Exercising After Mastectomy Can Improve Mobility and Self-Esteem
By Lorrayne Anthony

TORONTO (CP) _ Ann Chestney learned about exercise and breast cancer surgery the hard way. After her first surgery a sectional mastectomy in the left breast she didn't start exercising early enough. Now, three years later, the range of motion in Chestney's left arm is limited.
Six weeks after her second surgery a radical mastectomy on the right breast the 54-year-old mother of two teenage girls started doing yoga. "I can get my (right) arm all the way around," Chestney said from her home in Milton, Ont. "I can really see the difference between this time and last."

Recovering from any surgery is difficult, but mastectomies come with so much extra baggage. In addition to dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and tamoxifen, there is always the first time a woman looks in the mirror to see a scar where once lay her own personal symbol of motherhood and sexuality. Exercise is often a remote thought at best.
"I was afraid of doing exercises for way too long," said Miranda Esmonde-White, who teaches a class of stretches she created called Classical Stretch at the Club Sportif Montreal Athletic Association.

She underwent breast cancer surgery four years ago. "Besides being in an emotional depression from the cancer, I couldn't move my arm and that put me in an even deeper depression because I saw my whole career come to a crashing end," said Esmonde-White, who one month before being diagnosed with breast cancer, signed a deal with PBS in the United States to do a series of fitness shows. The cancer meant she was unable to keep that commitment.
When she was in the hospital, the physiotherapist gave her a list of exercises to do at home to help her regain the mobility in her arm.

But every time she moved, Esmonde-White, 53, could feel a tug on a ligament. She didn't know how hard to push herself because she didn't want to aggravate or rip open the scar.
"When you can't move your arm and you're already feeling very depressed, you're scared. You're afraid of injuring yourself."

She decided to go back to what she knew best: She started doing the stretches that she developed and which had helped others overcome back pain. And that's when things started changing for her.
She got back in shape, started training athletes such as Olympic diver Alexandre Despatie, launched a TV series for PBS and developed a video _ with the help of an oncologist_ specifically to help breast cancer patients after surgery. Esmonde-White's 30-minute video is available through her Web site: www.classicalstretch.com.

"I thought: 'if I as an exercise specialist was at a loss, the average woman must be a lot worse off," she said from her office in Montreal.
After a lumpectomy two years ago, Elissa Ross-Walfish did the exercises her physiotherapist had advised her to do, but felt it wasn't enough.
"I didn't know where to turn," said Ross-Walfish, 71. "I was too vain to go work out in a gym with a wig or a turban."

Ross-Walfish went to Gilda's Club Montreal, a cancer support centre named after comedian Gilda Radner, and took part in exercise classes there, but wished she had something specific for breast cancer patients.

"This (video) is something I could have used." Meanwhile Chestney is happy to get out and exercise. Her classes at the Oakville Wellspring a network of five cancer support centres in Ontario give a chance to stretch her body, clear her mind and meet other women with the same concerns.
"At first I didn't know what to do. Should I just walk in and say: 'Hi, I have breast cancer?" said Chestney. "I was never a yoga or meditation person."
But the place was so beautiful and peaceful that Chestney felt at ease immediately. "Now I really like (the classes) and I'm sticking with them," Chestney said of her massage therapy sessions or yoga classes.

"I don't find it difficult to exercise because I want to get better as soon as possible. I'm really looking forward to next summer.