Living in Limbo

I have survived what is arguably the hardest week post infusion:  Week One.  It wasn't always pretty, I'm no superhero, but I persevered, kept moving forward (literally) and am feeling better every single day.

My infusion was Tuesday.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I was whipped.  No appetite, lost a little too much weight, and had to force myself to get out and move.  Moving helped.  There is something about sweating out those toxins that makes you feel just a little bit better.  But, I was also really tired so I figured I would listen to my body and sleep.  And sleep I did; probably on average 14 hours each of those days.  By Saturday, things were starting to turn around and Shannon and I did a very slooooow ride up Emigration Canyon.  The morning air was cool and it felt amazing to be on the bike.

Sunday I decided to incorporate a little bit of weightbearing into my workout so we took Dizzy for a mountain hike.

Chemo, in addition to my other cancer treatments, wreaks havoc on bone health and I will be subsequently incorporating more weightbearing into my health routine.  By Monday, I had enough energy to go for a mellow mountain bike ride and get through the day without a nap.  It actually felt like quite the accomplishment!

The other thing that happened this week, I discovered NadaMoo.

Like I mentioned, the first few days I was having a really hard time eating.  Everything tasted horrible, but for some reason, maybe because it is so darn hot out, ice cream sounded appealing.  Searching for a dairy alternative ice cream at Whole Foods I came across NadaMoo.  While not nutritionally dense, the ingredient list is short and acceptable, and I needed some calories.  Holy cow, this stuff is gooooooood!

I digress.  Back to chemo....

Having been through chemo before, I know what I am in for.  As I watch the world move forward around me, I will be living in limbo.  It looks something like this:  Have an infusion. Get kicked down.  Hard. Start to feel better.  Do it all over once again.  Despite the ugly cycle of cancer treatment, I have high hopes to stay fit and healthy throughout!  I am resilient!  Exercise helps me stay resilient! I can get through this!

As an athlete, I document my daily workouts.  Not only does this help me stay on track to meet my fitness goals, but it is useful when reflecting back and figuring out what worked and didn't work.  As I go through treatment, I will continue to document all of my workouts and share it right here on my blog.  Not only will this add some normalcy to my life-I've been documenting workouts since 2004!- I hope that it will help me stay on track and perhaps help others going through treatment as well.

So, here it is:  Infusion One (of 4).  Week One.

Date:	Workout:	Total workout time:	Energy  (1-10):	Notes:
7/16 (infusion)	Morning run: 30 minutes Core: 30 minutes MTB ride: 30 minutes	1.5 hours	10	Early morning run w/ Dizzy.  Core workout prior to riding to Huntsman for infusion
7/17	Ride bike to run errands: 30 mins	30 mins	4	Poor appetite.  Tired.
7/18	Walk: 30 minutes Stretch: 15 minutes	45 minutes	3	Poor appetite.  Tired.
7/19	Easy spin: 30 minutes Walk: 30 minutes	1 hour	4	Poor appetite.  Tired.
7/20	Road ride: 1.5 hours	1.5 hours	5	A little more energy today.  Mellow ride up Emigration Canyon.
7/21	Hike: 1.25 hours Yoga: 30 minutes	1.75 hours	5	Appetite improving.
7/22	MTB ride: 1.75 hours	1.75 hours	6	More energy.  No nap needed today.  Had acupuncture at Huntsman.
	Total hours:	8.25 hours

On a lighter note, I bought this amazing lounge chair with hopes of relaxing on our back porch and watching the sun set.  My little Dizzy seems to think it is pretty amazing too.  Little stinker can be found lounging EVERY SINGLE DAY!  The tough life of a lazy hound puppy!