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What Reiki did for me, a breast cancer patient

What Reiki did for me, a breast cancer patient

May 31, 2018

In April 2017, I was undergoing my final round of chemo treatments for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.  I had two infusions down in my second round of treatments and was facing two more.  To say I was struggling, is an understatement.  To this point, my cancer journey was filled with unexpected medical issues such as bilateral pneumonia, bilateral pulmonary embolisms, sepsis, and even an internal bleed that filled my chest cavity.  I now had to give myself two shots a day, of Lovenox, a blood thinner.  I spent a total of 37 days in the hospital.  After my second treatment I decided that I was done.  I had had enough.  I made up my mind that I was done with pain and sickness.  The nausea was intense and the bone pain was debilitating.  I made the decision to stop my chemotherapy treatments.  I was going to refuse the last two treatments that could potentially save my life.

Later that night, I talked with my family.  I told them that I could no longer endure the pain.  The look of fear and worriedness on my boyfriend’s face is a look that I’ll never forget.  My daughter cried.  I felt like a “failure” that just left my biggest support system down.  I prayed for the answer as to what I should do.  I scoured the internet for things to try.  I remembered a reiki appointment that I had had a few years ago and how it made me feel afterwards.  Reiki?  I asked myself.  Could Reiki help?  I decided that it was worth a try.  I was desperate.  I reached out to my dear friend Rickie Freedman, owner of ReikiSpace and asked if she could schedule an appointment for me after my next chemo appointment.  I was nervous and very apprehensive because I knew what was coming after that appointment.  The nausea, the pain.  But I committed to giving it a try.  Not just for my family but for myself.

I had my reiki appointment within a day or two after my third appointment.  Days 3-6 were always the worst days after chemo.  I was skeptical and anxiously waited for the bone pain to set in.  Around day 3, I could feel an achiness start to creep into my bones and I could feel the nausea start to settle in my belly.  I cried, as I knew what was coming.  I just laid there and waited for it.  Day 4 came and still no intense bone pain, no severe nausea.  My symptoms were all still so very manageable with the meds that were prescribed.  Day 5 then day 6 and I was through the days that I knew should be my worst.  We did it!  We made it through treatment number 3, of this last round, with little to almost no bone pain and nausea.  Was it a coincidence?  Could it be the reiki?  I wasn’t sure but it gave me the courage to try to make it through my fourth and final chemo treatment.  I reached out to Rickie once again to set up another appointment after my last treatment.  We scheduled the appointment for a day or two after the final infusion.  Again, I waited and tried to mentally prepare myself for the worst and again, it didn’t come.  I made it through that final treatment the same way I made it through my third appointment, with minimal bone pain and manageable nausea.  No way was this a coincidence.  It was the Reiki.  This may sound extreme but, Reiki contributed to possibly saving my life.  I was ready to stop my last two treatments, but out of desperation, I tried Reiki.  It worked.  Reiki helped me manage my unbearable symptoms.  Reiki helped me finish my treatments.  It not only helped me physically, but mentally as well.  It moved me spiritually.  It gave me hope for the future.  Reiki helped make me a Survivor!

Kim Sheaffer

Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor

 

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