[Beacon Staff]

Weekly Poll – Current Maintenance Regimen - 2012

by Beacon Staff on Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:14 pm

This week’s poll is about maintenance therapy.

A few clarifications:

First, this poll is for people who have been diagnosed with symptomatic / active multiple myeloma (not MGUS or smoldering myeloma).

Second, maintenance therapy is any treatment given for a prolonged period of time after completion of induction (initial) treatment. Generally, maintenance therapy regimens are less intensive -- involving fewer drugs and/or lower or less frequent doses of drugs -- than induction therapy regimens.

Third, if you are a caregiver or family member of a myeloma patient, feel free to answer on their behalf.

As always, feel free to post comments, thoughts, or feedback in the space below. They can be very useful to other readers.

In your comments, you may want to touch on questions such as: If you are currently on maintenance therapy, what made you decide to do maintenance therapy? If you are not currently being treated with maintenance therapy, have you received maintenance therapy in the past? Are you planning to do maintenance therapy once you are in remission? Or have you decided against maintenance therapy?

[Bev Bac]

Re: Weekly Poll – Current Maintenance Regimen

by Bev Bac on Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:24 am

I had an auto SCT 3.5 yrs ago. Still in remission.
My doctor did not recommend maintenance therapy.

[Jubyanne]

Re: Weekly Poll – Current Maintenance Regimen

by Jubyanne on Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:03 am

I had a choice and chose to go drug free for as long as possible. This September 1 is my two year anniversary.

[blueridge]

Re: Weekly Poll – Current Maintenance Regimen

by blueridge on Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:16 am

My husband was treated with 4 rounds of Velcade Sub Q and his numbers showed he is in remission. He was to start Revlimid and Decadron this week but his neuropathy is so severe that his doctor wants him to wait 4 or 5 months to start treatment again. The doctor told us he has the most severe case of neuropathy in his legs that he has seen. We don't know where to turn next.