"You gotta fight – for your right – to party!"  Remember that popular 1986 song by the Beastie Boys?  I was never a "rocker," but I couldn't get the song out of my head yesterday morning while I was doing some yard work.

A fellow multiple myeloma patient recently asked me, “How do other patients you know deal with their fatigue?  I’m tired all of the time…”  A great question with no simple answer.

So many things can cause fatigue in a multiple myeloma patient.  Stem cell transplant patients can feel the effects of fatigue for years.  The medications we take can contribute, too.  Ongoing chemotherapy may make it tough for our bodies to recover, so they always need to work overtime – enough to leave anyone feeling tired and listless.

So how did I answer her question?  By stressing how it’s a patient’s responsibility to not accept feeling lousy.  Too often, patients passively accept living with side effects that make it difficult to live their daily lives.  I suggested that if her doctor couldn’t help her to feel better, it was up to her to find a doctor who could!

Since fatigue is most often an underlying symptom, there isn’t a specific medical specialty that excels in treating it.  But maybe thinking outside the box might help.  Maybe an herbalist could help.  Acupuncture may help, too.

Although it’s counter intuitive, exercising regularly is often the best remedy.   Last night, I felt bad a few hours after my Velcade ^[1] (bortezomib) injection.  Instead of lying on the couch feeling lousy, I got up and got out and walked our dog.  By the time I was to the end of the block, I felt much better.  No, it wasn’t easy getting started.  But I’ve learned from experience that exercising after my treatments help.

Struggling with pain and numbness caused by peripheral neuropathy?   Maybe a doctor or alternative medicine practitioner who works with diabetics can help.  Or maybe a pain management specialist will do the trick.

Breaking out in a rash when you take Revlimid ^[2] (lenalidomide)?  Discuss the dose you’re taking with your oncologist, then consult a dermatologist for a prescription that can provide relief.

Trying to live with chronic back pain?  Expand your health care team to include a pain management specialist and/or an orthopedist who specializes in working with cancer patients with bad backs.

If their initial suggestions don’t bring enough relief, keep trying!  There is no reason for the vast majority of us to live in chronic pain.

Maintaining a good quality of life — while battling a cancer like multiple myeloma — is a fight!  I understand how difficult and time consuming attending to our health care can be.  I get it.  I’m guilty of not pursuing possible remedies to a number of inconvenient side effects that I’m living with right now.  Finding a specialist isn’t easy.  And sometimes it takes several tries before we find someone who can help.

But before you give in and give up, consider making the effort, which is not an easy thing for someone battling chronic fatigue to do!  Suffer in silence, or fight hard to get help.  You may decide to seek help from a specialist for one symptom but not another.  I’m simply suggesting that you carefully weigh the pros and cons of sitting back and doing nothing, or making an effort to find help to fix it.

But don’t expect someone to fix things on the first try.  Trial and error using different medications is common, even when working with the most qualified specialists.

Maybe we should change the lyrics of the Beastie Boys’ song to go something like this: "You gotta fight – for your right – to live an active, pain free life!”

Feel good and keep smiling!