Whether you agree or disagree that private insurance and Medicare should always pay for every necessary multiple myeloma-related medical procedure or treatment, it’s clear that they don’t always.

The key word here is “necessary.”  The insurance company or Medicare may not agree with what you and your doctor feel is necessary.

The example I used in last week’s column illustrates this perfectly. Although Revlimid (lenalidomide) is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an initial treatment for multiple myeloma, it is often prescribed for newly …

A reader recently asked me to share how I have remained ‘positive’ in my fight with multiple myeloma. My story is, perhaps, not much different than yours.

When multiple myeloma so rudely interrupted things in my happy corner of the universe, it had a surprisingly ‘positive’ effect on my life.

Positive? Yeah, right! Now don’t get me wrong. I hate everything about cancer. I hate the chaos, the hardship, the abject fear that it can cause. I hate how cancer can turn normal lives completely upside-down. And I especially detest myeloma. I …

Learning that you have multiple myeloma can be a shocking, life-changing experience.  It certainly was for me!

There are tests, painful procedures, lots of drugs, and the anxiety of whether your treatment is working.

Being diagnosed with multiple myeloma was tough enough without having to battle my insurance company to pay for the therapies my doctors recommended.

In some ways, I found dealing with my insurance company at the time was more stressful than living with my cancer.

At age 51, I was relatively young and otherwise healthy.  I was also self-employed.  …

August 27 marked the four-month anniversary of my sister Deana’s diagnosis.

Our lives are forever changed.  We are still seeking the “new normal,” although I’m sure we won’t be able to define that until Deana is in remission.  So for now, we take each day as it comes.  I wouldn’t define it as the “abnormal,” but rather, the fight: Beat The H*ll Outta Multiple Myeloma, as our slogan goes.

I spent last weekend in Pittsburgh so that I could join Deana for her appointment with her oncologist on Monday.  It is always so …

Last week I shared how my wife, Pattie, and I were both experiencing a post-stem cell transplant let-down.

I am already starting to feel better about feeling better.  I wish I could say the same for Pattie.

In addition to her post-transplant hangover, I believe Pattie is also experiencing “multiple myeloma burnout.”

Pattie isn’t very open about her feelings.  So I was surprised the other night when she shared how difficult it is for her to deal with multiple myeloma 24/7.

I think I understand how she feels.

My life is consumed …

A friend recently commented on the difficult year I endured eight years ago when myeloma entered my world. I hesitated when I heard this. “Don’t tell me that cancer was a gift,” she said.

Myeloma was more of a puzzle than a gift. All the puzzle pieces were tossed up into the air. Myeloma called upon me to wake up and become brave in order to put myself back together.

Myeloma also added a veil of specialness to my life. I had professionals, friends, and family offering me all kinds of extra attention—a …

Last Sunday my wife, Pattie, and I were spending some quality “together time” around the house.

We don’t get to spend as much time together as one would think.  Like a lot of couples, we are both really busy.  Pattie works full time.  I spend much of my time writing, attending medical appointments, napping, or checking my email.  Then there’s work to do around the house, errands to run, and obligations to friends and family.

As of this weekend, I had been home from my stem cell transplant for three weeks.  Things …