Mesothelioma Nurse Encourages Others to Reach Out After a Tragedy

Isolation is a problem in the society we live in – we are all busy and we lose touch with each other. Being buried in our day to day lives is overwhelming, and at times, too much. Loss and grief can overtake us.

Last month a tragedy occurred at Brigham and Women’s Hospital when a man killed a young, brilliant, father and surgeon. How can something like this happen?

By all reports the shooter’s family was just as shocked as everyone else – something that was totally out of character for him. Grief seemed to have played a part in this senseless tragedy. Dr Michael Davidson had operated on the shooter’s mother in the late fall. She was being transferred to a rehab facility when she became ill and was admitted to another hospital where she then died.

What drove the man to blame the doctor who had tried to help his mother to kill him and then himself? We will never know what happened in his mind to lead to the events of that cold January morning, but the effects of this act have shattered a young family and left a toll on all that knew the 44-year-old doctor.

When diagnosed with mesothelioma, you and your family have to confront what none of us want to- the fact that we are all mortal. The people who have dedicated their professional lives to finding a cure, advancing treatment and studying are here to help. Although treatment does not always go the way we want, it is not someone’s fault when it fails.

Look around at your family and friends. Reach out to someone who you think might be having a hard time. Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.

A young family is now without their beloved husband, father. His children will grow up without him. A senseless and tragic loss.

Nurses and Author Team Up to Enhance Healing in Mesothelioma Patients

Mesothelioma patients often feel like they have lost control of their lives and health once they are diagnosed. On the contrary, according to one author who has dedicated her career to helping patients influence their own healing, patients have tremendous control over their cancer journey. They just need the skills to shift from feeling fear to feeling relaxed and peaceful.

Peggy Huddleston, psychotherapist and author of Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide of Mind-Body Techniques, received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and has spent over 30 years researching the mind-body relationship. She ultimately developed a technique that harnesses “positive emotions and the human spirit” to speed healing.

“A person’s capacity for reducing pain is profound,” said Huddleston in an interview with MesotheliomaHelp. “When a patient learns to relax, he or she can significantly reduce both physical pain and emotional pain.”

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Peggy Huddleston

“I have a passion for seeing just how much patients can influence their own healing.”

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Huddleston’s five-step process involves relaxation, visualization, asking friends and family to wrap them in a “Blanket of Love,” and healing statements spoken by the patient’s medical team. Huddleston says benefits to patients include less anxiety before surgery, less pain after surgery resulting in 25-50 percent less use of pain medication, and faster recovery.

Impressed Nurses Learn Huddleston’s Technique

While caring for a surgical patient, Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a mesothelioma nurse with more than 25 years of experience, realized there was something “special” about the woman. She was positive and relaxed, and her husband was equally calm. Impressed by her attitude, Lisa asked her how she did it. The woman said she purchased Huddleston’s book, Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster, and then talked with her by phone for a personal, one hour workshop.

Intrigued by the patient’s outlook and recovery, Hyde-Barrett recruited co-worker Eleanor Ericson to join her at a two-day training offered by Huddleston that certifies medical professionals who want to use her techniques for patient care. The two nurses, who work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and provide their expertise to the mesothelioma community through the “Nurse’s Corner” on MesotheliomaHelp.org, quickly saw the benefits of Huddleston’s techniques for mesothelioma patients.

“I have seen a lot during my career, and Peggy Huddleston’s method works,” says Hyde-Barrett.

“There are tons of research that says you need to have your head in the game before surgery- there is really no down side to this,” says Ericson.

The two are now both certified to offer Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster workshops to patients and are working with Huddleston to bring the workshop to more hospitals in an effort to improve the patient experience.

Huddleston’s program is offered in leading hospitals throughout the United States including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center in California. It is also available at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC and Norwalk Hospital in CT.

https://www.norwalkhospital.org/patient-and-visitors-info/integrative-medicine

Studies Show Patients Leave Hospital Sooner, Use Less Pain Medication, Have Higher Satisfaction

Huddleston points to various studies that show how, through enhancing the mind-body connection, patients heal faster and leave the hospital more quickly after surgery.

One study at the Lahey Clinic, a Tufts University Medical School teaching hospital, compared colorectal surgery patients who used the techniques in Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster to a control group who did not use them. According to the study, the group following Huddleston’s program “had significantly less anxiety before surgery” and “were discharged from the hospital 1.6 days sooner than those in the control group.” The test group of patients also “used 60% less pain medication, had significantly less irritability, insomnia, nightmares, loss of appetite and had a significant increase in patient satisfaction” compared to the control group.

In a separate study, New England Baptist Hospital physicians found that knee-joint replacement patients using the Huddleston method were less anxious prior to surgery, healed faster and were discharged 1.3 days sooner than those not using it.

Once patients learn the techniques they can tap back into them each time they undergo another treatment, whether that is surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. In fact, further evidence shows the technique allows patients facing chemotherapy to lessen the side effects of anxiety, nausea and insomnia.

“If mesothelioma patients learn my techniques and put them into practice before their surgery or treatments, they could have a tremendous capacity to influence their own healing,” says Huddleston. “They can learn to access the deep inner peace that is their essence.”

Mind Over Matter Really Does Matter

Mind over matter practices have been around for a long time, and many medical professionals and Americans are beginning to be more open to holistic medicine that focuses on the mind-body connection. The stress of a chronic diagnosis suppresses the immune system when patients need the benefits of a healthy immune system the most. By calming the nerves and easing stress, patients can actually boost their immune system to help fight disease.

“People have such a capacity to influence the course of their treatment,” says Huddleston.

According to a recent survey from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the number of patients using alternatives to drugs and medicine, including yoga and meditation, to improve health and well-being is high. For example, the study found that between 2002 and 2012, the number of American adults who practice yoga nearly doubled to 21 million.

The NCCIH researchers believe the high rates of yoga use may be attributed to a growing body of research that shows the benefits of mind and body practices for managing pain and reducing stress.

“This is where medicine is going,” says Ericson, “treating the whole person.”

See the following for more information about Peggy Huddleston and Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster:

Boston Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/health-care/2015/01/surgery-preparation-tool-sees-renewed-focus-as.html
HealFaster.com
http://www.healfaster.com/index.html

Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.

Sources:

Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide of Mind-Body Techniques
http://www.healfaster.com
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
https://nccih.nih.gov/news/press/02102015mb

Could Your Fatigue Be An Early Warning Sign of Mesothelioma?

One of the first things that Mrs. T noticed was that she was tired. She was not used to being tired, she had a busy life, family, work. At first she thought she was just over doing it- burning the candle at both ends- working too hard. After all, she was getting older. Mrs. T is a 65 year old wife and mother of three grown children. She had always had a lot of energy so when she started to feel tired she didn’t pay much attention to it.

Being tired can be a sign of a hectic a lifestyle, or it can be a sign of a serious health problem. One of the common signs of mesothelioma is fatigue. It is difficult when you are feeling “just tired” to pay a lot of attention to it. Experts suggest that if you are tired all the time that you make some lifestyle changes and then monitor how you feel. Eat more wholesome foods, drink more fluids, get more sleep, cut back on caffeine and alcohol, and give it two to three weeks. After this time, if you are still feeling inexplicably tired, consult your doctor. Sometimes subtle things like being tired are warning signs.

Mrs. T also started having shortness of breath and didn’t feel right. She went to her primary care physician, and after testing to rule out common causes, she was diagnosed with early stage mesothelioma. In retrospect, Mrs. T remembers just “feeling tired all the time.” Luckily for Mrs. T, she did not ignore how she felt and went to her doctor who ran the appropriate tests.

Diagnosing mesothelioma can be a clinical challenge as the symptoms can be vague and often follows the diagnosis of pneumonia or a recurrent issue. The most common symptoms of mesothelioma can be chest pain, painful cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and weight loss. All of these symptoms are much more common in other conditions. Diagnosis can be a challenge.

If you have been feeling tired for an extended period of time don’t ignore it. Pay attention and visit a medical professional – it could help to save your life.

If you have any questions about any aspect of your mesothelioma care, please email me at [email protected].

Fun Times at the Shore Helped Me and Dad Forget About Mesothelioma

For the most part, summer is the happiest time of year for my family. I sometimes wonder why we stayed in the Northeast, when my whole family loves warm, sunny weather. As you might remember, I am a teacher and I have a wonderful opportunity to move down to the Jersey shore in the summertime. My family grew up going to Cape May and Wildwood each year for family vacation, sometimes several times in one summer. So, by renting a shore house I make it very convenient for my family to come visit me.

This past summer while Dad was resting and allowing his body to become stronger, he took a trip to visit me at the shore. Since my mom and brothers have a hard time getting off work, he made the trip solo. I think that this may have been the only time ever that just my dad and I were able to spend a few days together doing things we enjoy. Father/daughter bonding week it was!

I had planned a few nice dinners at great restaurants that we went to when I was a little girl on our summer vacations, and we were able to reminisce about “the good ole days.” One place that we both love is The Lobster House in Cape May, NJ. I would guess that almost every summer on vacation we ate at this place. Amazing fresh seafood and the best clam chowder! While eating dinner, I could see that my father did not have the appetite that he used to have and we had a lot of leftovers for the next day’s lunch.

The following day I took him to the pool to relax on lounge chairs and do some reading. We relaxed all day and at one point we took a walk down to the ocean, which was next to the pool. It was slow going since walking on the sand was a workout for Dad. We had to stop multiple times for him to catch his breath, but he made it down to take a dip in the ocean. He even dove into a wave, which he has always enjoyed very much. We also were able to take some funny pictures of him showing off his “strength.”

We will both cherish this father/daughter vacation week forever. It was so nice to get him away from his normalcy at home to the beach and to enjoy the things he used to do on summer vacations. I even made comments about how it was easier for him to breathe in the air down the shore. I’m not sure why that would be, but maybe it was just because he was happy and away from all the normal daily stresses he has. Time to get away and forget about how much his life had changed in the last few years was well needed.

I recommend taking short trips, if at all possible, when your loved one is feeling up to it. It is always nice to escape for a short time and to forget about mesothelioma and how you and your loved one’s lives have changed because of cancer. Vacations or short get-away weekends give everyone a short relief to enjoy life and to see the beauties of the world.

After fun at the beach, Dad headed back to Penn Medicine to start his immunotherapy treatments. Find out more about his clinical trial next week.

Battling Pneumonia and Mesothelioma

In my previous blog I talked about keeping Dad as healthy as possible and away from germs that could be brought into the house while he recovered from his chemotherapy. Sometimes it’s impossible to know how someone was exposed to germs that makes them sick, but unfortunately, this past summer that’s exactly what happened to my father. He developed pneumonia and was very quickly on his way to the hospital.

This was a very scary thing to happen to him. It was early June when my mom had to take him to the emergency room because he could not breathe, and he was having very violent coughing attacks. He was also at the very end of his chemotherapy treatment when he landed himself in the hospital, so his immune system was already suppressed and he was very weak.

I received the phone call from my mother on a Friday to let me know they were at the hospital, but at that exact time they did not even know what was going on. She told me to stay put and she would keep me updated. I kept in contact the entire weekend while simultaneously training for my new summer job at the local yacht club – all the while hiding how upset I was. Sunday morning I got a call from my mom, and the doctor had requested I come home to see him.

I was very scared to hear this from his doctor in the ICU. He had said that they were going to have to intubate Dad, and I might not be able to talk to him again. This was serious, and they did not know if he would recover because of how run down his body was from the chemo treatments.

I raced home first thing and went straight to the hospital. When I got there, the doctors had decided that they were going to be able to get away with not putting Dad on a ventilator after all, which was amazing news. From the time that I left the shore and the time it took me to get home, his vitals were stabilizing and he seemed to be getting a little better. I sat with him all day Sunday and talked to him, with him not responding of course, but it made me feel better and I think it made him feel better that I was there.

Dad was in the hospital for another week or so and was finally released to come home. He had an appointment with his University of Pennsylvania doctors within a few days after he left the local hospital near my parent’s home. His doctors at Penn had told him that he could not finish the chemotherapy because of how sick he got and it was to the point where his body was unable to fight off a sickness by itself. This showed that the chemo totally knocked his white blood cell count to almost nothing and he could no longer fight off germs. His new goal was to get stronger and healthier before the next step: immunotherapy.

Keep reading next week about how Dad and I were able to put mesothelioma on hold, at least for a week, while we enjoyed a vacation at the Shore.

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