Articles in the Headline Category
Headline, Opinion »

While I would love to get into a debate about the evolution of man versus the creation of man, that’s not what this article is about at all.
Instead, I would like to expand on some feedback I received in response to one of my articles. In a comment on the article, a reader wrote that those of us with multiple myeloma “have evolved.”
I found this comment to be especially on point. So much so, that I often …
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A few months ago, I wrote a column about taking the corticosteroid dexamethasone (Decadron). I took dex most days for eight months after I was first diagnosed with myeloma in 2006, and have been taking it, between one and three times a month, for the past two years.
I figured that this experience would mean that I didn’t have anything new to learn about taking dex, but this turned out not to be the case. Instead, the feedback …
Headline, Opinion »

It’s funny how the most obvious things in life can escape your notice until you nearly miss the boat.
This was definitely the case for me recently. The wake-up call I answered has changed me as a caregiver, and it may be a friendly reminder to other caregivers and myeloma patients that the boat that’s sailing by could be about to run you over!
My moment of clarity came as I was lying on our front lawn at 3 …
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It is interesting to note the clichés that have become common in our lexicon. Some of those clichés are useful for describing life with multiple myeloma. However, there are clichés that, because I have multiple myeloma, I am not so fond of.
My favorite cliché, which appeared about five years ago, is "It is what it is." A colleague of mine, who heard me use the saying frequently, gave me a plaque with the phrase engraved on it. I kept the …
Headline, Opinion »

I am lying in a windowless room with dark red blood dripping steadily into my body. I do not want to be here. Yet here I am. Once again I feel that I’m traveling backwards in time. Six years ago, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma after having severe anemia. Right before and after my stem cell transplant, I received multiple infusions of packed red blood cells and platelets. That time remains a blur for me. Time travel can be.
Yet in the …
Headline, Opinion »

I have been living with multiple myeloma for over four years now.
While I have no illusion that I am an expert on being a myeloma patient, I would say that I am past the beginner stage and into the intermediate level.
My disease was discovered while looking for the cause of some severe mystery colon inflammations I had been having for over two years. After I was diagnosed, I first took a “wait and see” approach for about six …
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My wife will tell you that I am more like a tortoise than a hare because I always take my own sweet time about deciding things. I’m not so sure I agree. I’ll have to think about it and get back to you.
When I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma back in 2008, I was not afforded the luxury of channeling my inner tortoise to contemplate whether or not to begin treatment right away. I was in rough shape and …