Natural Disasters With Blood Cancer

When you have blood cancer, you will likely set up a plan of treatment with your doctor. Now, I was raised mainly in Florida, so hurricanes are a normal occurrence. Here are some things to think about before you face a disaster, such as a hurricane, epidemic, earthquake, or fire.

Keeping in contact with your doctor

When I had Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), I had chemotherapy for a day or so in-patient and then waited a bit until my next chemo round. This was during the beginning of Covid. During this time, I had to be very careful because my immune system was compromised.

With radiation therapy, I had an appointment every day except Saturday and Sunday. It was imperative I didn't miss any of my appointments because it would cause treatment to be prolonged and could give the cancer an opening to spread even further than it had.

A disaster could derail that plan.

Missing an appointment due to a disaster

So, what do you do if you miss a treatment appointment because of a disaster?

Keep up with your medical team. It is best to ask these kinds of questions before a dangerous event happens. Write everything down in case you forget. Tell people close to you what to do and make a plan ahead of time. 

My oncologist was kind enough to give me his cell number and let me call him if something happened. Which likely saved my life. I did catch covid after I completed my radiation therapy. I had a 104-degree fever multiple times and couldn't stop coughing. He was able to prescribe me some medication to help with the coughing and instructed me to take Advil (if I'm remembering correctly) which did help at least keep the fever from getting any higher.

While I wasn't able to leave my bedroom for about 2 and a half months, having a good team, communicating with my roommates and having a plan saved me.

Shelf stable foods for the nutrition you need

When I was in middle school I remember going through a string of hurricanes in Florida. One after the other. We actually had to get MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) from the Army. They were meals pre packed with things inside to heat them up if need be. Now you can actually purchase fancier versions of MRE’s on Amazon. (I would imagine they probably taste better now then they did 20 years ago.)

But honestly anything you can get that is shelf stable works. I’ve gotten chips, apple sauce, canned spaghetti and meatballs, crackers, packaged chicken salad, jerky, cookies, granola, protein bars and shakes, anything drink wise that’s in a bottle or can, etc.

There are so many options now and a lot at lower costs. The dollar tree or Aldi are two of my favorite places to look. I would also recommend condiments if you can find them that are pre packaged. Save those McDonald's sauces! Water flavoring is also a great cheaper alternative if you just want to have water on hand.

It is so important to make sure our bodies are still getting some sort of nutrients. Cancer takes any opening it can get so don't let it!

Keeping communications open with your medical team

Having a calendar and battery operated/solar powered radio to keep track of the days and what is going on is important. This can help make sure you can keep in contact with your medical team and update or check your medical apps if you have any, during something like a hurricane.

If you can get to your car (if it’s safe enough) you can use the power from the car to charge your phone. I have a charger that plugs into my cigarette lighter. I just place my phone on the charging dock and it will charge the battery for me. (I also try to download tv shows or movies on my phone before a storm hits so I can watch it without the internet as long as my phone is charged enough.)

Stay in touch with neighbors

My last piece of advice is: let people around you know if you might need help or to be checked on. If you don’t know your neighbors, you will after a big storm. Nothing brings a neighborhood together like a natural disaster. There is no shame in asking for help if you know you may need it.

Have you ever been through a big storm before? Is there anything you might add? Let me know in the comments!

Warm wishes, Katelynn