This summer was an unusual one here in Calgary. In June, after weeks of rain, a severe flood devastated parts of our city. The bike and pe­des­tri­an pathways and bridges that are heavily used along our river banks were partially washed out. The system was closed for awhile, until assess­ments and initial repairs could be made.

This impacted most of us here. I use the pathway system quite a lot, ei­ther on foot or by bicycle. I was relieved when later this summer we were able to get out along the rivers again, for that is a big part of the out­door exercise program I have set for myself.

After my awful fall in 2009, which lead to my myeloma diagnosis, I wasn’t up to much of any movement. Collapsed vertebrae caused so much pain that even hobbling around the house was a major effort for me.

Today, four years later, I can walk long distances and cycle up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) again. It is a mira­cle to me, since in the summer of 2009 I thought I was becoming permanently disabled.

I think that the treatments with bisphosphonates, along with the treatments that halted my myeloma and put me into a remission, helped me to get back on my feet again. I took them for almost three years. At first, I received an infusion of the bisphosphonate Aredia ^[1] (pamidronate) once a month. The dose was sub­se­quent­ly lowered to once every two months and then to once every three months. My oncologist dis­con­tinued my treatments a year ago, since I am quite well again. In addition, he did not want to unnecessarily expose me to the risk of getting osteonecrosis of the jaw, a side effect of bisphosphonates.

Getting to where I am now was a gradual process.

There would not have been any value in me taking a walking stick and hiking 10 kilometers (6 miles) or pedaling away on my bike on the pathways right away. I needed to feel comfortable that it was more or less safe to do those activities, and it took at least two years for me to feel that way.

At first I started walking around my neighborhood, still using a walker for stability. I was literally terrified of falling, since a fall was the cause of my fractured vertebrae. My bones were so weak at that time that I was jumpy about doing anything that might cause more fractures.

I am fortunate to have a membership at a good fitness club, but it took me months to get back to the gym after my initial diagnosis. I first started using a stationary bike. I also gradually got back into the swimming pool at the gym and did some aquatic exercises. Later I took an aquasize class and eventually tried some gentle yoga.

To my relief, none of these activities caused more injuries. In fact, I haven’t had any more fractures since the initial ones, although I have had a lot of pain at times, especially in the lower back and hip areas. I still am especially careful about lifting heavy objects, since that is very painful.

In the meantime, I also started walking outdoors along the river. Over time, I increased the distance I walked to about 3 kilometers (2 miles) a day.

After I fell hard on the icy sidewalks twice in the wintertime and was able to get up and brush the snow off my coat without sustaining injuries, I knew I was definitely a lot stronger than before. When I crashed down hard on lava rock while snorkeling earlier this year and sustained the largest bruise I have ever had, but wasn’t seriously injured, it also made me realize that I must be a lot better now. So although of course I try not to fall or get injured, every day life does sometimes have hazards, and it is nice to know that I have survived a few accidents without further injury.

In the last year, a little puppy has come into my life that belongs to one of my daughters and her husband. Since they both work full time, I have offered to take the puppy for walks during the day. Since dogs are defi­nitely always interested in going for a walk, I am up to walking about 6 kilometers (4 miles) some days now. I have the little dog to thank for that.

Last winter we tried snowshoeing again. Since I am still fearful of falling, it seemed reasonable to switch from skis to snowshoes. That worked fine, although I saw some people out for walks going faster than me. I guess we need to find some snowier trails this winter. I haven’t been back on my downhill skis or skates since the injuries, and it doesn’t seem likely that I will be either, although maybe cross country skiing would be okay.

My bicycle is a different matter though. Since, like many, I learned to ride a bike as a child and had been riding all my life, it was something I missed terribly when I was sidelined by myeloma. I can’t tell you how I would dream of biking, skiing, and skating when I was going through treatment. I am sure that this may seem trivial to most, but I so missed my outdoor activities.

I gradually got back on the bike again. As I mentioned earlier, I started out on a stationary bike. Last year, I started taking some rides along the river banks on my mountain bike. This year, I got back on my cherished light-weight road bike. I was thrilled to find that I can now do a 35-kilometer (22-mile) ride along the river pathways. I am still not cycling up steep hills or using ‘clip-on’ shoes. The gentle ride along the river is enough for me.

I am still trying gentle yoga, but as with other exercise classes, it seems easier to use a DVD at home for that rather than go to a class. Maybe I will graduate into going to yoga classes this winter, since I have en­joyed the drop-in classes I have taken so far.

My favorite exercise in the summer is to go on a mountain hike, and so far this year, I have been on several of those. The beautiful surroundings are salve for the soul!

Compared to my previous self, I am not as strong and as quick on my feet and I do not have as much en­dur­ance as I did a decade ago. But that’s okay. I think we all expect to lose a bit of strength and en­dur­ance every decade. But to lose almost all of my strength and then have a lot of it built back again, that is modern medi­cine at its best. And I think my determination to get better again has contributed to it, too.

Have any of you returned to your previous exercise routine after being diagnosed with myeloma?

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The quotation for this month is from Zhuangzi (369 B.C. - 286 B.C.), a Chinese philosopher, who wrote "I know the joy of fishes in the river through my own joy, as I go walking along the same river."