The weight of a single nickel.
That is all of the pressure you need to exert by touch for a lymphatic system yoga massage. (legs, hands, arms, chest, abdomen, top of your skull, neck, and the face)
Yesterday, our friend Ellie Moody came by to teach us Yoga for Cancer patients, to help keep my body moving and relaxed after radiation treatments. We learned a lot of information and she even left us handouts, with complete instructions to guide us along the way.
If I get too weak, there are at least a couple of exercises that will keep the lymphatic, circulatory, cardiac, and digestive systems working in harmony. I only have to do a few, if I do get too weak from the RAD. The idea is to not to lie in bed stagnant, but to keep moving.
Even if it means only rolling a tennis ball on the bottom of each foot, for 2 and 1/2 min per foot, at a few repetitions, breathing in and out along the way. Just this simple act, will promote my lymph system to keep motoring along the rest of the lymphatic-super-highway, that runs through our entire bodies.
She even taught me to get up the correct way from lying down, w/o using my back or neck muscles to roll onto my left side to get up easier. (since the neck dissection site will be on the R side of my body)
We stretched ourselves in different positions, and it felt amazing unlocking areas that haven't been touched in well, eons probably. Our bodies groaned and creaked like corroded metal, but our minds accepted it, without any serious pain other than muscles, and limbs screaming to be stretched more.
Ellie has an amazing, caring light that comes from inside her. She is a registered Yoga therapist and has experience with Yoga for Cancer patients, as I mentioned earlier. Ellie has just started her own small business, Ekadasa Yoga & Well Being. She is willing to travel to provide services too, and is an excellent teacher. Here is the link to her Facebook page, if you're interested in learning more about Yoga, and what Ekadasa Yoga & Well Being can do for you.
https://www.facebook.com/EkadasaYoga
I understand her website will be up soon. If you know someone thinking about Yoga for either a Cancer patient current or former, to live a healthier lifestyle, be in tune with your body, or simply learn to relax better. I highly recommend her services. Her # is 202 669 3890 or info@ekadasa-yoga-wellbeing.com
Thanks again Ellie.
Moving is key, Tone. My radiation oncologist was on this like white on rice. I had whole pelvic radiation, which can affect this beautiful pearl necklace of lymph nodes in your pelvis, causing them to block fluid flow and cause "lymphedema" - swelling in your lower extremities. Bad thing. She recommended all this core work (pilates and yoga), and I did it all through the five weeks of radiation (and after), in between runs to the bathroom and sleeping! Even when I was at my worst, I told myself to "do it anyway". I ended up with no problems, and I highly recommend moving!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading my blog and for sharing your story, Tootsum.
ReplyDeleteEllie did touch on "lymphedema" yesterday and shared info in the handout about that condition/situation, and I'll be asking about that tomorrow when I go back to UVA.
Thanks again and God bless.
Tony