In our first article, Dee was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, the same cancer that her mother died of. We saw how Pilates truly helped Dee to keep the full range of her shoulder mobility, especially after the Lumpectomy Surgery. Our second article covers Dee's journey through Chemotherapy and how her Pilates sessions helped her mind and body to deal with the harsh chemicals of Chemotherapy.
Next, Dee was prescribed radiation treatments, 5 days a week for 6 and a half weeks, a total of 37 radiation treatments. The Radiation was targeted to a couple spots all around the Left shoulder. She felt like radiation was a "cake walk" compared to chemotherapy. She had little burning of the skin as most people do, she applied pure Aloe Vera to her skin before treatments, then shea butter after wards. The main problem with radiation was the swelling and atrophy it caused in her left shoulder. The shoulder pain started after the 1st week of treatments. I remember feeling Dee's shoulder and couldn't believe how....
hot to the touch it felt. We began to think the burning was causing swelling of the scar tissue, the Rotator cuff tendons that had 15 years prior torn, were now acting up again. The radiation also caused severe atrophy in that shoulder. We would work that shoulder out, doing our tried and true shoulder exercises that generally cleared up pain. Nothing. After about the 3rd week of treatments, the atrophy was so bad, that Dee lost all strength in her shoulder, arm and hand. She was at home reaching for the milk with her left hand, and it slid right out of her hand to the floor. This was difficult emotionally, I knew the atrophy was only temporary, until she was done with Radiation. But for Dee, who had worked so hard to gain strength, mobility and flexibility in her shoulders, and who had been pain free in her shoulders for the last 12 years, this was disheartening. I just kept telling her, it's not really your shoulder. It's just the Radiation treatments. We will get strength back, you are almost done.
Dee was patient, she even went snowboarding on the weekends to take her mind off of what she was going through. Being in the cold weather helped, lying in bed being quiet was when the pain was most annoying. Ice helped when it was on the shoulder, but that was the only time. We just kept reminding Dee, that it was almost over and as soon as the treatments stopped, we would be able to rebuild the strength, flexibility and mobility in the shoulder. Oddly enough, as soon as she was done with the treatments, about 2 days later, the pain in her shoulder began to subside. Through out the treatments, the Pilates sessions did help her to feel strong in her whole body, while the breathing helped to calm her mind.
The last installment of Dee's journey with Breast Cancer covers the best part; Recovery! We call it recovery as our next path required us to build back strength in her whole body, especially the Left shoulder, as well as rid the body of the residual chemicals from both the Chemotherapy and Radiation.