Adrenaline & Steroids -- & swimming!

I thought of something today. It seems to me that someone told me that steroids mimic the body's own adrenaline. (I don't remember where I heard that so who knows. If anyone knows anything about this, please do tell.....) So I was wondering whether adrenaline has actually been having a helpful effect on my body aches.

I went swimming today. I was late getting there (yes, story of my life -- a little worse these days but basically just the way I am) so I had to swim fast to try to get the mile in. Now that's a lot harder for me to do than it usually is, but the idea of not being able to finish my mile just because some lifeguard is going to blow the whistle for the end of the scheduled swim at 1:30 pisses me off enough that I put my arms into it harder anyway, chemo or no chemo.... (Actually, that is the only thing that ever motivates me to get my pace up -- also chemo or no chemo.... :-D)

The background to this is that
1) The high school pools around here are open to the public three times a day,
only one of which doesn't conflict with my life, and that lasts for 1.5 hrs -- and
2) Usually I swim a mile in 45-50 mins, but I have done it in 40 when I'm
under the gun.

Anyway.... two out of the last three times I went swimming I had to pick up the pace because I was late. Once I did the mile in 40 mins and got out energized despite the fact that it had been hard to swim fast. The next time I went early, swam it in 50 mins, and got out tired. Today I was really late, swam 8/9ths of a mile in maybe 35-37 mins, was pissed that I hadn't been able to do the whole thing but got out energized and had a nice afternoon with the kids. ANyway both times when I was rushed I got out energized, and I think my pain medication lasted longer and worked better. And so I was wondering whether it is possible that the adrenaline had an effect somewhat like the steroid..... Wouldn't that be cool? Maybe all I have to do is make myself believe that I'm in a crisis all the time.....

I'm lucky that this chemo happened at a time when I was diversifying my workouts. This is my first time in life doing that -- I used to do serial monogamy with the workouts, like a real stick-in-the-mud. But now it turns out that they don't all feel the same with chemo.

In the last week I've been tired riding my bike over...... I don't know, 25-30 miles? This is the first time that's happened since I've been riding with the Babes -- I guess it's happened intermittently during this past summer, but that was on adriamycin/cytoxan, and there was a rhythm to my energy in response to that. This is the first time it's happened since I've been on the low dose taxol, which means this is just the way it is til it's over. That's rough, and if it weren't for the swimming it would be depressing.

Even walking the dog.... usually even if I start tired I get into it after 20 mins, which is one reason to do the 4 mile loop -- but last time I did the 4 mile dog walk I was tired throughout, which sucked. But swimming.... swimming doesn't trigger the aches the same way; in fact, it fixes the sore shoulder I sometimes get from road biking, so i try to swim the day after i bike..... Sooooo I'm thinking it's a better exercise for me now.

I'm not going to stop walking and biking (one's good for the dog and the bone density, and the other makes me happy and brings me to my support group!) However, I may just make it my business to swim every other day and scale down the other stuff, for the next few weeks, anyway. (Except for biking for transportation -- that I will still do, and that is almost always under 25 miles anyway.) Actually there is another reason to focus on the swimming -- after surgery it will be the last of the three exercises i will be allowed to do -- and even when I'm allowed I won't be able to get my right arm up over my head for some time. (Think I will swim in a circle? The lifeguards won't like that.....)

Ugh. I get tired hearing me write about myself. (I guess you guys don't have to read it if you get tired of it.....) Here, I have some news about NOT me, for a change. Today is Matthew's 15th birthday! Can you believe it? He's tall now..... a year ago he claimed that the only height advantage I had was due to my hair. Now not only do I have no hair but he's so much taller I would have needed a beehive from the 50s to compete! We got him a cake. Tried to take him out to dinner but it wasn't a good night for him, so we'll do it on the weekend.