Читать книгу A Lighter Side to Cancer: From Wake-up Call to Radiant Wellness - Sandra Miniere - Страница 15

My breasts were huge. In my robe all you noticed were my breasts. I thought, “How could she do this to me.” I deliberately told my surgeon in her office to keep my breasts small. (What I did not realize at the time was that my chest was swollen from the surgery.) The implants were also causing the muscles to spasm, and even with mild pain medication, I wasn’t pain free. Dr. Lebovic informed me that the muscles would spasm and be painful until they relaxed and acclimated to the new position. If that were the case, I suggested that I take some Valium to relax the muscles. A half of a Valium did the trick. The pain lessened. Being my own advocate paid off.

About one week post hospital stay I was on my own. The loneliness and feeling sorry for myself set in. My high school girlfriends sent me a plant. It made me cry. I called one of them and tried to thank her for thinking of me, and I could not stop crying. It was comical. My friend could not understand a word I was saying, but she listened and loved me. The outpouring of love from my family and friends surprised me. A few days after my daughter left, I realized that I was feeling homesick and needed some nurturing food. I found an Italian restaurant in the phone book, called them and asked if they had ravioli on the menu. They had a special three-cheese homemade ravioli. Bingo! Ravioli would become my teaspoon of sugar. Paul picked up an order on his way home from work. Eating that ravioli, I felt like a kid again. I could picture myself surrounded by my wonderful Italian clan and feeling their love. I was home, and I felt safe!

For almost one month the pain had my attention. For the first two weeks I could not focus enough to read. Watching movies on television took my mind off of the pain and stress of recovery. I watched the six-hour video of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. It got me through two lonely, uncomfortable days. I observed myself sitting in front of the TV smiling through the physical discomfort while I watched movies that kept me amused. Talking to people on the phone helped too. I felt connected to others even though we were thousands of miles apart.

Almost three weeks after surgery, I was still on pain medication and could not move my left arm easily. The implant placed under the muscle of the left breast affected all of the muscles in my left shoulder and upper back. Moving my left arm gave me pain, and I had little range of motion. Paul was still washing my hair in the kitchen sink. When I went to see Dr. Xie, my acupuncturist in California, he told me not to worry, he would fix it, and he did. In one session he put needles in that shoulder and upper back, and I left his office almost pain free with a great improvement in my range of motion. The needles that day really hurt. I almost jumped off the table with a few of them, but they did their magic, and I left with a different feeling in my body. I was totally surprised that he could do this. I finally put aside the pain pills and replaced them with over-the-counter pain relief medication. Amazing! Thank you Dr. Xie. I do not know what I would have done without you during my cancer recovery.

What the Expert Says...

The Benefits of Acupuncture in Cancer Care

by Dr. Nalini Chilkov, LAc, OMD, Traditional Oriental Medicine,

Biomedicine and Cell Biology

Integrative Cancer Care and Optimal Health Collaborative

(www.doctornalini.com)

Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing with modern applications. Many leading edge cancer centers today include acupuncture therapy for cancer patients. For the cancer patient or cancer survivor/thriver, research supports the use of acupuncture for the following concerns:

Pain Management: Acupuncture is very effective for managing pain related to tumors, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and inflammation. Patients who receive acupuncture may be able to use lower doses of pain medications.

Immune System Modulation: Acupuncture increases blood cell production and enhances Natural Killer Cells and Lymphocytes which lead to increased immune response and decreased risk of infection.

Inflammation: Many of the treatments for cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery also cause painful inflammation. Acupuncture reduces the pain and swelling related to inflammation.

Nausea and Vomiting: Acupuncture has been shown to reduce the intensity and frequency of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Dry, Painful Mouth and Throat: Cancer patients receiving radiation to the head and neck experience dry mouth due to the reduction in saliva production. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease these side effects.

Sleep: Cancer patients suffer sleep disruption and insomnia. By relieving these symptoms the cancer patient is able to get the deep sleep and rest required for recovery and healing.

Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Patients: Many women undergo hormonal treatment for breast cancer. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease the frequency and intensity of hot flashes for breast cancer patients.

Neuropathy: Nerve damage and numbness are common side effects of chemotherapy. Acupuncture supports the healing and repair of nerves and the restoration of normal nerve function.

Quality of Life: Eugene Mak, MD, oncologist, states that acupuncture “can also add to the patients’ sense of wellbeing and decrease the malaise associated with any chronic disease, especially cancer… and imparts a sense of wellbeing and accelerates patients’ recovery.”

Acupuncture Therapy uses very thin needles inserted into acupuncture points throughout the body. During a treatment, the patient will slowly drop down into a pleasant state of restful relaxation. In order to create deep lasting change, acupuncture is done as a series of treatments.