Thnx again Cygnet. I’m sorry to hear about your pneumonia and I hope that you are feeling well again. I can tell that you experience the same emotions as me and I’m sure many other people in our situation feel it too – every twinge in the back makes us think that bone damage is settling in. Every lump or ache feels like evidence of advancing…[Read more]

Thank you – I’m feeling blessed as the lump has turned out to be innocent breast tissue. Thank God – I was beginning to think that Cancer was a buy one get one free disease! A load has been lifted from me.

Hope all goes well and that you both keep strong and positive.x

A beautiful picture – I hope you find some comfort in good memories of happy times. Sometimes I think that the people that we lose stay alive when we have vivid dreams about happier times. At least, I hope that this will be the case for my children if my myeloma progresses. May we all smoulder forever!

Seems like your having a positive response Mike – keep strong, one day at a time.(Apologies for the clichés) but I wish you well.

I know exactly how you feel and what you are going through. 18 months ago, I was diagnosed at the age of 40 -my children were aged 10 and 7 and I had to keep pinching myself to check that it wasn’t a nightmare. I spent my nights crying myself to sleep and my days trying to be normal so that the kids wouldn’t suspect anything.I am still smouldering…[Read more]

Just keep carrying on Mike-one foot in front of the other. Defy it. Do what you have to do. If you’re angry, let it empower you. If you are weepy, let tears be relief-catharsis. My thoughts are with you and with all of us who are on this journey.x

Hi Jan, I received my asymptomatic myeloma diagnosis on the 7th of October 2013 aged 40 – a date imprinted in my brain! The good news is that I’m still smouldering 17 months later. I’m learning that anxiety about the future is wasted time and energy. Smoulderers have the opportunity to grab life by the horns while we’re well. Here are the changes…[Read more]

I’m so sorry for your loss and for the pain that you are all going through – especially your young children. I am a forty two year old mother of two children, aged 11 and 8, and I have myeloma. I would like to think that after my death, my children would get the opportunity to talk about me, take out photos and discuss memories. I would like my…[Read more]

Oh Mike, I’m so sorry about the sixty percent plasma cells but u r so incredibly knowledgeable and informed that I’m sure that you’ll make the right treatment choice for yourself. At least you won’t get blinded by the science- I try to take stuff in but my brain is unable to unravel it all most of the time. To be honest, I barely had a grasp of…[Read more]

Glad you’re coping so well with the treatment-I know what you mean about waiting and the car park costs are pretty astronomical to boot! Keep moving, one step at a time-carry on! My thoughts are with you.x

Hi Mike,
Hope the results are positive- I know how torturous the waiting is! One step at a time.x

Hi Helen and Yvonne, I share your fear and sleeplessness. My appt is on Monday so I’m currently tortured by nightmares. The days aren’t too bad but I’m a basket of rattling anxiety at night. I’m trying to convince myself that worrying won’t change anything and is wasted anxiety but I have a head/ heart battle going on. Fingers crossed for all of…[Read more]

Wishing you strength and courage for the next phase Mike. The confusing thing is that the stats suggest that there’s only a 10% chance of progression in the first 10 years but I haven’t heard of anyone who doesn’t progress at some point, You have the advantage of being medical and therefore able to understand all of the terms and as they say,…[Read more]

Hi Lynda,
I know exactly how you feel. I was diagnosed with asymptomatic myeloma at the age of 40 in October 2013. My children were aged 7 and 10. The fear that you feel will eventually turn into calmish acceptance as you gather more information and see that this is a treatable disease – so there’s lots of hope. I know that the word ‘incurable’ is…[Read more]

Hi Mike,

Just watched some of this- it’s exciting that there are these new drug combinations and that research is being done on when to intervene but the cynic in me wonders if our cash-strapped NHS would be likely to allow us to have access to these drugs and treatments anyway. After all, myeloma is a rare form of cancer that affects so few of…[Read more]

Thanks Ted – I didn’t realise that it can actually go down too. Do you take any supplements or follow a special diet plan? Judging by my pp level, I seem to be further along the smouldering journey than you.

Hi Cygnet,

Excuse my ignorance but I had to google ‘conscious sedation’! No, I didn’t have it; I had a combination of local anaesthetic and Bob Marley singing ‘three little birds’ on the Ipod. I returned to work the next day.

Sorry to hear about your mum – I hope that she is at peace and as pain-free as possible. Sometimes life sets us enormous…[Read more]