My wobbly appointment last week has had a lasting positive impact.
You see, it was that appointment that highlighted once again, just how different Melanoma is to other cancers. With other cancers, your check up’s don’t necessary include a full body skin check. Every time I have a review, which if (when) I get onto this trial will be every 28 days, I will have to strip off to my underwear & be examined for new & changing moles.
When this whole process began just 3 ½ months ago I was in the best physical shape I had been in for years….I was even running. I can fully appreciate many of my old school friends need a moment to pick themselves’ up off the floor having fallen off their chairs laughing – but honest it’s true I own a pair of trainers & they have been used!
I had a workout routine in place & had even started on an exercise challenge with some close friends….& then along came Melanoma. The 1 surgery after another and before you know it…the wobble that I had spent all that time getting rid of…. was back *sob*.
I am now physically able to exercise – I have to roll up my trouser over the scar on my right leg because it still weeps 2 months on & occasionally catches on my clothes but I am not likely to cause damage de-wobbling.
But that isn’t my issue – I am lazy –ok…not totally lazy, but I get into motivational ruts I need to get out of. This slump said “I can’t start back at exercise just incase I need to have more surgery that will stomp on my routine again”. Now, I can actually visualise half my friends and family reaching for the phone now to chastise me for such daft thoughts – I get it “I have cancer & am entitled to be lazy” – but I don’t want to be. I know exercise invigorates you & will hopefully help me feel less tired in the mornings as I haul ass out of bed for work.
More importantly I know that exercise (preferably 30 minutes of cardio at least 3 times a week) will help to oxygenate my blood cells. If they are oxygenated this is good because when they are starved of oxygen they start to feed off bad things & this could enable Cancer cells to grow – activating dormant Cancer cells I don’t even know are there. (This rule doesn’t just work for me btw – this goes for everyone – exercise is good no matter how little you do – it all helps).
So whilst I am not ready yet to go out in public running again – I have standards people – I will wait until I know I actually can run more than 1 mile before passing out, or heaven forbid – be seen by someone I know looking like an out of breathe lobster that wobbles!
I need an alternative Cardio exercise…..Which in turn neatly leads on to the bike – my exercise bike which sits conveniently in the corner of my front room. Reminding me & challenging me to avoid the inner sloth.
The bike was bought for me years ago by The Mr as a Valentines gift. The intention loving, but because he feared I wouldn’t appreciate the gesture, he also purchased 7 boxes of chocolates to go with said useful item. Needless to say at the time we ate the chocolates and I used the bike as a clothes horse!!!
I digress….the bike has, for the last year at least, been used with the frequency it was intended, and after last week’s giggles about my wobbles I started to listen to the inner voice in my head.
The voice wasn’t so much coming from my head….as from my bum….”please don’t make us wobble anymore!” it cried …quietly…. as I perused the lingerie shops on a recent pre-Christmas window shopping trip.
After all – If I have to display my smalls they should be matching….not just in colour (by this I do not mean the same off white nearly grey hue), but actual proper matching sets.
& if I am to convince or emotionally bribe The Mr into a long term investment of various 2 piece sets, I see it as my duty to ensure that the sets are modelled correctly – sans the wobble, muffin top , et all!