Category: exercise

12 months clear & there’s much to celebrate

Jo2 Comments

I’ve certainly been breathing a little easier the past few weeks after the news that my 12-month CT scan and bloods were normal/clear.

In the last 3 months I also celebrated some big things which you are overdue an update on!

  • Firstly, team “Jo et al” raised $2156 for Peter Mac’s Unite to Fight cancer challenge. Thank-you for all for your support. Walking 60km over 10 days was by far the biggest physical challenge I’d attempted since finishing treatment. Buoyed on by everyone’s support and messages of encouragement I truly surprised myself with what my body was capable of. Also, thank-you to Garima, Christina, Dione, Myee, Yianni Brent and Sue “Team Jo et al.” for joining me virtually in the challenge & motivating me with your own challenge progress!
  • After not leaving Melbourne since July 2019 I was able to join friends for a weekend camping in the prom. Special mention to Christina, Dom & Sabrina for hiking up Mount Oberon at a nice slow pace with me. Leaving the city, spending time with friends & getting out in nature was magical. Well worth the drenching we got on Saturday night!
On top of Mount Oberon, December 2020. Photo by Massimiliano Nardini
  • Sticking with the exercise theme, I completed 10km in the virtual Melbourne Marathon running (& walking) along Elwood & Brighton beach in 1:17mins in December. During treatment last year I often walked on Elwood beach with Kathryn & Paddy so it felt very fitting to have them join me on this adventure.
  • I moved out of home. After spending so much time in lockdown with Mum, it’s been a bit of an adjustment for both of us. Personally, I had a pretty tough first few weeks managing my energy levels when there was no magic fairy doing the groceries, cooking or housework. My body has since adapted well though I remind very mindful of avoiding overcommitment and scheduling downtime.
  • After receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Queens Birthday awards, just after Christmas I received an invitation in the mail to my investiture ceremony at Government House on Wednesday 10th February at 11am. The ceremony will be livestreamed so please reach out if you’d like the details to watch!
  • I’ve signed up as a Consumer Rep for an exciting research project led my Prof Prue Comie on Embedding Exercise into Routine Cancer Care. (When permitted I look forward to sharing more about this!)
  • This week I’ve received clearance at all levels to exit my return-to-work plan (which I’ve been on since July 2019) & work fulltime hours again. My job is quite mentally demanding, so it’s been a long slow road back to this point. I definitely shed a tear over my medical clearance certificate & feel very grateful to have such a supportive workplace throughout this whole experience
1/2 way through my 1st 10km fun run with Kathryn & Paddy

In a period that has been challenging for everyone I’ve had some pretty good things happen. While this latest update has focused on sharing the positives, recovery from cancer diagnosis and treatment is anything but smooth and can be a long slow process.

Now that my energy levels are much better I’m hoping to be able to write a little more about the story after treatment finishes & continue to raise awareness.

PS: My annual colonoscopy isstill ~2 months away thanks to COVID delays!

A bump and a new challenge

Jo8 Comments

It feels like I blinked & suddenly a lot of cheese had been consumed and it was time to return to Peter Mac for my 3-monthly check-up with my surgeon. This time around the check-up was just blood-tests & a follow-up to a letter my GP had sent. Recovery is rarely linear & I had a small bump around a month ago. I had experienced pain, bloating and some altered bowel motions. As these were all also symptoms that led to my diagnosis with bowel cancer they were causing me a considerable amount of anxiety.

An X-ray ordered by my GP showed no sign of a bowel obstruction – which was my GPs immediate concern – or anything else untoward & my tummy has since settled down. While I’m ok I think it’s important to mention these bumps to help people understand recovery isn’t always smooth. The surgery I had means I’m more likely to get bowel obstructions – a blockage in the bowel – and my tummy is more sensitive to dietary changes than it used to be. My surgeon reminded me (again) to eat a high fibre diet & stay well hydrated to support regular bowel function.

The good news from yesterday is my bloods were normal. Both my GP and surgeon are happy with the current surveillance plan. My next trip to Peter Mac will be in 3 months’ time for my 6-monthly CT scan and to discuss my annual colonoscopy.

The passage of time seems to have simultaneously slowed down & increased during Melbourne’s lockdown 2.0. Exercise is one of the best free tools available to support recovery from chemo and cancer survivorship. Despite knowing this as lockdown has extended, I’ve found sticking to a regular exercise routine has been tougher than usual. Accountability has helped though, in particular:

  • Weekly one-one-one online classes with Michael & Kate from Movement Against Cancer
  • A weekly yoga practice with friends – massive thank-you to Gayatri who takes a group of us through a practice every week.
  • Doing 28 by Sam Wood strength workouts with Garima on the weekend
  • Making an exercise plan for the week and sharing it with a friend
  • A challenge or goal to work towards

With the Melbourne Marathon postponed until 2021 I’ve got a new exercise challenge in my sights. Tomorrow team “Jo et al” starts Peter Mac’s Unite to Fight Cancer Challenge.  Each of us is aiming to walk 60km or ride 200km over the coming 10 days. I’ve become pretty passionate about supporting cancer research, raising awareness of rising bowel cancer rates in young adults & the role of exercise in cancer survivorship so an exercise challenge which supports cancer research & encourages exercise accountability aligns with this.

If you’d like to support team “Jo et al” & our fundraising for Peter Mac’s cancer research you can do so here: https://my.unitetofightcancer.org.au/jo-newton

Words of encouragement, walking dates – virtual if needed – and your fav podcast/audio book recommendations are also gratefully appreciated for the next 10 days of walking

#Never2young

Jo3 Comments

It’s Bowel Cancer Australia’s #Never2Young Awareness Week.

Bowel cancer rates are on the rise in young people.

~1500 Australians under the age of 50 will be told they have Bowel Cancer this year.

Bowel cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in those aged 25-29. In 30-34 year-olds bowel and brain cancer deaths are equally common.

Young people are also more likely to be diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.

This year I’ve added my voice to help spread the messages of the #never2young campaign.

I’ve shared my experience of exercising as a cancer patient with Movement Against Cancer this week. Since mid last year the Movement Against Cancer team has been helping me exercise safely during chemotherapy and now recovery. There is a growing body of evidence on how regular exercise can help with chemotherapy side effects and improve cancer survivorship.  (That’s on top on the other known benefits of exercise for physical and mental health.) You can read my full chat with my exercise physiologist Michael here

I also spoke publicly about my bowel cancer experience for the first time as a guest on Cynthia Mahoney & Lousie Thomson’s Well-being Wednesday Webinar series. Cynthia and Louise have created a lovely online community where I was able to reflect on well-being and how my perception of this has been shaped by my cancer experience. (You might want to save this video for a later date as its about 60mins). There are also 13 other episodes featuring women sharing their stories and experiences of well-being here.

Thank-you Michael, Kate, Cynthia & Louise for allowing me to share my messages across your platforms.

Thank-you also everyone who has helped amplify the message that you’re #never2young for bowel cancer this week by sharing, liking, retweeting, commenting & creating your own “My age was not a factor” placard.

PS: it’s not too late to make your own (free) placard here

Where am I up to with my on-going surveillance? I have a couple of weeks to-go before my 6 month follow-up CT scan and review appointment mid-July