Which Therapy to Use to Help With Treatment Symptoms?

calli66

I am wondering what therapy or therapies would be most helpful with symptoms and enduring treatments. Music, animal, acupuncture, group or even yoga therapies. I think that music could help during treatments to provide a distraction or even animal therapy. But the others are more physical and can they help with the hot flashes and pain in joints and such? Acupuncture sounds to be one that really helps with the nausea. Just want help to make the whole experience more bareable.

Any ideas?

joyner1963

Hi Calli66,

I hate to sound stupid, but I could not tell from your posts if you had already started chemo, or are you going to start in the near future. 

My first chemo was on 10/29, then 11/19, and now on 12/10. I will be half-way finished after my 12/10 chemo.  Since everyone's experience with chemo varies due to the regimen prescribed, the frequency and your own body chemistry, I will just tell you about my experience thus far: As you know, I do use acupuncture for nausea, which has been my only troublesome side effect thus far. With regards to nausea, the first take home pill they gave me was not effective and gave me the shakes {it was Compazine}. So, they gave me Zofran pills to take home.  Zofran was effective 80 % of the time.   The main thing I suggest is always staying in contact with the chemo nurses if you have difficulties.  They usually know what to suggest or try when a particular drug does not do it's job to aleviate any side effects.  Here is some good news:  I was worried to death prior to my first chemo treatment because I had read about SO MANY side effects that I would have to put up with.   As it turned out, the side effects that I have had are nausea, fatigue, constipation and the funny tastes you get right after the chemo treatment.  No bone pain, no hot flashes or any of the other scary stuff you read about.   OH, the best distraction I have experienced during my chemo is to have a friend or family member with me that talks all the time.  Sounds funny, but I have two girl friends that talk non-stop, and it works wonder for me because I just sit and listen to them and laugh a lot.   Lots of people use portable DVD players and watch movies {with headphones}

That's just ME though.   Everyone will experience a wide variety of things.  Try to keep the best mental attitude you can, try all the complimentary therapies {ok with your doc first} that you can and know that you are not alone in your journey.

I hope I have not bored you with all my experiences.  You definitely can get through your treatments.   If  I can, I know you can too.

Georgia