Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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How Painful is Multiple Myeloma?
Myeloma bone disease causes bone to break down faster than it can be repaired. This can lead to painful conditions:
Hi David- I found what you have to say interesting. I was diagnosed January 2019 with Stage 1 -2 MM. High Risk translocation 14:16. 60% myeloma cells present. Picked up by my PCP with an elevated Protein, she ran with it. and recommended the oncologist I see. I was 68. Odd because I was not experiencing any symptoms. In other words, the multiple myeloma was not painful of any kind.
My PET scan came back negative aka no bone involvement. I have achieved complete remission since 10/19. I was started on Revlimid 25, Velcade and Dex. Turns out I was allergic to the Velcade. Intermittent use of 2 other drugs and now on decreasing dose of only Revlimid 20 to now 15 mg.
Bone marrow and cytogenic study negative 2 weeks ago. I am careful with my diet lots of fruits/veg, almonds.
I use many supplements including-
- IP-6
- tumeric,
- B complex
- Vit C,
- D3,
- Krill Oil.
I do not drink and never smoked. I have not had a stem cell transplant and have felt well throughout treatment.
I also practice Reiki and have many prayerful friends. I do not own this disease ( God is my physician) but follow Dr’s orders and have armed myself with as much as I can to bring about God’s miracle. I am a retired RN. I belong to no support group but gather info here and there. Thought I would share my story…..feeling very blessed. Glad you are there to help people from your experience.
Hi Lorie-
Your story mentioned several important issues that I thought I would highlight.
1) “Picked up by my PCP with an elevated Protein, she ran with it. and recommended the oncologist I see.”
95% of MM is diagnosed at stage II or III. MM is difficult to identify if you are not experiencing symptoms such as bone pain, nerve pain or kidney failure. As the linked and excerpted information below states, your five year survival rate increased when your PCP “ran with it.” Please give your PCP a pat on the back for me…
2) “ I am careful with my diet lots of fruits/veg, almonds and use many supplements including IP-6 and tumeric, B12, B complex Vit C, D3, Krill Oil. I do not drink and never smoked…”
Your diet, supplements and lifestyle will lengthen and deepen your remission. Not to mention helping you heal after your induction chemotherapy.
I will attach the MM CC supplement guide and the nutrition guide below.
3) “ I have not had a stem cell transplant and have felt well throughout treatment.”
Consider harvesting and storing your stem cells. You may never use your stem cells but because you reached complete remission, your stem cells haven’t been this clean for awhile. Plus, I think its always a benefit to have therapy options/choices.
Also consider not having an autologous stem cell transplant…ever. A growing number of studies confirm that high-dose, aggressive chemotherapy from an ASCT will increase your risk of short, long-term and late stage side effects and will NOT increase your OS (overall survival aka length of life).
4) “I also practice Reiki and have many prayerful friends. I do not own this disease ( God is my physician) but follow Dr’s orders and have armed myself with as much as I can to bring about God’s miracle.”
Increased energy work and spirituality are proven mind-body therapy shown to increase OS for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.
5) “Thought I would share my story…..feeling very blessed. Glad you are there to help people from your experience.”
Thank you very much.
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
“For the 5% of people who are diagnosed at an early stage, the 5-year survival rate is almost 74%. If the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 51%. Approximately 95% of cases are diagnosed at this stage…”
Early versus delayed autologous stem cell transplantation in patients receiving novel therapies for Multiple Myeloma
” We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of MM patients who received novel agent based induction treatment and received first ASCT within 12 months of diagnosis (early ASCT, N = 102), or at a later date (late ASCT, N = 65).
Median time to ASCT was 7.9 months vs. 17.7 months in the early vs. late ASCT. The 3 and 5 yr overall Survival (OS) from diagnosis was 90 and 63% versus 82 and 63% in early and late ASCT respectively (P=0.45). Forty-one and 36 patients in the early and late ASCT have relapsed or progressed with median time to relapse of 28 and 23 mos (p=0.055). On multivariable analysis, factors predictive of increased risk for progression were ISS stage III (p=0.007), and < VGPR post-ASCT (p<0.001). Factor predictive of worst outcomes for OS was being on hemodialysis (p=0.037). No superiority of one agent was seen.
In summary, early or late ASCT is a viable option for MM patients receiving induction treatment with novel targeted therapies…
How to Manage Multiple Myeloma Pain
“What causes multiple myeloma pain?
- Osteopenia. This means thin bones. Osteopenia in itself does not cause pain. Osteopenia increases the risk of bone fractures (broken bones) that can be painful.
- Lytic lesions. This is the loss of pockets of bone, which can also cause dull overall aches or pain at a specific place.
- Bone fractures. As bones thin, they break more easily.
- Spinal cord compression. If a vertebra in your spine breaks, the damaged bone can press on your spinal cord and cause sharp, shooting pains in your limbs.
- Malignant spinal cord compression. A tumor pressing on your spinal cord can also cause back pain that slowly gets worse. It might feel like a tight band around your chest and belly. It can also move down to your legs and bottom.
- Spinal collapse. More than one broken vertebrae can cause your spinal column to collapse. It could be a dull ache, a sharp pain in your ribs and belly, or a shooting pain that shoots down your leg.
- Kyphosis. If your spine collapses, you can get a curve in your back that leads to chronic back pain.
- Hypercalcemia. As bone is destroyed, your system gets swamped with calcium. It can lead to pain and problems like constipation and vomiting.
- Peripheral neuropathy. Myeloma or its treatments can damage your nerves and lead to this condition, which causes tingling, numbness, and sometimes a sharp burning or jabbing pain in various body parts.
Where Does It Hurt?
Multiple myeloma can cause pain in any bone, but you’ll most likely feel it in your:
- Back
- Hips
- Pelvis
- Skull
- Belly
- Chest
- Arms
- Legs
- Jaw
- Teeth