I am a 50 year old male who has been fortunate to be in very good physical shape (6'4" and 180 lbs) Prior to my diagnosis/surgery, I have been active with both aerobic and anaerobic activities 5x per week.

I have recently been diagnosed with a T1N1M0 (HPV+) on my right tonsil tissue (I had my tonsils taken out as a kid). I had a MND on the right side of my neck in which they took out 18 lymph nodes, with one being positive. I just started today my first of 33 sessions of IGRT at the University of Miami (Sylvester). Due to the size of the source and only one positive lymph noce, the team (who have been excellent to date) are not recommending chemo. The radiation dosages that they are scheduling me for over the next 7 weeks are the following:

right tonsil area - 70 Gray
Left lymph nodes - 54 Gray
Right Lymph nodes - 60 Gray

With my weight at 180 being 6'4", I am concerned about losing to much weight and am going to do whatever it takes to keep my weight up (I am not scheduled for a PEG unless it becomes required)

A couple of questions regarding working out during my radiation treatments. Please accept my apologies in advance if any of my comments/goals are unrealistic or just plain dumb

1) I am planning to do light workout with weights for 30-40 minutes along with 20-30 minutes of light aerobic work on either the treadmill or elliptical machine five days per week. Is there any downside to this type and level of activity (assuming I keep my weight up)

2) Does it make sense to breathe through my nose instead of my mouth during workouts or does it not matter as I am concerned about keeping mucositis at bay?

3) Has anyone had any positive/negative experiences with working out while undergoing RT?

Thanks in advance for your help/suggestions/comments

I may have cancer at this stage, but not for long!


Sincerely - Steve

Steve, some people sail right thru their treatments while others struggle. Everyone is different. So it will depend on how you handle your treatments if working out is part of your routine or not.

Talks about your weight. It is on the low side for going into this. Your sense of taste will change for a while and eating probably will become more of a chore than a pleasure. Make sure to always swallow something every single day or you could end up having major problems later trying to relearn to eat and drink. Try to force yourself to eat all your favorites now and then have seconds. It would be a good idea to try to add a couple pounds as most of us have lost significant amounts of weight while going thru treatments. I lost 65 pounds and that was with a PEG. Doctors like to keep a person's weight stable with zero weight loss the goal. One a daily basis, shoot for 48 oz water and 2500 calories. This is something you need every single day, dont try to skimp one day and think you will make it up the next. It rarely happens when you try to play catch up. Your body needs extra calories while fighting the cancer plus trying to sustain you during the treatments. Maintaining your weight can become a difficult task but if you can do it then you may get thru it easier than most of us.

Talk with your nurse and ask about mouth stretching exercises to do daily. Another helpful plan would be to talk with a nutritionist. They can help critique your diet and make sure its balanced.

As far as exercises go, if you feel like you can do it then go for it! There are a few of the guys here who are very smart about this kind of thing. Im sure they will be able to give you some tips.

Hi there I too was a workout a holic - well I'd work out for an hour a day up until diagnosis - I did the elliptical a few times after surgery and during radiation up until it became too much for me - regardless for all except a week when things were the worst - I walked my dog for 30 minutes every day! And did some yoga! do what you can but as it becomes harder to eat your energy level may drop - at that point stick to things like walking for a bit and yoga and deep breathing if you're into that kind of thing - mucositis will hit you when it hits you breathing through your nose isn't a bad idea as - despite the fact that you are not getting chemo - you may have issues with immunity as radiation does a number on your system. Mostly though rads will make you tired. However if you arent taking in enough calories lay off the gym. bulk up now!! Good luck! It's not fun but it is doable... take care

Steve

I too was hitting the gym 5x a week for weightlifting, elliptical, as well as yoga and pilates classes. Like the old Cure song: "I had the best laid plans this side of America" to keep up a schedule similar to yours, but you know what they say about the best laid plans. The first week, no problem. The second week, a little weary. The third week, vomiting after class. The fourth week thru eighth week of radiation: couch potato.
The only downside is that the more you exercise, the more calories you will need and as Christine noted, that can quickly get problematic. I made it thru without a PEG the first time in part because I had so much lean muscle mass going into TX. I think you are ahead of the game by being in very good shape.
Keep the Faith
Charm

Thanks for all the great advice. I am in the second week and still able to make it to the gym. I am doing the elliptical and some weight, all the time taking controlled breaths while breathing through my nose (kind of like when geting radiation - but that is a whole different story). To date, I have been keeping my weight, eating tons of protein and calories (no meat or milk based foods as per my nutritionist). Throat does not feel bad yet, though I have this funky taste in my mouth most of the time

I have this minor headache starting this week, kind of like a bit of a hangover in the front of my head. I am assuming that it is the radiation. I will keep you all informed of my progress through the next two months.

I think I love your nutritionist - great advice. they are good rules to live by. kudos on the gym and the weight. You should be good up to week 4 take care!

Hey Steve,

Sounds like you're doing great so far! My husband and I both work out a lot too and my advice to you is to listen to your body. It will let you know if/when the time comes that you just need to rest. When my husband Ron was going through the radiation he was fine until going into the fourth week. Just remember, your body is going through a lot right now and will need rest in order to heal. Don't push yourself too hard.

All the best,

Shelley

Steve, keep up the workouts. I never quit keeping busy with physical workouts or labor. I am 75 and did go from 220 to 130 on the low end. Eat all you can and try to keep the weight on. As Chrisitne says, you will lose weight. I think we all have in the Forums but you can dstill keep in shape. I got back up to 174 but other things took it back off. Now as I go in for my lower jaw removalsurgery this Friday, I am pushing 152. Can't drink red pop as I would be mistaken for a thermometer. I look like a fish that has been out of the water for 2 weeks. Good luck

Thanks so for much for the advice. Just finished my 7th treatment today. I have put on about 6-8 lbs the past few days(now about 187). Overall the mouth and throat feel good (though I can feel that my throat is getting a tad sore). No problems eating yet, though my mouth has a funny taste to it. Food still taste OK.

The only issue to date is kind of a mild headache, reminds me of being a bit of the type of headache that you get when seasick.

Still at the gym but not pushing it too hard.

Laz,

good luck to you my friend, however just remember to listen to your body very carefully. It's very typical to get dehydrated during treatment and even more so if you're doing cardio work on top of it.

Headaches are generally a sign of dehydration (it could be a myriad of other things) so just make sure you are in constant communication with your MO and keep both fluids and electrolytes flowing (hydration is much more then just water as you are very aware of I'm sure). You're body will probably start talking louder and louder as treatment goes on and that's typical. Good luck, be safe.

Eric