There are
a couple of things that have been rattling around in my mind, so I thought I'd
put them down here.
First, I'll tell you that I'm finally feeling "normal" again. I think I was battling a stomach bug, on top of chemo-based nausea. That sucked royally. Kevin had a tummy bug for about a week (which happened to coincide with chemo), and it seems that perhaps I caught it, too. Not fun at all.
Yesterday was the first day I didn't have nausea. It made me so happy. Although, we were out with the kids all day yesterday running errands, and I'm pretty sure I got sunburned, just on the trips into/out of the store. In the past, I've been able to pretty much avoid dealing with the sensitive skin side effects. Not so much this time around, me thinks. Last night, my skin was so sensitive that it was hard to sleep - it didn't/doesn't look sunburned, but that's how it felt. Having said that, I'm on the lookout for a lightweight, everyday sun block. If you have one that's suitable for sensitive skin, please let me know.
On that same note, since I shaved my head, I've had to shave it again several times. My hair, ironically, hasn't fallen out. At all. I've had slowing of the growth of my hair on my legs, but other than that, it appears that the hair on my head is full and complete. However, my scalp is uber-sensitive when my hair gets "long". (I use the term long loosely - my long here, I mean, oh, say 1/2 inch long....) How to describe it? If you've ever had a sunburn that is sensitive to touch (as in, if you touch it, or the wind blows across it, or you have clothing on that portion of your skin), that's how my scalp feels when my hair gets long (again, relatively speaking). And, it starts to itch. Hence, my continued hair-free self. I have to laugh, because Levi and I will shave one another's heads. It's kind of sweet that he's willing to do it for me - I can't imagine this is what he envisioned when we got married.
Okay - earlier this week, as I was sitting in CTCA waiting room, it dawned on me that I haven't fully described the "alternative" therapies that I'm taking part in there, or why they are having me do them. Hopefully, you'll find this interesting.
There are several therapies that CTCA uses to help the patients mitigate the side effects of chemo, as well as heal their bodies so that they can focus on fighting the cancer. It all plays into the concept of a whole-body approach to fighting cancer, rather than just focusing on the cancer. The thought process is that you need to heal your whole body, in order to allow your body to effectively fight the cancer. It's hard for your body to focus on healing multiple areas at a time; if your body is trying to heal an acute back problem, it can't/won't be able to focus on fighting the cancer.
I'm sure there are more therapies available at CTCA than I'm using. It can actually be overwhelming when you look at the possibilities of what you can take part in there. For now, I've been using their chiropractor services, acupuncture, OT, speech therapy, and massage therapy. They also offer yoga, reiki (I really need to learn more about this), tai chi, etc. It's amazing.
I had been seeing a chiropractor prior to my re-diagnosis for back pain. Since then, I've moved to the chiro at CTCA. He's super nice, and I don't have a co-pay. :) But, in addition to that, he works with the other team members (all of the other alternative therapy providers, as well as my med-onc team) to make sure that we are battling the issues collectively, as a group. So, I see Dr. McDonald twice a week at CTCA, and it makes a HUGE difference.
I see the acupuncturist and massage therapist once a week. I'll admit - I had serious reservations about acupuncture. I mean, you're trying to tell me that sticking tiny needles into many, many parts of my body is going to help me deal with neuropathy and nausea better? Well, it does. And, it's amazingly relaxing. I have all but gotten over the fear/trepadition/nervousness of Dorion sticking needles into me (anyone who knows me knows this is a *HUGE* thing). They are super small, and while you might feel a twinge (esp if he hits a nerve), for the most part, you don't feel the needles. The results, for me, are undeniable. The acupuncture helps me with my neuropathy and my nausea. At the end of my appointment with Dorion, I'm absolutely and completely relaxed. I'll even go so far as to say that I'm more relaxed at the end of my acupuncture appointments than I am at the end of my massage appointments. Pretty amazing, eh?
My massage therapist, Pat, uses a really interesting technique called acutonics, which means she uses tuning forks in addition to the traditional method of massage to relax the muscles. She has several different tuning forks that are used for different purposes; it's been proven via many medical tests that applying the ringing tuning forks to muscles allows them to relax and thus, helps your body heal. I was skeptical, but I can tell you that I can actually feel the muscles in my back and shoulders free up when she applies the ringing tuning forks. She can also apply them to other parts of your body - she has used the tuning forks on my hands and feet to help with the peripheral neuropathy, on my head to help with headaches, on my scalp to help me relax....it's amazing.
The speech therapist I'm seeing is to help me with mychemo brain. I've only seen her twice, but her advice and assistance has already helped me put my life in more order than it was before. Chemo brain sucks, because you know for sure that you *should* know something, but your brain doesn't seem to have the wherewithall to know what it's supposed to be doing, saying, etc. It's awful, because you just feel dumb. With Sue's help, I've been able to come up with ways to help me feel more in control of my brain and my life. We are working specifically on ways to help me with linear thinking (i.e., telling a story in order, rather than winding back and forth and filling in story lines here and there) and with deductive reasoning (making decisions based on what I know). Moving forward, we are going to work on other things that should help me get back to feeling more normal. Our goal? Get me reading again. Right now, it's so hard for me to keep a story straight in my head that I can't read a book. I can't concentrate on a story long enough to keep the specifics in my mind, and I'm constantly re-reading the same chapter over and over to try to remember what happened. Not fun at all. So, our goal is to give me the tools I need to read again. I can't wait.
My occupational therapist (OT) Jen and I are working on a lot of things. She has done myofascial release on me, which is amazing. I would highly recommend it. Currently, we are working on strength and balance. Again, this all feeds into my brain's capability to deal with things as they come at me (speech is working on verbal, OT is working on physical). We are also working on making sure that, as I move into this next phase of chemo, I can continue to keep my strength up. She has given me some exercises to do at home with a band, and I'm excited to have this at my disposal. Between that and working out (once I get back into it more regularly), I really will feel like I'm me again.
So, those are the "alternative" therapies that I'm taking part in at CTCA. I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sure how I'd feel about them. I decided to give them a try - after all, a place like CTCA wouldn't be using them without scientific proof that they were going to help their patients. I went in (especially to acupuncture) thinking that, well, I'll give it a try and if it doesn't feel right, I can always cancel future appointments.
I'll also be the first to admit that, for me, these therapies are working. I'm so grateful to have them at my disposal. I really think that I'm better off because of these, in conjunction with the med-onc stuff. My body heals better. I'm not on a constant barrage of prescription meds to get me through each day. Matter of fact, except for the week of chemo (and on 2 or 3 drugs to help with the nausea), I'm only on two rx drugs - one to help me with my heartburn, and the other to help with neuropathy. Other than that, the other pills that I take are all naturopathic vitamins, supplements, etc. It's pretty amazing, when you think about it.
All right - I'm off. Chiro appt this morning, and then the kids and I are off to get summer sandals. Levi started his new job this morning (yeah!!!). Hoping he likes it.....
First, I'll tell you that I'm finally feeling "normal" again. I think I was battling a stomach bug, on top of chemo-based nausea. That sucked royally. Kevin had a tummy bug for about a week (which happened to coincide with chemo), and it seems that perhaps I caught it, too. Not fun at all.
Yesterday was the first day I didn't have nausea. It made me so happy. Although, we were out with the kids all day yesterday running errands, and I'm pretty sure I got sunburned, just on the trips into/out of the store. In the past, I've been able to pretty much avoid dealing with the sensitive skin side effects. Not so much this time around, me thinks. Last night, my skin was so sensitive that it was hard to sleep - it didn't/doesn't look sunburned, but that's how it felt. Having said that, I'm on the lookout for a lightweight, everyday sun block. If you have one that's suitable for sensitive skin, please let me know.
On that same note, since I shaved my head, I've had to shave it again several times. My hair, ironically, hasn't fallen out. At all. I've had slowing of the growth of my hair on my legs, but other than that, it appears that the hair on my head is full and complete. However, my scalp is uber-sensitive when my hair gets "long". (I use the term long loosely - my long here, I mean, oh, say 1/2 inch long....) How to describe it? If you've ever had a sunburn that is sensitive to touch (as in, if you touch it, or the wind blows across it, or you have clothing on that portion of your skin), that's how my scalp feels when my hair gets long (again, relatively speaking). And, it starts to itch. Hence, my continued hair-free self. I have to laugh, because Levi and I will shave one another's heads. It's kind of sweet that he's willing to do it for me - I can't imagine this is what he envisioned when we got married.
Okay - earlier this week, as I was sitting in CTCA waiting room, it dawned on me that I haven't fully described the "alternative" therapies that I'm taking part in there, or why they are having me do them. Hopefully, you'll find this interesting.
There are several therapies that CTCA uses to help the patients mitigate the side effects of chemo, as well as heal their bodies so that they can focus on fighting the cancer. It all plays into the concept of a whole-body approach to fighting cancer, rather than just focusing on the cancer. The thought process is that you need to heal your whole body, in order to allow your body to effectively fight the cancer. It's hard for your body to focus on healing multiple areas at a time; if your body is trying to heal an acute back problem, it can't/won't be able to focus on fighting the cancer.
I'm sure there are more therapies available at CTCA than I'm using. It can actually be overwhelming when you look at the possibilities of what you can take part in there. For now, I've been using their chiropractor services, acupuncture, OT, speech therapy, and massage therapy. They also offer yoga, reiki (I really need to learn more about this), tai chi, etc. It's amazing.
I had been seeing a chiropractor prior to my re-diagnosis for back pain. Since then, I've moved to the chiro at CTCA. He's super nice, and I don't have a co-pay. :) But, in addition to that, he works with the other team members (all of the other alternative therapy providers, as well as my med-onc team) to make sure that we are battling the issues collectively, as a group. So, I see Dr. McDonald twice a week at CTCA, and it makes a HUGE difference.
I see the acupuncturist and massage therapist once a week. I'll admit - I had serious reservations about acupuncture. I mean, you're trying to tell me that sticking tiny needles into many, many parts of my body is going to help me deal with neuropathy and nausea better? Well, it does. And, it's amazingly relaxing. I have all but gotten over the fear/trepadition/nervousness of Dorion sticking needles into me (anyone who knows me knows this is a *HUGE* thing). They are super small, and while you might feel a twinge (esp if he hits a nerve), for the most part, you don't feel the needles. The results, for me, are undeniable. The acupuncture helps me with my neuropathy and my nausea. At the end of my appointment with Dorion, I'm absolutely and completely relaxed. I'll even go so far as to say that I'm more relaxed at the end of my acupuncture appointments than I am at the end of my massage appointments. Pretty amazing, eh?
My massage therapist, Pat, uses a really interesting technique called acutonics, which means she uses tuning forks in addition to the traditional method of massage to relax the muscles. She has several different tuning forks that are used for different purposes; it's been proven via many medical tests that applying the ringing tuning forks to muscles allows them to relax and thus, helps your body heal. I was skeptical, but I can tell you that I can actually feel the muscles in my back and shoulders free up when she applies the ringing tuning forks. She can also apply them to other parts of your body - she has used the tuning forks on my hands and feet to help with the peripheral neuropathy, on my head to help with headaches, on my scalp to help me relax....it's amazing.
The speech therapist I'm seeing is to help me with mychemo brain. I've only seen her twice, but her advice and assistance has already helped me put my life in more order than it was before. Chemo brain sucks, because you know for sure that you *should* know something, but your brain doesn't seem to have the wherewithall to know what it's supposed to be doing, saying, etc. It's awful, because you just feel dumb. With Sue's help, I've been able to come up with ways to help me feel more in control of my brain and my life. We are working specifically on ways to help me with linear thinking (i.e., telling a story in order, rather than winding back and forth and filling in story lines here and there) and with deductive reasoning (making decisions based on what I know). Moving forward, we are going to work on other things that should help me get back to feeling more normal. Our goal? Get me reading again. Right now, it's so hard for me to keep a story straight in my head that I can't read a book. I can't concentrate on a story long enough to keep the specifics in my mind, and I'm constantly re-reading the same chapter over and over to try to remember what happened. Not fun at all. So, our goal is to give me the tools I need to read again. I can't wait.
My occupational therapist (OT) Jen and I are working on a lot of things. She has done myofascial release on me, which is amazing. I would highly recommend it. Currently, we are working on strength and balance. Again, this all feeds into my brain's capability to deal with things as they come at me (speech is working on verbal, OT is working on physical). We are also working on making sure that, as I move into this next phase of chemo, I can continue to keep my strength up. She has given me some exercises to do at home with a band, and I'm excited to have this at my disposal. Between that and working out (once I get back into it more regularly), I really will feel like I'm me again.
So, those are the "alternative" therapies that I'm taking part in at CTCA. I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sure how I'd feel about them. I decided to give them a try - after all, a place like CTCA wouldn't be using them without scientific proof that they were going to help their patients. I went in (especially to acupuncture) thinking that, well, I'll give it a try and if it doesn't feel right, I can always cancel future appointments.
I'll also be the first to admit that, for me, these therapies are working. I'm so grateful to have them at my disposal. I really think that I'm better off because of these, in conjunction with the med-onc stuff. My body heals better. I'm not on a constant barrage of prescription meds to get me through each day. Matter of fact, except for the week of chemo (and on 2 or 3 drugs to help with the nausea), I'm only on two rx drugs - one to help me with my heartburn, and the other to help with neuropathy. Other than that, the other pills that I take are all naturopathic vitamins, supplements, etc. It's pretty amazing, when you think about it.
All right - I'm off. Chiro appt this morning, and then the kids and I are off to get summer sandals. Levi started his new job this morning (yeah!!!). Hoping he likes it.....
Comments:
Melanie said...
I
have had many people talk about reiki and tai chi, their benefits, etc. I have
always been skeptical of these but the more I hear about them the more I am
also thinking about looking into them for my back issues and stress/anxiety
over my career issues. I'll be curious to hear what you think about them :-)
June
7, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Thandi said...
Because
I'm a huge book worm (and blog worm!) I am super excited at the hope that
you'll be able to read again.Chemo brain be damned!
June
11, 2012 at 11:16 AM
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