I had been experiencing mild, intermittent pain in my right hip and femur for months. About ten days ago, the pain became acute—so much so I could barely walk.

Although it has improved some since, my wife Pattie insisted I move up my scheduled quarterly visit to Moffitt Cancer Center and get it checked out. I'm so glad I did!

An examination and subsequent MRI showed probable myeloma-related activity in my hip and fluid in my hip joint that will probably require radiation.

To make matters worse, my M-spike (monoclonal protein level) came back measurably higher than only a few months before. It may be time to rethink my treatment strategy.

I wrote about all of this several days ago on my blog. And when I returned home from a long day of tests yesterday, I discovered dozens of emails and comments from fellow patients. How uplifting!

Most of the comments featured more than positive affirmations. My fellow patients offered advice. Lots of advice.

Jerry from Alabama shared, “Pat, most of the new myeloma cells could be in your leg. After radiation, your M-spike may go down.” Thanks, Jerry! I hadn't thought about that.

Several other multiple myeloma survivors shared what had worked for them in the past.

As a matter of fact, I was surprised by how specific and helpful some of the advice was.

But how do I know which advice to follow? Should I speak to my doctors now about changing my treatment plan or wait a few more months? Would my leg and hip need to be treated with radiation—and if so—might that help my M-spike go down as Jerry had suggested?

As I sat down and tried to get my head around everything I had been told by the doctors—as well as my fellow patients—I couldn't help but think back to what it was like after I was first diagnosed almost four years ago.

I remember it felt like my head was spinning and my world had been turned upside down. I was scared—and not very knowledgeable or focused.

I'm more experienced now. But many of those same feelings have resurfaced.

I'm not worried about my recent complications. I have a good health care team I trust to help me sort through my options and come up with a new treatment plan.

But many of you may be sifting through the treatment options for the first time.  I’m sure you have just as many questions as I do, if not more. Maybe there is a way I can help make our decision making process easier—and a bit less scary.

Here is a list of questions all multiple myeloma patients should consider:

• How carefully should a patient be tracking and following their numbers?
• How much does a patient need to know about various treatment options?
• Is it OK to suggest a change in a treatment plan due to side effects, trends in numbers, or having learned about a better therapy regimen?
• If a patient’s doctor suggests a treatment option that they don’t really like, should the patient suggest another one, or does the doctor always know best?

I will attempt to answer these questions—and more—over the next few weeks. Please feel free to post your thoughts, questions, and suggestions, and I’ll try to address them as well.

Feel good and keep smiling! Pat