Greg Mesa is a Physical therapist at the University of Maryland Medical Center Downtown Campus. He has a special relationship with Cancer Rehab as he is a cancer survivor himself. He will be discussing when to seek rehab, and what can rehab do for you in the midst of cancer treatments. Greg understands the effects of cancer treatment and will help you determine if there is a true need for rehab.
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What Can Rehab Do For You in the Midst of Cancer Treatments?
Featured Speaker:
Gregory Mesa, MSPT, COMPT
Greg is a Physical therapist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Gregory graduated from Marymount University in Arlington, VA with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. Greg has gotten his Certified Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapist through the Manual Therapy Institute. This rigorous 2.5 year program helped to refine Greg’s manual therapy skills to much higher level. He has experience working with a varied patient population from babiesto professional athletes. Greg uses his vast experience to help patients discover what they need to do to get better. Greg completed his undergraduate studies at Marymount University, Arlington VA where he earned his degree in Health and Fitness Management. He is currently using his management skills as a manager for the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. There he oversees the adult outpatient physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speechlanguage pathology(SLP). He also oversees the pediatric inpatient and outpatient PT/OT/SLPtherapists. Greg has quite a variedbackground. He was born and raised in Wyoming; then served in the U.S. Navy. He did several different jobs while in the Navy, but ended his time as a member of a special operations team. All of these varied experiences have givenGreg a unique perspectiveon life and enable him to relate to his patients on a different level. In his free time Greg enjoys spending time with his family and doing outdoor activities. Transcription:
What Can Rehab Do For You in the Midst of Cancer Treatments?
?Host: Welcome to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. We put knowledge and care within reach, so you have everything you need to live your life to the fullest. This episode is sponsored by the University of Maryland Rehabilitation Network. Offering a full range of physical rehabilitation services, the UM Rehab Network brings together a committed team of experts from across Maryland to help patients recover from illness or injury, such as stroke, joint replacement or traumatic injury. The University of Maryland Rehabilitation Network, bringing world-class comprehensive rehabilitation services directly to your neighborhood.
Today, we're talking about what rehab can do for you in the midst of cancer treatments with Gregory Mesa, Manager of the Department of Rehabilitation Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center. So, Greg, what is the most important advice to give a cancer survivor?
Gregory Mesa: Well, this is a very great question. I actually am a cancer survivor, so I am speaking to you with a unique perspective. And I think, both from my personal experience and from my professional experience, I think the most important advice I could give cancer survivors, especially who are going through treatment, is to drink a lot water and to move.
You know, having these experiences creates just a whole bunch of different emotions and feelings and many times, cancer survivors can find it hard to have hope when they're facing these very difficult challenges. And I think, instituting things in your day that you can control helps. So drinking a lot of water, moving. And of course, this would all be in consultation with your oncologist. But I would just say that movement and drinking water is probably one of the best things that you can do.
Host: And so simple and easy to do too as well. Now, at what point in the care process does rehabilitation come in for a patient undergoing cancer treatment?
Gregory Mesa: So rehabilitation can come in at virtually any point in the cancer treatment. It really depends on what and how you're being treated for your cancer diagnosis. If, for example, you're getting radiation to your throat, then speech language pathology can help with swallowing difficulties and things like that, which typically develop from the treatment of those things with radiation.
If you're a breast cancer patient, a lot of times if you've had any type of surgery or lymph node resection, upper extremity issues can develop pretty quickly. So as soon as the patient starts to develop pain or any other type of loss of function issues that aren't related to their cancer, rehab is a good option for them.
One thing we do know is, you know, as we stop moving, our bodies, and this is independent of cancer, our bodies will start to tighten up. So what we don't want as a rehab professional, is I don't want somebody who's already dealing with a pretty significant issue to then have an additional issue to deal with.
And so that's why I say encourage movement and drinking water just to help us help the patients through this process. But if they're being limited by function or pain that is not related to their cancer, those are things that can be addressed through rehab.
Host: Sure. So use it or lose it, right?
Gregory Mesa: Pretty much.
Host: What area of the body typically needs the most physical rehabilitation, Greg?
Gregory Mesa: Well, I would say with cancer treatment, I mean the whole body is gonna need some type of rehab. And again, a lot of this can be done by patients at home just by moving. And that's why, again, I go back to the movement part, especially if you're undergoing chemotherapy, I mean, fatigue is a really, really significant issue. But you have to make yourself move some. You know, it's a balance. even though your body's going to say no, you still got to try to move some. You're not going to move as much as you did before you started treatment, but you still got to move because your body needs that movement to continue the healing process.
Host: Now, when you're saying move, are you talking about walking or moving your arms around, calisthenics? Give us some examples.
Gregory Mesa: I would say all of the above. Well, calisthenics might be a little aggressive. Pre-cancer treatment of myself, I would've said yes to all of the above. Post-cancer treatment, and having gone through that fatigue, the calisthenics would probably be a reach, but walking is definitely not. Moving your arms around, so if you've got something where you've had some type of intervention to your upper extremities, to your arms, as soon as your doctor says you can start moving it, you need to start moving it. So it really depends on the cancer that you're dealing with. But in general, walking is usually going to be one of your best bets.
And what I recommend patients and that I did myself is just to really kind of come up with these very small goals, you know? I'm going to walk to the mailbox and back at least once a day or the end of the block and back. Whatever you can do to try to incorporate those on a daily basis is important.
Host: Very good. Now, does your team prepare differently for cancer rehab than for say something orthopedic?
Gregory Mesa: Not necessarily. They understand cancer rehab. They understand the fatigue, cancer-related fatigue that comes about. So they will absolutely adjust the treatments to meet the needs of the patients. But there isn't a special thing that they need to do, because they're focused on what is the impairment that they can help with, that they can help influence. And so that's going to be their focus. They understand cancer, but again, the treatment of it is going to be just what they would normally do, just maybe scaled back a little bit.
Host: Got it. Now, what can a patient expect when they begin their rehabilitation?
Gregory Mesa: Well, they can expect that they're going to have things to do. And I think again, as a cancer survivor, that's always welcome to have something that you can do, that you can control, that you can make a difference with, because sometimes you feel helpless. And that's, again, one of the benefits of rehab is really no matter where you start, whether it's with speech, occupational therapy or physical therapy, you're going to have something that you need to do. And it's important that you do it. Again, you got to get that control over what you can control. There's a lot you can't. But what you can, it's important to start taking control of it as early as you can.
Host: Give me some examples of some of the things you do with cancer patients during rehab sessions.
Gregory Mesa: So one of the things, I had a cancer patient who had severe peripheral neuropathy. She couldn't feel her feet. She couldn't feel her legs. She came in pretty much in a wheelchair, but she could move and she could move her legs. She just couldn't feel it. So we worked a lot on, first, how to stand and she had to do things a little differently than she did before, but we were able to kind of work her through being able to walk again. And she had to pay special attention. She needed some special things to help her foot maintain the right alignment, but we could get her going through that process, which previously she didn't think she could. She kind of just assumed that if she can't feel their feet, then she can't walk. So things like that, it would vary depending on what the patient was being seen for.
Host: Sure. It must be very gratifying to be in your position as a survivor to help others live their best possible lives. So thank you so much, Gregory, for the great information and for all the good work you do. I know a little bit of what you're talking about because I am living and married to a cancer survivor with neuropathy. So we thank you so much for all you do.
Gregory Mesa: Oh, you're certainly welcome. Thank you.
Host: You can learn more about how the UM Rehabilitation Network can help you with cancer treatments at ums.org/podcasts. Thanks for listening to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. I'm Deborah Howell. We look forward to you joining us again next time.
What Can Rehab Do For You in the Midst of Cancer Treatments?
?Host: Welcome to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. We put knowledge and care within reach, so you have everything you need to live your life to the fullest. This episode is sponsored by the University of Maryland Rehabilitation Network. Offering a full range of physical rehabilitation services, the UM Rehab Network brings together a committed team of experts from across Maryland to help patients recover from illness or injury, such as stroke, joint replacement or traumatic injury. The University of Maryland Rehabilitation Network, bringing world-class comprehensive rehabilitation services directly to your neighborhood.
Today, we're talking about what rehab can do for you in the midst of cancer treatments with Gregory Mesa, Manager of the Department of Rehabilitation Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center. So, Greg, what is the most important advice to give a cancer survivor?
Gregory Mesa: Well, this is a very great question. I actually am a cancer survivor, so I am speaking to you with a unique perspective. And I think, both from my personal experience and from my professional experience, I think the most important advice I could give cancer survivors, especially who are going through treatment, is to drink a lot water and to move.
You know, having these experiences creates just a whole bunch of different emotions and feelings and many times, cancer survivors can find it hard to have hope when they're facing these very difficult challenges. And I think, instituting things in your day that you can control helps. So drinking a lot of water, moving. And of course, this would all be in consultation with your oncologist. But I would just say that movement and drinking water is probably one of the best things that you can do.
Host: And so simple and easy to do too as well. Now, at what point in the care process does rehabilitation come in for a patient undergoing cancer treatment?
Gregory Mesa: So rehabilitation can come in at virtually any point in the cancer treatment. It really depends on what and how you're being treated for your cancer diagnosis. If, for example, you're getting radiation to your throat, then speech language pathology can help with swallowing difficulties and things like that, which typically develop from the treatment of those things with radiation.
If you're a breast cancer patient, a lot of times if you've had any type of surgery or lymph node resection, upper extremity issues can develop pretty quickly. So as soon as the patient starts to develop pain or any other type of loss of function issues that aren't related to their cancer, rehab is a good option for them.
One thing we do know is, you know, as we stop moving, our bodies, and this is independent of cancer, our bodies will start to tighten up. So what we don't want as a rehab professional, is I don't want somebody who's already dealing with a pretty significant issue to then have an additional issue to deal with.
And so that's why I say encourage movement and drinking water just to help us help the patients through this process. But if they're being limited by function or pain that is not related to their cancer, those are things that can be addressed through rehab.
Host: Sure. So use it or lose it, right?
Gregory Mesa: Pretty much.
Host: What area of the body typically needs the most physical rehabilitation, Greg?
Gregory Mesa: Well, I would say with cancer treatment, I mean the whole body is gonna need some type of rehab. And again, a lot of this can be done by patients at home just by moving. And that's why, again, I go back to the movement part, especially if you're undergoing chemotherapy, I mean, fatigue is a really, really significant issue. But you have to make yourself move some. You know, it's a balance. even though your body's going to say no, you still got to try to move some. You're not going to move as much as you did before you started treatment, but you still got to move because your body needs that movement to continue the healing process.
Host: Now, when you're saying move, are you talking about walking or moving your arms around, calisthenics? Give us some examples.
Gregory Mesa: I would say all of the above. Well, calisthenics might be a little aggressive. Pre-cancer treatment of myself, I would've said yes to all of the above. Post-cancer treatment, and having gone through that fatigue, the calisthenics would probably be a reach, but walking is definitely not. Moving your arms around, so if you've got something where you've had some type of intervention to your upper extremities, to your arms, as soon as your doctor says you can start moving it, you need to start moving it. So it really depends on the cancer that you're dealing with. But in general, walking is usually going to be one of your best bets.
And what I recommend patients and that I did myself is just to really kind of come up with these very small goals, you know? I'm going to walk to the mailbox and back at least once a day or the end of the block and back. Whatever you can do to try to incorporate those on a daily basis is important.
Host: Very good. Now, does your team prepare differently for cancer rehab than for say something orthopedic?
Gregory Mesa: Not necessarily. They understand cancer rehab. They understand the fatigue, cancer-related fatigue that comes about. So they will absolutely adjust the treatments to meet the needs of the patients. But there isn't a special thing that they need to do, because they're focused on what is the impairment that they can help with, that they can help influence. And so that's going to be their focus. They understand cancer, but again, the treatment of it is going to be just what they would normally do, just maybe scaled back a little bit.
Host: Got it. Now, what can a patient expect when they begin their rehabilitation?
Gregory Mesa: Well, they can expect that they're going to have things to do. And I think again, as a cancer survivor, that's always welcome to have something that you can do, that you can control, that you can make a difference with, because sometimes you feel helpless. And that's, again, one of the benefits of rehab is really no matter where you start, whether it's with speech, occupational therapy or physical therapy, you're going to have something that you need to do. And it's important that you do it. Again, you got to get that control over what you can control. There's a lot you can't. But what you can, it's important to start taking control of it as early as you can.
Host: Give me some examples of some of the things you do with cancer patients during rehab sessions.
Gregory Mesa: So one of the things, I had a cancer patient who had severe peripheral neuropathy. She couldn't feel her feet. She couldn't feel her legs. She came in pretty much in a wheelchair, but she could move and she could move her legs. She just couldn't feel it. So we worked a lot on, first, how to stand and she had to do things a little differently than she did before, but we were able to kind of work her through being able to walk again. And she had to pay special attention. She needed some special things to help her foot maintain the right alignment, but we could get her going through that process, which previously she didn't think she could. She kind of just assumed that if she can't feel their feet, then she can't walk. So things like that, it would vary depending on what the patient was being seen for.
Host: Sure. It must be very gratifying to be in your position as a survivor to help others live their best possible lives. So thank you so much, Gregory, for the great information and for all the good work you do. I know a little bit of what you're talking about because I am living and married to a cancer survivor with neuropathy. So we thank you so much for all you do.
Gregory Mesa: Oh, you're certainly welcome. Thank you.
Host: You can learn more about how the UM Rehabilitation Network can help you with cancer treatments at ums.org/podcasts. Thanks for listening to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. I'm Deborah Howell. We look forward to you joining us again next time.