The ultimate mind-body therapy is designed to reduce a myeloma survivor’s fear of relapse- be well-informed, live a healthy lifestyle and be take pride in surviving Multiple Myeloma
Once you are diagnosed with multiple myeloma, undergo induction therapy, maybe have an auto or allo transplant, achieve remission, live with maintenance therapy, perhaps live with some watchful waiting, etc., etc. you cannot help but fear going through it all again. One of the greatest challenges of surviving multiple myeloma is fearing relapse.
Therefore I consider dealing with the fear of relapse like dealing with any of my other collateral damage. While I agree with the article linked and excerpted below in general, I firmly disagree with the first bold sentence below.
I am not saying that multiple myeloma survivors can control their risk of relapse. We can however, reduce the risk of relapse. In fact, low-dose maintenance therapy has been shown to reduce a MM survivor’s risk of relapse.
None of us has 100% control of our MM but we can reduce the risks of relapse. Lifestyle, frequent, moderate exercise, nuticeuticals such as curcumin, resveratrol, EGCG, diet, mind-body therapies and sleep are among the therapies that I practice and research and blog about on PeopleBeatingCancer.
While we’re talking about mind-body therapy for MMers, let me mention a few other approaches to managing my MM that run counter to what everyone else says…
- Managing my MM is not a war- I think of it more as a chess match-
- I do want to be defined my my MM- I’ve worked at it and achieved a LOT-
To summarize- I practice mind-body therapies to help me live with aka survive multiple myeloma and I live an evidence-based, anti-MM lifestyle which also helps me survive multiple myeloma.
I am both a MM survivor and MM coach. For more information about mind-body therapies and cancer, scroll down the page, post a question or a comment and I will reply ASAP.
Thank you,
David Emerson
- Long-term MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
“The end of cancer treatment can bring both relief and worry. You may be relieved that your treatment is finally over and pleased that your cancer is in remission (the temporary or permanent absence of cancer). However, you may also feel worried, anxious, or fearful that your cancer may recur (come back).
Cancer recurrence is the return of cancer after a period when no cancer cells could be detected in the body. The fear of recurrence is normal and reasonable for cancer survivors, especially during the first few years your cancer is in remission. It is important to remember that although you cannot control whether your cancer recurs, you can control how much you let the fear of recurrence affect your life.
Tips for coping
- Accept your fears
- Don’t worry alone
- Talk with your doctor about regular follow-up care
- Be well informed
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle
- Reduce stress. Finding ways to lower your stress will help lower your overall level of anxiety. Experiment with different ways of reducing stress to find out what works best for you.
- Spend time with family and friends
- Spend time on hobbies and other activities you enjoy
- Take a walk, meditate, or enjoy a bath
- Exercise regularly
- Find time for humor—read a funny book or watch a funny movie
- Join a support group
- Avoid unnecessary stress—don’t take on unnecessary responsibilities or commit yourself to tasks you don’t have time for
- Simplify your life
• Living With Uncertainty: The Fear of Cancer Recurrence. (2103) American Cancer Society. Retrieved on February 14, 2014, from http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002014-pdf.pdf
• Ness, Sheryl M., RN. (2011). Living with cancer blog: Fear of cancer recurrence is normal. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved on February 14, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/expert-blog/cancer-recurrence/bgp-20056377
• (2013). Common Breast-Cancer-Related Fears. BreastCancer.org. Retrieved on February 14, 2014, from http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/fears/common_fears
