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.
Click the orange button to the right to learn more about what you can start doing today.
Today, there are 16.9 million cancer survivors in the U.S., and 64 percent of them are 65 or older. It is estimated that 75,000 of these are surviving MM.
I have been living with myeloma since my diagnosis in early February of 1994. You name it, I’ve survived it- chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, non-toxic therapies, short, long-term, late stage side effects, all of it.
Considering that my cancer, multiple myeloma, is an incurable cancer, with an average life expectancy of 5-7 years, I’ve got a lot to worry about. I’ve gotten pretty good at managing my fear. Don’t get me wrong. I still hit the ceiling if my son or my wife walks into the room when I’m not expecting it. I chalk this up to a cancer survivor’s post traumatic stress (PTSD).
I believe that my lifestyle, day in and day out, helps in my surviving myeloma efforts. And that working at living my anti-MM lifestyle helps me cope with post-cancer fear. I have researched dozens of non-toxic myeloma therapies. Most are lifestyle therapies such as nutrition and detoxification. Eating a specific diet, specific nutritional supplementation, daily moderate exercise, even my sleep-all enable me to feel like I’m in complete remission because of my regimen.
I’m sure that many people reading this post will role their eyes at what I’m saying. My brother-in-law is a board certified hemotologist-oncologist. Kevin is a blood cancer doctor. The kind of cancer doctor that takes care of people like me. Though Kevin has never roled his eyes at me, I know that he can’t explain how I’ve lived since my original MM diagnosis in early 1994.
When conventional oncology can’t explain something they chalk it up to “spontaneous remission.” I’m rolling my eyes…
Considering I underwent a great deal of chemo and radiation only to respond, relapse, respond and relapse, I have a very difficult time thinking I then spontaneousely reached complete remission.
But that’s not the reason for this post. I’m writing this post because of the article linked and excerpted below. Not only do I not live under a dark cloud, but I like my post-cancer life.
PeopleBeatingCancer, blogging, cancer coaching, all have become my purpose in life.
Are you living with post-cancer fear? To learn more about evidence-based, non-toxic therapies scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
“You get cancer. You get it fixed. After treatment ends, you get something new: a black cloud that can follow you around for decades. Is this normal?
“Data from the National Cancer Institute show that up to twenty five percent of cancer survivors experience some symptoms of depression and forty five percent experience anxiety,” Schapira says. “To put that in perspective, about twenty percent of veterans that served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder…”
Today, there are 16.9 million cancer survivors in the U.S., and 64 percent of them are 65 or older. How can they best manage fears generated by the disease?
Tips for Reducing Stress After Cancer
Cancer.Net, the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s patient information site, lists other strategies for reducing the stress that comes with worrying about cancer recurrence, including:
spending time with family and friends
focusing on hobbies and activities you enjoy
exercising regularly
The Mental Part is Harder than the Physical Part’
After treatment ends, many cancer survivors feel “pushed out the door with no safety net, and that’s when they want to know if the cancer will come back…
Any unexplained pain makes me worry, though I know I could have pulled something at the gym or picking up the big suitcase I traveled with at Christmas,” my friend says. “I had no idea what it would be like to have this constant fear. Usually, I try to distract myself, but the mental part of having cancer is harder than the physical part.””
“Get to know the emotions that are common for cancer survivors and how to manage your feelings. Find out what’s normal and what indicates you should consider getting help…
When you began your cancer treatment, you couldn’t wait for the day you’d finish. But now that you’ve completed your treatment, you aren’t sure if you’re ready for life after treatment as a cancer survivor.
With your treatment completed, you’ll likely see your cancer care team less often. Though you, your friends and your family are all eager to return to a more normal life, it can be scary to leave the protective cocoon of doctors and nurses who supported you through treatment.
Everything you’re feeling right now is normal for cancer survivors. Recovering from cancer treatment isn’t just about your body — it’s also about healing your mind.
Take time to acknowledge the fear, grief and loneliness you’re feeling right now. Then take steps to understand why you feel these emotions and what you can do about them.
Fear of recurrence in cancer survivors
Fear of recurrence is common in cancer survivors. Though they may go years without any sign of disease, cancer survivors say the thought of recurrence is always with them. You might worry that every ache or pain is a sign of your cancer recurring. Eventually these fears will fade, though they may never go away completely.
Cope with your fear by being honest with yourself about your feelings. Try not to feel guilty about your feelings or ignore them in hopes that they’ll go away. Ask your doctor about what you can do to reduce your chance of a cancer recurrence.
Once you’ve done all you can to reduce that risk, acknowledge your fears. Surviving myeloma is difficult. Take control of those fears and do what you can to influence your future health. Try to:
Take care of your body. Focus on keeping yourself healthy. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fit exercise into your day. Go easy at first, but try to increase the intensity and amount of exercise you get as you recover. Get enough sleep so that you wake feeling refreshed.These actions may help your body recover from cancer treatment and also help put your mind at ease by giving you a greater sense of control over your life…”
Surviving Myeloma. Surviving Myeloma.
Leave a Comment:
6 comments
Tania says
last year
Thank you for this… the fear of reoccurrence has been to worst side effect!
I was dxed in October of 2019 with Stage 1 MM. Serum ratio of 110. Am currently in maintenance therapy ratio of 2 with no monoclonal proteins in Urine/Blood. My MM dr. and I had a discussion before my ASCT in Oct 2020 and what he said still sticks with me when I start getting the “I still have cancer and it might come back” blues. He told me avg survival for me is 10-11 yrs and that is old data. I read articles about Dara and how well it is working and other treatments coming out that are extending OS. I tell myself that new treatments will always outpace the cancer I have. It works most days, other days when it doesnt, I think of my dad who lived with Leukemia for nearly 20 years with less technology for treatment. Seeing people like yourself with 27+ years is what really gives me hope. Thanks for the articles and the postive outlooks
I can’t lie. I too have both good and bad days. I know its a cliche but we really do live one day at a time. The only real disagreement I have with conventional oncology is/are those therapies that are evidence-based but non-conventional. I eat an anti-mm diet, take anti-mm supplements, exercise, etc. I think it makes a difference.
