In this month's social roundup for The Mesothelioma Center, registered nurse and patient advocate Karen Selby joins me again to answer some common questions posted on our Facebook page about pain relief and after-treatment care. We also share some highlights from the past month across our social platforms.
Let's start off with those questions:
Thelma Totten, of Harlingen, Texas, ask: "My husband has had sharp pain in his back and said it hurts when I try to rub it. Is there anything else I can try?"
Most of the time mesothelioma pain is related to the nerves, so rubbing or massaging it won't work because it's not a muscle pain. What you can do is ask your physician for pain medications specifically for nerve pain.
Marlize Conroy, of San Diego, Calif., writes: "Can you give me some information on how to take care of my dad after 15 chemo treatments? Specifically, what are ways I can build up his immune system?"
First and foremost, I would say you need to invest in a good nutrition book. That being said, your father's diet should be high in antioxidants, complex carbohydrates and healthy proteins. You want to avoid any processed foods, and stick with organic fruits and vegetables. It's so important, that I'm going to repeat it: No processed foods!
Dorothy Melosky, of New England, asks: "I'm using sour cherry as a natural medication to relieve inflammation. Do you know of any natural remedies to relieve pain?"
Unfortunately, we hadn’t heard of many natural pain remedies. The only one we could think of would be cannabis (marijuana) oil in tablet form, if that is legal in your state. If that’s not an option for you, depending on where your pain is located, ask your physician for a pain patch. In some cases, a pain patch combined with an over the counter pain medication, such as Aleve or Advil, can ease the pain while not making you loopy like prescribed pain killer could.
Barbara Shea, of Massachusetts, asks: “What are some tips for helping your loved one recover after surgery?”
Your physician should go over activities to avoid and best practices for recovery before you leave the hospital, but we will give you a few tips as well. Of course, don't do any that are in direct violation of your doctor's orders. Everyone’s situation is different, and your doctor will know what’s best for your condition.
Most physicians agree that moving around, walking if possible, is great for the recovery and healing process. A few easy things to do around the house: Keep the temperature and lighting in your home at a comfortable level, allow some sunshine in, keep fresh flowers around, the scent of lavender is known to help with stress and relaxation, and most importantly — keep the mood uplifting. Don’t underestimate the power of visualization, prayer and faith.
That wraps up our community Q&A, now on to what was popular on our social media sites throughout October.
When given the opportunity to ask our resident nurse, Karen Selby a question, our community jumped on the offer. That’s how this roundup began. We will answer questions every month that have been posed to us by the community.
One of most popular articles on Facebook showed that Kent Micronite cigarettes contained acrocidolite asbestos filter about 60 years ago. The filter was branded as "the greatest health protection in cigarette history." Lorillard Tobacco, the producers of Kent cigarettes, sold about 13 billion of those cigarettes between 1952 and 1956.
Our Facebook members said plenty about the amount Lorillard Tobacco should pay the victims who filed lawsuits against the company after they developed mesothelioma from puffing on these cigarettes.
Most Shared Image on Our Facebook Page
Throughout October, our most retweeted story was about the effects of air pollution on our health, especially how it could potentially lead to mesothelioma. You never know what’s blowing around in our air.
As always, our followers love stories of hope. Our second most shared article was a news story from our Asbestos.com writer Tim Povtak. His story was about promising researchbeing conducted at the University of Vermont. Their research could lead to a new way of targeting and destroying mesothelioma tumor cells.
That’s it for this month’s roundup! Leave a comment below if you have a question you would like answered, or a topic you would like to see covered.
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