Amanda is a 48 year old married woman wwho was diagnosed as having secondary breast cancer, but no primary site is known. Her treatment consists mainly of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This has caused her to put on weight, and both her vision and sense of balance have been adversely affected. She has an inferiority complex about her figure, and has been put on a diet with a dietitian. She has a strong body odour, but this is improving with her new diet. She is very anxious about her sight and sense of balance as she needs to use a walking stick most of the time, which really annoys her, but she is hoping to get her balance back soon.
She is aware that her treatment has caused the skin on her body to become dry. Unfortunately I was not permitted to suggest creams or oils for her to use. Amanda lost her hair once before, but it is back to normal now. She has two sons of whom she is very proud. One is at university and one is a high school student, and she speaks of them frequently. Amanda's husband understands her condition, but is unable to talk about it in front of her. He has suffered from depression and illness, and she is often worried about him.
I first met Amanda at a day hospice as part of my clinical placement. She visits the hospice once a week, spending time with the other patients for relaxation. Initially, she had refused to come to the hospice for a year, because of its association with death, but she has now overcome this worry. She was my first patient, and I clearly remember feeling when I began treating her.
Amanda was very understanding, as she had had aromatherapy before. sense of balance have been adversely (Lavender, bergamot, geranium, Roman chamomile or neroli were used for massage at that time. She had been depressed due to the worry about her health, which had caused insomnia, and she was advised to use lavender or Roman chamomile in her bath before going to bed, or a drop of lavender on a tissue under her pillow.)
At the first session, Amanda was complaining about neck, shoulder and arm pain, especially in her left arm. This was swollen, due to lymphoedema, and was much bigger than her right arm. She had been doing a lot of gardening and it was very painful when she moved. A specialist suggested that the massage should be towards the lymph nodes under the armpit. I chose an antispasmodic and sedative 1% blend of sweet marjoram and lavender. Amanda really liked the smell and asked me to use the same the third session.
The following week she looked much better, although she had pain in her lower back. I found that the temperature on the left side of her body was slightly cooler than the right side. She had also noticed this when showering, but nobody took it seriously. The left side was more painful and there was a lot of tension there. Her lower back pain slightly improved after two sessions. At the forth session we decided to change to an analgesic/antispasmodic blend of peppermint, lavender and Roman chamomile, also 1%.
It was just after the Easter holidays and she had been making many cups of tea, which made her hands stiff and uncomfortable, but she was excited to talk about what she had been doing during that time. The treatment usually took approximately 40 minutes, but I spent over one hour at the first session. As I rhythmically and smoothly massaged her she relaxed and enjoyed it, and I did not realize how long I had spent. Amanda was delighted with my massage, which deeply touched me at that time.
Throughout the sessions, my aim was the relief of pain and to aid upper and lower back, using bode relaxation. Amanda found that aromatherapy helped her to sleep easily and deeply even after a few days' treatment. Her pain relief lasted for up to 4 days, although if she was severely depressed the effect on the pain was minimal. She told me that she felt happier, and that her body felt better and free to move more easily, while the pain was reduced. I am convinced this treatment was really helpful for her, even if only for part of her body, and the effect of the essential oils will remain in her body for quite a while. The treatment obviously supported her physically and emotionally, and the outcome gave me a lot of confidence.