Essential Oils

LouAnn

I have been using essential oils for awhile. My daughter has degenerative disc disease from many years of dance. I ordered from Spark Naturals after seeing posts on "One Good Thing" a blog that has lots of recipes for home remedies. We have been really happy with the products and remedies.

Of course, I am sure your pain is more intense, but Jillee, the author seems very informed and discusses mixing the essential oils with carrier oils for better absorbtion and for it to last longer. You might want to check the blog for ideas; it is free. If you decide to order from Spark use the code JILLEE and you get 10% off the entire order. You can use the code every time you order.

HTH

Big Sister 5 said:

UPSC

My sister starts chemo on Tuesday 2/14 for UPSC. Her husband, daughter and I will be caregivers. I want to make her as comfortable as possible after her treatment. Can anyone give me suggestions that help you during your treatments. I am very nervous and scared for her and want her as comfortable as possible. She will be getting two types of chemo over 18 weeks; then radiation. I hope everyone on this site is doing well and I thank you for any information you can give me.

 

Big Sister 5, so very sorry to hear of your sister's diagnosis. I am the youngest of 5 very supportive siblings so I can tell you from experience that having your support along the way will mean a lot to her. 

The best advice I received about treatment was 1) stay hydrated - if you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated, 2) keep moving - even if it's only a few steps - do it, 3) eat high protein meals - your body needs the protein to recover properly, 4) take probiotics during radiation - they help with keeping you regular, 5) take Miralax during chemo, it helps keep you regular and 6) stay positive - you can't control much about what is happening to your body but you can control how you react to it.

Treatments are never easy but they are generally do-able. Stay hopeful and good luck to your sister! Kim

Chiming in with the other voices to let you know we will be thinking of and praying for all of you as you move forward on this journey.  Trying to stay in the day I am in and not get too far ahead seems to help me.  Packing a "go" bag also helped so that I had everything ready and could just walk out the door without fretting about forgetting something.  A friend of mine came and each time she brought me a "gift" of a new angel.  The 1st one was for my chemo pole and I always brought her with me and hung her there to watch over the meds as they went in.   Someone told me to sit close to the bathroom because not only should you keep drinking your water (your urine will burn if you don't drink it I found) you will also be getting liquid so you need to go often. 

I can not stress enough to stay ahead of the constipation with water and drugs- you really need to get that chemo OUT as soon as possible and that is one of the exits.

Please know you can come here with questions and your sister can sign on herself if she wants to.  Big ole (((HUGS))) and prayers!

PS does your sister have a port yet?  You may want to get on that sooner than later- the meds are very hard on the veins and I am SO THANKFUL that I got my port and I intend to keep it!!   Speaking of veins- she may want a nice warm pad - which they have available- on her arm as the meds are cold- they were to me- if she doesn't yet have a port.

I was scheduled for 18 weeks of the same therapy (only made it through 14) and had 28 days of external radiation and 3 internal treatments. Before I began therapy I bought myself a Pandora bracelet and a few charms. My intention was to add a charm for every week I completed therapy. It was a real motivator for me and actually many friends and family ending up getting me charms. Now I've completed my frontline therapy and I've got a beautiful bracelet which I call my "survivor bracelet" that reminds me how much I am loved. 

I also set up a CaringBridge site because I have friends and family all over the country and it would have been impossible to keep them up to date with my progress without the site. But the added benefit to me is the caring and motivational comments my friends and family shared with me through those long months (and still do!). 

I had my "chemo" bag with snacks (nuts, fruit, hard sugarless candy). Snacks they had there are pretty junky. I always took my own lunch in an insulated bag. I took my own blanket (although they have them there). I had one made at collage.com with all my favorite pictures of my family. I also took one of those horseshoe  neck pillows like you use on a plane. I also took coloring books, my iPod, earbuds (in case you have a noisy neighbor) and had my playlist ready. I also had some Tums in my bag cause heartburn is common.

I second drink lots of water and try to be by the bathroom. I always asked for a copy of my labs. And because I was jazzed up on the steroids, I baked muffins every week for the infusuon staff. They seemed to really enjoy them and they remember you!

I found between watching a little TV, using my iPad, listening to music, coloring, eating my lunch and going to the bathroom, time really did go by quick. My husband was in and out but he didn't sit there for the entire time and I didn't want him to. 

Good luck. They meds they give for nausea are amazing now, she really shouldn't have too much trouble with that. Although later taste perception may be altered. Be sure to let us know how things go. 

Ladies:

My deepest thanks to all of you for taking the time to respond to me. You are all an inspiration to me and I am hopeful things will go well. We had our meeting yesterday for the support group. The PA was wonderful. She was informative and very upbeat. I was nervous about going mainly because I didn't want to cry in front of my sister. However, the PA took all that anxiety away. She starts today and I am bringing her and her husband lunch. 

My love and prayers to out to all of you! Again, thank you for your kindness. Lynn

I love that you are there for your sister and her husband! I had six chemo sessions every three weeks lasting anywhere from 8 to 9 hours because I had problems with my port. My hair fell out after chemo #1 but your sister's body will be hers alone as will her symptoms. Never had trouble with nauseous the meds they infused and the patch I wore home that lasted seven days worked wonders! When the neuropathy was unbearable they reduced the taxol to 80% and put my hands and feet on ice and it helped tremendously. I am not a complainer so I had to force myself to tell them how I was feeling so the side effects would not become permanent!  My husband came and sat with me for chemo one for all those hours and it was "bring your own chair" for him because the infusion place was small. For chemo two my son in law volunteered to come with me because my husband had to get a follow up on his four year rectal cancer battle. our daughter came to chemo three, our one son came for chemo four and the other came for five. For the last chemo, my husband came but our daughter came with flowers and balloons to celebrate the final chemo. They chose to come they said because they wanted to see what it was like and it really helped us bond closer. When my husband received his chemo, he took four pills four times a day and they came in the mail! The kids gave me a goody bag to take each week with a bestseller, snacks and a t-shirt to wear with a phase like "keep calm and chemo on"...."coffee first than chemo" .....   "chemo sabe"....." fIght CANcer (with the letters I CAN in a different color" ) and " one more chemo and I'll glow in the dark" it was fun to see what they picked out for me to read, wear, a n d eat!.......Good luck to all of you! 

Laughing my * * * off!