What are some tips for coping with the fear of relapse?

What are some tips for coping with the fear of relapse?

I think that's one of the biggest challenges of treating myeloma, in contrast to some other cancers, where there is a, there's a higher cure fraction.

And so individuals who have myeloma always have this in the back of their minds. And I think part of that getting through that is one having very good communication with your myeloma doctor and understanding where you are at each juncture of your treatment journey.

I think the other critical components are having very good social support. And if you don't have direct social support from your family, then, not being hesitant to voice these concerns to your doctor because we often times do have resources that we can provide.

For instance, either social work, psychiatry, there are also a lot of, communities out there, myeloma communities where patient advocates and patients themselves who can help people get through the different parts of myeloma treatment and coping with with their disease and understanding that they're not alone.

of course, each person is an individual, and how people cope with things is very different.

But I think that at least having those resources and letting people know that those things are available is critical.

I think it's important for patients really to live in the moment because, you know, a lot of patients, when their disease progresses, it's very scary. Oh, my disease has come back.

it's a shock. You know, they were used to kind of just strolling along, coming in for their treatment, going home. And it's very, very frightening. And I just want to tell them that, you know, just worry about now. This is the treatment. It's very likely to be effective. And if you know that doesn't work anymore, by then we're going to have a whole host of treatment options available.

And, it's important to recognize that our treatment, armamentarium is increasing very, very quickly.

we're learning how to manage side effects much better and that there's always hope and to continue on living in the moment and let us doctors worry about the rest.