How I Managed Pain From Cancer: 9 ways
Photo by Aaron Huber on Unsplash
Here are some ways I managed pain from cancer:
Detox baths Tumors do not like heat. I have used hot baths for pain many times and it has always been effective. A really hot bath, as hot as I could take it, took the most of the pain from the breast tumor away. And it was immediate, as soon as I touched the water with my feet as I was climbing in, the pain faded.
But it only lasted while it was hot. Sometimes, I fell asleep from being so tired and drained from the pain and crying and I’d wake up startled because I would be sitting in lukewarm water. And if I still hurt, I would drain the tub and draw another hot bath.
Be careful to avoid hot baths when experiencing undercarriage inflammation like yeast infections and itching which can be caused by chemotherapy. Here is what I was putting into my tub water almost everyday:
1 cup epsom salt
3 tablespoons bentonite clay
3 tablespoons organic ginger powder (avoid using if you have inflamed skin)
1 cup baking soda
Epsom salt and bentonite clay are the most important. One of the most common mineral deficiencies people have is magnesium. Epsom salt replenishes the body’s magnesium and sulfate levels. Bentonite clay will bind to toxins coming out from the skin. You don’t need to have anything in your bath to relieve the pain, but adding these ingredients will help your healing overall.
Coffee Enemas. I’ve had mornings when I woke up tired, moody and in pain. The first thing I did everyday is an enema using coffee instead of water. It took all of the symptoms away and I ended up feeling great. K told me I was like a different person afterward.
I have stopped doing enemas since my health stabilized and I later learned that Medical Medium does not condone them. According to Anthony William, Medical Medium, coffee is astringent, will damage the intestinal lining and destroys the hydrochloric acid.
I don’t regret doing enemas daily, it helped me with energy and pain management. Had I known the downsides to enemas, I would have stopped doing them earlier.
Heating pad. The heating pad helped with pain but it wasn’t as effective as a hot bath. And like a hot bath, a heating pad only helped while being used and isn’t safe to use while sleeping. When I was too tired to take a bath or do an coffee enema, I used a heating pad and placed it right over the main tumor (which got as big as a tennis ball).
Curcumin. Curcumin is found in turmeric, which is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties. One supplement high in curcumin is Terry Naturally Curamin Extra Strength. Using Curamin, I was able to wean myself of off painkillers. Instead of taking Gabapentin 3 times a day to keep the pain away, I slowly replaced it with 2 tablets of Curamin, 3 times a day. I would also drink turmeric milk / Golden Milk .
Painkillers. I was against taking prescription medication, it took me a long time to even consider doing chemotherapy. But when you’re in pain, nothing else matters but to stop it. If the pain is bad enough, it’s all you can focus on, it can completely consume you. One of my doctors made a good point, that having pain is one type of stress on the body. It makes sense; you tighten up, your breaths become short and circulation is restricted.
When the stabbing pain got very intense, I buckled and asked my mom for the morphine she had leftover from a procedure. I gave in because I found that natural remedies can only do so much. I don’t regret taking painkillers. I ended up trying a few different ones because they didn’t always work. I had gabapentin, morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone and some of them of different strengths because I had to figure what actually helped. I didn’t know that one might not work for me and ended up trying it out for longer than I should have. That’s a waste because if I am taking a prescription, it will have a side effect(s) and I might as well use one that is effective.
Deep Breaths. Get your lymph moving. When we are sedentary, our bodies become stagnant. The heart pumps the blood, but there is no organ to pump lymph fluid. Taking deep breaths helps to transport toxins into the bloodstream to be detoxified. Visualize that you are breathing in clean, healing air and exhaling toxins. I like to picture black powder flowing out with each breath and with each inhalation.
Exercise will help get the lymph moving by taking a 30-40 minute walk or use a rebounder/trampoline. I have this . If you can’t bounce on it, because you are weak, you can in the center cross legged and gently bounce. You can also sit and bounce on a workout ball. These cost less and can be found at any sporting goods store in different diameters of 55, 65 or 75 cm.
They are fantastic for stretching out the back. Start by sitting on the ball, then roll onto your back and let your arms spread out to your sides. It offsets the hunching that comes with slouching.
Stay hydrated. The body needs to be hydrated for the lymph to work properly. Here are tips from the water cure on how to stay hydrated.
Acupuncture. Acupuncture helps keep the meridians flowing. In Chinese medicine, stagnation of the blood and Qi (life force energy) causes pain.