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After getting cleared to exercise, I started to train for an August 25 triathlon to give myself an exercise goal, which was enough time for my usual training plan timeframe and some buildup weeks at the beginning. Training without injury and finishing a 5k/tri/half marathons are always my goal. But chemo adds some new twists to that philosophy because I’ve always started at baseline healthy. Now, I’m baseline chemotherapy healthy.
I conquered my fear of what my post-mastectomy, non-reconstructed body would look like in a swimsuit and got back in the pool. The focus of coordinating my body movements so as not to drown, the quiet of the pool, and the clarity of the water really makes swimming the most calming active exercise I do.
I jumped back on to my bike. With less hair on my head, I had to dial down my bike helmet a few clicks and shorten the chin straps. I wore regular shoes since I didn’t trust my neuropathic feet to unclip quickly if necessary. I rode a nearby paved trail for safety and ran into a friend. We caught up and she got to see my new hair. Gliding along the trail felt wonderful.
I jogged outside. Given that I’ve been walking the most throughout my treatments, I was surprised that running has been the hardest for me. I’m slow, and I felt like an elephant plodding in molasses thanks to neuropathy.
About two weeks into training, my period resumed. My last menstrual cycle began on September 28, which was the day the port was placed. Chemo began October 2, so I may be in chemopause.
Except it wasn’t my period. Egads, it was a really strange non-achy, non-febrile UTI. So I called the nurse line.
Except it wasn’t a UTI. Egads, it was rectal bleeding. I stopped cycling since being on my rear didn’t seem like a good idea. I stopped swimming since being in the pool didn’t seem like a good idea either. My cancer team had me contact my primary physician, so I made an appointment to get my annual appointment and to get a referral to a gastroenterologist.
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