Strength Training With Cancer

[Jburke]

My oncologist is fearful that the lesion that was irradiated at l1 two years ago might do a spontaneous fracture as I do the squat. I have had radiation therapy treatments at the l1; a rib and the left lung. I am 66 and I am doing the Starr 5X5 as modified for geezers in the programing book. Aside from the type of discomfort that attends heavy work there has been no damage "yet."

I was approaching 230#s for the squat when the radiation treatment for the rib began and I experienced radiation sickness for first time. It knocked me back a few weeks and I am just now getting back to the 230 mark. I have no chemo involved so I am missing the continuous poisoning that is much of the treatment against cancer so I am not ill nor have I lost my appetite.

Good luck to your brother. Just "going for it" is medicinal.

[CGriff13]

Surgery was unsuccessful, unfortunately.

Chemo and radiation don't really work either. They are going to put him in a clinical trial of immunotherapy. Apparently it is easier on the body than chemo, but I don't think the results are well documented. We just have to continue to be positive at this point.

Sounds like his doctors have recommended just cardio stuff for him. Any maybe that's fine. I don't think I will be able to convince anyone that he should be going against what his doctor's recommend. I don't want to press the issue at this point, we're just hopeful the treatment goes well.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Good luck to you and your family.