At the Annie Appleseed Project we are strong on using hands-on to relieve pain. Think about how massaging one's temples can help during a headache. If nothing else, it can be a loving touch for someone whose every other touch is either impersonal or painful. Gently massage the hands and feet. Here is what LM said about it: " Your suggestion of massaging soles and palms worked very well for my husband. I recall Monday at Hospice when they got him dressed for his palliative radiation. They didn't give him morphine before, and he was writhing in pain, worse than I ever saw. The doctor, several nurses and techs were around his bed watching like he was a specimen. I made my way to the foot of the bed without time to grab the cream. I rubbed the soles, saying shhhhh. Then I did the palms, again saying shhhh. His body visibly relaxed, and he stopped writhing. They looked at me like I was a witch. After that they made sure he had morphine and Ativan, but I still massaged his feet and his hands because he seemed to like it". Recently a friend of Ann's was in the hospital after suffering kidney failure (4 intensive chemo treatment days) and undergoing dialysis every other day. She was semi-conscious at best. BUT she remembers, now that she is awake and alert again, being treated like "a sack of potatoes". That impersonal touch used in hospital, particularly with people who are unaware, is horrid. It is probably necessary but for the one experiencing it, it sure doesn't make anything better. |
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