What do I do with my old drugs?  NEVER dispose of any medications down the sink or toilet.  This can lead to water pollution.  You may bring all of your PCI prescribed and unused chemotherapy drugs to PCI for disposal—we will incinerate them for you.  Other medications can be crushed or dissolved and mixed with kitty litter or coffee grounds, place in sealable container, and put in trash.  Make sure to remove or destroy identifying information from the drug bottle before discarding.  This is the recommendation from the Virginia Dept of Environmental Quality (www.deq.state.va.us/).  Please check with you states medical waste disposal guidelines if you live outside of Virginia.

 

Using a Sledgehammer to Kill a Mosquito? The Story of the Raw Almond:

I don’t normally like to be an alarmist but the 2007 regulations that require almond growers to pasteurize raw almonds using a toxic chemical is quite concerning to say the least. There have been two salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004 traced back to raw almonds. This is what led to this regulation. Why the use of propylene oxide (PPO) was the method of choice to pasteurize is unclear. The National Institutes of Health Toxicology Program lists PPO as a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen”. Raw organic almonds have not been implicated in any illness outbreaks and organic almonds are not pasteurized with PPO. They are likely a bit harder to find and certainly more expensive. If you like almonds, you may want to select good old dry roasted and avoid this whole mess! ~Lynne

 

Odors cause nausea.  When patients undergo chemotherapy, their sense of smell can be dramatically altered.  Things that once smelled good, can now trigger nausea.  Friends, family members, visitors and medical staff are encouraged to avoid wearing perfume, aftershave and scented body lotions.  It’s also a good idea to avoid strong smelling cleaning agents and room  fresheners as well.  This usually resolves once the chemo drugs clear the body.

 

PCI’s Relay for Life Team Updates:

Gloucester:  Raising money through luncheons, selling Charity Bears and beaded bracelets.  They are currently accepting recipes for a cook book they are creating to be sold in spring as well.  Contact Gloucester staff if you are interested in participating.

Williamsburg:  Fundraising by selling Charity Bears and jewelry.

Newport News:  Fundraising by selling Charity Bears and jewelry.

 

Monthly Nutrition Meetings continue in 2009! Open to all PCI patients who are interested in learning about healthy eating.

Where: PCI Newport News Waiting Room

When: third Tuesday of each month, 5:30-6:30 pm

Feb 17, 2009

Mar 17, 2009

Apr 21, 2009

Please call 534-5555 x 239 to reserve your seat.  Looking forward to seeing you,   Lynne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FYI...