Exercise during chemo

chemo brain is a horrible thing but getting up and moving can be a powerful treatment...if you don't have a personal trainer, look into a class

Cisplatin caused permanent hearing (and temporary hair) loss, neuropathy in both feet and wreaked havoc on my guts. I soon learned how much magnesium and probiotics and fiber to take to ease digestive problems. My sense of taste was temporarily impaired. Radiation fried my throat and I could barely swallow anything, even liquids. I resisted a feeding tube and lost 35 lbs. Although I don’t recommend a ‘radiation diet’ it was 35 lbs I needed to lose. A year later I have gained back 5 and hope to hold steady at this weight. I still can only take very small bites and have to chew thoroughly so I get tired of eating before I can overeat!
I have access to the Ys water aerobics class and will give it a try.

@2onlow8- I'm amazed that you didn't lose more! My hair thinned but I had a ton of it so I was fine. Is there a vitamin E spray that you you can use, or maybe ask your doctor if you can take it by mouth- It's great for tissue repair. I hear you about dieting- I was happy to lose my weight too but have gained back some since 12 years. I'm glad that you are moving again. Be cautious of getting any chlorine in your mouth as it might be very harsh on your throat. Is the damage permanent?

@2onlow8 You seem like you are really taking care of yourself! I do agree with @merpred on ports and swimming pools. As long as there is no needle in the site or tubing coming out, you should be OK. And no dressing on the site. I asked my neurologist about swimming pools as I get chemo drugs for an autoimmune disease. She said I’m totally fine in clean water, but to stay away from hot tubs, etc.
I really admire your energy and your wanting to take the fitness classes! I,also, took a dance class before this disease messed up my balance. What kind of class do you take?

What do you think of the YMCA Live Strong program?

@jvertalka- Good morning and welcome to Connect! I took this program a long time ago and it was excellent then. Maybe others on this site have tried it and know more than I do if the present program is excellent too.
What cancer are you recovering from?

Hello @2onlow8

As @sue1952 mentioned, Tai Chi has many benefits for balance and energy. If you think you might be interested in Tai Chi, you might consider a seated Tai Chi class. They offer them in various senior centers, hospitals, etc. I have balance problems as well, and I've found Tai Chi to be quite helpful. I often don't have the stamina for an aerobics class, so I've found that seated exercise classes work well for me.

Here is a YouTube video that shows a sample seated Tai Chi class,

I have Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, for which I am on a continuing daily dose of a targeted therapy (Imbruvica). One side effect of this drug is muscle spasms, which get me up and jumping around 3-4 times a night. Before this cancer I had several brain surgeries for an unrelated tumor, and those left me with serious balance issues. So I'm looking to improve my balance, fight fatigue, and improve strength.

@jvertalka- Good morning once again. Good for you wanting to improve your balance and feel better all around! I would call your doctor's office and see if they have a program that they would suggest. Often hospital have exercise programs. Maybe see if yours has one.
Do you fall a lot? By saying that your balance is bad are you using a walker?

We have a great evidence based program in Michigan called "Matter of Balance" that you might check out. Also, a great exercise for strength , fatigue and balance is the rowing ergometer. Ask your doctor and a local trainer about it.