[GillParticipant]

Hi to both new posters and sorry you are here. My husband has mm, diagnosed in November 2008 aged 53. He has just had his second Stem Cell Transplant as he relapsed. Fingers crossed for this one.

As for hiccups This stupid remedy works every time but you do need somebody to help you. Drink a large glass of water from the wrong side of the glass (ie the outer rim when you hold it up to your mouth) with your fingers in your ears. Hence help needed. Glug it as quickly as you can. It never ever fails. Yes you do look like an idiot and no it is not April 1st:-) It really does work

Gill xx

[ivanwarwickParticipant]

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has left me comments and advice they are all much appreciated and I have to say, Jet you page is fantastic keep it up I'll be reading it regularly.

Its 3:30 in the morning and I'm not sleeping as I'm a little angry and upset so I thought I would drop on here and view my comments cos I know you all understand. I wish things could be different and I wish I did not have to put my loved ones through all this. I feel so sorry for my partner Cathy who is my rock and she is the one person who I can really turn to when things get bad, and I feel responsible for putting her through all this pain. My kids are the best children anyone could wish for and I know that they are finding it difficult, however there is little I can do about it. I just get angry at just how many people this is touching.

Anyhow this is day 5 of the treatment and the only side effects I'm having so far from the CTD is bloated or swollen abdomen, legs and face and a slight pain in my stomach. I have just finished my first course of steroids and don?t need to take them for another month so my swelling should go down by then hopefully. I'm intending to go back to work on Monday 8th Aug. I sit in an office most of the time now so there is little physical strain however I do work at an Airport and can sometime be exposed to lots of people so maybe I need to be careful as my immune system may not be up to its normal reliable self now.

Ivan

[MinParticipant]

Morning Ivan,
As a wife of an mm sufferer I can tell you how it feels to be on the other side of this mm problem. It may help put it into some perspective
Initially [u]Irrational[/u] shock, Fear, horror. Anger. The fear was of being left alone, horror that I had little or no knowledge of MM or indeed cancer. Anger that no one had found a cure, and that he had caught it.. (Like he had a choice) Worry that our income was going to take a battering.
They all go when you have sufficient knowledge to know that you can live with mm. I worried that although we have been married for 40yrs I was not sure I could step up to the plate when needed. I said it was all irrational
The shock takes a little longer to digest and seeing responses to various treatments helps to calm fears.
My husband was off work for 18months but was able to get DLA to compensate for lack of income
Living with mm becomes a way of life. Take care always to avoid people with coughs and colds as the medications will make you susceptible to catch everything without the inner strength commonly known as neutrophils …. one to remember when you get blood results. You will know by your neutrophil count how careful you have to be. You may be on Aciclavor to help with this (anti viral) but steer clear of people especially children with coughs, measles chicken pox etc.
Its perfectly understandable to be feeling as you do, you need time to come to terms with it, and that will be easier knowing that you can get on with your life, with a few limitations.
Be aware Thalidomide can bung you up , and cause bloating. Your Dr can give you something for it.
Do you know you can get a prescription exemption certificate? so one advantage is you dont need to pay for prescriptons for the next three years.
Good Luck
Min

[BADGERParticipant]

Hello again Ivan

DEX is awful we here have invented a word DEXITUDE my husband thought I had turned into a monster I think the lack of sleep does it. Its not so bad if you take the Dex first thing in the morning and the thalidomide last thing at night you then might get a bit of sleep I would be careful if you are mixing with a lot of people especially in an airport as people bring alLsorts of bugs back with them and your immune system will be very low while you are on chemo

Keep Well:-)
Love JO X

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Ivan,

I think I will be the third person to raise the matter of going to work in such a variable environment re: people and bugs and germs etcetera… perhaps it might be judicious to ring your bleep holder (if you have one) or your lead nurse or failing that anyone at the centre where you attend for your MM matters.

I really would seek that advice if I was you… and on that note i am sure that most experienced people on this board would, if they were you, avoid an airport like the plague… no pun intended… but it is a good one… and a pity to waste it. 😀

Dai.

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