Starting treatment

Hi Zack123 and a warm welcome to this corner of the Community although I am sorry to see you joining us and hear that you are about to start treatment.

I am Mike and I help out around our various Blood Cancer groups. I don’t have Myeloma but I was diagnosed way back in 1999 with a very rare (also incurable) but treatable type of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (Stage 4 in late 2013) so although my Blood Cancer ‘type’ is rather different I do appreciate the challenges of living with an incurable blood cancer.

There are a few active members at the moment so let’s look for them to pick up on your post.

You can click on the main ‘Myeloma Group’ title and this will bring up all the group posts. Have a look at the posts and as always you can hit reply to any post and connect in with the wider group conversations.

You can also do a group search for words (treatment names) using the search tool   near the top and as always you can hit reply.

Always around to help more or just to chat.

Hi. Zack123.       I am recently diagnosed with MM ( June )      And  currently on the cycle 2/3.    DVTB.    All with visits twice per week to the local hospital.       With. Blood tests every Monday.       I was a very active traveler for my work ( self employed).   But couldn’t do that now.      I guess my symptoms had reached a level that was. Impairing my ability to work anyway.     The treatment. Whilst mainly. Abdominal injection and home medication (. Steroids and. Thalidomide).    The side effects are what hits me the hardest.         Insomnia.    Fatigue.    Peripheral neuropathy in my feet.       I was diagnosed on my retirement day and 66 th.  Birthday.  But was not quite ready to retire.    My hand was forced.     I hope possibley  that you may have some employment that allows you to work from home ?     I think that would be a good thing.        Hayyou been given a start date for treatment?    Allow extra time for the first visit. Probably. Velcade     As the staff may ok up an IV. lead f just to be ready for any reaction.      Other visits for me are  sometimes only 45/50.  Most waiting for the great nursing staff to be free to administer the medication. As they are usually looking after several at the same time.         The support of my wife and family helps me on a day to day basis.     Best wishes. Kevin 

Thank you so much for all the advice and sorry to hear  about your journey but it’s good to know there are people like you helping us. Thanks so much again.

Thank you Vespa it’s quite a daunting thought to think I can’t work and I suppose I will have to see how I go. What an awful birthday present to receive!  I suppose for me having had this for 10 years I almost started believing they had the diagnosis wrong as I just seemed to carry on as normal except for the lower back pain and tiredness nothing else seemed to have changed.  My Children were very young when I was first diagnosed and I feel very blessed to have been able to watch them grow over the last 10 years and I’m lucky to have a loving husband.   As when I turned 38 and was first diagnosed it shook my world but I have to say it is certainly a shock again now.   I wish you all the very best for your treatment and I hope you have more better days then bad! Thank you again!