Like other cancer patients, carcinoids must deal with treatments that sap the vitality. During treatment you often feel sicker than you did before treatment and you can feel sick and fatigued long after treatment has ceased. In carcinoids, this is compounded by the fact that the average patient is diagnosed at the age of 64 years. I got my diagnosis 2 days before my 64th birthday. In addition, you may feel a distinct loss of self-esteem.
How can we fight this? Numerous studies suggest that exercise and fitness are a key ingredient, both for fighting this malaise as well as living longer with our disease. If you can be a little more fit before your treatment starts, I believe that you will be able to deal with the sickness and fatigue of treatment a little better and that you will recover more quickly. This is my opinion and not proven that I know of, but isn’t it worth a try?
Certainly, studies have shown that you more easily defeat self-esteem issues and work better to overcome fatigue and pain with exercise. It can be difficult to get moving after treatment especially for those of us who are seniors already. For me, it has been very helpful.
Exercise does not have be doing the same boring thing day after day. I have reported elsewhere that I went camping and fishing a few weeks after my chemoembolization which had made me quite sick for over three weeks.
When fall/winter set in, I joined a gym (I had allowed myself to stop weight training several years prior) and started my weight training program again. Last Friday, I took my first 20 mile bike ride since the weather turned bad. I plan to keep riding. In bad weather I use the aerobic bikes at the gym. If I do not go to the gym or ride my bike (sometimes even if I do), I walk about an hour most days.
When you read the survivor stories on the web, you find that most them include trying to exercise. My belief is that we will usually survive longer and better if we work at our fitness levels and also learn to enjoy a little exercise.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Cyril Ball
I agree completely. My months of chemo were absolutely devastating physically. I have started jogging lately and have found it helps to clear my mind as well.
I’m a believer! you go!