I have a question for some of you who might have gone through chemotherapy while trying to maintain some level of fitness. I was diagnosed with stage III-A colon cancer back in June, and immediately went through the bowel resection surgery to remove the tumor. The outlook is very good for complete recovery and long term survival. I’m currently undergoing six months of FOLFOX VI adjuvant (follow-up) chemotherapy.
Prior to the cancer, I typically did 6-9 hours of bike and run workouts per week while training for duathlon, running, and cyclocross events. My chemo regime will last until the middle of December, and I hope to maintain some level of bike and run conditioning and be ready to jump back into base training in January. My oncologist is fairly adamant about “no serious training†while taking the chemo. I’m 60 and have been competing for 30 + years. Have any of you been through this type of situation, and if so how much training did you do? Any feedback would be appreciated!
The only feedback I can provide is to wish you good luck in your recovery. Your health comes first. Personally, I would make beating cancer goal number 1. Nonetheless, good luck in your recovery and return to training (whenever that may be).
I was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in 2005 and underwent 2 years of intense chemo during which my bowels perforated (from the chemo, steroids etc) and I had to have part of my small intestine removed (three bowel surgeries in 7 months). I was unable to race, but keeping fit and staying in shape was a huge part of my mental well being. I started regular riding and running about 8 months into my treatment, couldn’t swim due to hickman line in my chest. My hemoglobin was very low, so my heart rate was high and my oncologist told me to not push myself and to be careful of any efforts that would drain me. Your immune system is so important and you have to protect it. It was difficult for me to take it easy as on the days I felt good enough as I just wanted to do more. I learned to pace myself and to not push to hard and as soon as I started feeling tired I would stop. My advice is listen to your body, see what your blood work is showing and don’t push to hard. Just enjoy it when you can and once your done your treatments then you can start going longer and harder.
having not had cancer, i’m certainly no expert. i would try to protect your immune system and only ride as an outlet; go joyriding, do stuff strictly for fun rather than for training. you’ll whip back into shape quickly afterwards i bet.
Three years ago I went through chemo for testicular cancer. I too thought that I’d try to train through the chemo. I was wrong. The chemo knocked me on my ass and there was no way I could keep training.
Every chemo is different and everyone reacts differently to their treatment. But I’d go with your doctor’s recommendation to not train. Training puts your body under stress and effects both your immunity and your blood count. You’ll need both for your chemo treatment.
All chemo’s are not the same. Different meds, different patients, different levels of side effects. You’re 6 months in and still itching to work out? That’s a pretty damn good thing! Sounds like you’ve had the ‘need(want) to train’ talk with the Doc. Short of his direct orders for you to lie on the couch, do what you love. You know the risks, and you probably know your limits. EZ does it, and you will be surprised how many days you can get in. When I first started tri’s, a mentor told me that a newbie should always feel like he could’ve done so much more when he finishes a workout. That’s a healthy newbie. But, maybe that’s the way you should step back with training. Make a decision to get back to the car/house feeling like you could’ve done more. That might help you stay fit and have something in the tank for your daily battles, and tomorrow’s workout!
Bill, have you done any training? I hope you’re doing better than I am. Chemo is kicking my ass.
I started Xeldoa for 2A colon cancer about 3 months ago after colon resection. I don’t think I ever really recovered from the surgery.
The day before the surgery I rode for a couple of hours pretty hard. Hills, sprints, the whole shebang. But today chemo broke me, as I went from running to walking. Walking is boring. I’m 31 and used to be “that fit guy”. Now I’m way overfat, slow, and cranky. I had no idea how little you have to eat when you can’t train. What a drag.
Sorry if that’s a bit of a cancer rant, but I’m fed up with this.
I’m not sure that I would describe my post-surgery (and during chemo) workouts as “trainingâ€. The approach that I’m taking is to do some exercise every day to (1) remain sane and (2) because the research shows that moderate exercise during treatment improves survival rates. However, the workouts that I’m doing during chemo are a gnat on a buffalo’s butt compared to what I was doing before (* and will do again when the treatments are completed). I recovered from the colon resection fairly quickly, but the every other week cycles of FOLFOX VI chemo are making life a little unpleasant.
One coping strategy that I’m using is to leverage my temporary setback as something that can use to benefit other people. Since I already work with groups of fitness beginners and I also write a column for the local newspaper, I decided to use my “starting over†situation as an example for people who are just beginning a workout program or who my be coming back from a serious illness. Here’s a link to the first column in the “starting over†series: http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/jul/24/building-fitness-back-up/.
I’m also finding that being weaker and slower encourages me to do activities that I haven’t done for a while … things like easy “sandals†rides with my family, hiking instead of trail running, and walk/jog workouts with novice runners. My workout last night was a one hour easy mountain bike ride with a grown daughter and my eight year old grandson. I’m still keeping a training log … got to see that improvement slope on the graph.
The bottom line is that you and I have to go through this … no choice. It’s temporary, it will pass, and so we simply do a little moderate exercise each day to remain sane and stay healthy. Hope this rant helps ……… !
Bill C,
Just a quick reply.
I went through chemo treatment for a grade 3 and a bit of 4 oligodendrioglioma-astrocytoma (or something like that) Brain Tumor just 5 years ago. I was working just about full time and then going to coach high school XC with some of my radiation treatments in between work and practice and taking oral chemo. I had to skip a few days when the nausea was too much, but otherwise I was able to do it all. Some days I’d do a small “workout” just to get outside and some days I didn’t. It did wonders for my well-being and stamina. I was able to handle treatment pretty well I think. Some days it would be just 10 minutes of lifting weights. I suspect if I wasn’t coaching and not working I would have done a lot more. Anyway, I am all for your attitude of working out through your treatment. It sounds like we both agree. I wish I could give you more input that that. Good luck.
Dan
Not to get personal or anything but when I read/hear these stories I often wonder how people came to discover they had it. I wonder how some discover things so early and others way too late. I applaud all of you for what you do, I cant imagine doing it. god bless you all
not too be too graphic, but if you’ve got blood in the bowl, and poop the diameter of a Sharpie it’s time to get checked. That’s how it is for colon cancer at least.
I finally went when the cramps were too strong to work out consistently.
My wife and I used to live in San Angelo. I was a minister at the Christian Campus Center at ASU. We ran with the Road Lizards out at the lake quite a bit and did the Tuesday night ride sometimes.
Hey Bill, I don’t have any experience with chemo but I do have a lot of positive karma to send your way. Concentrate on getting better and getting plenty of rest. Stay focused and listen to your Doc and I’m sure you’ll be back out there sooner than you think. Thanks for posting this.
well this is indeed a timely question. i just finished 6 months of FOLFOX to treat stage 3 colon cancer last wednesday!
i found initially i was not that bothered at all by the treatments, but by the end (about the last 3 or 4) i was absolutely exhausted while i was infusing (46 hours) and for a couple of days afterwards. it hit my running worst. the approach i took to training was 1 week on, 1 week off (so no training during infusion weeks during which i always felt like crap, and training as much as i could during non-infusion weeks). my goal was to try and maintain some level of fitness and not pack on too much weight (yes, i actually GAINED almost 20 lbs during chemo). so the short answer is that you can do it. i won’t, however, blow smoke up your ass and tell you that it’s fun. your family and loved ones will be there for you. take advantage of them and lean on them when you need to (and you will need to at some point). and you can tell them that studies have shown moderate levels of exercise will help you, not hurt you.
as far as jumping back into base training right after you’re done, my oncologist quoted me “4-6 months” before my body will be fully recovered from the beating it took from the chemo. it’s nasty stuff!
if you’d like to discuss anything else, feel free to pm me and i’ll give you my e-mail address. i’d be happy to support you from a distance in any way i can. you’ll get through it fine. it will me tough at times, but like i said, when the people around you reach out don’t be too proud to accept what they’re offering.
wonder bread - don’t get too down on yourself. i just finished and am in HORRIBLE shape compared to when all this started (november 14th last year). i just keep reminding myself i was in horrible shape when i first started training and doing tri’s 10 years ago and i’m still not in as bad shape now as i was then! : )
the chemo sucks, yes, but it will be done soon enough (i know it probably doesn’t feel that way right now, but it will) and you can get back to your training. triathlon isn’t going anywhere. it will still be around when you’re ready to go back.
take advantage of the forced downtime to enjoy other things you neglect while training. we all have corners we cut and things we compromise to get all those long swims, rides and runs in. go back to those things and pay some attention to them now.
i’m going to stop now because i’m starting to sound like a damn self-help book. keep your chin up. you’ll be fine!
thank you so much for that. When you wrote that you gained 20 lbs I thought “whew, not just me”. I swear I will never make fun of fat people in tri shorts again. I repent.
I woke up in the hospital after my wife found me going through seizures while I was sleeping. They did an MRI which showed I had a tumor. They thought it was benign but then after 3-4 biopsies and opinions I went from grade 3 to 4 to 2 to 3 and a bit of 4 after three weeks.
That was my second bout of seizures. The first apparently happened a 2 months ago while I was sleeping. I overslept (as you’d expect) with torn up and bloody magazines on the floor by my bed. (I must have fallen out of bed and torn them up through the ordeal.) My mouth was like it went through a meat grinder and my jaw was so sore. I had a hard time standing up and I was so, so , so very tired. I drove myself to work and worked the rest of the day really confused and definitely tired. No losing PTO over being a little tired! If I only knew then what I know now!