being strong. Especially upper body strength. I'm not going to be able to do upper body exercises as I've been doing now for some time. It'll be goodbye to push ups, military presses and plank exercises. Sigh. I wonder how long it will take me to be able to even lift my arms above my head?
I'm hoping to be able to get up and get moving as soon as I can after surgery, just for recovery purposes. The sooner I'm able to move and get the blood flowing, the faster recovery will be. They will give me some exercises for my arms to do once the drains are out. Right now, I wouldn't even call them "exercises" but I suspect it will take a lot of effort to do these stretches.
I almost didn't write this post. But I want to remember the state I was in every step of the way. In writing it, I guess I have to publicly admit some slipping in the diet department. Oh well.
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