Put Your Cancer On Hold With Exercise

An article written by a guest blogger David Haas.

When diagnosed with cancer, jumping right into an exercise program is not typically the first thought which comes to mind. However, fighting the disease and doing what it takes to slip into recovery mode is the main focus after digesting the news of actually having a life threatening disease such as cancer.

Clinical research indicates that physical movement is beneficial for cancer patients whether activity is sought out at time of diagnosis, during treatment, or at time of recovery. When it comes to surviving cancer, eating the right foods and getting enough exercise will keep an individual stronger in mind and body.  Research has shown that exercise plays a role in preventing cancer from returning. Studies have also indicated that having excess weight lessened the chance of a longer survival time. There is also a higher risk of the cancer returning.

The fact is that exercise makes any individual thinner, stronger, and physically more fit whether a cancer patient or not. Exercise also builds a better mood, enhances self-confidence, fights fatigue, and prevents the chance of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and more. Whether for colon cancer, breast cancer, or mesothelioma, exercise could have a substantial affect on the outcome of a cancer diagnosis.

The cancer patient may wonder when it is the best time to begin exercising. A healthcare professional will most likely suggest “the sooner, the better”. Getting right into an exercise agenda will prevent depression, stress, and physical ill symptoms from erupting, as they usually will when first diagnosed with cancer.  More often than not, a cancer patient will basically lead a sedentary lifestyle while recuperating from a lengthy treatment. If no exercise is performed during this process, however, it will take the body a taxing effort to find the strength for any physical activity. If exercise is included in a daily routine from the beginning, the body will continue to strengthen without much effort at all.

Whether an exercise program includes stretching movements, walking or swimming, or weight lifting resistant type training, any form of physical activity will promote strength to fight the disease and the will to recover from the cancer.

Grilled cheese made me fat.

Before chemo

Well, I am fat.  Chemotherapy has not affected my appetite.  Before I found out I had cancer I was riding my bike a lot and had a job that was a keeping me on my feet jumping from delivery truck to delivery truck at Fed-Ex Ground.  That all coupled with the one of the signs of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma which is unexplained weight loss, I got all the way down to 184lbs… but now I am at 220lbs.  I have gained 36lbs in the past four or so months, and I am feeling it.  I have to rock myself out of the car, when I get up from squatting I have to grab something to pull myself up and now I’m back in my fat cloths.

Now

Now it’s not the chemo’s fault because I am the one who is eating the food I do and not exercising at all.  Let me show you one of the main culprits of my weight gain, the grilled cheese sandwich.  Now this is no regular grilled cheese sandwich this is one of my own creations that is so delicious you will be shocked at how easy it is.  I took a picture of what you will need so it will be easy for you to figure out.  

1.      First off you will need bread, I usually use Sourdough bread but we did not have any so I had to settle for potato bread, it was not as good so I am sorry that I am showing a substandard grilled cheese sandwich.

2.       You need your cheese.

3.       You will need Mayonnaise.

4.       Last but not least Philadelphia crème cheese.

Spread the crème cheese on one of the pieces of bread, make sure it is evenly spread because if there is a clump it will be molten lava hot when you start eating it.  Then spread the Mayonnaise on the outside of the bread like you would your butter or margarine.  Then put your choice of cheese and grill it up.  Be prepared for deliciousness.  Now is it any wonder why I have gained 36 lbs in the past few months?

I'm Bald and So Can YOU!!!

Well my hair never fell out in clumps but it did start shedding a lot.  It was really disgusting and depressing.  When I shaved my head I instantly felt better.  Now I regularly keep it shaven.  This is because when I let it grow out I notice areas that are thinner than they were before chemo.  They are as listed, my hair line, my mustache, my chin and my butt. 

I have also started experimenting with different types of shaving.  First off I used clippers to cut it down.  Then I use the beard trimmer on my electric razor to shorten it even more, then I used a regular razor to finish it off.  The next day when it grew out a bit I used my electric razor and it worked fine as well.  I have also used my double edged razor, which was scary at first.  Next I plan on using my straight razor… now that will really be scary.



Nice phone Jon

Nice phone Robbie

There are others who have shaved their heads as well.  At first I thought it was silly and I didn’t need the support, but now I think it pretty cool.  My brother-in-law Jon was quick to jump on the opportunity to shave his head.  Then a mutual friend of ours, Robbie, decided to do the same.  I asked Renée to shave her head too in support of her husband but she said no, flat out.  There was a compromise though and that was to chop off 12 inches and donate it Locks of Love.  They provide hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis… again worse off than I am.  I think Renée looks gorgeous.

Before

After

So thank you to those who have shaved or cut your hair.  As a show of thanks I will name one of my cancer fish after you and change it to your favorite color.  If there is anyone else who would like to shave their head or cut off enough to donate, I will do the same for you.  Just send me a picture of your new doo for my blog and the color of your choice. 

So in short, at first I thought people shaving their heads to support me was ridiculous, but now I think it’s okay.

Three months left

HALF WAY DONE!!!  Well I am now half way done with my chemo treatment.  I have had 6 treatments and I have 6 left… and it sucks.  It’s not downhill from here it’s still all up hill. It’s like an escarpment, like Upper Canada.  But here I am with only a total of 6 months of chemo scheduled, where as the lady next to me who had Leukemia has 2 years worth of chemo, she has 19 months left.  I get chemo every other Friday and she gets it every Friday.  So again I am reminded that I don’t have it as bad as others.  That being said it was the worst chemo treatment ever.  I threw up like 6 times, fertilizing a tree.  I actually am getting nauseous just typing it up, so I will leave it at that. 

Change of subject, Liliana is so cute!!!  Before chemo this past Friday Liliana wanted to eat my breakfast.  It was too hot so I let her have a Cheez-It.  She had just finished her own breakfast so she just held it there in her hand, nibbling only a little of the corner.  She held it out in her hand all the way to the car watching everything else but that Cheez-It.  I locked her in her car seat and we took her to Jon and Shannon’s.  She still held on to that Cheez-It, but now half was nibbled away. Liliana was eager to get down and play.  I asked if I could put her down with the Cheez-It in her hand.  Shannon said they were food friendly so it was ok.  When I put her down she wanted to crawl to the other side of the room where there were buckets of toys.  She took one attempt with the occupied hand by putting her weight on the back of her wrist then stopped and gently placed the half Cheez-It on the shag rug and just left it there.  Made her way to the toys and was thus occupied from that moment.  I ate the rest of the Cheez-It.

Liliana also did a good job at getting me out of the house last week.  For Christmas I got a child’s seat for my bicycle… not for me of course but for Liliana.  It’s great because the weight is in a better spot than behind me.  It is great, and she loves it.  I was so excited to ride my bike and have her on it I decided to try and run an errand.  There is nothing close that needs to get done so we hopped on and rode to a Mexican restaurant and got a burrito.  We live on a nice slope so getting there was a breeze but I was feeling it on the way back.  That ride took a lot out of me.  next time I will just ride around the block.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

I think I have had quite the adventures during my past 6 years.  Here is a list of what was going on in my life at the time of my birthdays since I turned 20.

·         I turned 20 in Oakland, Ca.  I had gone on a New-Years trip with two of my friends, Katie and Megan to San Francisco.  Had a girlfriend named Renée and was working at Estancia Hotel and Spa as a bus boy.

·         I celebrated my 21^st birthday on my mission.  I was serving in Hailybury, Ontario.  We went to a small town called Ville-Marie in Quebec and I bought a goofy hat.  That goofy hat kept me nice and warm.  This was the birthday that I realized my birthday was in the winter… when it snowed.  My girlfriend Renée was waiting for me back home while I served my mission.

·         My 22^nd birthday was also spent on my mission but this time I was serving in Woodstock, Ontario.  That winter it snowed hard, wet and heavy because I was right in the middle of the great lakes.  Renée had dumped me saying I needed to “focus on the work.”

·         When I turned 23 guess what...I was married to Renée!!! It looks like she waited after all.

·         I was working two jobs at 24, Deseret Book and Fed-Ex Ground as a package handler. 

·         When I turned 25 I had a 14 day old baby girl.

·         And now 26… Guess what… I have cancer. Crazy!!!

Well here I am now, January 3rd, turning 26.  I thought to myself about how crazy it is to have cancer and be going through chemo right now.  Who knows, it may be the cancer is all gone.  Anyways this cancer sure has thrown us for a loop.  One line from Robert Burns 1785 poem “To a Mouse” made famous by John Steinbeck, has been always in my mind. 

“The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,”

I figured I would go look up the poem and see what the whole thing said.  Starting it off was a bit difficult because I didn’t understand the old English.  You figure all the scripture reading I have done cwuld have prepared me for this poem.  I guess the King James Version of the Bible is written in “Old English Lite”. 

I felt bad for this little mouse.  Robert Burns had just plowed through his house and winter was coming.  But you know what that mouse was able to do?  Build a new one.  There has been one recurring theme throughout my list of birthdays and it is a desire to be with Renée.  We met when I was 19 and slowly I fell in love with her.  It was instantaneous for her of course.  For the past 6 years I have had her in my life and was able to come out on top of many bad situations because of her.  This is one of them.  Our best-laid schemes had a plow dragged right through it and now here we are in a field running around like that little mouse before winter.  But again that mouse had it in his capability to dig a new home just like we have the capability to keep moving forward.  I know with Renée I can get through anything.  Thank you Renée.