1. < Just Want to Talk
Mentor

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
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Feb 24, 2021

Wonderful walk again today. My husband offered to join me(as long as I didn't go too far) and we walked to the nearby lake to see if the eagle was out - but not this afternoon. We had fun pretending we were with our littles and stomped on the melting ice at the ends of driveways. It feels so good to get out and move - I have been chained to a huge computer project for the Master Gardeners, and I get so buggy...this weekend will be my "big crunch" then we can breathe again until it's time to deliver in early May.
Looking forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Sue

REPLY
artist01 | @artist01 | Feb 24, 2021
In reply to @wisco50 "I think your comparison of your two friends obviously different reactions to post op PT is..." + (show)
@wisco50

I think your comparison of your two friends obviously different reactions to post op PT is incredibly valid and probably should be held up as a prime example of “no pain, no gain”! I had a knee scope years ago for a probably torn meniscus (it was), but surgeon also found other stuff wrong in there - I should have pursued a surgical consult sooner. I had been dealing with another health issue and a Worker’s Comp MD thought it wasn’t a big deal (jerk). I should have known better. 😢 Anyway, post op PT hurt but I was determined to get it better and I did! I told the PT person the secondary evidence I was doing all my exercises was that even my parrots were “yelping” and saying OUCH! LOL!

Jump to this post

@wisco, good for you. I've had several surgeries that required p.t. I sure remember the shoulder surgery p.t. for "no pain, no gain" ! Ouch, for 4 months of it. I stuck with it though and regained total mobility, which was very important to me, as a professional artist painting very large canvases.
You have parrots 🦜 ! I've had two super intelligent African Greys in my day. Both had vocabularies of upward of 500 words. They literally ran my life, but they enriched my life so very much!
My best to you and your parrots!
Laurie

REPLY
3 replies
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Feb 24, 2021
In reply to @artist01 "I feel like I've let everyone down. All my talk about starting to walk outdoors again,..." + (show)
@artist01

I feel like I've let everyone down. All my talk about starting to walk outdoors again, after 2 long years of inability, and now haven't been able to get back into my walking program for days on end. First, snow for 5 days, then too icey, then 2 new medications and felt awful for days, then a doctor appointment out of town, then...
welll, you know. So many of you had posted congratulatory and motivating texts to me. I felt elated! I have another doctor appointment tomorrow and then I hope no snow in the forecast. I hope to get back to my walks on the weekend. Thanks so much to all of you for your support. Happy trails! Laurie

Jump to this post

No worries, Laurie. Life is like that. Even a short, short walk is something. I remember weeks when I felt good if I made it to the laundry room and back a few times.
Sue

REPLY
artist01 | @artist01 | Feb 24, 2021

Aawww, thanks, Sue. And I did have to walk down the hall, turn the corner, take elevator to main floor, walk into dining room, reverse to get back to my room, twice a day for all of these missed Walking Days. I hope that counts! Lol.

REPLY
wisco50 | @wisco50 | Feb 24, 2021
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@becsbuddy I quit the fentanyl because I was tired of taking so many powerful medications so..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@becsbuddy
I quit the fentanyl because I was tired of taking so many powerful medications so I thought I’d try and do without it. I also had some Dilaudid which I liked better. The fentanyl didn’t get rid of the kidney stone pain but the Dilaudid did.
My doctor ordered me some Percocet which is not strong at all, at least not for my pains.
What’s so weird is when I had a kidney stone the nurse said they would give me Tylenol. You can imagine what I thought about that but it was IV Tylenol which she said they give to patients with broken bones. Of course I was still skeptical. But to my amazement it got rid of my kidney stone pain. The nurse said they seldom use it because it’s so expensive.
I walked 1.6 miles today. I should go out and walk some more but I know I’m not going to.
I’ll find strength in pain,
Jake

Jump to this post

When IV Tylenol first showed up in Recovery Room, many of us rolled our eyes at it, but it worked beautifully for pain relief in so many situations! No idea why it was so impressive, compared to oral, but it was! Yes, I believe it was expensive - ha, is anything in a hospital NOT pricey these days?!

REPLY
wisco50 | @wisco50 | Feb 24, 2021
In reply to @artist01 "@wisco, good for you. I've had several surgeries that required p.t. I sure remember the shoulder..." + (show)
@artist01

@wisco, good for you. I've had several surgeries that required p.t. I sure remember the shoulder surgery p.t. for "no pain, no gain" ! Ouch, for 4 months of it. I stuck with it though and regained total mobility, which was very important to me, as a professional artist painting very large canvases.
You have parrots 🦜 ! I've had two super intelligent African Greys in my day. Both had vocabularies of upward of 500 words. They literally ran my life, but they enriched my life so very much!
My best to you and your parrots!
Laurie

Jump to this post

Ah, both mine were African greys! Sadly, I placed them a few years ago (with a very reputable rescue group). Because of my back and neck problems with stenosis/arthritis, I was no longer able to clean the huge cages like I could and felt rehoming them was best. I miss how funny and entertaining they were! Yes, they both had huge vocabularies - I used to write it all down, but finally quit trying to keep up.

REPLY
1 reply
Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Feb 25, 2021
In reply to @artist01 "@wisco, good for you. I've had several surgeries that required p.t. I sure remember the shoulder..." + (show)
@artist01

@wisco, good for you. I've had several surgeries that required p.t. I sure remember the shoulder surgery p.t. for "no pain, no gain" ! Ouch, for 4 months of it. I stuck with it though and regained total mobility, which was very important to me, as a professional artist painting very large canvases.
You have parrots 🦜 ! I've had two super intelligent African Greys in my day. Both had vocabularies of upward of 500 words. They literally ran my life, but they enriched my life so very much!
My best to you and your parrots!
Laurie

Jump to this post

@artist01
May I ask what kind of shoulder surgery you had? I've had three so far. Now they want to do bilateral shoulder surgery replacement but I have refused so far.
Take care,
Jake

REPLY
2 replies
fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | Feb 25, 2021
In reply to @wisco50 "I think your comparison of your two friends obviously different reactions to post op PT is..." + (show)
@wisco50

I think your comparison of your two friends obviously different reactions to post op PT is incredibly valid and probably should be held up as a prime example of “no pain, no gain”! I had a knee scope years ago for a probably torn meniscus (it was), but surgeon also found other stuff wrong in there - I should have pursued a surgical consult sooner. I had been dealing with another health issue and a Worker’s Comp MD thought it wasn’t a big deal (jerk). I should have known better. 😢 Anyway, post op PT hurt but I was determined to get it better and I did! I told the PT person the secondary evidence I was doing all my exercises was that even my parrots were “yelping” and saying OUCH! LOL!

Jump to this post

Yes! "to no pain, no gain" and thanks, @wisco, for reading and responding to my earlier post. I'm so glad you persisted to have the knee surgery and that your PT improved your mobility. Your "yelping" parrots commiserating with you will definitely be my Smile for today!! Oh, the joy our pets bring.

REPLY
fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | Feb 25, 2021
In reply to @becsbuddy "Hello, again. I’m so glad I got two walks in today. It was gorgeous when I..." + (show)
@becsbuddy

Hello, again. I’m so glad I got two walks in today. It was gorgeous when I went out and I ran into several friends and we had nice, socially distance chat. And now it’s snowing like crazy! Guess I’ll walk in the house tomorrow 🤗

Jump to this post

@becsbuddy, Wonderful that you took advantage of the gorgeous day with two walks! On our incredibly warmer day, I just said "Phooey!" to the IRS prep and spent a great deal of the day outside happily gathering dropped bean pods that litter the back from a neighbor's tree. Absolutely too beautiful to be inside.

REPLY
fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | Feb 25, 2021
In reply to @artist01 "I feel like I've let everyone down. All my talk about starting to walk outdoors again,..." + (show)
@artist01

I feel like I've let everyone down. All my talk about starting to walk outdoors again, after 2 long years of inability, and now haven't been able to get back into my walking program for days on end. First, snow for 5 days, then too icey, then 2 new medications and felt awful for days, then a doctor appointment out of town, then...
welll, you know. So many of you had posted congratulatory and motivating texts to me. I felt elated! I have another doctor appointment tomorrow and then I hope no snow in the forecast. I hope to get back to my walks on the weekend. Thanks so much to all of you for your support. Happy trails! Laurie

Jump to this post

Absolutely Not, @artist01. Life has a dastardly way of interfering with and disrupting our plans! The great news is that your desire is there and you've already demonstrated your purpose. When weather and health improve, you can begin your walks again.

After our one glorious weather day, the temps dropped radically again overnight and sleet became too slick to attempt being out again. I literally pouted and fumed at the weather for playing such a trick...what nerve! However, even though a short lived teaser, my spirits lifted tremendously just Knowing that Spring is on her way.

REPLY
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