Part 2

Thriving After Breast Cancer: Essential Healing Exercises for Body and Mind
by Sherry Lebed Davis, Stephanie Gunning

(Page 2 of 3)

If you feel indications such as tingling and a tightness or fullness in your fingers, hands, arms, or chest, you should seek your doctor's attention and ask for a referral to see a lymphedema specialist. Lymphedema is incurable, painful, and sometimes leads to complications. It is a sign that your immune system has been compromised. Skin redness and the rapid onset of swelling, discomfort, and/or fever are signs of a possible infection, which must be evaluated as soon as possible. A certified lymphedema therapist can be a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, or a massage therapist who has trained in complete decongestive therapy. The National Lymphedema Network provides suggestions to the public on choosing a lymphedema therapist. You can call, write, or e-mail them to receive the information (see Resources).

The National Lymphedema Network has developed a comprehensive list of eighteen steps to prevent and control lymphedema. You should ask your doctor or a lymphedema therapist to review and discuss the list with you. Regular gentle exercise stimulates circulation and reroutes fluid to healthy pathways. It is therefore a key component of successful management.

A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST OR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST Particularly when you're starting a new form of exercise, it is often advisable to seek the guidance of a physical or occupational therapist to help you overcome your challenges and monitor your progress. As you work through the Focus on Healing program, these trained professionals will know how to address your unique clinical needs. Your physician can give you a referral to a specialist.

An appropriate therapist must have experience working with other breast cancer survivors and understand your risk for lymphedema. Do not go to anyone without experience in the field. Before choosing a physical or occupational therapist review the Eighteen Steps to Prevent Lymphedema with the therapist and make sure your concerns are understood. Also ask the therapist to have a conversation with your surgeon.

SETTING YOUR OWN PACE No one can know your body as well as you, therefore you must set your own pace. If you feel pain, stop at once. Pain is an indicator that you are doing too much. Don't listen to the old adage "no pain, no gain." Focus on Healing is not based on this bad advice. When you are doing the exercises in this book I want you to concentrate on feeling better than you already do, not worse.

Likewise, if you feel out of breath, take a rest for a few moments or call it a day. Work only to the point where you become fatigued, and no further. Then stop and rest. Should you go past the point of fatigue, you may end up feeling exhausted at the end of the program. Whereas if you stop before you become fatigued, you will likely feel more energized. You don't have to prove to anyone that you are Wonder Woman. The goal here is to make steady, confident progress.

Please be patient and gentle with yourself. I promise you, your strength and endurance can and will increase over time. The human body is amazing. When it is called upon to work it musters resources to make the movements possible. Then it keeps a muscular memory of how it adapted to the challenge. So as long as you keep moving your body on a regular basis, it will continue to perform at the peak of its abilities.

Part of the program is aerobic, which means that you will find yourself breathing harder and that your heart rate has speeded up. It is a good idea to ask your doctor, a trained physical therapist, or another exercise professional to help you determine your target heart rate. This is the number of heartbeats per minute that you should reach but not exceed, and it depends on your age, weight, and level of fitness. It is different for everyone. You should take your pulse at intervals during the workouts to check how you are doing.

To check your heart rate, place two fingers flat against the inside of your wrist (your radial pulse point) or in the groove under your jaw (your carotid pulse point). You will know you're in the right spot if you feel a slight throbbing. Count the pulses for ten seconds, and then multiply the number by six. This is your actual heart rate.

When your actual heart rate is higher than your target heart rate, you should slow down or take a rest for a moment. When it is lower, you have the option of working harder should you choose to do so. Other indications that you are working too hard include shortness of breath long after you stop exercising or feeling undue fatigue and soreness long after exercise.

HOW TO DRESS FOR WORKING OUT There are no special outfits required to do this program. All you need are loose-fitting clothes and comfortable shoes without heels. Even doing the exercises barefoot is okay.

If you have a prosthetic breast form, you should wear it during the workouts. In order to develop a strong sense of balance, it is important to exercise the same way that you walk around in your daily life. If you have lymphedema, you must wear your sleeve to help keep your swelling under control.

Copyright © 2002 by Sherry Lebed Davis with Stephanie Gunning.

About the Author

Sherry Lebed Davis became a professional dancer at the age of fifteen. She now devotes her time to spreading the word about "Focus on Healing," lecturing and leading classes at hospitals around the country. Her work has garnered wide media attention, including "Weekend Today" and People magazine. She lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington.