Lifting Weights on Chemo

Training Training Logs
261

[quote]Lift and Eat wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
Thanks guys, I always enjoy your comments.

Less than ideal night. Woke up shaking and feverish then collapsed / passed out on my way back from the bathroom. So I’m now in hospital on antibiotic and fluid drips. Hopefully they figure out what’s wrong with me nice and fast so I can go home.[/quote]

Maybe you picked up some kind of infection, hopefully the antibiotics etc will help. Hope you’re feeling better soon mate. Try not to pig out on the hosp food ;)[/quote]

Yeah it turns out I have a chest infection. For normal people it’d be no big deal but due to the chemo I got mad fevers and dehydration as a result.
Anyway the antibiotics appear to be working so I’m likely to be released tomorrow. Trying to view it as an impromptu deload haha

262

I would also suggest a counselor. I actually got referred to one when I was sick and it was nice to have someone to kind of vent to. The guy I went to was someone who dealt with chronic pain himself so he understood where I was coming from. Fwiw I am also not the kind of guy that would want to go and talk to someone about my problems. However, I am glad I did and I was able to take away some lasting advice for dealing with adversity in life. In all honesty it can’t hurt to give it a shot.

263

Or when you start to feel stressed or overwhelmed or anxiety just write. I kinda have kept an off and on journal on my laptop for the past 2 years and its honesty helped keep me sane. Anything from what you’re feeling to a cool thing you did that day helps you get stuff off your chest. Just trying to offer some suggestions man haha. Keep up the good work

264

[quote]bulkNcut wrote:
Just trying to offer some suggestions man haha. Keep up the good work [/quote]

Suggestions always welcome thanks! I have a mini journal I keep, plus obviously I rant and rave on here quite a lot haha.

Anyway I got released this evening with a 9-day antibiotic course.

I found my ward stay more difficult than usual as my 3 room mates were all terminally ill. One of them was an elderly lady who cried a lot and was constantly making phone calls trying to find someone to talk to, it was really sad and quite depressing.

While awaiting my ride home I watched The Blind Side, which cheered me up; awesome and uplifting movie. A nice break from my usual horror and dark drama haha.

They’ve stopped this cycle of chemo early as the oncologist believes I’ve reached a suitable level of toxicity already. So I get two weeks off! Then only 4 more total treatment weeks remaining. Awesome!

Anyway I feel like shit still, and I’ve been told to rest so no lifting today. Hopefully tomorrow :wink:

265

Glad you’re back home, hopefully you’ll feel better as the antibiotics kick in. Prob best if you let your body get on top of the infection a bit before training.

Will you also take some probiotics to help the friendly gut bacteria? I know you can buy the capsules or take yogurt, but I’m sure I also saw a study that said eating oats also increase good gut bacteria as well.

Yeh when my mum was in hosp I saw lots of elderly lady’s with dementia etc who often got upset when their relatives weren’t there or calling out for their dead husband etc, that was quite depressing too, esp when some of the nurses weren’t very sympathetic. I guess if you work in that environment you get a bit hardened to it, but still I think some of the nurses should have found another job…I did get into a few arguments with a couple lol.

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[quote]Lift and Eat wrote:
Glad you’re back home, hopefully you’ll feel better as the antibiotics kick in. Prob best if you let your body get on top of the infection a bit before training.

Will you also take some probiotics to help the friendly gut bacteria? I know you can buy the capsules or take yogurt, but I’m sure I also saw a study that said eating oats also increase good gut bacteria as well.

Yeh when my mum was in hosp I saw lots of elderly lady’s with dementia etc who often got upset when their relatives weren’t there or calling out for their dead husband etc, that was quite depressing too, esp when some of the nurses weren’t very sympathetic. I guess if you work in that environment you get a bit hardened to it, but still I think some of the nurses should have found another job…I did get into a few arguments with a couple lol.
[/quote]

Actually I’m a huge fan of probiotics. I have pro yoghurt with breakfast and pro greek yoghurt after dinner. Love the stuff!

Oats is a damn good suggestion. I hadn’t eaten them in a long time until my hospital stay and it reminded me how good they are.

Interestingly I noticed my nausea was FAR lower in hospital. Also noticed the food was all low fat. Coincidence? Well I’ve noticed my worst nausea bouts hit me after eating bacon or nuts… so it looks like a low fat diet may be on the cards for a while. Annoying for calorie consumption but hey I am sure I will manage.

268

I was going to rest today but I got frustrated so decided to jump back in.

Cycle 5 Week 3 Day 1
Greg Robins Bench + 531 5’s Progression
02-07-14

Bench (3 second pause first rep)
4 x 75kg
4 x 75
4 x 75
4 x 75
4 x 75

OHP BBB
10 x 30kg
10 x 30
10 x 30
10 x 30
10 x 30

Front Delts
8 x 10kg Pair
8 x 10
8 x 10

Side Delts
15 x 10kg Pair
13 x 10
13 x 10

Rear Delts
18 x 10kg Pair
12 x 10
10 x 10

Decline Skull Crushers
20 x 10kg Pair
13 x 10
11 x 10

Incline Hammer Curls
16 x 10kg Pair
14 x 10
12 x 10

I felt a little woozy, weak and weird during this but I am glad I did it.

269

Hit the wall hard last night, woozy head, heart palpitations, small fevers, so I think I should probably not lift today. But I might. We will see haha.

270

Cycle 5 Week 3 Day 2
Greg Robins Bench + 531 5’s Progression
03-07-14

Squat
5 x 85kg
5 x 95
5 x 107.5

SLDL
10 x 50kg
10 x 55
10 x 60
10 x 55
10 x 50

Single Leg Calf Raise
20 x 20kg
20 x 20
20 x 20

Didn’t feel ideal but I got everything done, which makes me happy. Hopefully no more fevers and shit tonight!

271

Cycle 5 Week 3 Day 3
Greg Robins Bench + 531 5’s Progression
04-07-14

Floor Press (1 second pause)
4 x 62.5kg
4 x 62.5
4 x 62.5
4 x 62.5

Bench Row
10 x 50kg
10 x 52.5
10 x 55
10 x 52.5
10 x 50

DB OHP
25 x 10kg Pair
18 x 12.5
12 x 15
8 x 17.5
8 x 20

Skull Crushers
15 x 12.5kg Pair
20 x 12.5
15 x 12.5

Curls
15 x 12.5kg Pair
12 x 12.5
12 x 12.5

Pretty good session. Still quite sick but I can now feel improvement. Funnily enough I’m feeling better psychologically, maybe just because I have my freedom back after hospital haha. But yeah not really dwelling on dark things, which is awesome.
Scheduled for counselling in about 2 weeks’ time, as they’re really busy.

Looking forward to the weekend :slight_smile:

Bodyweight: 80.5kg

272

Cycle 5 Week 3 Day 4
Greg Robins Bench + 531 5’s Progression
06-07-14

Pin Press
1 x 75kg
1 x 75
1 x 75
1 x 75
1 x 75
1 x 75

OHP
5 x 37.5kg
5 x 42.5
5 x 47.5

Chins
15 underhand
10 hammer
8 overhand

SS with Dips
10, 8, 8

BB Curl
8 x 30kg
8 x 30
6 x 30

273

Cycle 5 Week 3 Day 5
Greg Robins Bench + 531 5’s Progression
07-07-14

Squat
3 x 80kg
3 x 90
3 x 100

Deadlift
5 x 70kg
5 x 80
5 x 90

Single Leg Calf Raise
20 x 20kg
20 x 20
20 x 20

Man, really not feeling good today. Just weak and shitty all over, but I got the required lifts done and I am glad for it.

I looked back at my old training logs and felt a bit grim when comparing my physique and strength to how I am today, but I will refocus in a positive manner and use these for inspiration. I’m trying to go over them and see what has worked for me in the past, to perhaps help me plan my post-chemo training…
which is only 6 weeks away now. Including just 4 on-chemo weeks. Crazy

BW: 80.7kg

274

Keep killing it brother.

Cancer is just fucked for everyone involved. My dad hung around for one year after his stage IV lung cancer diagnosis, and it was a helluva ride. You seem to be navigating this just about as well as it can be done, but I figured I’d offer you a few lessons learned from my family’s experience.

Some people like to talk about cancer. Some people get sick of cancer talk. When my mom was coping with my dad’s illness, she would “make the rounds” almost daily, repeating the latest update to person after person. It kept her occupied, but it took a toll on her. It took a toll on me as well, because the conversations were never easy or routine.

In hindsight, I think she would have done well to keep a cancer blog with all of the latest updates and just let everyone read them for themselves there. Repeating the same news over and over again was very difficult and very time-consuming. But then again, she liked to talk to everyone on the phone. That’s still her style.

I almost never talked cancer with my dad. He lived in Florida and hated the heat, so he loved to hear about life in Maine. My brother had the spontaneous emotional breakdowns covered and I knew he didn’t need any of that from me, so I just tried to stay strong and keep the focus on life. We had a lot of great conversations that year.

So what’s the right amount of cancer talk and who are the right people to be having it with? That’s up to you. You are clearly giving that complex matter some thought, so good for you. One thing I learned is that if you are going to ask someone with cancer “How are you doing?”, you had better be ready to listen to the answer. Not everyone is, but the professionals most definitely are.

Long story short, I think you are a model fighter. Keep facing it head-on, stay strong and keep owning the situation like you have been.

Also, pot brownies did wonders for my father’s mood and appetite. But that’s a whole other can of worms now, isn’t it?

275

Thanks for sharing that bro, good insight into two very different ways of handling a shitty situation.

When first diagnosed I was ringing and texting everyone trying to empty my head by talking about it constantly. I guess as I got accustomed to the reality, I slowly turned it more internal. Now I still talk about key events with a couple of close family members and friends, but on a day to day basis I don’t mention it.

Two things keep me distracted and sane: Lifting, and my dog. I have a really sweet routine where I finish work, walk Ghost, come home and lift, then work on some beats and eat dinner.

Also this training log gives me a great place to empty my head where I know people read it but not everybody interacts. It’s comforting in a weird way, knowing random people are following my progress and occasionally stopping in to wish me well. Actually I speak more about how I feel than anywhere else, even to my girlfriend.

Haha on the pot brownies! Been there and done that - a lot - many years ago. And let’s say, gateway was the key word in my case. I will have to make do with the curative effects of fish and exercise!

Cheers again for the great read.

~Jay

276

Cycle 6 Week 1 Day 1
Greg Robins Bench + 531 5’s Progression
09-07-14

Bench (2 second pause first rep)
4 x 85kg
4 x 85
4 x 85
4 x 85

OHP BBB
8 x 30kg
8 x 32.5
8 x 35
8 x 37.5
8 x 40

Front Delts
10 x 12.5kg Pair
10 x 12.5
10 x 12.5

Side Delts
10 x 12.5kg Pair
10 x 12.5
10 x 12.5

Rear Delts
10 x 12.5kg Pair
10 x 12.5
10 x 12.5

Decline Skull Crushers
10 x 12.5kg Pair
10 x 12.5
10 x 12.5

Incline Hammer Curls
10 x 12.5kg Pair
10 x 12.5
10 x 12.5

I felt pretty solid through this workout, antibiotics have done their job and I actually feel healthy in general. Still a little woozy and weak but a big improvement on days recently past!

I have 6 more days off chemo and start again next Tuesday. Well, I will be having a meeting with the oncologist to determine what the next step is. I am guessing they will recommend continuing the final two cycles but on a lower dose. Probably 2+2 pills. But we will see!

5 weeks and 5 days until I finish entirely. Wow.

277

Well I must chuckle as today I cannot train. Not because of chemo or chest infection or fatigue or nausea. Because I’ve injured my knee haha. I went to squat and bam! Tried to train through it without much success. I took the dog for a hike the other day - my first long walk since the operation and it must have tweaked something. Not to worry, benching tomorrow!

278

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
Well I must chuckle as today I cannot train. Not because of chemo or chest infection or fatigue or nausea. Because I’ve injured my knee haha. I went to squat and bam! Tried to train through it without much success. I took the dog for a hike the other day - my first long walk since the operation and it must have tweaked something. Not to worry, benching tomorrow![/quote]

Isn’t it always the way, when lifting is going well you injure yourself doing something completely unrelated! As you say probably just a tweak which will heal up with a little care.

279

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
However I’ve decided to see one of the Cancer Society counselors next week. This is not really my cup of tea but I’ve been having some fairly down thoughts lately and I think it’s unfair to dump it on my girlfriend, family, nurse etc.

One of the things I struggle with is I KNOW I’m in a “good odds” category. But sometimes I just crumble when I think about the stats and possibilities. I think it’s starting to play on my mind more as I’m nearing the end of chemo (51 days) and I know there will be scans upon completion. Then I will sort of be out of the medical system apart from check ups etc.

I think this end in sight is quite daunting, despite the fact I’m excited about returning to normal life.
[/quote]

You should go talk to a professional.

My mom didn’t really mention her cancer to any of our extended family member until close to a year after she got her diagnosis. She said she didn’t want to worry her family and my dad’s family.

But when she did tell them, the fact that they seemingly took it lightly and didn’t do much to support her really struck her hard. I mean, REALLY hard. She doesn’t talk about it much, but now she doesn’t want to do much with our extended family members anymore. Before this she felt great affection for most of our extended family members. Not anymore.

Point being- Cancer, and facing your own possible mortality, is a very scary prospect. I can’t even imagine how frightening it must be.

I think it’s incredibly important that you find someone that you can talk to about concerning your thoughts and your fears, and hopefully that person can give you the support you need. My parents converted to Christianity shortly after the diagnosis, and I believe my mom did so because she felt great support and love from a particular pastor she met. I don’t know if that was the right thing to do, but I do feel indebted to that pastor for giving my mom the support she needed at dark times.

Oh, and I do think you should let your loved ones at least know that you are having such thoughts. It does no one any good to bury emotions.

280

[quote]magick wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
However I’ve decided to see one of the Cancer Society counselors next week. This is not really my cup of tea but I’ve been having some fairly down thoughts lately and I think it’s unfair to dump it on my girlfriend, family, nurse etc.

One of the things I struggle with is I KNOW I’m in a “good odds” category. But sometimes I just crumble when I think about the stats and possibilities. I think it’s starting to play on my mind more as I’m nearing the end of chemo (51 days) and I know there will be scans upon completion. Then I will sort of be out of the medical system apart from check ups etc.

I think this end in sight is quite daunting, despite the fact I’m excited about returning to normal life.
[/quote]

You should go talk to a professional.

My mom didn’t really mention her cancer to any of our extended family member until close to a year after she got her diagnosis. She said she didn’t want to worry her family and my dad’s family.

But when she did tell them, the fact that they seemingly took it lightly and didn’t do much to support her really struck her hard. I mean, REALLY hard. She doesn’t talk about it much, but now she doesn’t want to do much with our extended family members anymore. Before this she felt great affection for most of our extended family members. Not anymore.

Point being- Cancer, and facing your own possible mortality, is a very scary prospect. I can’t even imagine how frightening it must be.

I think it’s incredibly important that you find someone that you can talk to about concerning your thoughts and your fears, and hopefully that person can give you the support you need. My parents converted to Christianity shortly after the diagnosis, and I believe my mom did so because she felt great support and love from a particular pastor she met. I don’t know if that was the right thing to do, but I do feel indebted to that pastor for giving my mom the support she needed at dark times.

Oh, and I do think you should let your loved ones at least know that you are having such thoughts. It does no one any good to bury emotions.[/quote]

That’s a pretty sad story bro. I think as a patient you have to allow a lot of tolerance when it comes to peoples’ reaction when they discuss it as it’s a tough subject and pretty awkward for an outsider.

I mean you’re talking about a subject which has a life threatening connotation to the other conversation participant. Pretty intense!

I actually prefer when people are somewhat light hearted about it, as the conversation tends to not be so bleak. The best reassurance has been from people who congratulate me on my efforts, then say I’ll be sweet as, not even worried about it.

But yeah you’re right and I have the appointment in hand. Temptation now I’ve cheered up is to ditch it, but I know how easy it is to slip into darkness so I will be attending as planned.

Cheers and I hope your mum is doing well these days :slight_smile: