Here on the Community we know that staying active looks different for everyone. Everyone is unique, and so is how they may feel emotionally and physically after their cancer treatment.
For some people, trying to keep active and move their body after treatment can be a way of looking after themselves. It may help you feel less stressed and lift your spirits if you are feeling low. It can also help you feel more in control, because you are doing something positive for yourself.
We all know the benefits of exercise, and that eating well and trying to keep active can be good for our physical and mental health. But for some people, building up fitness after treatment also means getting back to activities and sports that are important to them.
Doing what you love and what makes you happy is important. For some, taking part in sports is a key part of their lives. It may be how they socialise with others, take time for themselves and enjoy an activity they love. It can be hard not to able to do the things you love while your body is recovering from treatment.
Here to talk to us today about this, is Community member Veteranrunner.
Veteranrunner is here today to share his experience of life after bladder cancer treatment. In today’s blog, he talks about what exercise means to him, and how keeping active during and after treatment helped him feel better and stay optimistic.
Veteranrunner also shares his top tips for keeping active, and talks about how living with a stoma doesn’t stop him from taking part in the activities he loves.
Everyone’s experiences and bodies are different, and your safety and wellbeing are important. If you want to get active or take part in sports after treatment, your doctor or nurse specialist are here for you. They can answer your questions about getting active and provide you with information on what exercise best suits your body and situation.
Here’s Veteranrunner to share his thoughts today:
“I have been an active runner, cyclist, and racewalker all my life. I began when I was 16; I am now 74. So, it was quite a shock to be diagnosed with grade 3 bladder cancer last year. To have my bladder removed and to have to live with a stoma and pee bag, and to undergo post-op chemotherapy. Was this the end of life as I knew it?
“To have my bladder removed and to have to live with a stoma and pee bag…was this the end of life as I knew it?”
I suppose I should have seen it coming after a long history of UTI's (Urinary Tract Infections), but, as it happened, I was caught off guard. In September 2020 I was in fine form and spent a strenuous week of walking in the lower Italian Alps. But in the first week of October, the unmistakable signs that cancer had left its calling card were there: blood in my urine*.
The diagnosis was a hammer blow although, in retrospect, I should have expected it. I was emotionally shocked: devastated. My urologist already had my hospital admission documents ready when he told me.
“My prevailing thought was that I was going to have to kiss an active lifestyle goodbye.”
There was no alternative - it was grade 3 bladder cancer and aggressive. My prevailing thought was that I was going to have to kiss an active lifestyle goodbye. I coped with it through the support of my partner and friends. I also researched everything about bladder removal and other people’s experiences.
I then realised that this would not be the end of the world. I thought my urologist was lying and patronising when he said, "You will have a completely normal life with a stoma and bag. You will walk, run, cycle, do all the things you used to do". In fact, he was right. I am not nearly as strong as I was a year ago, but I am moving in the right direction. I am motivated. I'll get there!
“I thought my urologist was lying when he said "You will have a completely normal life with a stoma and bag. You will walk, run, cycle, do all the things you used to do". In fact, he was right”
Cancer is a random disease but research suggests (from Cancer research UK) that, along with having a healthy diet, being physically active can help reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
So how could this possibly happen to me? While others do no exercise, eat all the wrong food, and cancer, along with other diseases, passes them by. I was mildly outraged. I know that cancer is caused by a multitude of variable factors, but the randomness of it was hard to take.
“How could this possibly happen to me? The randomness of it was hard to take”
I don't know if I will run again, but I hope so. It is too soon to say, but I have started some start/stop jogging (2km). However, throughout the past 4 months post-op I have kept active, and that, I am sure, has enhanced my recovery. I have completed 3 cycles of chemotherapy, and despite tiredness and fatigue I walk 3-5km every day. I began walking the day after I arrived home post-op: just a few yards of shuffling.
“However, throughout the past 4 months post-op I have kept active, and that, I am sure, has enhanced my recovery.”
When I returned home from hospital after the cystectomy, I was extremely weak and could barely shuffle a few metres. I knew that lying in bed would be an extremely negative approach to recovery, so every day I went outside to try and walk.
“I gradually felt healthier, fitter and more optimistic”
It was slow progress, but after 3-4 weeks I was walking and slowly increasing speed and distance. Riding my bike followed after 3 months or so, and the first attempt at jogging (I would hardly call it running!) at the end of 4 months.
I gradually felt healthier, fitter, and more optimistic, and knew that I would be able to cope. It is important to be very gentle with your recovery in the first month post-op, as no doubt your medical team will tell you. You should also probably allow 3 months before you get too ambitious.
“Despite feeling fatigued I kept active during chemo: walking as much as I felt able too”
Walking is the best activity to build up fitness during those early months. Post-op chemotherapy will probably set you back a bit, but the early activity will probably help you to cope with that too. Despite feeling fatigued, I kept active during chemo: walking as much as I felt able too, riding my bike slowly, and even went on a short kayaking trip!
Out of sheer defiance, I also did our local Parkrun - I walked it in 45 minutes on the day after my last dose of chemotherapy. I am now jogging/walking the course in 32 minutes.
“Out of sheer defiance, I did our local parkrun - I walked it in 45 minutes”
I am sure that continuing to be active makes the prospect of returning to my normal lifestyle more likely. Chemotherapy has been without major side-effects, and my stoma and pee bag work well. My greatest fear is leakage.
Stay active. There is life after cancer. Carry on as though nothing has happened. Start "training" again with whatever activity you feel comfortable with. It is possible to return to normal, especially if you are younger than me. Staying in bed will not do you any favours. Good luck and good health.
My top tips for keeping active:
“There is life after cancer. Good luck and good health”
*(Blood in your urine can be a sign of cancer, but it can also be caused by other factors. Most people with symptoms will not have bladder cancer. But if you have any symptoms, it is important to get them checked by your GP)
We want to thank Veteranrunner for sharing his experience and thoughts today. Everyone is different, and how everyone moves their body is different. Some people love sport and taking part in physical activity is what drives them.
For others, trying to keep active is a way of looking after their physical and mental health. However you like to move your body, Macmillan is here to support you. We have lots of information on our website to help you if you would like to get active.
Why not also check out our Community news blog ‘Exercise and moving your body’. Here our Cancer Information Nurse Audrey shares information and resources to help you move your body.
Community member Linda has also shared her experience of how running has helped her through cancer treatment in our recent Community News blog ‘With hope in our hearts and wings in our heels’.
