What are the benefits of exercise for mesothelioma patients?

There are benefits from exercise for everyone, no matter what their illness is. Exercise can help stimulate your appetite. It can actually make you feel more energetic. It is good for your muscles and bones. It can be good for your spirit as well.

Obviously you have to tailor your exercise to your particular situation. If you have had an extrapleural pneumonectomy, you will not be doing what you would normally call exercise until you have recovered sufficiently and your body gets used to depending on only one lung (which it can do).

In your case, just getting up from your hospital bed and walking in the hall will help prevent blood clots in your legs, too much fluid accumulating in your lung, and it will also help your bowels to start working after surgery.

If you did a lot of exercise before your diagnosis, you should continue to do as much as your doctor allows and you feel well enough to do. If you enjoy exercising you should make every attempt to keep it up.

If you don’t really like to exercise, just a walk around the block may be enough for you. Some people really enjoy just getting outside and seeing the scenery.

Talk to your doctor about exercise to make sure you are not going to be doing something too rigorous, especially before trying something new.