Hi,
I had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. It was in stage 1 thank god. Chemo and radiation treatments were hard, but I've just been informed it is in total remission. Thank god.
Now, I'm trying to get back to life and want to lose some weight I had put on during the treatments. I want to start lifting weights, so I did. After doing so, my LDH levels went through the roof... because I was damaging my muscles; that's what lifting weights does, it tears muscles so it can heel tighter.
Anyway, my oncologist sees the elevated LDH count in my blood and has me stop lifting for 30 days and get re-tested. Sure enough, the LDH level went back down. He says that it is unhealthy to damage your muscle and that if I want to exercise I should run, walk, ride a bike. I don't want to just do that... I also want to lift weights, and there is no way I know to lift weights and get results without tearing the muscle your working out. It will heal itself.
I would like your opinions on excerise after cancer. I think I have an oncologist completely out of touch with working out and getting in shape. He is a little guy that I doubt has ever ran out to his car and back. As long as I'm not putting myself at risk of getting cancer back DIRECTLY BECAUSE of lifting, then I'm sticking with my workout. He will not say that; he only says tearing muscle is bad for your body. I don't dispute that, but I have not heard him say that it is no more bad for my body since I have cancer than it is for anybody else who is lifting weights. And please note, I'm not trying to become a Hulk Hogan. I don't kill myself in the weight room; I just want to tone down and get some definition.
I'm a parent of a child dx'd leukemia who had a bone marrow transplant.
Based on our experience: follow your doctor's orders for now.
I have no idea what specific protocol you were on, but chemo drugs do affect soft tissue and bone, making them much weaker than 'normal'. If you have had any edema [lymphodema - water retention] you may be at even higher risk of doing yourself even greater damage.
Our plan was to let the body rebuild itself starting with a sound foundation. This takes time and discipline - not doing too much too fast. At this point you should allow yourself about 3 [three] times as much time as anyone else your age/gender.
The reason for this slow pace is that not only are you out of condition because you haven't exercised for some time, but your body has also sustained considerable damage. You can't see the damage, but it is there. You've probably lost considerable bone density, and depending on the specific chemo regimen you were on, most of your muscles are susceptible to lactic acid overproduction. Plus, many chemo drugs are cardio-toxic, reduced pulmonary function...
Furthermore, your body's regenerative ability has been damaged at least partially. This means that it takes your body longer to replace worn out cells/tissues. And, it may also mean that the first few cells/tissues may be of lower quality.
Lastly, are you sure that you are still able to recognize your own fatigue so that you are able to exert yourself only to a safe limit. This was one of the most difficult things our child had to relearn. Anyone who's undergone extensive chemo seems to have developed a resistance to pain and fatigue. Probably because of having to have lived with pain and fatigue for so long, it became 'normal'.
So the scenario is - weakened body and reduced ability to self-monitor [pain/fatigue awareness]. This sounds like a prescription for damage.
BTW, don't ignore flexibility and range of movement exercises [e.g. the gentler versions of yoga]. This will help the pulmonary system, won't overwork the cardiac muscle, and will help you regain your physical sense of balance [you're at high risk of fractures at this point] as well as improve your ability to monitor the condition of your muscles.
Good luck,
Jay
[This message has been edited by Jay Tor (edited 04-20-2002).]
Thanks Jay, your advice hasn't fallen on deaf ears. One question concerning the weakened body: will I always be like this the rest of my life? I'm in my 20's and want to live the rest of my life as "normal" as possible. Meaning I want to become more active, follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, etc. Will I never be able to do this? Or is this just a phase my body is going through? If so, how long can I expect this to last?
I'm asking because sometimes the best therapy is simply doing the things that make you enjoy life (as long as those things are healthy). I'm so thankful that I'm considered in remission, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a bubble. I sure don't feel fatigued, ache, or anything. When I feel fatigued working out re-energizes me.
My doctor told me to do all the cardio exercising I wanted. He just told me I shouldn't lift weights because it damages muscles. Well, that's what lifting weights does... it tears muscles in the healthiest of people so the muscle can heal tighter. I didn't know if he realized that. But you gave a very thought out reason why I shouldn't that my doctor didn't provide, and it makes sense to me and I appreciate that. I will stay away from lifting for the time being. I just hope this doesn't last the rest of my life. I would like to get back to doing the things I like to do... lifting weights being one of them.
Your ONC has a very narrow focus - try not to blame him for it, he has to because just the treatment of cancer is very complicated. If at all possible, try to get a referral to a physiotherapist specializing in post-cancer care/recovery. Some of the medical schools have joint medical-surgical-physiotherapy clinics.
Another option is to find out what type of physiotherapy prominent professional athletes undertook to get back into shape after their cancer. Just be careful to match diagnoses/treatments with your own situation/sport. Some professional athletes have their own Web pages discussing this. Or, contact your sport's professional/amateur association, esp. if they have a medical committee specific to your sport.
Will you ever lift weights again - yes, but not for some time. How long depends on the type of cancer, treatment[s], post-cancer meds, etc. Some treatments have very long lasting influences on the body. Give yourself at least 6 months before resuming training if you're completely off meds; longer, if you're still on any meds.
When you do resume weight training, pls go slowly - allow yourself more time than a 'normal' 20-something would need. In some ways your body has aged about 10-20 years, depending on your cancer therapy, esp. if you've been on prednisone. The prednisone side-effects alone can take 4 to 6 months to completely disappear, and this is if you've only taken them short-term [under 2 months].
Check all your meds on MedLinePlus to see what organs are targeted by each med as well as each med's side-effects and drug/food-interactions. For example, any cardio-toxic chemo med would mean that your heart muscle sustained some damage. This means that you need to be extra careful for some time to not over-exert your heart. Do the complete organ/tissue list - kidneys, liver, lungs, bones, etc.
Muscle-tearing for muscle building - yes, I know that is how muscle building usually works. The problem is that your body is not yet 'normal'. Right now if you shred any muscle, it is not likely to rebuild itself properly. Instead you just might end up with excessive scarring [non-functional tissue]. Pls try to be patient. The walking suggestion is probably the best one for overall health and recovery. You need weight-bearing exercise to minimize bone damage [osteoporosis] as well as some mild/moderate aerobic activity for your vascular and pulmonary systems.
Suggest you try ACOR - this is a non-profit online organization with different support groups for different cancers. The participants are cancer patients, their families/friends. A good place to get information the HEM/ONCs can't give you such as coping with side-effects and getting back to normal life.
exercising after cancer... your thoughts 
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