Strength after chemo treatment

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MMAN
MMAN Member Posts: 12 ✭
in Health and wellbeing
hi, I’ve only had one chemo treatment and generally doing ok but I am feeling less strong overall and my bones hurt.  I am wondering if I will get back to my strength after chemo? 

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  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,584 ✭
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    Yes @MMAN - you should get your strength back after chemo, but initially your body will definitely take a big 'hit' ..... Try & maintain some sort of exercise as you go thru your chemo as it is good for you both mentally and physically (so long as you feel up to it - even if just walking ...) 

    Hubby got back into international triathlon competition after finishing chemo for stomach cancer in 2010 (he had most of his stomach removed) and he continued winning, right up til he was 80!   

    He is currently being re-energised at the local Hydro Pool, as he continues going thru chemo (after being diagnosed Stage 4 early last year.)  It has given him a real lift - the hydro pool makes him weightless, so he can bounce around like the Energiser Bunny, without the stress on his body!   Do you have a hydro pool available to you nearby?   Give it a go!  ;) 

    take care xx
  • Cath62
    Cath62 Member Posts: 1,279 ✭
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    Hi @MMAN, yes your body will be weary and some get that bone aches. However it seems counter intuitive but exercise really really helps. It has been proven that exercise helps fatigue. You naturally think if fatigued you should rest bur test for yourself. My oncologist swore by exercise and say if she could write a script for exercise she would. Exercise also reduces cancer return rate by 40%. My pathology showed a high return rate so adding exercise to my self care was critical. Try gentle walks or a hydro pool or see an exercise physiologist. Maybe chat to your breast care nurse or oncologist about it. Let us know how it goes if you give it a go. Best wishes 
  • Zoffiel
    Zoffiel Member Posts: 3,372 ✭
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    I don't know how old you are @mman but from personal experience it was easier to maintain my strength during chemo when I was 43 than it was when I was 53.
    I guess in some ways I'm fortunate in being a potato fed farm girl with considerable muscle mass to start with. I found the drugs made me tired and prone to muscle fatigue, but overall my strength has not diminished much more than should surprise me given my age.

    I'm having more problem with my tendons, ligaments, joints and endurance. I ache. I probably would have anyway. But I can still pick a hay bale up with one hand and can comfortably carry a 25 kg bag of feed on each shoulder. Push a wheelbarrow full of concrete. Depends where you start from in the strength spectrum, I suppose.

    Now is not the time to worry about that. Push yourself as far as is comfortable. Walk and stretch. Mxx

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