Hello everyone,iv been coming here along time but i think this is my first posting. I am in the beginner section although i have been lifting for quite afew years although i was always trying to head for the bruce lee look rather than huge size.
I did start to want to add alittle bit more as i was getting older and managed to put abit of size on,nothing extraordinary,im 5 ft 9 and 12 1/2stone.
It sounds quite easy so far but recently i found out i had cancer,a rare version (only 50-80 cases a year in the u.k) of one in the thyroid gland and about 50 other glands in the neck area which were all removed during an operation.
This was about 2months ago,since then iv had a feeding tube put into my stomach as i have radiotherapy for 6 weeks and may not be able to eat at some point. I am 4 weeks in and still managing to eat without soreness.
The operation killed alot of the nerve endings in my upper right side,i still have no feeling on the right side of my face,ear,upper chest,upper back,trap to the edge of my shoulder,for afew weeks i could only move my right arm afew inches and even now i cant fully extend it about my head and can manage about 5 partial reps with no weight before its had it.
I take thyroxine as a thyroid replacement to stop me becoming tired and this works fairly well although combined with radiotherapy some days i feel like iv got an extra 50pounds on each leg. Has anyone come across anyone else with this?
Would doing some light lifting help?i know there are some real top people on here and iv read how lifting helps some patients or should i just be leaving it for now,resting,getting some physiotherapy to try and get some life into my right side and getting back to the weights when im 100%. Im hoping this doesnt sound like too stupider question,thanks for you time
I really do not have any experience training somone with this condition although, I have family memebrs who are on thyroid support and my grandmother (I think) had her thyroid removed.
I wish I could offer better advice but, I can only offer my support at this time and congradulate you on overcoming something terrible and having the courage to come back.
I know the basics about what thyroid does in the body and I am familiar with nutrition protocols for suppots of the thyroid gland but, I don’t know much about any training restrictions you may face. Best of luck!! You are an inspiration to the rest of us!!
I’m guessing they have physical therapists where you are being treated? With your weakened state I wouldn’t worry about any type of lifting. instead you should speak to a physical therapist and they will help bring your strength level back up.
However, if you are so weak right now because of your current treatment you might not need a pt and just wait till after treatment has stopped to resume (very slowly) excercising.
Also, talk to your doctor about the limitations of your thyroid replacement mediciine. Overdoing it will not help or your body will just shut down and you won’t gain any muscle or strength. Right now your limitation is on diet and nutrition so see if there is a good nutritionist on staff at the hospital (there should be). Good luck
Thanks for the replies everyone, i am on quite a high thyroid replacement drug as obviously i no longer have one. I wasnt feeling tired at all with that, its the radiotherapy that causes the tiredness but i only have 2 weeks to go
I did briefly see a physiotherapist who gave me one exercise which was walking my fingers up a wall, im hoping there will be more to it than that which is why i popped on here to see if i could kickstart into action myself with anyones advice.
Obviously its a difficult rare thing that not many people will come across, the nerve endings can take 2 years to grow back and sometimes not at all, i was thinking along the lines of pushing it hard may shock it back to life.
I do also see a nutritionist and im not allowed to lose any weight which is meaning muscle disappears and is replaced with fat,another reason why id like to get back to lifting. I do take one supplement called ensure plus,a food for special medical purposes to help my maintain weight. Its basically 220ml 330 cals, 14g protein,44carb and 10g fat with lots of vitamins and minerals,this is something i have to have.
Thankyou all again for the replies,looking at it i should probably not be training unless anyone can offer anything different,ill stick to afew press ups on my knees,i can manage afew of those
Sorry about no paragraphs in the first post,did someone edit it? Im rubbish at typing.
