March 23, 2013
Reiki Healing Therapy
I wanted to say something about Reiki (‘ray-kee’) and the big role it played in Shana’s recovery. Reiki is a natural healing process and involves the transfer of divine healing energy from the practitioner to the patient to enhance the body’s natural ability to heal itself and assist in relieving pain. Please look it up when you get a chance.
A couple of years before Shana became ill I took a Reiki class. At the time I felt compelled to do so but it was consistent with my lifelong interest in spiritual matters, energy bodies, the aura, thought forms, and whatnot. In our Reiki class, we learned that while doctors and nurses and modern medicine provide medical treatments, healing is spiritual.
When Shana was diagnosed, I started giving her Reiki treatments almost every day, and was amazed to see it helping her, supporting her, and keeping her ‘afloat’. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Reiki was a huge part of her getting well. It supported her during her chemo and radiation, it kept her nausea down (try driving with one hand on the steering wheel and using the other hand to apply Reiki to your child’s tummy!). It kept her alive during the year-long treatment. Following each Reiki session, Shana would feel better, stronger, and would be deeply relaxed, and she would sleep well.
I encourage everyone who reads this, especially if you have a sick family member, to look into it. If you would like more information, you’re welcome to contact me as I’m always happy to talk about how it helped my child. My Facebook page is A Reiki Blessing. ♥
Donating Platelets For Your Child
Shana occasionally needed transfusions of platelets which came from our local Red Cross blood bank. I found out that, as her mother, I could direct-donate my platelets to her, and I also discovered this was a great advantage to her.
If you want to do this, you will need to talk first with the oncology clinic staff as this will require some special coordinating between the clinic and the blood bank. The clinic has to make an educated guess as to when your child will need more platelets, then you have to make sure you donate only a couple of days prior to this, but you have to watch your calendar because you can’t donate more often than every 8 days (I think that’s right). We got it worked out but all because we were blessed to have a clinic nurse who went out of her way to make sure it all went smoothly.
The only other requirement was that my blood type had to be very compatible with Shana’s, which it was (the Red Cross gave me a test).
The biggest advantage of doing all this was that Shana received more platelets. Normally, donated platelets from a typical donor is of sufficient quantity to help two patients. The donated platelets are divided by the blood bank and distributed to two different patients. In the case of a direct donation however, the receiving patient receives all of the donated platelets. This means that a bigger bag is hung for the transfusion. The process for the patient takes a little longer, but the patient also can go without another platelet transfusion for a longer period of time.
Just so you know, the donation process isn’t the easiest, it’s a little more involved than donating blood, which I had never done before. Your body gets fairly cold as you’re lying there, so I brought our old microwavable stadium seat to help keep me warm, plus they had warmed blankets. The nurses at the Red Cross were great, they explained the process to me, and did everything they could for my comfort.
I want to end by saying I cannot begin to describe the incredibly gratifying feeling of being able to directly help my child’s body by donating platelets for her, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to do it. ♥
January 17, 2013
Traveling
Traveling in the Car
If your child is like mine, traveling in the car was a bit hazardous. We had to drive a little slower, more carefully, and we always went by the straightest routes. Any nausea always resulted in throwing up. Here are a few things we took in the car or did to make car trips a little easier.
Bottle of Cold Water I always kept a filled cold bottle of water in the fridge and grabbed it as we left out the door. Being nauseous makes you feel hot so a sip of cold water is very welcome.
The “Pink Bucket” We were never without the pink bucket in the car. I’m referring to the small pink plastic tub container the clinic kept handy for patients who were nauseated. Ordinarily you might look at one of these and consider it to be only a small storage container/wash basin, but we know better!
Keep a pink bucket in the car, out of sight of your child as just seeing it can trigger a spell of nausea, but keep it within your quick and easy reach while driving. I lined the bucket with grocery store plastic bags and kept more bags folded and handy underneath the liner. They make clean-up a lot easier, and your child might need the bucket more than once on a trip.
Cold Washcloth I also kept a clean cold washcloth handy in a zip lock sandwich bag (when you are nauseated, you appreciate a cold washcloth). I kept damp clean washcloths in the freezer in ziplock bags and then grabbed one before leaving for the clinic. It was tremendously wonderful to have it when we needed it. I would place one on Shana’s head to cool her off when she was in the throes of nausea and then later it was great for wiping her face.
Wet Wipes It was always good to know they were handy for wiping hands, etc.
Blanket One of the side-effects of chemotherapy Shana experienced was feeling very cold, regardless of the time of year. She felt cold all the time, so we were constantly trying to keep her warm. As soon as she sat in her seat in the car or at the clinic, she was covered with a favorite blanket.
As we went into the clinic, we took the blanket with us. The clinic had great blankets and pillows for their patients, but Shana liked having her familiar home blanket with her.
Hat A very comfy fuzzy hat helps prevent the loss of body heat.
The Clinic Travel Bag
After only a couple of trips to the clinic it became obvious that we would all be a lot more comfortable during the hours there if we brought along a few comforts from home. I had a canvas bag of sufficient size and began filling it with an assortment of items that all proved essential at one time or another. Some items were already supplied by the clinic, such as nose tissue for example, but bringing your own favorite (softer!) brand was nice.
Also, the clinic worked hard to provide good snacks for their patients and families, but if your child’s favorite snack is not available, and he or she is hungry, you’ll be very glad you brought your own along.
In our clinic travel bag, we carried:
- Washed grapes or cherry tomatoes (Shana’s favorites)
- Cold bottle of water
- Favorite home blanket
- Puffs facial tissue
- DVDs (a few for a variety)
- Hand sanitizer (the clinic had some available but we liked the aroma of ours)
- Small insulated lunch bag with cold box drinks and any cold snacks
- Favorite salty and sweet snacks (in small ziplock bags)
- Lip balm (dehydration affects the lips first)
- Something for her to read
- Something for me to read, do, or eat
- Change of clothing
- Current list of medications and supplements, plus administration timetable
While going to the clinic for chemo wasn’t exactly a day at the spa, we almost treated it like it was. By being prepared and taking all our little comforts with us, it kept us both relaxed. It also made it easier for me to simply provide comfort and not display any worry.
A Caregiver's Guide for the Child Cancer Patient 