Treating YOURSELF during treatment

texaslonghorn31

I wasn't sure where else to post this but thought I would share as these were just a couple of the things I did for myself while going through treatment that had nothing to do with cancer.

For me being cut on and zapped and having a weird looking boob and gaining weight through radiation (couldn't exercise and ate loads of protein) I started to feel not pretty. I couldn't do anything about the treatments but I did find that getting mani/pedis was an awesome treat!

But the big one for me was massage. I love getting massages! But none of the massage therapists I talked to had ever done a massage on someone who was going through RADS and had a breast that hurt to lay on. But I found a great massage therapist who was willing to get creative with me and I started going A LOT. She was super sweet of my situation... and what we ended up doing was taking a HUGE soft fluffy towel and rolling it up and basically I laid on it where the ends came out under my armpits and the middle part was across my breastbone area. I was hestitant at first but I couldn't feel my breast hurt AT ALL (and I had pretty bad RAD burns).

It felt so great to just BE for an hour and let someone else take care of me for a bit and have quiet where the focus of the conversation wasn't about the stupid cancer. And I loved the mani/pedis too... helped with feeling girlie again!

dlb823

The facility where I had some of my tx actually offered free healing touch massage to patients, which was wonderful.  The first therapist I had a few times had actually trained in China and although her touch was extremely light, the 30-minute massage always left me feeling noticeably recentered and energized.  The other therapist that came onboard while I was still in treatment (and who I happened to already know) did more of a chair massage and/or reflexology, depending on what I would ask her to do.  It, too, was something I really looked forward to and highly recommend!

As far as mani/pedi's, I don't know, but I'm wondering if that's entirely safe for someone who's in tx (chemo or rads), due to the added possible exposure to bacteria and germs???  I don't think I would do it, but that's just me -- probably way overly cautious.    Deanna     

Thatgirl

I would advise against getting a mani/pedi when your immune system is compromised. The risk is too high for a small infection your body can't fight at that time. Salon implements are sanitized NOT sterilized.