As many of you know, I have been dealing with multiple myeloma for almost a decade now. One thing I've learned over the years is that receiving medical care as an outpatient can be really time consuming! Fortunately, I've also learned a bit about how to save time at my cancer center, and I thought I'd share some of my learnings.

When I first started to go for appoint­ments, blood draws, or treat­ment at my local cancer center, I …

It has been a busy autumn for me, both at home and away travelling. My husband Dilip and I went to Scotland for a holiday in October. Visiting there had been on my wish list all my life, since I have Scottish heritage, played bagpipes in a pipe band, and my maternal grandmother lived in Glasgow when I was a child. She always sent my siblings and me gifts from there, as well as books and postcards featuring castles and …

I recently attended a talk about the history of treat­ments and sup­port­ive ther­a­pies for multiple myeloma in Canada. Being now in the tenth year since my myeloma diag­nosis in 2009, I find this to be an interesting subject. It makes me realize how much things have changed here in Canada, and elsewhere, with regard to the treat­ment of multiple myeloma.

My induction ther­apy, or initial treat­ment after diag­nosis, consisted of Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib) and dexa­meth­a­sone (Decadron).

Velcade was approved and started …

A while ago, while tidying up the medicine cabinet, I came across an un­used portion of Revlimid capsules and some dexa­meth­a­sone pills. The Revlimid, just three capsules, had expired. Of course my husband and I returned the unused medications to a hospital pharmacy for proper dis­posal.

It was startling to me to realize that these unused medications were still there. I mused over how Revlimid and dex had helped get me back into remission after a relapse four years ago. …

Our summer here in Calgary was a little unpredictable this year, with daytime temperatures ranging from 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), with a strong cold north wind blowing, to a record high of 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius). Plus, in between the hot weather and the cold windy day, we had weeks of forest fire smoke occluding the sun, triggering a health alert recommending that people stay indoors.

Despite the unpredictable weather, my husband Dilip and I did …

It’s already August, and summer goes by so quickly! The spring and early summer flowers are giving way to del­phin­iums, roses, asters, and sun­flowers. This spring I planted seeds for sun­flowers and nasturtiums in my garden, and I think they will be in full bloom this month.

Thankfully, my life is going along quite smoothly now, and I am in the midst of a busy family life. My husband and I have had our fourth grand­child, born to our older …

I like to read mystery novels sometimes, and I started that back in my childhood reading Nancy Drew books. As I became older, I realized that there are many unsolved mysteries in the world, and the medical field has more than its fair share of them. When I con­sider how medical research in the field of multiple myeloma alone has progressed recently, it seems obvious to me that the more researchers learn about immunity and hematology, the more likely it …