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Hi Tricks81 and a warm welcome to this corner of the Community although I am always sorry to see folks joining us. I am Mike and I help out around our various Blood Cancer groups. I don’t have Myeloma but I was diagnosed back in 1999 with a rare, incurable type of NHL Stage 4a so although my Blood Cancer ‘type’ is different I appreciate the challenges of this journey well.

Lets look for some of the group members to pick up on your post. You can also look through the various posts (hit the main group name and scroll down) and as always you can hit reply and ask some questions and see if the member is looking in.

Always around to help more or just to chat

Thanks Mike

Why is my doctor doing nothing at the minute apsrt from telling me to quit smoking, which i'm on day 3 smoke free, but retest bloods in 6 months?? Is this normal procedure?

Actually your doctor is doing the correct thing so in reality doing a lot.

Sometimes, blood cancers like Myeloma and Indolent Lymphomas like my type don’t need treatment straightaway…….. it took 14 years before I had to have any big gun treatments (hit my community name to see my story)

If you have a slow-growing condition that isn’t causing bothersome symptoms, there are several advantages to having active monitoring instead of immediate treatment.

Active monitoring will be regular appointments to check on your condition until it needs treatment. Active monitoring is also called ‘watch and wait’ or sometimes ‘active surveillance’.

The advantages of Active Monitoring are:

• you avoid side effects or late effects  from treatment for as long as possible
• you only need to go to hospital appointments for outpatient check-ups
• most people enjoy a good quality of life.

Active monitoring helps you avoid unnecessary treatment. It is unlikely to affect outcomes.

• Treating you before the condition is causing problems does not make you live longer.
• Treatment is just as effective if you save it until it is needed.

Thanks Mike now i totally understand more, i thought i was just being left for dead.