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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Myeloma Survivorship Care Plan
Congratulations to the IMF Nurse Leadership Board for developing a myeloma survivorship care plan- linked below. Because I’ve lived with MM since my diagnosis in January of 1994, a myeloma survivorship care plan is both near and dear to my heart and long-overdue.
What is a cancer survivorship care plan?
A cancer survivorship care plan (SCP) is a comprehensive plan designed to help individuals who have completed initial cancer treatment transition to post-treatment care. It typically includes the following components:
- Treatment Summary: A detailed record of the cancer treatment received, including types of therapies, dates, dosages, and any complications or side effects experienced.
- Follow-Up Care Plan: A schedule for regular follow-up visits, screenings, and tests to monitor for cancer recurrence or the development of new cancers. This may also include recommendations for managing long-term side effects of treatment.
- Health Promotion: Guidance on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and alcohol use. It may also cover strategies for managing stress and maintaining mental health.
- Symptom Management: Information on how to manage and report symptoms or side effects that may arise after treatment, including who to contact in case of new or worsening symptoms.
- Support Services: Information about resources and support services available to cancer survivors, such as counseling, support groups, financial assistance, and rehabilitation services.
- Coordination of Care: Plans for coordinating care between the oncologist, primary care provider, and other healthcare professionals involved in the survivor’s care. This ensures that all providers are informed about the survivor’s history and care plan.
As you can imagine however, my plan differs a bit from the IMF plan. The IMF Nurse Leadership Board focuses exclusively on conventional FDA approved therapies. I don’t have to. In fact, I believe the my own evidence-based non-conventional therapies such as anti-MM nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle therapies have helped me maintain complete remission since early 1994.
A general comment on the IMF nurses myeloma survivorship care plan focuses on the FDA approved standard-of-care treatment plan for all newly diagnosed MM patients. In general, I believe that this treatment plan is often much too much toxicity for the NDMM patient. In terms of the myeloma survivorship care plan “too much toxicity” means
increased risk of damage (adverse events) to the NDMM and damage to the sexual health of the NDMM patient. For example, my testosterone dropped below the normal range as a result of my autologous stem cell transplant. I was able to get my levels back into the normal range through diet, exercise and supplementation.
What do we agree on?
- Maintaining bone health
- Maintaining physical health
- Maintaining kidney health
My idea of maintaining bone, physical and kidney health is broader than conventional oncology’s. I consider nutrition and supplementation shown to:
- enhance bone mineral density
- enhance physical health and
- enhance kidney health
an important aspect of my myeloma survivorship care plan.
Whether the MM patient focuses on conventional or non-conventional therapies, the important thing is that there are actionable therapies, actionable care for the MM survivor, not just the newly diagnosed MM patient.
Are you a newly diagnosed MM patient or survivor? If you’d like to learn more about MM- both conventional or non-conventional therapies, email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com
thanks,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
IMF Nurse Leadership Board (NLB) Survivorship Care Plan for Multiple Myeloma
“Patients with myeloma are surviving longer and, therefore, may experience continuing effects of their disease and treatment. Through clinical experience, the International Myeloma Foundation Nurse Leadership Board (NLB) was aware that a specific set of needs exists in this patient population. Identification of these needs, and stressing the importance of prompt intervention, could lead to improvement in their quality of life and overall survival….
- Survivorship Care Guidelines for Patients Living With Multiple Myeloma
- Maintaining Bone Health in Patients With Multiple Myeloma
- Routine Health Maintenance in Patients Living With Multiple Myeloma
- Mobility and Safety in the Multiple Myeloma Survivor
- Sexual Dysfunction in Multiple Myeloma
- Renal Complications in Multiple Myeloma and Related Disorders