Going to the Spa is a Need Not a Want

Yesterday, I went to the spa to have a spa manicure at Bliss in Panama City. I've done this once before at A Better You Day Spa in Chattanooga. I'm not exactly comfortable going to day spas. I feel like I should know what to do - but I really just feel like a spa Neanderthal. I just know that everyone there is looking at me with pity and probably some amusement. I'm not sure when to sit, where to sit, which hand to offer first, how to keep from grabbing my hand back when the cuticle scissors shows up (my needle phobia extends to any sharp metal object near my skin), or how much I should tip the person working on my hands. It's all so complicated.

You might wonder why I'm going to the spa if it's such a trial for me. Visits to the spa are needs not wants when you're a chemo patient. No, this is not a bogus smoke and mirrors effort to rationalize day spa visits. Chemo drugs cause neuropathy, most commonly, in hands and feet. I don't like neuropathy in my hands and feet, therefore I have one more reason to not like chemo drugs. Back to the manicure. Spa manicures include two hand massages per visit. I found that this helps to temporarily alleviate numbness in my fingers and hands.

A spa manicure may also involve a hand paraffin bath. This is a wonderful experience. The day spa in Chattanooga included a paraffin bath in my spa manicure. It made my hands feel so good that I bought a paraffin bath for my personal use. I use the paraffin bath regularly and it helps with the pain and tingling that goes along with the neuropathy. I purchased a Homedics brand paraffin bath from Amazon for about $40.00 and it has been working fine for my home use.

Yesterday's spa visit was a little different. My friend, Eliza, gave me a Bliss gift card for my birthday. This was more than just thoughtful. She knew I would be in Panama City Beach following my last chemo treatment, so she located a spa here so I would be able to visit it on my chemo recovery vacation. That was way beyond cool. My husband, Scott, came with me on this visit. That was interesting.

Prior to my spa visit, we discovered that there was a penny stuck in the power outlet in our SUV. We discovered this because our phone chargers weren't working. Dead cell phones are cause for extreme stress that may include, but not limited to, hyperventilating, texting withdrawal symptoms, iPhone app store separation anxiety and missed phone calls. It was bad. What would we do?!

We stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way to the spa. We picked up metal glue and pencils, thinking we would put glue on the pencil and adhere it to the penny, allowing us to draw the penny out. I went into the spa and Scott worked on the penny.

I was in the middle of my manicure when Scott entered the spa exuding an air of frustration. He said he was unable to extricate the penny from the power outlet. I suggested turning the SUV upside down and shaking it - that should get the penny out. Apparently, he didn't hear me because I got no response. The guys working in the spa became interested in our problem, as did one of the other customers and his wife.

Pretty soon all attention was on my husband and the penny dilemma. He told them the story of the penny in the outlet. The attempts to get it out and the failure of each one. Before too long, the other customer was out helping Scott try to get that penny out of the outlet. I think he probably voided the benefits of his manicure for his efforts. He didn't seem to mind and neither did the penny, which was still firmly stuck in the outlet.

It was time for me to pick out the nail polish I wanted. This is one of the hardest things for me to do. I naturally reach for neon purple, but draw back as I remember that I might want to stay with a "normal" color since this is going to be a professional polish application. After much indecision, I chose red. Okay - I know that lacks imagination, but it matches my toe nails. I'm on the beach and I really don't want to look at my toes and see them mismatching my fingers.

I received two hand massages during my visit and my fingers were feeling pretty good. I was sitting at the nail dryer waiting for the eight minutes to pass while my nails dried. My husband was back in the spa discussing options with the guy at the reception desk. When the nail drying time expired, I got up to leave. Instead of hearing "Thanks for coming" as I left the spa, I heard "Hey, I hope you get that penny out."

My husband brought a whole new perspective to visiting the spa. I climbed into the SUV with polished nails, hands that were much less numb than when I arrived, and a penny still stuck in the power outlet. Two out of three aint bad.

Neurapathy doesn't feel good. There are varying degrees of neurapathy. I didn't experience numbness until my third chemo treatment. The severity became greater with each passing treatment. Here is what I do to deal with the neurapthy:

1 Go to the day spa and get a spa manicure that includes hand massages.

2. Use my paraffin bath regularly.

3. Be grateful for neurapthy when I pick up a hot dish without using pot holders.

4. I hold my hands in front of the water jets in my jacuzzi bathtub. If I didn't have my jacuzzi tub, I would buy the Conair Massaging Jet Foot Spa for about $44.00, and put my hands in it.

5. Give myself short hand massages throughout the day.

There are so many things to deal with when undergoing chemotherapy treatments. It helps to find find even the smallest relief from some of them.