Diagnosed with multiple myeloma? Here’s how you can take control of your situation to try to ensure the best outcome.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of a person’s white plasma cells, the cells that fight infection and disease, and it can permanently weaken bones and damage organs. It’s a rare and incurable disease that often returns even after successful treatment.
Black people are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma than White people, and there’s some debate as to why they’re at greater risk. Black patients with multiple myeloma do, however, live longer than White patients with similar disease symptoms when both receive the same treatments.
Most people have never heard of multiple myeloma when they’re diagnosed. We at BHM understand the lack of familiarity could make a multiple myeloma diagnosis more difficult emotionally than other cancers. While it’s more anxiety and stress because you don’t know what to expect, there are ways you can take control of the situation to help you achieve the best outcome.
First, remain hopeful. People with multiple myeloma are living longer than ever before. There is no cure, but many medical advancements have been made over the past decade. In the 1990s, about 3 in 10 patients survived five years after being diagnosed. Today, about half of all multiple myeloma patients may expect to survive five years or more5.
Build a care team. After receiving a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, it is important to build your care team. Your care team should include a multiple myeloma specialist. Given many treatment options, new drug approvals, and ongoing clinical trials, it helps to have a specialist who’s on top of new developments as they come. (If you are interested in learning more about if you are eligible for a trial from Bristol Myers Squibb, click ’s here.)
Keep a notebook. After a multiple myeloma diagnosis, a lot of information will be coming your way from your cancer care team—much of which can be hard to remember. You should start taking notes as soon as you’re diagnosed, regardless of what type of medical professional you are seeing. Keep track of any questions, dates, medicine schedules, and how you are feeling. All of this important information will be helpful to your cancer care team.
Eat a healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet may help improve some multiple myeloma symptoms. Eating well may also help alleviate some psychological symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, that many people with multiple myeloma can experience. Eating well ensures you get the nutrients your body needs to boost your immunity, improve your strength, and positively impact your overall health and well-being.6
Talk openly with your family and friends. Be open about your diagnosis and your needs. Your healthcare team can teach you how to tell others. Many people in your life will want to help and support you. Determine who can be your primary caregiver and ask for their help. MyLifeLine.org7 is one tool that can connect your friends and family with the kinds of help you need.
Try to be mindful and relax. You should focus on being peaceful and present, although it’s not always easy to feel calm when you’re dealing with multiple myeloma. Start with things that help you relax such as a walk, yoga, meditation, or cooking. There are also meditations, mindfulness, and hypnosis apps that can help.
Multiple myeloma is managed over many years, and ultimately, the goal is to make a plan that gives you as much control as possible. There are many organizations, support groups, and other resources you can leverage along the way.
