Everyone’s recovery will be different, because every cancer experience is different. By sharing mine – and including the nuances along with the honesty – I hope to inspire others, and show that it’s safe and beneficial to exercise as soon as you feel ready.
My active cancer treatment involved only surgery, but all surgeries are significant. The knock on effects can last years, as I’m reminded daily!
When I knew surgery was a probability, I decided to exercise at as high an intensity possible for as long as possible, to make the most of it and maintain my habit (during the previous 18 months, I’d gone from not exercising at all, to running unenthusiastically, to strength training four times per week).
Once I’d had surgery, all exercise was off for several weeks. When I was in hospital, I discussed the plan with my surgeon and physiotherapist. I was keen to train as soon as I could, but I also knew I had to be safe. Plus it was about returning to other daily activities (such as driving, work, socialising, and having sex) too, and ensuring my body was ready for those.
The physio prescribed some mobility exercises, all of which could be done in bed. We practiced them when I was in hospital, so that we were both satisfied I was performing them correctly. I was also advised that I could go for walks as soon as I felt able.
I didn’t enjoy the exercises, I found them boring, but I knew that they would help me, so I committed to doing them daily. Having been home for a couple of days, I also went for a stroll around my village, initially with my mum for company and supervision, but I soon wanted to be alone. It was nice to do something normal!
When I returned to the hospital for a check up at three weeks post-op, I went in with the intention of convincing my surgeon I was fit to drive and begin a phased return to work. He agreed to my terms when I told him that I’d been walking and mobilising daily (the physio was impressed too) but they both insisted I needed to wait another three weeks before returning to the gym, which I was ok with.
At six weeks post-op, I excitedly but also with a few nerves had a session with my PT at the gym. It was great to be back, but humbling – everything heavier than a 5kg dumbbell was off limits, which I knew was sensible (and practicable – I couldn’t have lifted a 20kg Olympic bar if I tried), but still wasn’t all that fun. Again, I knew that it was important to accept the reality, and that something was better than nothing.
There were bumps in the road straight away: my PT ran me through a session which was mostly body weight and I was happy… until I trained it solo a couple of days later, and worked myself up into a panic. A phone call to the physio calmed me down, and I started to regain my confidence. Losing it as I had wasn’t something I’d banked on, but I cracked on and dealt with it, relying on the memory of strength I’d built before and hoped to regain.
Four months after surgery, I finally felt more myself, and was granted permission to return to heavier lifting, albeit steadily. Getting back under the bar to attack my squats again felt like heaven, and once I found my rhythm, I rediscovered my love for the movement and kept pushing.
Getting used to my new body was a challenge, and the grounding of my previous strength certainly helped at the gym and outside of it. Your body throws you surprises during surgical recovery, from swelling and nerve damage to different movement patterns and weakened muscles, plus much more besides. The only way out though, is through, and several years further on, the benefits keep rolling in.