breast cancer patient!

[Magenta]

I have a question about working on a cancer patient.A long time client of mine has been diagnosed with breast cancer that has spreaded to her bones. Along her spine and shoulders. She is receiving treatment once a month. Recently she called asking to receive a massage and i have asked a few friends if i should work on her while she's receiving treatment and they saied to stay away from the cancer area.If the cancer is in the bone and all over her spine and shoulders there isn't much more to work on.Any ideas on that?

 

[Puffy]

I would say to talk to the doc. I have an older friend with maybe a similar cancer situation. He fractured a clavicle just by rolling over in bed while asleep. He now has stress fractures in his sacrum. His doctor said to stay away from areas where the bone was close to the surface and to use very little pressure elsewhere. I've had to stay away from using bones as a tool to help work on the soft tissues and have gone to kneading techniques and energy work. Kinda scary knowing that his bones are so compromised and it sometimes seems like I'm massaging eggshells, but with slow work and always thinking of intent he says it's still helping him. Jonathan

 

[Obama Lied Trillion$ Died]

When someone has a CA dx. that is invasive to bones,etc. it's time to be more creative and still offer loving touch, caress in a loving kindness way, to let them know they are cherished, they can receive gentle massage and feel so far removed from their cancer that they'll be floating on air and you'll have to gently bring them back to earth! I am a cancer survivor and that's what I'd want... just to escape for that hour..........

I massage cancer pts. during all phases of treatment and I would touch this person as if I were massaging a rose without disturbing any petals.
It's the escape we are looking for.........the cancer will be there when we walk out of the room, but during that hour.......Ahhhhhhhh!

 

[Jade]

i'd also want to know how her last bone scan came out and also how whatever osteoporosis medication she is on is working for her. if her breast cancer is estrogen dependent, then osteoporosis is a challenge, since part of the treatment is to deprive the body of estrogen so as not to 'feed' the cancer.
does she experience any 'deep' pain... i.e. from the bone cancer. is the bone cancer some spots dotted along this broad area or are the invasive cells clustered together to further weaken the bones affected. not every breast>bone cancer survivor has deep pain associated with weakness of bones.

all in all, i'd focus on lighter work and on petrissage on the fleshier areas to massage while not compressing the underlying bones.

my mother is a breast>bone survivor.
livestrong