What impact have sports or exercise had on your cancer experience?

Exercise was key in maintaining my already hectic life and with multiple myeloma. It was important to add weight training and full range of motion exercises to give my body an extra push. In regards to sports well that can be tricky because it may depend on the sport to play around with. I did make an effort with rollerskating but was so uncomfortable with the thought of a fall that I eased the idea of revisiting that. It really depends...

I would say that exercise made me stronger prior to my leukemia diagnosis which likely made my recovery easier. And I think exercise, though difficult, helped me get oxygen to my cells during treatment and kept my mind occupied. In my physical therapy profession, I always encouraged exercise for a variety of reasons. But I think with blood cancers, it's always a good idea to do smaller increments of exercise and test the water without expending too much energy at once. Then depending on how it feels, gradually do more or less. My husband bought me a new bike during my last bout of treatment in 2021. And even though I couldn't always keep up, it was a boost to my mental health in addition to giving me endurance to make it through months of treatment. Thanks for this great topic .

I have tried to exercise on a consistent basis. Walking seems to work the best however, I tend to run fevers and run out of gas much earlier in the day on the days I exercise. I try to do it in the afternoons, but sometimes it keeps me up at night. It’s been a challenge, but I know it’s important to exercise for my mental health, and to keep the blood moving. Yoga is my first go to but again it can knock me down. I have multiple myeloma in the smoldering stage. I’m thinking it’s the low IGA’s.

My sport is dance. I am a dancer/choreographer. Which is also my exercise. It gives me such gratification and peace. Plus allows me to still feel "normal" LOL!