How can a patient with sickle disease, as well as their family and friends be helped with coping?

· Getting to know as much about the disease as possible, will make it easier to take good care of the person with sickle cell anemia's health.

· There are also hospitals and groups willing to support each other. Sickle cell centers and clinics give information about this and provides counseling.

· It might be useful to use heating pads, take hot baths, massages or physical therapy to relax and calm the pain.

· If the person is just a kid, let their teachers know about the illness, so they understand what kind of complications they might get by doing certain exercises and the signs of infection.

· Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.

· No smoking.

· Lots of rest and sleep.

· At least 8 glasses of water a day.

· Vitamins, such as folic acid, is recommended to help your body make new red blood cells.