Let me preface my post by saying I'm totally sold on the idea of exercise and maintaining muscle mass. I regularly walk, run, carry firewood, and shovel snow, and that's while undergoing chemo.
That said, it seems to me that getting quality rest is equally important. Not just a good night's sleep, but spending part of your waking hours trying to activate the "rest and digest" parasympathetic nervous system through meditation, listening to music, prayer, or whatever works for you.
I tried to find any science-ey links to back this up, and the closest I came was this: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl..., which says "In cancer mouse models, parasympathetic cholinergic signaling has been identified as a key regulator of tumor invasion and metastatic spread by activation of the type 1 cholinergic muscarinic receptor (Chrm1) expressed in the stroma". Okay, great, it's a "regulator", but does is regulate metastatic spread up or down? And how do they get the mice to meditate?
So I thought I'd throw this out to the group as a discussion point. Is having regular "down time" important for fighting prostate cancer? If so, how much? Can anybody translate the scientific jargon in the link to English?
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I consider whatever type of exercise I can do that releases endorphins to be more beneficial than whatever happens in a mindfulness group. The LIVE O2 sessions I have done which last 22 minutes leave me sweating and down a pound.
If one can get a good workout in, a combination of something like a LIVE O2 session and some strength training, one will get the best sleep they are capable of getting.
I figure I know who I am, what I am facing and that I will have decisions to make. We all die. That is the final bill for the privilege to have been alive.
I'm glad you mentioned the mindfulness studies but I noticed the word possible frequently used in the studies. Releasing endorphins is a fact but another fact is that some men may no longer be able to reach the level of exertion where endorphins are released. In that case it might be as the studies say, possibly helpful. Thanks for mentioning it.
From a simple perspective...All of what you are doing I feel is great...you have to exercise as much as you are able and enjoy it. Next eliminate the stressors should I eat this or I should not drink that...We understand moderation and just lean a little more towards the good side. I have a dog, she even flies with me...stage 4 cancer survivor head and neck. Now 3 years into this challenge. Personally , I am not a great scheduler and never planned vacations ect. was successful and also hold a commercial pilots rating...physical training has always been in my life style. Now jazz music , rock and roll, and what ever sets me up. Also I have a quiet room and paddle board with Gracie(dog) on a lake I live on...I feel a combination of science, physical fitness, and mental balance , my glass is always more than half full...how you choose to get there is our choice..Choose the best facilities available to you , because if you second guess your doctors doubt sets in....best of luck
I tend to ramble in the morning on caffeine ....meditating mice? Crap I am headed to the rodent store....sounds cool.
I like the way you put it! Yes it's very easy to stress over diet, and that stress could very well eliminate any benefit from an improved diet. My diet hasn't changed too radically, though my pizza, ice cream, and beef consumption are way down.
I'm finding a similar thing with choosing a doctor/facility. The best ones near me are probably in Boston or Worcester, or if I want to go further afield New York City. Going into a city is a hassle for me (I'm a country boy at heart), and my suburban oncologist seems to be giving me pretty good standard of care. At this point, docetaxel and zytiga are going to work pretty similarly no matter who prescribes them, no?
I guess you have to learn ways to overcome it instead of letting it overcome you.
Thanks for the reply! At the moment I'm on medical leave from work, so can fully focus on treatment and do have the luxury of time to rest and meditate as needed.
I'm not sure I always trust the intuitive answer. Part of why I'm asking for a scientific answer is that eventually I'd like to return to work, and would like something more concrete than intuition to help decide if and when. Intuitively, job related stress can't be good for me, but on the other hand, it's also intuitive that focusing on the work instead of the disease could be good for me.
Thanks for your post. I have completed my fourth round of chemo and have tried my best to balance rest and exercise as well. I have always worked and I am taking off as well. I think the toughest part is to give yourself the permission to rest when your personality is to always do and be productive. To me wrestling with the self imposed guilt that comes with rest is something I have to put behind me. So, I try to balance getting a few projects accomplished at home, exercise, and rest. I do not have a set schedule, but that would be great if I could self manage that. My oncologist made it clear that rest is important for your body to heal and to trust what your body is telling you. Good for me to hear from another working on their balance. Now I need to go workout. 😊💪
I worked at pharmaceutical manufacturing plant where shift work was part of the job. The company was rather forward thinking and valued their employees. A representative from company in Cambridge, Massachusetts was brought in to give a talk about coping with shift work. One of the things I took away was that if one was to take a nap, a 15 minute nap would be more beneficial than a one hour nap. If a longer nap was planned it should be at least one and a half hours long. A one hour nap was not recommended. Confusing? An hour nap has to be more beneficial than a fifteen nap one would think wouldn't one? The circadian rhythm we all experience while sleeping wasn't entered at 15 minutes but if awakened at one hour the person with the one hour nap had their circadian rhythm disrupted leaving them feeling more tired and less alert than if they hadn't napped. A nap of an hour and a half gave enough time for a circadian rhythm to cycle through.
A cat is probably one of the best "sleep aids" one can possibly have!
Always loved the Winston. My cigar days were short and long ago. Do drink to excess. Always have. Am retired so get up when I want and stay up as long as I want. Which means later than I used to and earlier that I used to. Never watched a lot of tv before, but is now a constant or in the background constant companion. The cats are not great conversationalists. Don't do the naps. But I'm thinking Winston accomplished more in one day that I do in a week.
I don’t have scientific info, but yes, I totally feel rest is important too. It helps to lessen stress, helps to refocus, gets the serotonin going... and yes, helps the muscles regenerate after heavy work. ( on a side issue, make sure to take some type of protein, ( not a processed energy bar) after that heavy workout.... it will help your body by pass taking the calorie energy from your muscle and take it from fat and carbs instead...
I think when u have a choice of staying in and resting it’s easy to stay home. It’s more difficult to get out and run, cycle or go to the gym. It can be difficult to exercise through fatigue but your body feels much better after you do this!Particularly at our younger ages we need and are able to get out and push our exercise. I jog and ski and go to gym but also play soccer with a bunch of guys 50 to 65 once a week. After soccer we go to the pub. They are a GREAT support group along with a TOUGh exercise group as everyone plays hard.
Tom you are going on Zytiga ImMEDIATELY following your last treatment of docetaxel chemo regardless of symptom and PSA? And you are covered to do this? The results of the PEACE I trial docetaxel and Zytiga combo are not out for a few
Good points but there seems to be an ideal balance between exercise and rest. Since my original post, I've unwittingly conducted an experiment of one on myself. For my fifth chemo cycle, I went running the day before, the morning of the infusion, and the day after the infusion. Side effects came on earlier and stayed longer than previous cycles. My blood tests showed I was more anemic than previous cycles and was slightly low on protein. At the time I thought it was the cumulative effects of chemo...
Late in the fifth cycle I took lots of naps. I wasn't running but went for two mile walks most days. Now about a week into my sixth cycle, side effects have been less severe and my hemoglobin and protein levels were just barely into the normal ranges on the day of the infusion. In short, it looks like exercise can be overdone and limit recovery.
As for Zytiga, I've spoken with my oncologist about this for all of about a minute. His plan is to add it to my treatment about four weeks after I recover from chemo. Not sure if the insurance will cover it. I do plan to ask if a test of testosterone levels before adding it makes sense. I do have concerns about simply adding more side effects for limited benefits if Lupron is already doing an exceptional job for me.
I was talking about vigorous exercise outside of being in the middle of chemo which changes your blood levels and brings down your immune system ... rest is no doubt essential here!
But with Zytiga , Xtandi or ADT alone this is where I recommend lots of exercise. I’m on Zytiga and the only noticeable side affects is sweating a bit more when it’s hotter. People often have hot flashes, some worse than others.
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Second cancer has appeared in Femur and spread to rest of leg, hip and lungs.
Important to read from my Dr.Oncology
PROSTATE CA : EXERCISE IS SUPER IMPORTANT 
