Good Morning Cancer Patients and Caregivers;
I was recently in a discussion with a newly diagnosed cancer patient about what they might expect going through treatment and I was reminded of the volumes of needles, sticking and injections I endured during the course of my treatment and surgery. Having always tried to avoid being poked with a needle, being poked with a needle to take blood, inject medication into my veins or through my chemo infusion port I had in my shoulder, I realized I was going to be stuck with a needle very frequently during the course of treatment and I had better figure out how to endure it.
What I learned was there are various poking with needles for different things and in different places on your body. For injections they go into your shoulder or hip. For infusions they may go into the veins in your arm on the inside of your elbow, inside-top of your wrist or your port. For blood samples they may poke the end of your finger or poke your vein on the inside of your elbow.No matter where or for what, I found being poked hurt and hurt like hell when the attendant wasn't very skilled at it, missed the vein, blew the vein or just was plane rough with the process. Taking off your shirt at 8:00 AM in the morning in the infusion room sitting in an infusion chair, having your port wiped with a cold antiseptic cotton wipe and being poked in the port in your shoulder with the infusion needle is not an event one begins to look forward to.
So what do you do to get through the very short and irritating discomfort that you need to endure with needles? I found several ways to make the event less discomforting. First, distract yourself during the process. I would read the news paper while being poked. Also, I found that at the time being stuck with the needle, if you inhale a large breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth during the jabbing, you don't notice it as much. When being given a shot or being stuck in your wrist or inside your elbow, the breathing works and also works with the withdrawal of the needle. Finally, to help alleviate the pain from the injection especially in the shoulder or hip, spend time rubbing the infusion point to work the bruise out. I also found that doing push-ups helped break down the bruise in the shoulder after the injection. The only thing I found with the hip injection was to rub and message the area to work it out.
I couldn't find a simple way around the torment the needle inflicted, but I figured out how to endure them and make them less tormenting. The needle is another companion you have on your cancer treatment journey.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Cancer Treatment and Winter Cold
Good Morning Cancer Patients;
The winter cold makes cancer treatment more abusive. I think its because the treatment kills many of the body's heat receptors and therefore you feel the cold more. I always enjoyed the winters and the cold and could deal with them effectively but when I started chemo treatment of Taxol, Cisplatin and 5FU, I was always cold. I started treatment in the summer and began to notice I would get cold. When I started treatment again in January after recovering from surgery, I really noticed the cold. To compound it even further, the dry heated air coupled with dry skin from the treatment and the neuropathy in my hands and feet made what was a reasonable winter very cold for me. Staying warm became a challenge in public places. I began dressing differently to stay warm. The neuropathy in my hands and feet got so bad I had to be very careful to not get frost-bitten when I was out in the cold. My fingers would turn white down to the middle knuckles before I could feel they were cold, and by that time, frost-bite was setting in. My feet were the same way.
I encourage you not to let the winter cold deter you from living while in treatment but you need to protect yourself and safeguard against frost-bite. Do everything possible to stay warm and to get warm when you're cold. Layer on your clothes, cover your hands, wear a scarf around your neck, use heat packets in your gloves and heavy coat, wear a hat. It's not about how you look it's about staying warm. I found when I couldn't get warm from the cold, a hot shower worked to take the chill out of my body.
I haven't been in cancer treatment for several years now but the cold still bothers me and with the neuropathy in my hands and feet I must be real careful not to get frost-bite. My hands are also very dry and coupled with the neuropathy in them, still today, it makes even simple tasks like buttoning shirt buttons, grabbing small items with your fingers or separating papers are a major task in the winter with cold and dry hands. Hand lotion helps with the dryness but not with the loss of the sense of feel I lost with the neuropathy.
I still enjoy winter and the cold months but I don't enjoy the cold like I used to before cancer treatment. Don't let your lower tolerance of the winter cold keep you from living your life. Even a cold winter day can be drowned out by the excitement of life.
Stay warm, keep your sense of humor and never ever give up.
The winter cold makes cancer treatment more abusive. I think its because the treatment kills many of the body's heat receptors and therefore you feel the cold more. I always enjoyed the winters and the cold and could deal with them effectively but when I started chemo treatment of Taxol, Cisplatin and 5FU, I was always cold. I started treatment in the summer and began to notice I would get cold. When I started treatment again in January after recovering from surgery, I really noticed the cold. To compound it even further, the dry heated air coupled with dry skin from the treatment and the neuropathy in my hands and feet made what was a reasonable winter very cold for me. Staying warm became a challenge in public places. I began dressing differently to stay warm. The neuropathy in my hands and feet got so bad I had to be very careful to not get frost-bitten when I was out in the cold. My fingers would turn white down to the middle knuckles before I could feel they were cold, and by that time, frost-bite was setting in. My feet were the same way.
I encourage you not to let the winter cold deter you from living while in treatment but you need to protect yourself and safeguard against frost-bite. Do everything possible to stay warm and to get warm when you're cold. Layer on your clothes, cover your hands, wear a scarf around your neck, use heat packets in your gloves and heavy coat, wear a hat. It's not about how you look it's about staying warm. I found when I couldn't get warm from the cold, a hot shower worked to take the chill out of my body.
I haven't been in cancer treatment for several years now but the cold still bothers me and with the neuropathy in my hands and feet I must be real careful not to get frost-bite. My hands are also very dry and coupled with the neuropathy in them, still today, it makes even simple tasks like buttoning shirt buttons, grabbing small items with your fingers or separating papers are a major task in the winter with cold and dry hands. Hand lotion helps with the dryness but not with the loss of the sense of feel I lost with the neuropathy.
I still enjoy winter and the cold months but I don't enjoy the cold like I used to before cancer treatment. Don't let your lower tolerance of the winter cold keep you from living your life. Even a cold winter day can be drowned out by the excitement of life.
Stay warm, keep your sense of humor and never ever give up.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Just Don't Get Sick
Good Morning Cancer Patients and Caregivers;
Going through cancer treatment is one sure way to make you feel sick. But its the side effects of treatment that make you feel sick. I believe cancer treatment is a high-stakes poker game. Treatment kills good body cells and cancer cells. The intent is to kill the cancer with the treatment before the treatment makes you weak and it has to be stopped. Your cancer treatment team will do everything it can to play offense and treat your cancer. You have to play defense by helping your body stay strong and healthy while it is going through treatment. Remember, the treatment is making you weak. It is reducing the strength of your immune system. You may not be getting enough good nourishment because you have no appetite. Your endurance, energy and activity levels are declining. By its very nature you are susceptible to getting the flue, a cold, pneumonia or some other illness as a result of your weak immune system.
You need to take every precaution not to get sick. Stay away from sick people. Small children are germ factories. Especially during the flue season and colder months of the year. Get a flue vaccine and a pneumonia vaccine.Keep your hands clean from germs by frequently washing them or wiping them with hand cleaner. Keep you hands out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Don't touch your face with your hands. When you are out in public and you see people coughing and sneezing, avoid them in the area. The cold months are the worst and you have to be overprotective not to get sick. Do not under estimate the disadvantage your body and immune system have to ward off even common sickness. Recovering from a common cold when you are in treatment can become a major event.
Finally, eat right and eat healthy to strengthen your immune system. Take vitamines and extra protein to help rebuild your cells and strengthen your immune system. Be extra-cautious of the winter flue months and to protect your body so it can endure the abuse it is going through from the treatment. Conserve your energy but exercise. Just don't wear yourself down.
Going through cancer treatment is a battle of its own, don't add to the battle by getting sick. Do everything you can to keep from getting sick. You can't be careful enough.
Going through cancer treatment is one sure way to make you feel sick. But its the side effects of treatment that make you feel sick. I believe cancer treatment is a high-stakes poker game. Treatment kills good body cells and cancer cells. The intent is to kill the cancer with the treatment before the treatment makes you weak and it has to be stopped. Your cancer treatment team will do everything it can to play offense and treat your cancer. You have to play defense by helping your body stay strong and healthy while it is going through treatment. Remember, the treatment is making you weak. It is reducing the strength of your immune system. You may not be getting enough good nourishment because you have no appetite. Your endurance, energy and activity levels are declining. By its very nature you are susceptible to getting the flue, a cold, pneumonia or some other illness as a result of your weak immune system.
You need to take every precaution not to get sick. Stay away from sick people. Small children are germ factories. Especially during the flue season and colder months of the year. Get a flue vaccine and a pneumonia vaccine.Keep your hands clean from germs by frequently washing them or wiping them with hand cleaner. Keep you hands out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Don't touch your face with your hands. When you are out in public and you see people coughing and sneezing, avoid them in the area. The cold months are the worst and you have to be overprotective not to get sick. Do not under estimate the disadvantage your body and immune system have to ward off even common sickness. Recovering from a common cold when you are in treatment can become a major event.
Finally, eat right and eat healthy to strengthen your immune system. Take vitamines and extra protein to help rebuild your cells and strengthen your immune system. Be extra-cautious of the winter flue months and to protect your body so it can endure the abuse it is going through from the treatment. Conserve your energy but exercise. Just don't wear yourself down.
Going through cancer treatment is a battle of its own, don't add to the battle by getting sick. Do everything you can to keep from getting sick. You can't be careful enough.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Cancer and Living
Good Morning Cancer Patients and Survivors;
The holiday season is here. Are you preparing for it? Are you getting ready to spend time with friends and family celebrating the time and being together? It may be hard for you to do when your worrying about your cancer, your treatment success, the next test results or your suffering through the side effects of chemo and radiation. However, you could be doing that anyway regardless of the season. Now is the time to put those thoughts and worries aside and start living in the season. It will take your mind off the agony of cancer and focus your attention on living again, even if for just the season.
Too many cancer patients stop living their lives when they are diagnosed with cancer. They take a very inward focus and decide to stop living and doing the things they did before cancer or even doing new things. Your journey with cancer will run its course whether you decide to keep living your life with cancer or you elect to stop living and suffer through it. Every cancer patient decides this on their own. We recently buried a friend who was diagnosed with bone cancer over 5 years ago. He was mad at the world and stopped living what was once an active life. He lived for 5 years before the end and lost 5 years of living, waiting to die. In fact, he wanted to know when he would die so he could stop waiting.
Don't let cancer and the treatment strip you of your will to live. You just have cancer. You'll know when you're dieing. So don't waist the time you have by not continuing to live your life as fully as possible. Enjoy the holiday season the best you can and cherrish the time you are able to spend with your family and friends. When your asked by others at gatherings, how you are doing, just respond, "I'm getting through it" and then change the subject by asking how they are doing. Even though others want to know how you are doing, you don't want to spend your time at gatherings talking about your cancer.
So cheer up, its the holidays, and a good reason to keep living. Enjoy the time, don't over do it and appreciate the small joys and the opportunity you have to keep living your life. Keep your sense of humor and never ever give up.
The holiday season is here. Are you preparing for it? Are you getting ready to spend time with friends and family celebrating the time and being together? It may be hard for you to do when your worrying about your cancer, your treatment success, the next test results or your suffering through the side effects of chemo and radiation. However, you could be doing that anyway regardless of the season. Now is the time to put those thoughts and worries aside and start living in the season. It will take your mind off the agony of cancer and focus your attention on living again, even if for just the season.
Too many cancer patients stop living their lives when they are diagnosed with cancer. They take a very inward focus and decide to stop living and doing the things they did before cancer or even doing new things. Your journey with cancer will run its course whether you decide to keep living your life with cancer or you elect to stop living and suffer through it. Every cancer patient decides this on their own. We recently buried a friend who was diagnosed with bone cancer over 5 years ago. He was mad at the world and stopped living what was once an active life. He lived for 5 years before the end and lost 5 years of living, waiting to die. In fact, he wanted to know when he would die so he could stop waiting.
Don't let cancer and the treatment strip you of your will to live. You just have cancer. You'll know when you're dieing. So don't waist the time you have by not continuing to live your life as fully as possible. Enjoy the holiday season the best you can and cherrish the time you are able to spend with your family and friends. When your asked by others at gatherings, how you are doing, just respond, "I'm getting through it" and then change the subject by asking how they are doing. Even though others want to know how you are doing, you don't want to spend your time at gatherings talking about your cancer.
So cheer up, its the holidays, and a good reason to keep living. Enjoy the time, don't over do it and appreciate the small joys and the opportunity you have to keep living your life. Keep your sense of humor and never ever give up.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Learning to Tolerate the Waiting
Good Morning Cancer Patients;
I was reminded today when I was standing in a long line waiting to renew my license how I have distilled waiting down to its essence. The cancer treatment journey is filled with waiting. I think the whole process was designed around waiting. If you are not very tolerant of waiting and waiting annoyes you as it used to annoy me, you are going to be in for a series of long waits and miserable aggravations.
One of the first things cancer treatment taught me was how to wait, because you spend enormous amounts of time waiting - waiting to register, waiting to be called, waiting to have your vital signs taken, waiting for blood to be drawn, waiting to be admitted, waiting to have tests run, waiting for test results, waiting for the oncologist to see you, waiting for the infusion nurse to connect you to the infusion pump, and waiting, waiting, waiting some more.
Being good at waiting is an acquired skill. One I acquired and mastered during my journey with cancer. I sometimes wondered as I was graciously waiting, if the reason for the wait was because no one expected me to show up at the appointment time they gave me and were surprised and not ready when I showed up. Since I had begun to recognize I would be doing a great deal of waiting on this journey I figured I had 2 choices - First, get aggravated and complain which would do nothing but waste my energy and aggravate the help - Second, learn how to deal with it. I chose the latter.
The way I began to tolerate it was I began to expect to wait and therefore came prepared to do something with the wait time. I always brought my own materials to read and my cell phone for calls I had to make. When I ran out of things to do that I brought with me I began to watch and observe what was going on. How many people were waiting? What was the average wait time? What was the demographics of those that were waiting? How were the people waiting being treated by the service providers? How many service reps were there and how many of them were waiting on people to be serviced? I found observing what was going on to be much more entertaining than anything I had brought with me to occupy the wait time.
Today I still use this approach to waiting and waiting doesn't bother me. My attitude is - Its like being in church, and as long as you have to be there, you may as well get something out of it. Enjoy the waiting...
I was reminded today when I was standing in a long line waiting to renew my license how I have distilled waiting down to its essence. The cancer treatment journey is filled with waiting. I think the whole process was designed around waiting. If you are not very tolerant of waiting and waiting annoyes you as it used to annoy me, you are going to be in for a series of long waits and miserable aggravations.
One of the first things cancer treatment taught me was how to wait, because you spend enormous amounts of time waiting - waiting to register, waiting to be called, waiting to have your vital signs taken, waiting for blood to be drawn, waiting to be admitted, waiting to have tests run, waiting for test results, waiting for the oncologist to see you, waiting for the infusion nurse to connect you to the infusion pump, and waiting, waiting, waiting some more.
Being good at waiting is an acquired skill. One I acquired and mastered during my journey with cancer. I sometimes wondered as I was graciously waiting, if the reason for the wait was because no one expected me to show up at the appointment time they gave me and were surprised and not ready when I showed up. Since I had begun to recognize I would be doing a great deal of waiting on this journey I figured I had 2 choices - First, get aggravated and complain which would do nothing but waste my energy and aggravate the help - Second, learn how to deal with it. I chose the latter.
The way I began to tolerate it was I began to expect to wait and therefore came prepared to do something with the wait time. I always brought my own materials to read and my cell phone for calls I had to make. When I ran out of things to do that I brought with me I began to watch and observe what was going on. How many people were waiting? What was the average wait time? What was the demographics of those that were waiting? How were the people waiting being treated by the service providers? How many service reps were there and how many of them were waiting on people to be serviced? I found observing what was going on to be much more entertaining than anything I had brought with me to occupy the wait time.
Today I still use this approach to waiting and waiting doesn't bother me. My attitude is - Its like being in church, and as long as you have to be there, you may as well get something out of it. Enjoy the waiting...
Dealing with the Fear
Good Morning Cancer Patients;
There is never a good time to be diagnosed with cancer and as soon as that happens you become overwhelmed by the fear factor. Unfortunately the fear factor will be your companion on your journey with cancer from here on out. I don't think it ever goes away, only subsides in its intensity. The sooner you can get control of your fear, the sooner you stop wasting your needed energy and strength on the fear and start using them for treatment and recovery, as well as living a quality life with cancer as more cancer patients do today.
Don't underestimate the grip fear can have on you with cancer and how it can demotivate you and distract you from executing the task at hand, which is to get through the treatment and contribute to its success. As your journey continues you will find the fear factor interfering at various times: waiting to hear about test results; getting tested; going through surgery; feeling new pains in your body; worrying about recurrence; and numerous other times. You should recognize when the intensity the fear increases and begin to settle it quickly.
Several ways to settle the fear include: mentally removing yourself from the situation that has caused the fear to intensify; recognizing the toll the fear can have on you and mentally forcing it out of your thought process when it emerges; creating a distraction so you won't dwell on what is causing the fear; continue living your life and not letting the fear interrupt you.
Fear on this journey is not your friend but it is your companion. Don't let it strip you of the energy you need for treatment and recovery.
There is never a good time to be diagnosed with cancer and as soon as that happens you become overwhelmed by the fear factor. Unfortunately the fear factor will be your companion on your journey with cancer from here on out. I don't think it ever goes away, only subsides in its intensity. The sooner you can get control of your fear, the sooner you stop wasting your needed energy and strength on the fear and start using them for treatment and recovery, as well as living a quality life with cancer as more cancer patients do today.
Don't underestimate the grip fear can have on you with cancer and how it can demotivate you and distract you from executing the task at hand, which is to get through the treatment and contribute to its success. As your journey continues you will find the fear factor interfering at various times: waiting to hear about test results; getting tested; going through surgery; feeling new pains in your body; worrying about recurrence; and numerous other times. You should recognize when the intensity the fear increases and begin to settle it quickly.
Several ways to settle the fear include: mentally removing yourself from the situation that has caused the fear to intensify; recognizing the toll the fear can have on you and mentally forcing it out of your thought process when it emerges; creating a distraction so you won't dwell on what is causing the fear; continue living your life and not letting the fear interrupt you.
Fear on this journey is not your friend but it is your companion. Don't let it strip you of the energy you need for treatment and recovery.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Recovery Nutrition
Good Morning Cancer Survivors;
I recently provided a session for about 40 cancer survivors, patients and caregivers at a Cancer Resource Center. One of the discussions that took place was the nutritional requirements necessary for recovery from cancer treatment. I was amazed to learn not one cancer patient had been advised by their cancer treatment team or oncologist about the nutrition requirements they need, to assist and support recovery. Moreover, most were not aware of the antioxidant and hi-nutritional foods they should be eating to help rebuild their immune system, physical strength, stamina, blood counts and begin to refurbish their bodies from the treatment side effects.
Recovering from treatment and the nutritional requirements should not be underestimated. Just because treatment is finished doesn't mean the journey is finished. I believed when I finished treatment I needed to rebuild my system as quickly as possible for two reasons:
-To ward-off getting sick while my immune system was weak and rebuilding
-To be able to go through the treatment process again if needed, like I had to do earlier in my treatment journey.
When you complete treatment your entire system is depleted and needs appropriate nutritional attention. Your appetite will eventually return but early on you will have to force the issue. More protein,antioxidant-based and good calorie based foods need to be consumed. For protein its meat, fish and protein-based vegetables and nuts. For hi-antioxidants its berries, nuts, green tea, real fruit juice, specific vegetables, grains and spices. The more antioxidants, the greater strength you provide your immune system to ward off cancer. If the treatment didn't make you lactose intolerant, yogurt will help the digestion system and immune system.
When you finish treatment you are on your own for recovery. More protein, antioxidants, good calories,exercise and at least eight hours of sleep will help your recovery. Its your recovery, go for it.
-
I recently provided a session for about 40 cancer survivors, patients and caregivers at a Cancer Resource Center. One of the discussions that took place was the nutritional requirements necessary for recovery from cancer treatment. I was amazed to learn not one cancer patient had been advised by their cancer treatment team or oncologist about the nutrition requirements they need, to assist and support recovery. Moreover, most were not aware of the antioxidant and hi-nutritional foods they should be eating to help rebuild their immune system, physical strength, stamina, blood counts and begin to refurbish their bodies from the treatment side effects.
Recovering from treatment and the nutritional requirements should not be underestimated. Just because treatment is finished doesn't mean the journey is finished. I believed when I finished treatment I needed to rebuild my system as quickly as possible for two reasons:
-To ward-off getting sick while my immune system was weak and rebuilding
-To be able to go through the treatment process again if needed, like I had to do earlier in my treatment journey.
When you complete treatment your entire system is depleted and needs appropriate nutritional attention. Your appetite will eventually return but early on you will have to force the issue. More protein,antioxidant-based and good calorie based foods need to be consumed. For protein its meat, fish and protein-based vegetables and nuts. For hi-antioxidants its berries, nuts, green tea, real fruit juice, specific vegetables, grains and spices. The more antioxidants, the greater strength you provide your immune system to ward off cancer. If the treatment didn't make you lactose intolerant, yogurt will help the digestion system and immune system.
When you finish treatment you are on your own for recovery. More protein, antioxidants, good calories,exercise and at least eight hours of sleep will help your recovery. Its your recovery, go for it.
-
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