1. < Just Want to Talk
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Let’s Go Walking! Join me for a virtual walking support group

Posted by Becky, Volunteer Mentor @becsbuddy, Feb 19, 2020

Many of you living with cancer or an autoimmune disease, like me, deal with daily fatigue. You know that exercise is so important to your health, but it’s so hard. There’s always an excuse: it’s too cold or hot, it’s going to rain or it’s raining, or it’s snowy and icy, or I just don’t want to. I, too, have all these excuses, but I have a new rescue dog who wants to go out and who doesn’t care about my excuses! And I’ve got traction devices for my boots.Now I just need a walking group who will keep me accountable. People who say, ‘let’s go for a walk.'

And I thought: What about my virtual friends on MayoClinicConnect?

Mayo Clinic has an easy 12-week walking program to get us started! Here’s the link:
- Get walking with this 12-week walking schedule https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/get-walking-with-this-12-week-walking-schedule/

So let’s form a virtual walking group. We can agree to walk every day and encourage each other through Connect. We can walk outdoors, in a mall, or in the red center, or in the hallways of our apartment building.

Who’s in? Who’s going to join me?

Come on, Let’s Go Walking!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Mentor
Becky, Volunteer Mentor | @becsbuddy | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @jal333 "I walk on Mickler's Landing beach area every day, about a 2 mile turnaround from home..." + (show)
@jal333

I walk on Mickler's Landing beach area every day, about a 2 mile turnaround from home to beach. Should I be wearing a mask while I walk? Just curious what people think. NO ONE on the beach is wearing masks.

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Good morning @jal333 The beach walk sounds absolutely wonderful! But I do think you should wear a mask if you come anywhere near another walker. Do your best to social distance and have your mask handy and enjoy a beautiful walk!

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jun 26, 2020

@jal333 I will weigh in on the mask issue. All evidence coming out of the recent protests in Minneapolis & St Paul, with extensive followup testing of thousands of protestors, seems to indicate that risk of transmission after brief exposure to people OUTDOORS is minimal. Overall, less than 2% of protesters tested 2-3 weeks after exposure were positive, and most of those had other risks such as workplace. This was after being in the crowds, not socially distanced, and often with people shouting, etc for periods as long as many hours over several days. This is reinforced by the fact that our hospital & ICUbeds occupied continue to fall in the Twin Cities as well.
Contrast this with dozens of new infections in one small county less than 2 weeks after bars reopened for indoor occupancy - mostly 20-somethings, all of whom had gone to more than one bar with friends on opening weekend. What's really scary - many work in either daycare or healthcare and had mild or no symptoms, so they are bracing for a wave of secondary infection from community spread...
My policy - and I walk every day - is to have my mask in case I stop to visit along the way, but I don't wear it outdoors unless at a well-populated park where I am constantly passing/being passed by other people in close proximity. But I don't bother on my usual walks where I encounter a couple dozen other walkers and bikers...
Keep in mind - increased risk of infection is a factor of increased exposure to virus-infected droplets - more droplets, in closer proximity, over an extended period of time. This discussion is from an epidemiologist I trust: https://www.bluezones.com/2020/06/covid-19-straight-answers-from-top-epidemiologist-who-predicted-the-pandemic/
Sue

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1 reply
lioness | @lioness | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @imallears "@gingerw Hi, I’m exhausted just reading your post. Walked just under 2 miles in this heat..." + (show)
@imallears

@gingerw
Hi,
I’m exhausted just reading your post. Walked just under 2 miles in this heat and came back with sweaty eyeballs again. Left at 7:15 which is late for me. Saw a cardinal and our CA biker as usual . He was biking next to a friend of ours who jogs and I know prefers to jog alone because it’s hard to talk and jog at the same time. We have a runner who is now walking instead in the morning...that’s how uncomfortable the humidity is. I can’t see how some of these runners do so in the afternoon when it’s 93 degrees.
But...seeing less people than a month ago
God bless all the AC repairmen in Florida! Oh, and now we are expecting massive dust clouds from the Sahara desert to drift over the Atlantic Ocean do should see some haze around.

FL Mary

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@imallears I heard about the dust cloud coming be careful Stay in during the worst and do your walking ,round and round like a merry-go-round

REPLY
athoub | @athoub | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @becsbuddy "@athoub I really understand what you said, “sometimes the people around don’t understand your situation.” We..." + (show)
@becsbuddy

@athoub I really understand what you said, “sometimes the people around don’t understand your situation.” We often refer to these as “invisible diseases.” Were as sick as other people but don’t necessarily look sick. And that leads into “upset that you are not the same person as before the surgery.” I said that exact thing to my doctor this morning! I’ll just have to keep working on it.
@athoub. Are you pleased with your liver transplant? Has it given you a new lease on life?

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@becsbuddy Hi Becky I am happy to be part of your group... I think for me totally my life changed after the surgery I am not still the superwoman I was before working 24 hours a day, can do everything and never become sick and shy to saying am tired
but on the other hand, the surgery gives me a new life
I hope I can overcome the new issues as fatigue, distraction....etc

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1 reply
athoub | @athoub | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @imallears "@athoub H You are off to a great start. Don’t worry about a particular diet. Just..." + (show)
@imallears

@athoub
H
You are off to a great start. Don’t worry about a particular diet. Just try to stay away from wheat, processed foods and complex carbs. Think more veggies and lean protein. You will find that you are less inclined to eat because you are moving more.
Also, if you find yourself sitting for any length of time like I do if I am binging a series on TV, just get up and walk around the house a few times or stretch.
My daily 2.5 mile walk was cut short to a 30 minute 1 mile walk. I have a gym class today so that’s not too bad. I only saw one other woman walking and none of the usual runners. The heat index will be between 101 and 105 degrees. At 7 am it was already 82 degrees. It’s too buggy to walk at night....Welcome to Florida!

FL Mary

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Hi @imallears unfortunately am not an athletic person before the surgery .. so am really suffering now
it's so hard especially with kids & two jobs

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2 replies
Mentor
Becky, Volunteer Mentor | @becsbuddy | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @athoub "@becsbuddy Hi Becky I am happy to be part of your group... I think for me..." + (show)
@athoub

@becsbuddy Hi Becky I am happy to be part of your group... I think for me totally my life changed after the surgery I am not still the superwoman I was before working 24 hours a day, can do everything and never become sick and shy to saying am tired
but on the other hand, the surgery gives me a new life
I hope I can overcome the new issues as fatigue, distraction....etc

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@athoub Welcome to the club! I was also very active and never seemed to stop moving until I got brain lesions. I had to learn to walk again and everything and there are so many things I still can’t do. And most people don’t even know I’m sick and others, who knew I was sick, think I’m totally well. 😑. It’s one of the “invisible diseases.” But I try to do what I can.
And that’s why I started the walking group! So many people on MayoClinicConnect have fatigue and I thought we should all help each other.
Even if you can just do a little bit every day, it would be great. Don’t try to keep up with anyone else. Get onto MayoCinicConnect every day, check out the other groups, and enjoy yourself!
You say that you have 2 kids; get them to help you. And 2 jobs! Wow.

Just take one day at a time!

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1 reply
athoub | @athoub | Jun 26, 2020

I think I will get kicked out from this group LOL
I didn't walk from three days and really feeling guilty ... even after four years after the surgery I can't control my life

thank god that's I never give up and I will try again & again

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athoub | @athoub | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @becsbuddy "@athoub Welcome to the club! I was also very active and never seemed to stop moving..." + (show)
@becsbuddy

@athoub Welcome to the club! I was also very active and never seemed to stop moving until I got brain lesions. I had to learn to walk again and everything and there are so many things I still can’t do. And most people don’t even know I’m sick and others, who knew I was sick, think I’m totally well. 😑. It’s one of the “invisible diseases.” But I try to do what I can.
And that’s why I started the walking group! So many people on MayoClinicConnect have fatigue and I thought we should all help each other.
Even if you can just do a little bit every day, it would be great. Don’t try to keep up with anyone else. Get onto MayoCinicConnect every day, check out the other groups, and enjoy yourself!
You say that you have 2 kids; get them to help you. And 2 jobs! Wow.

Just take one day at a time!

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I have 5 kids and 2 jobs ..as I told you I was a superwoman I didn't think this will happen for me one day am struggling now ... Luckey for me that my managers understand my situation but still all weights on me

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2 replies
mayofeb2020 | @mayofeb2020 | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @athoub "I have 5 kids and 2 jobs ..as I told you I was a superwoman I..." + (show)
@athoub

I have 5 kids and 2 jobs ..as I told you I was a superwoman I didn't think this will happen for me one day am struggling now ... Luckey for me that my managers understand my situation but still all weights on me

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@athoub, don't be too hard on yourself. Here we support each other, no judgements here. Just do what you can, one day at a time. Put one foot in front of another. That's what I do, I listen to music when I walk. Maybe it will help you too.

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1 reply
athoub | @athoub | Jun 26, 2020
In reply to @mayofeb2020 "@athoub, don't be too hard on yourself. Here we support each other, no judgements here. Just..." + (show)
@mayofeb2020

@athoub, don't be too hard on yourself. Here we support each other, no judgements here. Just do what you can, one day at a time. Put one foot in front of another. That's what I do, I listen to music when I walk. Maybe it will help you too.

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thank you dear for your support .... what did you say is true am really hard on myself I don't accept any excuse
they build us tough in my family we should always be strong ..... but am working on that I have to treat myself right

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