It's been a while...

Hi everyone!!

Sorry it's been SO long since I wrote a post!!!!  With the craziness of buying our new home, moving and then painting the entire inside of the house and all the updates we are doing to it, life has been crazy!!!  We are finally slowing down with the house projects, although, anyone who owns a home knows that they NEVER END!!!

But, moving on to the foobies :)

I'm now a little over 3 months post op (wahoo!!!!) and wanted to share different things I am feeling, how I look, and, of course, my fitness.  Let's start with the things/sensations I'm feeling now 14 weeks post-op:

• When I wake up my foobies always feel a bit tight
• Sleeping on my sides is still a bit uncomfortable and if I'm on one side for too long I usually wake up and have to adjust my sleeping position
• I'm starting to get more feeling back closer to the nipple, but at times it's uncomfortable, especially if I accidentally hit it or scrape up against it or adjust my bra.
• If I wear a strapless top or dress, I CAN NOT tell if it starts to slip!! haha! This is actually pretty hilarious because I'll look down and be like "oh, crap!!! I'm getting close to giving everyone a free show!!!" I usually tell my husband to be on the lookout for this lol!!
• My left one is STILL TIGHTER than the right one and limits my left arm range of motion (ROM) more than the right
• Massaging helps, but I sometimes forget to massage them.  Also, massaging them doesn't feel as great as a massage should feel haha!  It's actually a bit uncomfortable to massage as vigorously as they want you to
• The scars are lightening up nicely....still a bit pink (right more than left) but they are lightening!
• When I flex I can literally SEE the pectoralis muscle origin!!!  It's sort of creepy!  Also, when I flex (and I find this hilarious), the muscle pushes the implant down and out to the side!! haha, it looks pretty funny!  So it happens whenever I do chest exercises (push ups, planks, downward dog, etc.).  

How I look:

In my opinion, and from what my husband tells me, my foobies look great!  They're small (close to my original size), but they're firm and full looking and I love them!!  They look awesome in a bra and in a dress and at times I don't even need a bra (they just sit there all purdy looking on their own :))!!

Fitness:

I have been slowly increasing my weights when I lift as well as the intensity when I do plyometric or cardio exercises (think mountain climbers, burpees, jump squats, etc.).  In the beginning my lungs had a tough time catching up, but the other weekend I ran 2 miles for the first time in 4 months and I felt  great!!! My legs got that sort of itchy burning feeling but that's a normal "new-to-running" sensation!

At home HIIT workout: 

4 rounds

50 jumping jacks

30 high knees

20 mountain climbers

20 plank jacks

10 burpees

That workout was great because it's equipment free but still challenged me!!!  Give it a try and modify what you need :)

My strength is increasing each week because I am pushing myself and motivated to get back to all of my pre-surgery weights!!!  It is hard work and some days I don't feel like I can do it or lift that much so I listen to my body and lift lighter with higher reps or I do yoga so I can focus on my flexibility (which is also extremely important after this kind of surgery)!!

Leg workout - top: split squats

bottom left: kettle bell swings

bottom right: kettle bell deadlifts

(notice how in the bottom right picture my shoulders are still rounded forward a bit.  This is due to decreased chest flexibility from the surgery.  Working on stretching out my chest and shoulders will help with this.  Even though it is uncomfortable, working on flexibility and ROM is key before I begin lifting heavy again).

Sorry it's been so long since I posted!!!  I'll try to keep up with my blogs more regularly now that we are more settled into our new life :)

Stretching, Moving, Strengthening

Ok so I am a little over 7 weeks post-op now...YAY!!  And have been approved to lift over 10lbs again and resume normal high intensity activities (running, jump rope, etc.).  Of course that makes me SUPER excited and now I want to do everything all at once!!! hahaha but that's not how it works. I know that I have to ease back into it.  I can't start deadlifting 100lbs again, I have to work back up to it.  It's a slow process but it will be so worth it to feel strong again!!! :)

Also, I haven't been posting too often and I also may be MIA for the next few weeks as the hubs and I are MOVING to the mountains AND we bought a house!!! :)  So, we are in the process of moving and painting and updating and it's craziness but I love it!!!

YAY OUR NEW HOME!!! :) :) :)

Since this is my first week being able to do my normal routine (which is in my Previvor Exercise Guide), I have been feeling really sore and I love it!

This past Monday I did legs......Deadlifts, Split Squats, Stability Ball Hamstring Curls, and Squats and oooooooooh goooooooodness my legs are STILL sore and it's Friday LOL!!!  But it's one of those "hurts so good" feelings! :)

Here's a video of how to do split squats, in case you were wondering and wanted to make your legs super sore too ;)

Also, during the move, we obviously had no gym to workout in so I had to do an outdoor travel workout and use what I had!!!  You can always workout anywhere you go, take advantage of your surroundings!! :)

5 Weeks Post Op - Kick it into Cardio Gear

I'm 5 weeks post-op today!!  It feels like my surgery was so long ago, but then it also feels like it was just the other day.  I can still feel things pull and stretch if I move too quickly or if I try to grab something heavier than 10lbs (personal trainer here, makes it hard not to lift heavy objects at work lol).  The other day I picked up a 12lb medicine ball and took about 2 steps with it, realized what I was doing, and dropped it right there! Hahaha I literallly laughed out loud!!  Even though it felt ok to lift it, my PS specifically told me not to lift heavier than 10 lbs for 6 weeks so I'm trying really hard to follow those orders!

I've been following my Previvor Exercise Guide and enjoying the strength I'm regaining but am not enjoying how my lunges seem to always be screaming for air!!  I feel like I just can't quite catch my breath and like I am super out of shape!!  I taught my first spin class back after surgery this past Tuesday and ooooooooh man was it tough!!!  I was trying so hard to focus on my breathing, but when you have to breathe, work hard and yell and motivate your class, things get a bit crazy.  My head got all swollen feeling (my tight headband probably didn't help) and when the class was over I was very happy haha!!

Just in case you're just jumping into my journey, I had my preventative double mastectomy on March 18, 2014 and my final reconstruction and laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy on September 11, 2014.  I've been following an exercise guide that I created specifically for individuals going through upper body surgery!  This week I sort of had to change things up a bit  because I had Monday off work so I took a rest day that day, Tuesday I taught spin, yesterday I did a leg and core workout and today I'm teaching my Butts&Guts class and subbing Spin class for someone!  Whew!!!  Here's a video of the leg workout I have been doing on Mondays:

The workout is-
3 rounds of:
15 split squats/leg
10 butt lifts/leg
15 lateral lunges w/high knee/leg

This made my legs and booty nice and sore!!! :)

And don't forget to foam roll and wear pink this month!!

Questions or comments?? Email me at paigeperformance.connect@gmail.com!!

Previvor Exercise Guide WEEK 1

It's October!!!!! Wait, what?!?!  How'd that happen?!?!

And that means it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!! For all of us previvors, survivors, friends/family of a previvor/survivor let's help others to become aware and know that we are not alone in this!!! 

This week marked my first week back at work and it's been incredible so far!!  I feel more energized each day that I'm here and like I'm getting back to my normal routine!

This week ALSO marked the first week of starting my very own 12 week Previvor Exercise Guide!!  It is in a VERY rough draft stage right now and I am constantly updating it and adding to it as I follow it each day.  I designed it for anyone who has gone through upper body surgery (doesn't have to specifically be a previvor, could be a cancer survivor, someone who had arm, shoulder, stomach, gall bladder surgery, etc.)!  It progresses slowly so that the individual using it doesn't feel overwhelmed in the beginning.

Obviously, since each person is different and each surgery is unique to the individual, each person would need to show the guide to their surgeon(s) before beginning it to make sure they are physically ready to complete the exercises required.  My intentions are to help women gain back their strength, flexibility and endurance after they have had surgery using the guide as a step-by-step instruction manual on how to do so :)

For the first 8 weeks there are 2 rest days a week but, starting week 9, one of the rest days turns into a working day....just an example of how the guide progresses.  Also, to avoid complications, the guide is split into 3 sections - weeks 1-4, weeks 5-8 and weeks 9-12.  The routine for weeks 1-4 is the same each week so that the individual can become comfortable and improve in each exercise before moving onto a harder and more challenging exercise!  The exercises become more challenging every 4 weeks and require more strength and coordination.

Here's week 1:

I initially had just a walk on Monday but I realized that I felt good and wanted to actually do work.  However, since I am only allowed to lift 20lbs or less with my lower body, the machines didn't really give me a good workout....it pretty much did nothing.  So that's why I added a bunch of lower body body-weight exercises on Wednesday on top of the upper body flexibility work.  Initially, I only had the upper body flexibility work, but it wasn't enough.  And let me tell you......I am FEELING it....my booty is SUPER sore and so are my legs and I LOVE it!!!! :)

Foam rolling out the legs - hamstrings and glutes to be specific

Since it's Friday today, that's the workout I'm planning on doing.  However, based on how I feel, I might add to it.  This is why I wanted to "test" my guide out myself first before I publish it so I can know what needs to change!!

One thing I do need to think about is the fact that the recovery for both surgeries is VERY different.  The preventative double mastectomy recovery is much more difficult, slower and challenging than the final reconstruction.  ROM and flexibility is harder to gain back after the PBM and you tend to feel weaker (or at least I did) after the PBM surgery.  After the final reconstruction, you immediately have almost all of your ROM you had before the surgery (which might have still been limited since the PBM surgery) and I felt like I had more energy and strength right away (after the anesthesia wore off).

I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend!!!

Remember, if you have any questions or you would like to test out my guide and provide me with feedback, email me at:
paigeperformance.connect@gmail.com

Also, today's workout (friday) can be viewed in video form on my instagram page: fitness.paige

Work It Girl!!

Today was my first day back to work and it ROCKED!!!!!! :D  It helps that I absolutely LOVE my job (being a personal trainer is amazing)!!

I showed up this morning to this waiting for me downstairs at the front desk:

So cute!!!! I love oatmeal :)

And this upstairs on my computer waiting for me:

This made me feel so loved!

And the two amazing girls I work with in the morning, who I am so blessed to be able to call my friends, and I all have the same pair of Lululemon pants and we have dubbed these our "Monday pants."  Yep, we all wear the exact same pair of Lululemon pants on Mondays....we are indeed fitness fashion dorks :)

Monday Pants!!

Now, even though I'm back at work, I'm not busy at all, which is totally ok!  I purposely didn't take any new clients starting at the beginning of August because I was going on a week vacation at the end of August and then would only be back for a week until I left to have my surgery, so there wasn't any point in taking new clients.  It's nice to ease back into it though.....I would definitely recommend easing back into whatever job you have....maybe that means going back Wednesday-Friday that first week back, or doing half days for the first three days or something along those lines.  It's not that it's physically difficult (well...for a personal training job, it sort of is lol), but it's more psychologically challenging because you just spent 2-3 weeks lying/sitting/lounging on a couch while your body recovered and even when you go back to your work, your body is still in recovery mode and your mind is not ready to work yet.  So those first few days back feel amazing, but they're also challenging (in a good way though)!

I will resume training my long standing clients I had before my surgery and those who have been training with me since before my first surgery too!!  They are very supportive and understand that I can't demonstrate any upper body exercises to them or hand them heavy weights for at least another 2-3 weeks...just another reason why I love my job and my clients!! :)

My back to work outfit:

So get this....my incredibly thoughtful husband bought me a matching Lululemon outfit, while I was recovering, that I could wear to my first day back at work.  He drove to Santana Row and went into Lululemon, despite the fact that they had moved the store to a new temporary location so they could renovate their current store which caused him to walk around lost trying to find it for 30 minutes, and then proceeded to ask someone to help him pick out a cute matching outfit that consisted of a tank top, headband and socks.  I love him.  Wearing this outfit today made me feel confident and ready to get back to life!!!!  I also loved the way my new foobies looked in it!!

             

                                              Looking good foobies, looking good :)

Now that I have had my bandages off for several days and have been massaging them (to avoid scar tissue and adhesions from developing), I'm noticing little things that probably only I would notice.  The left one feels a bit tighter (darn you left foobie!!), my nipples aren't perfectly aligned with each other (barely noticeable) and the same spot that was pinched in on the side of my left breast is again starting to look pinched in again (uuugh).  But, I know that these implants are going to change over the course of the next year, so I need to continue to massage them and continue praying for a smooth recovery :)

Dressings off - Foobies look awesome!!!!

I had my post-op with my plastic surgeon yesterday and my post-op with my OB/GYN this morning and ALL, that's right, ALL of my bandages/dressings/tape is OFF!!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! :D
Ya, I'm ecstatic...yesterday was a pretty amazing day!!!

The two incisions lower down on my tummy are pretty much all healed and I think once the scars settle you'll hardly be able to see them at all!!!  The belly button one is completely hidden because I have a deep inny (is that how you spell it??? lol)....I literally couldn't even see the stitches or a scab or anything when I looked in my belly button!  Here's my tummy, sans bandages!!!!!

They're going to heal beautifully!!

Yesterday when I went in for my breast reconstruction post-op, my surgeon was double booked so I ended up seeing someone else and she was very sweet!  She had a good technique for removing the evil, skin-destroying saran wrap bandages that brought the pain level down from a 9 to a 3 (which isn't saying much...I swear the pain from removing the dressings is worse than the actual recovery lol).  There was gauze on the left incision that was stuck to the wound glue so she left it for my plastic surgeon to deal with.  She also taught me how I needed to (right away) begin massaging my new foobies....and massage them often and sort of aggressively.  The reason for this is to prevent scar tissue from forming around the implants....wouldn't want what happened to my poor left expander to happen to this implant!!!  I don't want any baseball like things inside my chest!!!  I had no idea how much I had to massage or what to do so she was kind enough to demonstrate for me....I was nervous because of the incisions but she said they're mostly healed so "get to town massaging!!!" :)

As I was massaging I immediately noticed that my left one was already tighter than the right!!!!  Pesky left breast!!!  Even though Thelma is gone, she still left trouble behind (Grrrrrrrr)!!  I am going to massage the heck out of my foobies so the implant doesn't get encapsulated....I refuse to let it happen again!!!

My plastic surgeon came in and removed the gauze and wound glue off of both incisions and said he was very happy with how they turned out and thought they looked great (I agreed with him of course :))!!  Here's a couple of pictures of my incisions...remember these are 2 weeks post-op.

Right breast: a lot more "scabbing" on this one

Left breast: this one already looks great!!

There is a lot of redness and dry, flaky skin around the area which is from the dressings being removed and the skin underneath damaged from it.  That will heal in a week or two no problem and those scars will heal even more and lighten up (since I'm so fair skinned).  Sorry if these make you squirmish or uncomfortable, I'm strictly showing these so that others who are thinking about having the surgery know what to expect! :)

I have 210cc silicone gummy implants in and was told that these never have to be replaced (unless there's a tear or leak).  I am a teeny tiny bit bigger than I was to begin with (which was an A cup), and although, I do wish I could have gone a bit bigger (a full B cup would've been nice), with the complications I had (darn you Thelma), I'm very happy with how they turned out!! When I look at myself in the mirror I almost feel like I'm back to how I was before this entire process began and that makes me feel good :)

Feeling super normal in my workout clothes again!!

Closer view: no cleavage to worry about....right back to where I was before :)

I go back to work on Monday and I am SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!  I'm in love with my job so yes, I truly am excited to go back!!!  As a personal trainer though, my work is limited....I won't be able to demonstrate any upper body exercises to clients, hand them weights heavier than 10lbs and teach any of my fitness classes for another 2-3 weeks.  I was prepared for this though and my co-workers rock so everything is covered for me! :)  The other exciting thing is that I will be doing my very own PREVIVOR EXERCISE GUIDE and keeping track of how I feel while doing it!!!  Stay tuned to see how it goes!!!

P.S. if you are going to be having this surgery in the next month or so and are interested in getting your fitness back on track after you heal, send me an email at: paigeperformance.connect@gmail.com and I can email you my rough copy of the guide for you to use!!!  I am looking for as much feedback as possible before I turn it into an E-BOOK for anyone to purchase!!

Visitors!!!

I'm now 12 days post-op, almost to the 2 week mark!!!!  Aaaaaaaaand it's been a bit since I posted about how my recovery is going, so I figured I needed to sit my butt down (even though my butt's been doing a lot of that lately) and write!!

Last Wednesday one of my best friends flew in to take care/hang out/keep me company while my hubby went back to work.....and this best friend of mine happens to live in NY right now so we don't get to see each other too often.  You could imagine how excited I was to have her come hang out for 3 days!!!  We mostly lounged, but since I've been feeling pretty good we walked over to trader joes where we got some essential groceries (which my friend carried back to my house since I can't lift heavy things...lame) to bake the quintessential fall treat...pumpkin bread!!!!!!! :)  It was delicious!!!!

We went for a longer walk than I had taken before, about 2 miles!  I was tired, but it felt great!!!  My legs needed the work and I needed the push for sure!!

Getting outside feels so good when you've been stuck inside for several days!

I noticed, during our walk, that underneath my left breast (still haven't come up with new names for them yet - TBD soon), right where the breast sort of "hits" the ribs, there was a sharp stinging sensation that led to a desire to itch!  The more we walked the itchier it became, which was quite frustrating!!!  I tried to rub it a bit to get the itchy feeling to go away, but in the end I had to just ignore it.  This definitely didn't inhibit anything or deter me from walking but it was a pest!

I also started to develop a strange rash after I showered on Wednesday.  It was in between my breasts where the saran wrap like dressings were not covering my skin.  It was very red and sort of scaly (as you can see below) and it itched like CRAZY!!!  I also noticed that all of the skin NOT covered in the saran wrap still LOOKED like saran wrap...it was super damaged!!!!  I can only assume it was because my skin had a bad reaction to the iodine they used during the operation but quickly removed once they realized my skin didn't enjoy it.  I ended up emailing the picture to the surgeon and he called me as soon as he got it to say that he didn't think it was an infection and if I moisturized it and used cortisone cream it would go away on its on.  About 3-4 days later it did clear up and my skin looks like it's healing!   

                                         

                                         

horribly itchy rash between my breasts

I also had 2 other friends come visit while my friend from NY was there as well!!!  We got pedicures, watched movies, relaxed, caught up and one of my girlfriends even cooked us an amazing lunch (she's a chef)!!!!  

                     

            Bright Fun Pedicures                                                     Goat Cheese and Fig Crostini

It ended up being a great time and I was actually pretty tired by the time everyone was gone and it was back to being just me and the hubby again (and he was pretty happy that he got me all to himself again :))  The week and weekend came to a great end and I got to relax and enjoy some quiet time :)

 In just 2 days I have my post-op check up and I will be getting the dressings removed which I am SOOOOOOO excited about!!!  So, stay tuned for photos and feelings!!! :)