My current form of exercise is tae kwon do. I am realistic enough to know I will be falling behind over the next several months, which is disappointing because right now my husband and I are at the same rank and we are just about a year out from black belt.

I am guessing that there are physical limitations when one has a feeding tube inserted. How does it affect range of motion? I am already letting our instructors know that I will be sitting out on sparring, so I don't get kicked. Anything else I ought to be aware of? I figure fatigue will keep me out of most trouble.

Also they recommend a port if we do the chemo. Any special complications from that?

Thanks for any tips!

It takes a few days after surgery for the pain to subside, and and should not take a shower for a few days, and needs to be covered when showering thereafter for a week or two, and should not lift heavy objects for a few weeks also. The gastrologist or surgeon who does the surgery will give you the best instructions. Just use common sense also, and avoid anything that can pull the tube from your stomach, which can be secured several ways, as not to dangle, and get pulled suddenly. The other thing is with chemo, your immune system can be weakened, and easily catch infections from other people, pet feces, gardening, so you need to use personal protection, hygiene, for that.

I have a mediport for 4 years, and avoid being stuck by a needle for an IV in most cases, but not always, and care should be taken by those trained too do so. The downside is infections can occurr, go systemic, if healthcare personal do not follow proper access, cleansing. The peg-tube can also get infected, go systemic, and proper care needs to be taken with that also.

Good luck, and other peg/port users may add.

I'm very sorry to hear about the recurrence. It is the thing we all fear the most. As to the port, there is general considerations to not do too much physical stressing of the upper body to avoid potential damage to the port. Since I am right handed and did want to as able as possible, the surgeon placed the port on the left side so that would minimize stressing the port.

If you get a PEG and port, I'd be very surprised if the docs allowed you do continue doing any physical contact sports until the devices are removed and you were fully healed. It just seems the risks from dislodging a port or PEG are pretty great.
Don

I intend to avoid the physical contact parts. But the stretching out and the forms seemed like they woukd be good exercise to continue. That is why I was not sure.

These are good care tips, and give me more questions to ask. Thank you.

Kristen,

Sorry to hear about your recurrence. As Don says, the port may preclude a lot of physical activity including forms. For whatever reason, they discouraged me from lifting weights or doing a 100 mile bike ride when my port was put in. I didn't ask if it was because it was new and soon I wasn't in condition to consider either for a while. As far as the PEG you can get a MIC Key or button. It rides almost flush with the skin and has a detachable hose when needed that snaps in and out. You even get a thin and thicker tube for water or other.

Hope this helps.

Ed

It was my experience as what used to be in very decent shape(infantry then college crew) then about 7 years off but ran a tri or two. That the PEG was very painful for the first week and a half+. The doctors told me that my there was a lot of muscle still on my abdominal wall and it was gonna make it more painful compared to someone who was relatively less active.

The Mediport feels like you shot a 10gage magnum round and didn't seat the stock properly in your shoulder, that feeling that you would normally feel for about 4-5 min last about a week. But they give you vicodine

I did my two surgerys back to back and it was not a very fun week. But two weeks out I feel mostly normal. I would suggest that you figure out a position for your peg tube and keep it bound up with some ace bandage for the first two-4 days.

While I didn't have a port, I did have a PEG. It's admirable that you want to continue with your fitness regime however, for many including myself, the treatment hit me so hard that by the third week I pretty much hit the wall and exercise was out of the question. I can also tell you that for me stretching and even light physical activity such was a bit uncomfortable with the PEG sticking out of my belly. Definitely consult with your team concerning limitations.

Positive thoughts and prayers

Brian, muscle will not be an issue for me. I am not in that good shape!

Fishman, yeah, I kinda figured I would be wiped out. But tae kwon do is a sanity saver for me so I was hoping. Sigh.

I promise I will use caution. I am not an athletic person, anyway. I just enjoy the art of it.