My dear friend, Judy, gave us an amazing care package yesterday. One of the things in it was the book, Welcome to the Cancer Club by Myles Beskind. I have already finished it. It was a really funny take on the "joys" of cancer and included lots of tips for both the patient and caretaker. The sub-title is Surviving... One Laugh at a Time :-).
One tidbit I can't stop thinking about, probably because it's been on my mind lately, is about an acupuncturist.
The following excerpt is about the author's Uncle Joel, a three time cancer survivor, and concerns his experience with his third round -
When I was advised by my oncologist that I would have to go through 5 months of chemotherapy after my hospital stay for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, I was not happy but I agreed. At the time I was going to an acupuncturist for something other than cancer. She said that if I came to her while undergoing chemo, she would guarantee me no ill effects from the chemo (she did not promise to cure my cancer). At the end of 5 months, my oncologist sat me down for a final conference.
He said that in all his years of treating cancer patients, especially Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he never had one that had zero side effects. I then told him about my acupuncturist. He looked at me and said, "She is full of shit!!!"...
I paused for a moment and said, "That's funny, she said the same thing about you!" (She never said that but I thought he deserved it)
I got up and left him sitting alone... to ponder.
Acupuncture increases the blood circulation in the body. They feel that blood is the healer. I cannot vouch for the theory but I know there is something to it.
I had been pondering finding an acupuncturist for Rudy's pain, but hadn't considered that it might help with chemo side effects. Wow.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America has acupuncturist services, so after mid December, we could go there. However, I'd really love to get Rudy started with one right away for his pain. Maybe one could even help me with my IBS and/or sleep issues.
So now I'm looking for an acupuncturist who is not too far away - preferably in Coweta County or Fayette County, GA. Does anyone know a good one?
