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What exercise is too much exercise?

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User
Posted 11 Mar 2022 at 07:28

Hi.  Just been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. Started with what was called BPE? 4 years ago - PSA 1.3, DRE fine, told to go away unless things changed.  Four years later this January stated getting pain in lower right abdomen and right hip. Then went through tests resulting in PSA of 50, and MRI/CT picking up metastases in hip, lymph nodes, head of femur, ribs, L1 spine.


I'd more or less worked out I had advanced cancer a couple of weeks ago using Dr Google and this website in particular.  With this in mind urologists diagnosis yesterday was no real shock.  I can just about put the hovering cloud of decline and death to the back of my mind at the moment.  However, the, possibly stupid, loss I'm struggling with is the doctors instruction that I must be very careful because of the met in the head of my femur.  My job involves teaching children indoor rowing and forest school, which I love and is my life, but I've been told both are too risky.


I've now got to wait for an orthopedic review and have to talk to schools about reasonable adjustments.  Has anyone any experience of possible bone breaks/exercise limitations?  I had hoped for a year or so of doing what I love.  To be told to stop immediately is hurting!


Thanks


 


 


 

User
Posted 11 Mar 2022 at 23:50

Hi John, sorry to hear how things are. You are right not to worry to much about the future which will be shorter than you perhaps hoped for. Treatment etc. may change what and when the final outcome is. The more pressing matter is enjoying your life now.


I don't know how much exercise is too much. I can very much understand the medics being worried. Some areas of your bone are weakened by being replaced with prostate cells. Your treatment will hopefully kill these cells for a while, and your bones may be able to repair a little though you may be on HT which is associated with bone loss.


Any doctor is risk averse for his patients, so it is easier for them to just say don't do a dangerous activity, without fully appreciating how badly that affects your life. So maybe you need to tell the oncologist you need the bone investigated not from a cancer point of view but from a bone usability point of view. Someone who knows about bones and joint might be able to say "it's weak but that is a low stress part of the bone".


I hope you can find someway of carrying on doing what you enjoy a little longer.


 


 

Dave

User
Posted 14 Mar 2022 at 02:22

Cancer and some cancer treatment drugs can reduce bone strength. On the other hand some forms of exercise, particularly gym work, are recommended to counter bone loss but the question here will be, which exercise for your specific needs?


On the face of it rowing is not a high impact exercise which could be a positive for continuing it. Dave often recommends skydiving for prostate cancer sufferers but somehow that doesn't seem quite right here 😀


The oncologist should certainly be able to help you and it sounds as though you're prepared to ask the key questions of him/her.


Jules

User
Posted 25 Mar 2022 at 22:53
Hip replacement isn't major surgery these days; of course you should give it serious consideration if they offer it. We haven't had any men here recently having surgery but there have been plenty in the past - joint replacement, joint pinning, removal of vertebrae and even removal of a rib.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 26 Mar 2022 at 07:32
Hi , I’m nearly 55 and started HT January 2021. My psa was 990 and mets in spine , ribs , hip , and 4 large lymph nodes. Nobody has said not to work. I’m still working rigorously as a farm labourer and loving it. However 4 hrs seems to be my max re fatigue these days. My sentiments are very much like yours. I want to stay fit and strong mentally and physically before the cancer takes that also. I too was told that HT works between 3 to 5 yrs. I’ve rejected Enza and Chemo as I feel quality of life is more important at this age. Good luck !!
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User
Posted 11 Mar 2022 at 23:50

Hi John, sorry to hear how things are. You are right not to worry to much about the future which will be shorter than you perhaps hoped for. Treatment etc. may change what and when the final outcome is. The more pressing matter is enjoying your life now.


I don't know how much exercise is too much. I can very much understand the medics being worried. Some areas of your bone are weakened by being replaced with prostate cells. Your treatment will hopefully kill these cells for a while, and your bones may be able to repair a little though you may be on HT which is associated with bone loss.


Any doctor is risk averse for his patients, so it is easier for them to just say don't do a dangerous activity, without fully appreciating how badly that affects your life. So maybe you need to tell the oncologist you need the bone investigated not from a cancer point of view but from a bone usability point of view. Someone who knows about bones and joint might be able to say "it's weak but that is a low stress part of the bone".


I hope you can find someway of carrying on doing what you enjoy a little longer.


 


 

Dave

User
Posted 12 Mar 2022 at 00:48
The urologist isn't usually an expert in bone mets - wait and see what the oncologist says. The hormone therapy should start to shrink the mets quickly, you may be able to have Zometa which strengthens the bones and if any are particularly at risk of crumbling they will either give them a zap of radiotherapy or may even operate to stabilise them. We have a number of men here who have been able to carry on with serious cycling & gym work and you will perhaps find it helpful to look up Irun (who has carried on completing extreme / ultra-marathons with bone mets - google Kevin Webber) and a previous member Alathays who continued playing rugby with extensive bone mets.

With a bit of luck and a good oncologist, you will still be doing the job you love 5 or 10 years from now.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 14 Mar 2022 at 02:22

Cancer and some cancer treatment drugs can reduce bone strength. On the other hand some forms of exercise, particularly gym work, are recommended to counter bone loss but the question here will be, which exercise for your specific needs?


On the face of it rowing is not a high impact exercise which could be a positive for continuing it. Dave often recommends skydiving for prostate cancer sufferers but somehow that doesn't seem quite right here 😀


The oncologist should certainly be able to help you and it sounds as though you're prepared to ask the key questions of him/her.


Jules

User
Posted 14 Mar 2022 at 08:02

Yes, hopefully.  Can't wait for the orthopedic/oncologist appointments, for  some better news possibly.  However, I'm also trying to mentally prepare for worse information from those consultants with more information. 

User
Posted 25 Mar 2022 at 21:43

An update.


Have now spoken with the oncologist.  Met in neck of femur is about a third of diameter of the bone, so no rowing/strenuous activities still - big disappointment!  She didn't think radiation thereapy would be enough to solve issue, so now I have to wait for orthopaedic referral to see whether surgery would allow me to rejoin the active world.


I understand hip replacements are major surgery, but if it ment I could have a few years of active life that might be worth it in terms of quality of life and mental health!  Plus, I worry that not being able to get active again is going to shorten my life anyway.  


Am I even mad to consider this?  Has anyone on the forum pursued this in the past?


Other 'fun' news, prognosis 3 to 5 years and chemotherapy won't start until mid May, as they like to have 2 months hormone therapy first in Gloucestershire.

User
Posted 25 Mar 2022 at 22:53
Hip replacement isn't major surgery these days; of course you should give it serious consideration if they offer it. We haven't had any men here recently having surgery but there have been plenty in the past - joint replacement, joint pinning, removal of vertebrae and even removal of a rib.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 26 Mar 2022 at 07:32
Hi , I’m nearly 55 and started HT January 2021. My psa was 990 and mets in spine , ribs , hip , and 4 large lymph nodes. Nobody has said not to work. I’m still working rigorously as a farm labourer and loving it. However 4 hrs seems to be my max re fatigue these days. My sentiments are very much like yours. I want to stay fit and strong mentally and physically before the cancer takes that also. I too was told that HT works between 3 to 5 yrs. I’ve rejected Enza and Chemo as I feel quality of life is more important at this age. Good luck !!
 
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