Heart Healthy

Yesterday I finished my 145th chemo infusion in five years. People want to know how I’ve withstood so many of the worst chemos—you can tell how bad they are by hair loss. The worst ones kill fast growing cells which includes hair follicles. And I have no hair anywhere—eyelashes, brows, legs (they are soooo smooth, and other places I won’t name.) I’ve had 7 treatments of adriamycin and cytoxin which people call the red devil bc it’s so bad and its color is red after the red color derived from adriatic sea. However, the one I’m on now seems to be worse—trodelvy for its various side effects.

My secret? Honestly I think it’s bc I have a good heart. I exercised continuously but not excessively all my life. I stopped running a few years ago bc my knee was twinging and who needs a knee or hip replacement? So for a woman my age—68–I’m breaking a taboo giving my age and weight 125—my heart is still in great shape. Two local programs offer exercise to cancer patients cancer support community East Tn. (free)

https://cscet.gnosishosting.net/Events/Calendar

Or survivor fitness which offers scholarships for 12 week program with trainers.

https://survivorfitness.org/ or choose the y. And of course walking is free.

Also I have a wonderful family and friends who pray for and support me. Prayer alone won’t do it if you haven’t done the work. Heart failure is what kills many chemo patients. (Disclaimer: I know many who suffer from heart problems and can’t do these things. I do have some genetic links to heart failure myself. I’m just trying to answer the question of why I’ve survived for 5 years with my cancer which has a high mortality rate and I’m metastatic.

We exercise for many reasons—vanity, competition, fun, collegiality, endorphins—but I’ll give you another, if you want to survive a bad disease, exercise ahead of time. I still hike, do exercise classes and yoga even with neuropathy and limited range of motion in left arm (can’t raise it, “as in teacher call on me!”) and walk even if I don’t feel like it because many days I feel like crap. And those are my words of wisdom for today.

me after chemo yesterday.