Radiotherapy and exercise

Hi kittykatster​ 

I started back with yoga between my first lumpectomy and second surgery. Dr Lisa Moore has some yoga sessions online  specifically for breast cancer patients and I found them very helpful. I also did some short walks. The combination made me feel more like myself and more in control. Rest is really important but I feel the yoga/walking really helped my recovery.

hope all goes well with you. 

I am just reading all your tips and advice as I am so frustrated as put weight on and especially around my tummy area, as had to be sedentary for over two months to recover from 2 ops. It's so hard as putting weight on makes me feel so insecure but cant do much about it as yet. Had 2 ops to remove DCIS and have radiotherapy very soon for three weeks. Main theme would be to manage my diet I suppose? I may have eaten a lot of Ferrero Roché though during my recovery so I am certain I might have had something to do with a little bit of my now flabby tummy :) I am just starting back doing some strength training at gym til my radiotherapy in a few weeks. Any extra tips on what to do during radiotherapy and if should just accept the sedentary life for a little while longer as resting is more important for the body.

Some excellent advice from Selkie​  and Tri​ already .... CattyB​ .. just be kind to yourself during the Rads treatment (and afterwards) as it may take 'more' out of you, than you think.  It is important that your body 'repairs itself' without added stress, so it is very important not to over-exercise until the body is ready for it.  Doing too much, too early can actually set you back 😕. So definitely, stay away from your rowing machine and the resistance bands for the time being! 😳

On top of your desire to exercise is the fact that you are under a bit of stress already, just getting to and from your daily Rads appointments.  I was lucky to be able to  stay in the locally provided 'lodge' that was attached to the hospital where I was having my Rads, which was an hour away from my home.  If you are travelling daily to your Rads, you may be also covered by the State's 'Isolated Patient Travel Scheme' ... whereby accommodation and/or fuel costs may be partially refunded to you.  Which State do you live in?  Check it out on the link at the bottom!  It sounds like you are 'almost' covered for accommodation and/or fuel reimbursement ... depending on which state you are in, as each one's 'distance requirements' are different!   This form (below) is a few years old now but shows the assistance available to regional/rural/remote patients .... and may have been updated since 2019.

Saying this - Stretching and weigh bearing upper body exercises should be minimal until post Rads - and even then, start back slowly.  Doing gentle exercises are fine - but don't try & push those 'reaching' exercises.  In this case, it would be 'No Pain, No Brain', so maybe back off on the Yoga Stuff just now!  Walking is just FINE, during your treatment. xx. Just wait & see how you 'go' during your treatment .....   

There is Plenty of time to get back into it all AFTER your treatment has finished and you have worked out your 'rhythm' post treatment  xx. You won't be losing that much fitness during the Rads .... as your underlying muscle structure will still be there, to 'fine tune' after your treatment has finished.  Just 'freshen up' slowly as you feel up to it, after Rads. 

Take care & all the best 

HiCattyB​ I was similar toSelkie​ and think the months of adjuvant chemo (plus getting Covid!) probably meant I was fairly depleted by the time I got to radiotherapy. I did a modified oncology exercise rehab program and had just one instance of very low blood pressure and had to be helped - I was glad to be in an environment with back up. 
I used to row on a rower but after dose 3 I just didn’t have the confidence and energy. The surgeon wasn’t keen on too much upper body strength work in the weeks after my lumpectomy, so I paused until all my treatments were behind me. 
I came to yoga later, it’s been terrific for me. I was cautious but started with some modified yoga and then regular yoga.
I am inclined to consult your oncologist and radiation oncologist and keep an open mind, asSelkie​  said to be prepared to rest  if it turns out that you’re feeling out of steam. Sending all good wishes as you crack on with your treatment-

Different people find side effects different. I had incredible fatigue during radiotherapy, including in the month following it.

I also followed the advice of trying to exercise but I had some pretty scary experiences. Ended up having to take my partner out walking with me in case my legs buckled under me and I ended up sitting on the footpath having to use all my willpower to stand up again.

However, I'd been through months of adjuvant chemo between mastectomy and rads so the cumulative effects may have caught up with me. 

I went back to my usual exercise (swimming) about 6 weeks after. Took about 2 months to get to my old distance of 2km each day. This year I've upped the ante and am swimming about 3.5km/day, including 76km during March to raise money for new breast cancer treatments. 

Which is to say- don't sweat it if you find yourself too exhausted to do much during and immediately after rads. You may find you're all good, in which case power on. If not, your energy levels will come back in time and you may just find you're tougher than you were before going through this particular marathon.

Good luck with rads.💜