Hi all. I've been somewhat active in 3 Fat Chicks (mostly as a lurker) for several years now and was well on my way to a healthy happy and much thinner me. My fiance and I went to the gym 3 times a week plus I completed C25k and ran a 5k on 9/11/10. Things were going great and I was quickly approaching my wedding day and it looked like my fiance and I were going to keep our pact of getting hot for our wedding.
Well, then life blindsided us. On 9/15/10, 5 weeks before our wedding date, my fiance was diagnosed with a diffuse pontine glyoma. This is an inoperable brain tumor in his brain stem. His first symptoms were loss of balance/coordination and overwhelming fatigue. As you can imagine, we immediately dropped our gym memberships. With the expected medical expenses and his inability to lift weights due to his condition, it was a waste of money to continue.
He very quickly deteriorated. We started Radiation and Chemotherapy late September and were fortunate in that he felt good enough to go through with the wedding. But since, he's gone downhill quickly. He cannot exercise at all, and I don't want to leave him several times a week to go to the gym, but working out had been a major stress reliever for me, and I can tell you, I'm under more stress than I ever thought possible, now.
I work full time outside of the home and his company has allowed him to work from home on a reduced schedule, but we don't know that he will be able to continue to work much longer. DH can no longer drive, his balance is terrible and he has difficulty walking and monthly chemo treatments that make him feel awful.
I really need support, ideas and encouragement to get me back to exercising. I was thinking about getting up early and doing videos in my living room before work, so that when I get off work, I can worry about dinner, clean up, and then spend quality time with DH. Can anyone recommend good videos? I'd prefer to alternate days and do cardio one day, then strength the next. Equipment wise, I have 3,5 & 8 pound dumbbells, and an adjustable resistance cord that has the easy, medium and hard cords, a "fanny lifter" box, and a swiss ball.
Are there any other caregivers out there that need help too? I'd love to know there are others going through something similar so that we can support each other.