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kellyirvin

Member
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
12
Reason
DX UMND/PLS
Diagnosis
11/2015
Country
US
State
Texas
City
San Antonio
Hi, I'm Kelly Irvin. I was diagnosed with primary lateral sclerosis in November 2015 and ovarian cancer in January 2016. The latter has taken a front seat on the health front but now that I've further along in my treatment I'm back to thinking about PLS and those ramifications. I see an excellent neurologist who is director of the regional ALS Clinic in South Texas so I feel blessed to have top notch medical care. That doesn't keep me from feeling frustrated over their responses "don't fatigue muscles," "conserve energy," "eat more," etc., when I was an extremely active, healthy person only a year ago. Looking forward to seeing how others cope. Thanks.
 
Welcome, Kelly, and so sorry about your double whammy. While it is true that exercising to true fatigue is not wise, it is possible to line up your activity and diet to preserve as much function as possible, and certainly the immune system in cancer aligns with health overall. I would also make sure that you are doing deep breathing 2-3x daily while exercising (even walking) as there is increasing evidence that respiratory and other muscular activity are mutually reinforcing.

Best,
Laurie
 
Thanks, Laurie. I walk everyday and doing stretching/ROM exercises. When I am released by my surgeon, I will go back to the treadmill and stationary bicycle. Exercising helps release my stress and sleep better. Thanks for the tip about deep breathing. One day at a time!

Welcome, Kelly, and so sorry about your double whammy. While it is true that exercising to true fatigue is not wise, it is possible to line up your activity and diet to preserve as much function as possible, and certainly the immune system in cancer aligns with health overall. I would also make sure that you are doing deep breathing 2-3x daily while exercising (even walking) as there is increasing evidence that respiratory and other muscular activity are mutually reinforcing.

Best,
Laurie
 
Sorry to welcome you here Kelly!
 
Thanks! I've already seen some advice that is helpful in regard to breathing exercises.
 
That's a heavy load to carry. Hopefully your treatment for cancer is almost (or is now!) done. Your fatigue must be something awful.

This is a great community for support and questions. Welcome!

Fiona
 
Welcome Kelly, great support here through the post so post often if ya want. Love ya chally
 
Thanks all! Right now my biggest challenge is trying to hang on to mobility while still recovering from surgery. I've started physical therapy and it's caused some surgery-related problems. I don't want to give up exercise, sit around, and feel like my body is turning into a lump. It's very hard for me to strike a balance. I was a very active person before all this happened and I have a bunch of workout equipment. I try not to whine, but this is what is on my mind!
 
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