Last nights webinar - Let’s cut through all the hype! Why exercise?
Maree72
Member Posts: 74 ✭
Last night I jumped onto the webinar about exercise,
Did any one else on here also watch?
I found it to be very insightful, but due to the fact I was trying to mullite task as most of us do (haha), listen and read the comments as well as add in my bit, I missed a bit about strength exercise twice weekly,
I found the presenter to be very helpful and of course very knowledgeable.
But I do have to add in I totally agree about barriers in this area,
Especially the costs that we don't see coming to help us on our way with looking after ourselves, well at least I didn't.
I too lost everything once diagnosed, and surgery took place, as in earning my wages, so now my husband takes care of us all with his wage, So budgeting is a absolute must to make it through every week.
So having extra add on thrown at us, like I would think many, can completely snow ball ones weekly budget to keeping everything on an even keel.
I fully agree with the some of the comments,
You have to enjoy your chosen method of exercise, or you wont stick with it, (that's me) and I personally hate walking, and I'm not a runner at all. I'm a swimmer and yoga lover, I would love to be back involved with dragon boating, but I live no where near the water here in Brisbane and with the cost of fuel these days, here's my 1st barrier, how can I afford to get there? the hours drive to the river doesn't bother me, it the cost of fuel. maybe one day
My wish would be for these people who are trained in this field of exercise and rehab to be apart of our medical team, as I said in the comments last night,
We get given a surgeon, a breast care nurse, a team of oncologists, we get told about the Lymphoedema physio (that I personally only saw twice), once prior to surgery to give me the talk of what I could be expecting once they took off my lymph nodes, and then once afterwards as a check up, now I'm left to my own devices to manage this with no really check up at all. It would be good if this was also part of our care, with follow ups over the course, to let us know how our movements are going and provided us some sort of feedback on how are healing is going or possibly not going.
But where is the team that help us with getting the correct ways of managing exercise?
Again I feel we are left to source this ourselves, again at our own personal cost.
Wouldn't this be great if this was also part of our recovery medical treatment plan?
I asked my team once I ended up with grade 3 Peripheral neuropathy to please send me off to physio so I can start to sort out my loss of strength in my hands and arms, it was so bad with pins and needles,
I couldn't hold onto a pen, unscrew a bottle cap, or even pour a glass of water from the water jug, with out spilling it all over the bench and nearly dropping the jug on the floor, my feet had also started not to work as well. I had to keep telling myself to pick up my feet, or I caught myself tripping over them.
To this day I still have not recovered from this side effect from chemo.
I'm now still waiting to be contacted by the people I have been refereed out to start any form of rehab for this, its been 2 months now and still nothing. I understand there is a wait list, but also frustrating as this could also be classed as strength exercise, that was being talked about last night.
So I chose to use up my own personal physio Medicare referral for another issue I have, that's not related to my breast cancer, just so I could try and get some form of quality of life back, but it wont be long now till I have to pay his full fee, I only have one more session to use, and then I have to wait till Oct this year before my GP can do up another referral for physio.
I've now found a pod cast I can listen to on Spotify for yoga, so I can try and get more of that in my daily or weekly routine here at home,
Thankfully the community pool is $6.00 entry fee,
I have found a local cancer care yoga class provided by our council where I live here in Brisbane. that is free to attend.
Afterpay can come in handy if required, may not suit everyone, but I can use that with another local yoga studio as they offer this payment method.
One day I would love to pay for things straight up with out needing a buy now pay later platform.
Please don't think I'm just having a sook and poor me , that's not what my thoughts are about here,
its more about how can we voice that we need to add these very important people into our medical care team, so we can all recover fully to the best of our own ability with minimal cost to the cancer patient, as we all know so many of us have different barriers that prevent us taking part in things that are unachievable for us to get to,
I feel Cost plays a huge part in this for many.
This truly needs some sort of funding to provide this service to all.
Well that's my ramblings for the morning, that I wanted to share.
Thanks you to the team who provided this webinar. It was worth my time to sit and listen and watch.
And I'm that person who use to have wasted gym memberships cause exercise was never my thing, but now it has to be as it was said last night "its a form of medicine" and I for one, like everyone else, have no desire to ever repeat this breast cancer nightmare ever again, if I can help it, so exercise I will.
Did any one else on here also watch?
I found it to be very insightful, but due to the fact I was trying to mullite task as most of us do (haha), listen and read the comments as well as add in my bit, I missed a bit about strength exercise twice weekly,
I found the presenter to be very helpful and of course very knowledgeable.
But I do have to add in I totally agree about barriers in this area,
Especially the costs that we don't see coming to help us on our way with looking after ourselves, well at least I didn't.
I too lost everything once diagnosed, and surgery took place, as in earning my wages, so now my husband takes care of us all with his wage, So budgeting is a absolute must to make it through every week.
So having extra add on thrown at us, like I would think many, can completely snow ball ones weekly budget to keeping everything on an even keel.
I fully agree with the some of the comments,
You have to enjoy your chosen method of exercise, or you wont stick with it, (that's me) and I personally hate walking, and I'm not a runner at all. I'm a swimmer and yoga lover, I would love to be back involved with dragon boating, but I live no where near the water here in Brisbane and with the cost of fuel these days, here's my 1st barrier, how can I afford to get there? the hours drive to the river doesn't bother me, it the cost of fuel. maybe one day
My wish would be for these people who are trained in this field of exercise and rehab to be apart of our medical team, as I said in the comments last night,
We get given a surgeon, a breast care nurse, a team of oncologists, we get told about the Lymphoedema physio (that I personally only saw twice), once prior to surgery to give me the talk of what I could be expecting once they took off my lymph nodes, and then once afterwards as a check up, now I'm left to my own devices to manage this with no really check up at all. It would be good if this was also part of our care, with follow ups over the course, to let us know how our movements are going and provided us some sort of feedback on how are healing is going or possibly not going.
But where is the team that help us with getting the correct ways of managing exercise?
Again I feel we are left to source this ourselves, again at our own personal cost.
Wouldn't this be great if this was also part of our recovery medical treatment plan?
I asked my team once I ended up with grade 3 Peripheral neuropathy to please send me off to physio so I can start to sort out my loss of strength in my hands and arms, it was so bad with pins and needles,
I couldn't hold onto a pen, unscrew a bottle cap, or even pour a glass of water from the water jug, with out spilling it all over the bench and nearly dropping the jug on the floor, my feet had also started not to work as well. I had to keep telling myself to pick up my feet, or I caught myself tripping over them.
To this day I still have not recovered from this side effect from chemo.
I'm now still waiting to be contacted by the people I have been refereed out to start any form of rehab for this, its been 2 months now and still nothing. I understand there is a wait list, but also frustrating as this could also be classed as strength exercise, that was being talked about last night.
So I chose to use up my own personal physio Medicare referral for another issue I have, that's not related to my breast cancer, just so I could try and get some form of quality of life back, but it wont be long now till I have to pay his full fee, I only have one more session to use, and then I have to wait till Oct this year before my GP can do up another referral for physio.
I've now found a pod cast I can listen to on Spotify for yoga, so I can try and get more of that in my daily or weekly routine here at home,
Thankfully the community pool is $6.00 entry fee,
I have found a local cancer care yoga class provided by our council where I live here in Brisbane. that is free to attend.
Afterpay can come in handy if required, may not suit everyone, but I can use that with another local yoga studio as they offer this payment method.
One day I would love to pay for things straight up with out needing a buy now pay later platform.
Please don't think I'm just having a sook and poor me , that's not what my thoughts are about here,
its more about how can we voice that we need to add these very important people into our medical care team, so we can all recover fully to the best of our own ability with minimal cost to the cancer patient, as we all know so many of us have different barriers that prevent us taking part in things that are unachievable for us to get to,
I feel Cost plays a huge part in this for many.
This truly needs some sort of funding to provide this service to all.
Well that's my ramblings for the morning, that I wanted to share.
Thanks you to the team who provided this webinar. It was worth my time to sit and listen and watch.
And I'm that person who use to have wasted gym memberships cause exercise was never my thing, but now it has to be as it was said last night "its a form of medicine" and I for one, like everyone else, have no desire to ever repeat this breast cancer nightmare ever again, if I can help it, so exercise I will.
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Comments
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Well said, @Maree72 - exercise is definitely a part of the recuperation process & should be covered for those recovering from nasty side effects such as you've experienced xx.
I missed the webinar but will check it out when it is made available for all ...
My main exercise is my fishing kayak - it is a pedal kayak, so I get most of my exercise to my hips & knees but with all the casting I do, my arms & shoulders get a real workout as well! (Like you, I am not that fussed on walking - and I've NEVER been a runner - I would trip on a blade of grass facing the wrong way ...)
What age are you? I don't know about NDIS - but have you been assessed for Community Support (for help in the house/garden) or a Home Care Package, as you are obviously badly affected? The Home Care Packages often pay fees related to exercise - I know they did for my husband at the Hydrotherapy Pool. Check out MyAgedCare (www.myagedcare.gov.au) re assessment requirements ....
Sometimes there are local groups who get together to promote exercise (not always with fees ...) Do you have a local newspaper? Ours lists them all!! Or check out community groups in your area on Facebook & ask some questions? Libraries/Shopping Centres often have notice boards where people can put up enquiries too, re getting together for numerous pursuits ....
take care & all the best xx
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hi @arpie
I will be 52 this Dec, I was 1st diagnosed with my 1st round the day before my 50th birthday of 2022, only to be re diagnosed again on 1.08.2023, due to the screw up of the 1st medical team leaving behind the cancer in the lymph nodes, thanks so much.
But moving forward, and how I hate that saying, after a 2 surgery's both lumpectomies, chemo and now facing radiation,
It just staggers me on how much we are left to figure out for ourselves.
But the real licker for me is right now I'm not a citizen, so getting any assistance is not applicable for me,
just another layer to this already fun time of being a breast cancer patient.
So NDIS is out of the question, along with any assistance from Centrelink, as many have said of go to Centrelink, and even now if I could my husband earns above the there amount of help.
Please note I never came to Aus to sit on any welfare systems at all. But then again no one ever thinks they will be hit with cancer, do they?
I feel Covid put a huge stop to all face to face support groups, and sadly I've come across many of those groups who once were are no longer active and people have just moved back into their communities and their lives. well that seems to be the thing up here in my area, Covid really did a number on many things.
IM doing ok, I guess for me when I get pushed to breaking pint that's when I find my voice and start to look for a way out so to speak.
This cancer journey of mine has truly done that. Pushed me to breaking point on many occasions.
I'm now much stronger and thicker skinned, although from time to time I loose the plot, like many would.
Great idea to look at the local papers etc.
As I said I found the yoga through our local council website so have jumped on that.
along with researching many things for my self.
Staying motivated is another weakness I have, I guess many others may face this as well
now wouldn't that be great if that was sold in a bottle form, and I don't mean from Dan Murphy's or the local Bottle O.
Motivation is also a barrier for many, as its easy to spiral down that rabbit hole, and shutting out the world. been there on many occasions myself.
But by having the extra support of these trained professional's for exercise on our medical team, could help us all manage our mental health and physical health in a safe place and with the medical team we have understanding how we are all coping and pulling through our cancer recovery plans.
This would also give us the chance to meet others in the same boast as us, so friendships and interaction with other people, is just as important too in our recovery process.
I strongly feel that the medical and holistic professionals need to come together as one, to put all their training , skills and knowledge together to give us all the very best options they can.
Then its up to us just how much or little we choose to take on board.
Just my thoughts any way.
Take care as well
Have a great Thursday
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Hi @Maree72, check out the choices program at the Wesley hospital. It's free and they do offer some things like yoga online. They have pilates, gym, art for healing and other things for those who have/had cancer. You don't need to be a patient of the hospital. Best wishes to you.2
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Hi @Maree72 I hear where you are coming from. I lack motivation to do my own thing too. My hospital offers an eight week cancer rehab programme but then they push for you to do other exercises once you have finished. I don't have that money either. My new garden is giving me a heap (read I am overdoing it) of exercise at the moment but the exercise physios tell me that is incidental and not important. Pffft. Tell my muscles that. If I can achieve something and give my muscles a workout then that is a win win.2
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Hi @Maree72
And anyone else interested in this topic.
Exercise is
so important for both mental as well as physical health.
I saw an exercise physiologist after my diagnosis and she gave he a programme to follow and I’m not always that good at following it but one thing I do every day is at least a 30 minute brisk walk.
If it’s raining I go up and down stairs - previously I lived in a 3 storey house , now I’m in an apartment block and I do the fire stairs.
I also love swimming in the ocean which I can do for almost 9 months of the year.
I have been doing Pilates once a for
years and although I wouldn’t say I enjoy it I know it’s good for me .
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Here in Victoria there's a programme called Exmed Cancer. I was, along with some others from BCNA, part of the pilot program.
Like everything they are struggling for funding
https://www.exmedcancer.org.au/
BCNA have a resource that may help
https://www.bcna.org.au/resource-hub/articles/strengthen-your-recovery-pilates-program/
Here's another
Pinc and steel
https://au.pincandsteel.com/
Hope that helps!1 -
Agree wholeheartedly with @Julez1958 important for both physical and mental well-being!
Nothing like fresh air in your face, to blow out the cobwebs......0 -
just got back from the pools, making the most of the pools before I have to stop for radiation for 6 weeks then possible 4 weeks post for skin to recover,
Thanks to @Cath62 for your message, I made contact with the amazing team at the Wesley here in Brisbane, and am going to attend a few things there starting as early as next week. so big thank you for sharing, because I had no idea they existed at all.
I'm pleased my thoughts have opened up such a topic.
While exercise was never my go to, and it was like I was on and off that band wagon for many years with many different types of gyms and exercise activities such as boxing, pole dancing for fitness, now I have a solid reason to stick to it as much as I possibly can handle.
Its just a shame that every hospital etc from each different state can either be really well prepared and well funded or not as much as others, leaving those people to search out their own resources. But I guess that's just the way things go.
And the barriers we all face can be very challenging as we all have our pride, and finding a way around how to achieve what we want to do is very tricky. While still managing to survive and live at the same time.
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Sorry I missed this webinar. In my area we can access the Cancer Wellness program through the Public Hospital. You have a 1:1 session with an Exercise Physiologist who does a few physical strength tests on you and lists your goals. They then develop your individual strength and resistance program. You then have 8 weekly sessions in a small group with the EP, using the Hospital gym. Each session also has an educational component from 8 different specialists eg Dietician, Exercise physio etc. This is free.
Ironically this program was started by my little sister when she moved back to the area.2 -
After all the incidental exercise such as cooking, hanging the washing on the line, going up and down the stairs, and other house tasks, combined with working from home four days a week, I am exhausted. Additionally, chemo makes it harder for me to be active. I also have an elliptical in my garage, love swimming in ocean pools, and completed a government-funded online program called Healthy and Active Life, which included a free exercise program. I use many YouTube exercise programs, like Zumba for seniors. Everything is free, but I just get tired from cancer, incidental exercises, and work. I cannot wait to just lay down and rest. What I really enjoy is walking in circles in my backyard every night for 10 minutes. I am really a homebody and always have been, especially since I work in the community and engage with many people.1
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https://www.bcna.org.au/resource-hub/articles/fatigue/
Tiredness, fatigue......it's so wearing! The link above gives confidence of it being normal
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