Rower Michelle Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Hi All. SOS! This week my hubby started a part time job at UPS just for the health insurance. Awful, not how we planned our “retirement”. UPS offered the best insurance (Teamsters) unbelievably great coverage for the fewest hours. Now I need to get him over the hump of the early weeks of muscle fatigue. Everything hurts everywhere. I’m confident this is a short term problem as pre diagnosis he was an elite Masters athlete. He will bounce back since he’s got great endurance DNA, probably would have made the National Rowing Team after college. Now he’s 57, no spring chicken. This morning I made some chia pudding which he suspiciously slurped down, loaded the Advil, and sent him off to acupuncture. I’ve got Epsom salts too. What else can we do? All and any recommendations are worth trying. Thanks! Michelle PS Happy Valentines Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJM Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Hot tub. Hot bath. Hot shower and lots of tylenol is the best I can do. He will be in working shape before you know it. Good luck. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFK Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Michelle, Gosh, I always say pain should be non negotiable. Only thing that I would add is if medical insurance is a barrier at this point in time, do you have a friend who is a Registered Physical Therapist that can do a complete assessment of where the strain and fatigue is and set up a strengthening/recovery program? Couple things 1) P.T. assessment and personalized rehab program at home 2) Correct usage of Foam Roller 3) Correct usage of Illiotibial Band 4) Myofascial Release by a qualified Therapist 5) Rest with heat/ cold treatments 6) Hydration to minimize lactic acidosis buildup 7) Rx strength Motrin 800mg to get that inflammatory response down My husband at 66 stands at 6’6” is an old athlete who still thinks he can carry refrigerators, work a chain saw all day, haul trees, do road work and wonder why he's half crippled at the end of the day. Fortunately, I have a good network of Physical Therapist friends that are familiar with him and have done a good job of truly treating his injury's. My husband seeks comfort measures but I insist on maintaining muscle integrity. Last thing I need is a herniated disk or a muscle sprain because at 66, recovery takes longer. Good luck Michelle.......DFK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 RICE it. Rest, Ice (I use to take ice baths in college), Compression and Elevation to recover once you are sore Stretching before he goes to work and after (after being the last thing he’ll want to do) will eventually prevent him from getting sore Staying hydrated during the day while working. Eating high quality Proteins throughout the day Lots of love, attention and appreciation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 Thank you guys- awesome. We are on the right track. In some way we were prepared for this. when I started Alectinib, the muscle pains were really terrible. The stairs may as well have been MT Everest. I did everything I could conceivably think of because I didn’t want to have another dose reduction or come off the meds altogether DFK- I really tried to plan ahead and sent him to PT for six weeks. So I guess it could have been worse. I’ve got the high quality bands, myofacial release roller, the message therapist and a rehab trainer. Curt- I’ve taught him some Qi Gong moves that can be done surreptitiously (he’s a tall guy like DFKs husband- whose gonna mess with him if it looks silly??). He LOVES your suggestions, hahaha- he will be treated like a king. He got quite the chuckle out of it. Tom- hubby isn’t much of a bath guy but I did get him into epson salts- only complaint was it smelled too “girly”. We have great insurance now through my former employer but after month 19 of COBRA the premium will increase 150%, the “affordable plans” on the Exchange were not much better. Hopefully we’ll be able to drop COBRA. I’m pretty optimistic this will work out- where else can you get a comprehensive benefit package, work 17 hours a week and show up in ratty old clothes? Love you all! Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFK Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Girl, you truly got this covered. Now be a good wife and run those Epson salt baths, apply some gentle massage, a few candles for ambience and ESPN in the background.....Gosh, who wouldn’t heal from that! Take Care, DFK🥰 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May2 Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 On 2/14/2020 at 6:35 AM, Rower Michelle said: Hi All. SOS! This week my hubby started a part time job at UPS just for the health insurance. Awful, not how we planned our “retirement”. UPS offered the best insurance (Teamsters) unbelievably great coverage for the fewest hours. Now I need to get him over the hump of the early weeks of muscle fatigue. Everything hurts everywhere. I’m confident this is a short term problem as pre diagnosis he was an elite Masters athlete. He will bounce back since he’s got great endurance DNA, probably would have made the National Rowing Team after college. Now he’s 57, no spring chicken. This morning I made some chia pudding which he suspiciously slurped down, loaded the Advil, and sent him off to acupuncture. I’ve got Epsom salts too. What else can we do? All and any recommendations are worth trying. Thanks! Michelle PS Happy Valentines Day. It depends on what type of pain, if it feels like inflammation, icing in the morning, taking advil/Tylanol throughout the day would help. Stay on top of the pain, so Advil every 4-5 hours to control inflammation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May2 Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Actually it might also be very helpful to increase protein intake as well. https://lungevity.org/news-blogs/blogs/is-protein-intake-important-during-lung-cancer-treatment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUNGevityKristin Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 If you are looking for nutrition based ways to combat muscle fatigue, INA can help with personalized suggestions. It's a free service that connects you to a personal nutritionist. Here is information: https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/support-services/meet-ina-your-personal-intelligent-nutrition-assistant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 Hello May2 Thank you so much for taking our household into consideration given what you have on your plate. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the support as we adjust to the new normal. We determined UPS’s probation period is 30 working days (small detail not explained upon hire). We are on day 17, over the hump. Every morning hubby wakes up tired however each week is getting a wee bit easier. A call was required to the PCP for back spasms, flexoril & moloxicam are working really well all things considered. Once he’s through the “hazing” then life should settle down. Going to be a long 9 months before health insurance benefits kick in but worth the wait. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May2 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 20 hours ago, Rower Michelle said: Hello May2 Thank you so much for taking our household into consideration given what you have on your plate. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the support as we adjust to the new normal. We determined UPS’s probation period is 30 working days (small detail not explained upon hire). We are on day 17, over the hump. Every morning hubby wakes up tired however each week is getting a wee bit easier. A call was required to the PCP for back spasms, flexoril & moloxicam are working really well all things considered. Once he’s through the “hazing” then life should settle down. Going to be a long 9 months before health insurance benefits kick in but worth the wait. Michelle Hang in there, glad to here things are slowly getting better. Wishing you and your hubby all the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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