Friday, June 10, 2011

Improvements

Finally, my leg is back to normal! The swelling has gone back down and I am back in the gym doing 4 miles! I actually read in one of my Lymphedema books that a woman whose swelling became so severe she was going to have to be put in a wheelchair at the age of 43. Instead she went and started back up every exercise she could do, including running. Her Lymphedema improved dramatically. I decided that I would try running again because I loved the freedom I felt running years ago. What was the worst that could happen? My leg gets more swollen? Ha, that's going to happen regardless!

So, I have started out small with 1 - 2 miles on the elliptical and then I go on the treadmill and have a jog/walk combination. I am taking baby steps and can only run 0.2 miles at a time before I need to walk due to pain or lack of strength in the leg to keep going. I am jogging at a pace of 5.5 to 5.7. The crazy thing is that my leg is near normal size at the end of the night when I run. Which is insane but it is working. I am going to continue to challenge myself and maybe one day I can be a runner again. For now, I am going to listen to my body and progress at a slow pace.

Please be careful when incorporating exercise into your life with Lymphedema. Start small and listen to your leg as it reacts to the exercise. If you do too much too fast, your swelling will increase and possibly cause pain. Look at exercise as a form of treatment. It is healthy to get your blood and lymph fluid flowing in that leg and building muscle helps move the fluid BUT go at a pace right for you.