Lots of posts have mentioned the BCC excercises so I thought i would print them off and see what they were so if I only have a WLE and dont need a physio I can start doing them straight away.
i never excercise, if god had wanted me to keep fit he would have given me a body that looks good in lycra. But if i want to regain movement quickly it seems a good idea to do these as suggested.
And then it crossed my mind if I started doing them before the op my muscles might get into a better condition, and be more likely to recover well. also if i got into a routine and learnt them it would be easier to start doing them again a day or two after the op (general anasthetic always knocks me for a six, I take ages to get myself together again)
I dont know if this is a good idea or not–but it cannot do me any harm can it?
what do you think??
take advise from your breast care nurse but i did the exercises before and had remarkable movement in my arm afterwards. good luck.
It’s absolutely essential to do the exercises afterwards, and getting fit prior to surgery is a brilliant idea. Fitness isn’t about looking good (that’s just to sell us loads of stuff we don’t need!) Fitness is about feeling good and having a body that copes well with problems…like bc and surgery. So go for it! Also, the fitter you are the easier it will be to recover from surgery and whatever else comes your way. I’m not talking about running a marathon, just walking or swimming gently (swimming is wonderful for upper body and shoulders, especially mobility, and for getting your heart fit). So I say go for it! Lots of love xx
sorry, you will never get me swimming or walking or anything like that. Just not intrested. I did not even do games at school.I am not a slouch. I dont use escalators or lifts if the stairs are easy to find, and find the easiest place to park rather than the one nearest the shops.
But I will do these mobility excercises starting tomorrow. My son has some hand weights somewhere. I have three weeks, so it will be interesting to see how good I can get before the op.
Why not send off for the BCC exercise DVD as well? It’s free and is very helpful as you can see what you’re supposed to do more clearly and also get the speed right.
The exercises are great and sorted out my corded arm and shoulder really well. I’ve also been doing the weights ones with my chemo arm that has been very sore and stiff and I think it’s helping that as well.
Jane xxx
I think generally, the better condition your muscles are in, the easier they’ll cope with the trauma… the exercises are, as everyone has said, vital. I’m with you - you won’t catch me swimming or in the gym, but I can do the exercises… and do… if you put in opening an closing your hand at the tops and bottoms of the exercises, it helps any lymphodema that might start to lurk after surgery…Jane
As you’re a drummer OAL I bet you’re fitter than you think. It’s going to be important for you to use those arms and upper body. No harm at all in doing exercise in a gentle controlled way and you’ll be back to speed drumming. It’s more like gentle stretching than excercise.
Hi OAL
Agree with you entirely on the subject of exercise but unfortunately I have to declare that it’s made all the difference for me. I’d been doing stretching and flexibility type exercises (Pilates) for several years to help with a bad back and associated problems and found when the BC hit me that it helped tremendously after surgery and rads because I was in better condition to start with. Both my breast consultant and GP have been quite surprised by the degree of arm and shoulder movement I have retained throughout the BC process - essential for a drummer I would have thought!
Don’t delay - just go for it! It will help you so much.
Sarah x
hi cheshire cheese,
i am sure if i had a problem like a bad back i would do exercise to improve it, i just cannot see the point of random walks or jogs or gym sessions because it might be good for me.
everyone who has posted here have convinced me that tomorrow morning i will get the sheets i printed out and give it a go. I need to do everything i can to get things moving as quickly as i can after my little op(well I hope its a little one)
Hi OAL
The point about doing the arm and shoulder exercises BEFORE your operation is that you’ll have maximum mobility to start with, which will make it much easier to recover the mobility afterwards.
As to the walking, again I did that for a specific reason, which was to help me cope with rads treatment. Walking (briskly if poss) helps the circulation which helps the body repair the damage caused by rads.
Like you I’m not designed for Lycra - more of a baggy tracky bottoms and baggy T-shirt sort of shape! But I had to be brave and get on with it!
Sarah x
hi, ok had my first go at these excercises could not be bothered remembering which was 7 repeats and which was 10 so just did 10 of everything, 3 more cannot hurt can it.
also seemed silly doing some on just one arm, do not want my bad side to get better than my good—lol.
at the moment i am doing the whole lot. wonder if you realy have to wait 2 and 6 weeks after the op before you do the later exercises?? or can you gradually work through them as you feel able??
what did others do??
I did day 5 on day 1 after op because i hadnt read the paper right and of course i was able to do it, im not advocating that you do that though you have to do what is right for you. Im the sort of person that enters a competition with myself and am very strong willed.
I found because I had been doing the exercises before the surgery that I could do nearly all of them from the day after surgery (I was warned not to do any the same day as the op). I just built up gradually in terms of how vigorously I did them and how many repeats of each. Basically if it was only uncomfortable I kept going, if it actually hurt then I stopped or did it more gently.
Sarah x
yes thats what i thought, stop if it hurts.
as to walking if it helps circulation if i do go down the treatment road-- wouldnt my drumming do that?? if i am doing it at the studio by myself i could do drum excercises that used drums i did not need to reach too far to hit if i had limited movement, i could stop whenever iwas tired, and the pleasure of doing it would improve my mental state of well being no end.
whenever i mention drumming the the breast nurse she says no no no. Is it because its not an activity they have any training on and are worried about giving the wrong advice, these BCC excercises move my arms more than simple drumming excercises would
No, it’s because it’s not the right sort of exercise! You need to do something that gets your heart and lungs working and improve the circulation throughout your body, without wrecking all the good work that will have been done on your boob and armpit!
The BCC exercises move your shoulder in a controlled fashion - if you’re doing them slowly as you’re supposed to. Don’t do them at drumming type speeds!
If you want to make the shoulder exercises work a bit harder for you before surgery, you can do them whilst holding a small weight. A tin of baked beans (500g) or bottle of water (500ml) is ideal. But don’t use a weight immediately after the op, that would be too much.
Sarah x
Hi
Without treading on anyone’s toes as regards pursuing their hobby when they are fully recovered, surgery in this area has some serious consequences, and the exercises leaflets are given out for a reason! Speaking as one who had lots of problems with seromas, cording neuropathic pain etc etc (and if anything needed to take things really gently in the first few hours and days) I would second Sarah’s comments. It’s a bit like a birthing plan - flies outa the window in real life - I mean the plan, not the baby!! K x
A lot depends on what they have to do. I had one (large) node removed and a WLE, and I had NO problems whatsoever with mobility afterwards, other than not pulling on the skin. I didn’t have any cording, nerve pain, tightness etc. But that was just me, I was very lucky I feel.
It’s good to get flexible and strong, but there’s no guarantee you’ll have problems. Well done for taking things in hand though, be prepared an’ all that jazz.
OAL a.k.a. Young and Trendy,
A couple of days after my WLE &SNB I was marching up & down little hills as vigorously as I could manage - because I was still angry and also to try to start and get my blood pressure down as the pre-op reading really scared me. I found it was the joggling and vibration in the boobs that I could feel most, so I wound a scarf around like a sling and propped mangled boob up with parka tied round waist to keep things stillish.
That is what I’d be terrified of with drum practice - any vibrations that come back up the arm - i don’t know anything about drumming and that may not be how it works but the thought of it makes me wince even now!
PS I wore a slightly oversized underwired bra all the way through so the swollen boob and bandage nestled in the bra quite comfortably until I lost a tiny bit more weight. I think I stripped the wire out of one bra for sleeping in. Sports bras did not work for me at all.
good luck1
Hi, I think you need to listen to your body - it will tell you exactly what it doesn’t like after the op. It seems that everyone has different experiences. I loved going to the gym and liked to think I was fairly fit before my op and it may have aided my healing but I am still struggling with pain and movement 3 weeks on. It feels like the top of my arm is sunburnt and my armpit is still very sore and sensitive; my breast less so but once the numbness starts going and the nerves start to reconnect it is also more sensitive. The thought of drumming also makes me wince but you just have to see how you go. I am doing the exercises and taking it easy which goes against all I am about but I have to give in to what my body is telling me. Hope all goes well for you and you make a speedy recovery.