Tuesday, February 28, started out like most any other day for me, but little did I know that it was destined to be one for the memory books.

After nearly ten months of aggressive treatment for multiple myeloma in Arkansas and twenty-seven months of weekly maintenance chemo­therapy back home in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri, I had learned, despite my ongoing health issues, to tackle each day with as much gusto as I could muster.

As was the custom, I woke up early to see my wife and kids off…

I find myself frequently advising multiple myeloma patients to “get a second opinion from a myeloma specialist before making a major therapy decision.”

You might ask, “Why should I bother to get a second opinion?”

My response is: why not get a second opinion from a myeloma specialist?

But I hear plenty of reasons and excuses.

“There isn’t a major cancer center near me.”

“I like and trust my doctor, so why not just do what he or she says?”

“My insurance won’t pay for a second opinion out of…

One of the most difficult questions in oncology is: “How long do I have to live?”

Patients often bring this up to their physicians following a diagnosis of cancer, and periodically during the course of their disease.

Of course, this is an impossible question to answer because we as physicians can seldom predict what the future holds for a particular patient. We can probably estimate averages, but no patient is average; everyone is unique. Faced with this dilemma, each physician responds differently. Some provide the averages, some don’t.

Nevertheless, it…

I recently watched a video talk by social work research professor Brené Brown about her study of “the power of vulnerability.” It turns out that people who are most fulfilled approach their lives with “wholeheartedness.” The courage to be imperfect and admit vulnerability leads to greater wellbeing.

Living with multiple myeloma is an excellent place to experience vulnerability, as being diagnosed with this disease puts a damper on any sort of idealized self-image — the idea of “perfect health.”

There is a poster of the skeletal system on my wall,…

In my last column, I described how a couple of incidents, one on the subway and one at work, during the first few months of steroid and Revlimid (lenalidomide) treatment had given me hints that more than physical effects were going to be involved in my multiple myeloma treatments.

After five months on chemotherapy, it seemed that, while my medicines were apparently going to control the myeloma – I was approaching “very good partial response” – I could tell that the chemotherapy was having profound effects on me emotionally.  …