A Question for any athletes
 

I'm curious about something and only know to ask people who might have been athletes before chemo and again after.

I was never much of an exerciser before diagnosis, or through treatment, although I did a lot of walking.

First, some background...I was diagnosed in January 2009...spent 2009 in treatment (chemo, lumpectomy, radiation)...Finished herception August 2010...I just turned 50...For the past year I have been participating in a women's bootcamp, which is very vigorous exercise (love it!)...lost 30 pounds...I recently started adding some jogging to my repitoire...Hopefully I can actually jog in the Race for the Cure this September...

So basically in the past two years I went through treatment while at the same time getting old :)...

My question is...When I have done jogging on a day, (I'm up to two miles with some walking thrown in)...I might have jogged first thing in the morning then go about my day...At night, or when I lay down for a nap, it feels like my legs are on fire...It feels like an electrical pain, so I'm sure its nerve related...Kind of wondering if this is still some neuropathy lingering and gets aggrevatetd when I run...

Other people at the gym don't seem to understand what I'm describing. I am curious if my pain is the lingering effects of chemo, old age, or if this is what everyone who jogs feels. It's not like lactic burn when you're in the midst of the exercise, but something I feel when I'm at rest. Since I didn't run before chemo, I have nothing to compare it to.

Not really a big deal because tylenol or aspirin takes care of it...just curious. Actually since going to bootcamp, tylenol is part of my evening routine and excederin is part of my morning routine. My surgeon says, "at our age something always hurts :) "

Make any sense?

Thanks for any insight.

Re: A Question for any athletes
 

Hi Patrice -
It is hard enough to get a good night sleep without having to deal with such problems, right?
I am certainly no athlete but I am 55 and I do work out every day (and have for 7 years). Whenever I start up an exercise routine after taking some time off for whatever reason (virus, vacation, or whatever), I find my legs and/or my feet cramp up at night for about 1 week. Also, my sisters and my daughter all have "restless legs" at night and your described symptoms sound a lot like what I hear from them! Here is a web site you can check out to see if it sounds like your symptoms: http://www.rls.org/Document.Doc?&id=3
Good luck Patrice! I hope this is just a passing phenomena for you!
Love Kim from CT