Support
Summer 2004, Issue 003

“Tell me about yourself.” That’s the first question Andrea Bonanno, a physical therapist, will ask patients and caregivers who show up for the HOPES workshop “Exercising for Energy.”

“Most come to the ‘Exercising for Energy’ seminar looking for permission to exercise or need assistance in starting an exercise program,” explained Andrea. Patients undergoing treatment for cancer often wonder if it is safe to exercise. This hour-long seminar offered each month answers questions for patients and their caregivers. A cancer diagnosis puts everything into question. Is exercise bad for me? Can I exercise during treatment? Will it make the side effects of my chemotherapy worse? Better?

Studies have concluded that exercise can reduce side effects for some patients. Exercise can even help with fatigue. One patient undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer reported that gentle-paced walks with a friend around a small pond helped her feel better both physically and emotionally. “Perhaps it was the distraction that made me feel better,” she reported. Another woman reported that she walked to MGH for her daily radiation treatment over six weeks. “I thought I would be too tired to walk. Everyone warned me that I might feel too tired by the end of my treatment. What I found was that the walk home was like a medicine. It made me feel better—normal.”

Another study concluded that cancer patients who are able to exercise in the hospital experience improved blood counts. MGH has treadmills and stationery bicycles on in-patient floors for patients who are undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Exercise is especially important for patients who must stay in their room during their extended hospitalization.

Each month at the hour-long “Exercising for Energy” workshop, Andrea gives patients with cancer and their friends and family members tips on exercise and ways to conserve their energy. The goal is for patients, family members and friends to gain a better understanding of ways to exercise safely while undergoing treatment for cancer as well as strategies for conserving their energy so that they may live a more normal life.

Helpful Hints
Many cancer patients feel tired and have less energy for everyday activities. This may be a side effect of treatment or due to the cancer itself. A combination of exercise and saving energy can help.

Exercise Tips

• Before starting an exercise program, discuss it with your treatment team to see if there are any reasons why you should not exercise. Consider walking, dancing, gentle yoga or gardening.
• Start slowly.
• Stop if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, pain or pressure.

Save Your Energy

• Plan your day, deciding which tasks are most important to you and do these first.
• Recharge with naps
• Ask family and friends to help with tasks that are too tiring for you.
• Food is fuel for your body. Do your best to eat well.

To find his month’s schedule for “Exercising for Energy”.
For all the HOPES Programs workshops and services >>>