The whole idea of having Stage 4 melanoma could be very intimidating and/or scary. By definition, I have metastatic tumor beyond the area of the original lesion and lymph nodes to other organs and body areas. That makes it sound like I'm full of cancer and infers that I'm quite sick. Actually, other than a slight non-productive cough, I'm feeling pretty well.
I've looked at all the imaging studies (MRI, CT Scan, PET Scan) and, in reality, there's very little tumor in my body. One about the size of a walnut in my lower leg, one about the size of a peanut and 2 or 3 the size of a small pea in my lung. That leaves an awful lot of healthy tissue left in my body, but if I sit around thinking I'm sick, pretty soon I will be.
I have to keep working to keep the healthy tissue healthy since that's mostly what's in my body. Yes, these parasitic tumors could grow, but with the therapy I start next week they could also shrink, maybe even disappear, depending on how my immune system responds. There appears to be anecdotal evidence that better-conditioned patients have more of a response to these new therapies, so I need to be a better-conditioned patient.
My walking meditation takes me on a daily route of about 3 miles and the past few days I've added half an hour on an exercise bike and some light weights. Since there's good evidence that exercise strengthens ones immune system, why not do whatever I can to put the odds of fighting this cancer in my favor?
So I started running again today. Maybe I should start swimming again soon.
Yes! It will have to make you feel good!
ReplyDeleteNow how can I get my Stage 2B husband to get back on his bike and back into shape? I feel like he's working all the time to make up for time he might not have later on ...