After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I kept thinking was it because of lifestyle choices I made.
1. I was overweight
2. I had some stress due to work
3. I had only moderate physical activity.
Could my lifestyle be the reason for my multiple myeloma?
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Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
The causes of myeloma aren't fully understood at this time; there are some links between myeloma and certain chemical or radiation exposures. Blaming yourself for myeloma is only going to wear you down emotionally.
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Little Monkey - Name: Little Monkey
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Father-stage 1 multiple myeloma
- When were you/they diagnosed?: March/April of 2015
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
Hi Jack:
Please do not beat yourself up. I was a vegetarian, never was out of the "normal" range for my BMI (if anything, I was on the lower side), and worked out 5 days a week, and I have multiple myeloma. In my opinion, this cancer has more to do with genes, and environment, than a less than perfect lifestyle.
Keep up the fight against this disease, and don't waste anymore emotional energy blaming yourself.
Best of luck.
Kathleen
Please do not beat yourself up. I was a vegetarian, never was out of the "normal" range for my BMI (if anything, I was on the lower side), and worked out 5 days a week, and I have multiple myeloma. In my opinion, this cancer has more to do with genes, and environment, than a less than perfect lifestyle.
Keep up the fight against this disease, and don't waste anymore emotional energy blaming yourself.
Best of luck.
Kathleen
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kshornb - Name: kshornber
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 52
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
There have been no definitive links found with multiple myeloma and any chemical agent, although there have been some suspicions. Certainly there is a higher risk of developing cancers of many types for those that have been exposed to pesticides and various chemical agents. The rate is still very low compared to the number of people exposed. Why some develop cancer when most do not is not clearly understood. I have not seen any studies linking multiple myeloma with lifestyle choices such as smoking or being overweight or living a sedentary lifestyle.
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Ron Harvot - Name: Ron Harvot
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
I have this question filtering my mind constantly.
I was raised a military brat, lived years on or near large military aircraft bases – aircraft and carriers, in the states, in Europe, and in Puerto Rico.
I currently live within miles of the largest military bases in the country. Fuel exposure in the water, I drank / drink. Swim in? Bathe in? Breathe? Who knows. Find it interesting many responders to 911 are being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Many have been exposed to the same and do not have multiple myeloma.
I was raised a military brat, lived years on or near large military aircraft bases – aircraft and carriers, in the states, in Europe, and in Puerto Rico.
I currently live within miles of the largest military bases in the country. Fuel exposure in the water, I drank / drink. Swim in? Bathe in? Breathe? Who knows. Find it interesting many responders to 911 are being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Many have been exposed to the same and do not have multiple myeloma.
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Hopeful1 - Name: Hopeful1
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: March 2016
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
I was in lot of stress for a few years. I'm just 33.
I never knew stress could damage me so much.
In the past few years I never had fever, and now cancer all of sudden makes me sad and depressed.
I never knew stress could damage me so much.
In the past few years I never had fever, and now cancer all of sudden makes me sad and depressed.
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Jack0305 - Name: Jack
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 33
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
I think that as humans, we tend to look for some sort of cause for a disease like cancer. It's our nature to try and ferret out what it was that happened to us to produce such a terrible situation in our lives.
There's pretty good evidence, though, that many types of cancer are caused by random mutations in genes that happen in the course of cell division. There was a recent article that came out from a couple of researchers claiming that 66% of the cancer-causing mutations in cells were random vs. 29% that had environmental origins and another 5% that were hereditary. This differs in different types of cancer - they found that the majority of mutations leading to lung cancer were environmentally based.
The fact that there are relatively few known environmental causes for myeloma makes me wonder if it isn't in the category of cancers which are more often the result of what comes down to bad luck. That's not the whole story, as the development of cancer is very complex. For more, there's an NPR article at :
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/23/521219318/cancer-is-partly-caused-by-bad-luck-study-finds
When I think about my own situation, I don't know that a random cause for my disease would be any better or worse than some environmental factor.
There's pretty good evidence, though, that many types of cancer are caused by random mutations in genes that happen in the course of cell division. There was a recent article that came out from a couple of researchers claiming that 66% of the cancer-causing mutations in cells were random vs. 29% that had environmental origins and another 5% that were hereditary. This differs in different types of cancer - they found that the majority of mutations leading to lung cancer were environmentally based.
The fact that there are relatively few known environmental causes for myeloma makes me wonder if it isn't in the category of cancers which are more often the result of what comes down to bad luck. That's not the whole story, as the development of cancer is very complex. For more, there's an NPR article at :
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/23/521219318/cancer-is-partly-caused-by-bad-luck-study-finds
When I think about my own situation, I don't know that a random cause for my disease would be any better or worse than some environmental factor.
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Mike F - Name: Mike F
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 18, 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
Random mutation for myeloma seems strange. Most of the people who got this disease are in their 50s.
I know lot of people with bad habits don't get cancer. People who smoke like anything don't get lung cancer, but some people get it even though they don't smoke. Prevention is better than cure.
Although my plasma cell count is 10%, it broke one vertebrae in my spine.
God knows what will happen next.
I know lot of people with bad habits don't get cancer. People who smoke like anything don't get lung cancer, but some people get it even though they don't smoke. Prevention is better than cure.
Although my plasma cell count is 10%, it broke one vertebrae in my spine.
God knows what will happen next.
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Jack0305 - Name: Jack
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 33
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
I don't think that multiple myeloma is just a random mutation. However, it has been hard to point to any common source. For me I am the only person in my family (on both sides going back at least 3 generations) that has it. Not like some cancers that you can point to a common genetic trait that leads to someone being predisposed to contracting it in the future. Then to further complicate it, why do some people contract high-risk, aggressive forms, but most are "standard risk".
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Ron Harvot - Name: Ron Harvot
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 56
Re: Did my lifestyle cause my multiple myeloma?
No one could tell us why our daughter contracted multiple myeloma at the age of 32 (genetic mutation, environmental, heredity). We wracked our brains. I had never heard of the disease.
She did all the standard procedures, induction, stem cell transplant, but she relapsed 15 months after transplant so aggressively that nothing worked. Kyprolis, Pomalyst , Revlimid, clinical trial, DCEP treatment 3 times, radiation for plasmacytomas. Nothing worked. She was going to have another transplant with her brother as donor but was too sick to proceed. She was hoping to do CAR T-cell therapy . She passed away 45 months after diagnosis.
This disease is different for everyone and nobody knows why. That is the complexity of it all.
She did all the standard procedures, induction, stem cell transplant, but she relapsed 15 months after transplant so aggressively that nothing worked. Kyprolis, Pomalyst , Revlimid, clinical trial, DCEP treatment 3 times, radiation for plasmacytomas. Nothing worked. She was going to have another transplant with her brother as donor but was too sick to proceed. She was hoping to do CAR T-cell therapy . She passed away 45 months after diagnosis.
This disease is different for everyone and nobody knows why. That is the complexity of it all.
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