Breast Cancer and Exercise
In 2022 I felt like my world crashed. We were finally getting back to some sort of normality after the past couple of COVID years. We were settling in to our new life in Armidale and then something, unfortunately not so uncommon happened. A Breast Cancer Diagnosis. Despite the advances in treatment, which is great, 1 in 7 women in Australia are still diagnosed with Breast Cancer in Australia. After all the tests and the surgeries, I had a final diagnosis of aggressive (grade 3), stage 3, hormone positive breast cancer. My cancer was almost 3cm in size and it had spread to 5 of the 27 lymph nodes that were removed – the cancer was on the move – I had locally advanced breast cancer. This was not good. I would need chemotherapy for 6 months and then radiation treatment to reduce the risk of a recurrence – this does not mean the risk disappears completely, it is something I now live with – but that’s another story. Back to the exercise……
Firstly let me preface the following – everyone’s experience with a cancer diagnosis is different, so my story is simply that – my story.
Exercise, sport, physical activity have always been a part of my life. A few minor lapses at some stages of life, but I think I’ve done fairly well. This doesn’t always equate to it being easy or me always being motivated. Some days I’ve had to work a lot harder then others to get moving, and some days it just doesn’t happen.
When I received my diagnosis, aside from all the mental and emotional things going on, and their was a lot, I knew I was going to try and keep moving as much as I could. What that would be or look like I didn’t know – I hadn’t been here before. What I did know was that Exercise/Movement is Medicine. As an accredited exercise physiologist, educator and researcher I knew what the evidence was now telling us about the benefits of exercise in breast cancer – so I would practice what I preach. I also had experienced the benefits of exercise on my own mental health and that was now taking a flogging.
I was determined to keep my fitness and strength up prior to surgery. In technical terms we call this prehabilitation – basically being as fit and as healthy prior to surgery, so as to help with better surgical outcomes and recovery. I kept up my weight training, swimming, and running until my surgery – which was about 5 weeks after diagnosis. I recovered quite well from the first surgery, I started back exercising within a couple of days, doing what was safe and feasible based on the surgery. Unfortunately, I required a second surgery, so I was focussed on exercising for recovery (rehabilitation) and prehabilitation for the next surgery – which would be bigger and require more recovery time. Surgical recovery presented some new challenges, especially for exercise. I developed a seroma which was basically a big ball of fluid under my arm, which was painful and uncomfortable, and cording in my right arm, which was not pleasant either. Cording, technically Axillary Web Syndrome, can develop after removal of lymph nodes. As a result of lymph node surgery, bands (i.e., cords) in the axilla (armpit) can form. The cords and adhesion of the cords to surrounding structures can cause pain and impair shoulder mobility. Now I was in exercise rehabilitation mode. Then came Chemo…..and a lot of new challenges.
During the very early stages of Chemo, exercise, albeit at lower intensity due to surgical recovery and post surgical issues, was not too bad, but as the Chemo progressed, so did the side effects. I adjusted my exercise accordingly. Some days simply walking my beautiful Rottweiler Bucky, down the road was all I could muster, and this was at “old” dog pace fortunately for me. I had some good days where I could get in some really long walks, ride my exercise bike in front of Netflix and do my weight training. It was definitely challenging.
It’s two years now since I started chemo (July 2022), finishing in Dec 2022. I am on medication for the next 10 years (actually 9yrs at the time of writing this – yeah). I am still not back to my pre cancer fitness and strength, and it is very hard to accept some days. I do hope that I will get close, although I am getting older as well (not an excuse), but treatment does have it’s ongoing side effects. It’s been hard to go from what I was doing pre breast cancer to what I now do, but I am still moving and trying to challenge myself. I have competed in my first ever triathlon in January 2024, albeit a small one, with my 17yr old niece joining me. I crossed the finish line in a timed 10k run in Mackay in June this year (2024) with a dear friend from University and fellow BC survivor. I’ve joined a women’s soccer team, yes at 53 I’m the oldest one on the paddock, but I still think I go ok and the girls/ladies are great fun to play with.
Back Playing Soccer 2024https://www.une.edu.au/connect/news/2024/04/when-exercise-is-medicine