4 Tips for Living Life with Multiple Myeloma

It is not known why some individuals develop chronic illnesses and others do not. Healthy eating, exercise or the lack of taking care of oneself could be contributing factors, but the one link science has found is in our genetic makeup, our DNA.

There is hope for those living with a chronic illness and some treatment for multiple myeloma is showing progress. Not all chronic illnesses and diseases have treatments, but that doesn’t mean a patient has to stop living the life they have created or taken on new activities.

Below are 4 tips for living life with multiple myeloma.

1. Make Your Health a Priority

You will need to take better care of yourself than you ever have before. This is not going to be easy while suffering from this chronic illness. Everything from eating right, to exercising, to sleep and resting will need to take priority over cleaning the house and other obligations.

You will need to listen to your body and then act accordingly. If you feel tired, you’ll need to rest, no matter what is going on. If you can’t work a traditional job outside of the house, look into working part-time at home.

2. Get Help

You will need to find a balance between what you can do for yourself and what you need help with. It may be worth the extra money to hire someone to come in once a week to clean the house and do the laundry.

Some medical insurance companies will pay a portion or all of a home health care worker or household assistant. It is worth a phone call to the insurance company to find out if you are eligible for this benefit.  

3. Find a Support Group

You will begin to notice friends and family not knowing what to say when they discover you have a chronic illness. Unfortunately, in our society, there are only two choices for the chronically ill: a miracle cure or death.

Most people do not understand how it feels to live day to day with a chronic illness. When you join a support group that contains individuals that suffer from the same fate, you will learn a lot about the illness and yourself. It is also nice to meet others in the same situation so you will not feel as alone as most diseases will make one feel.

4. Don’t Dwell on The Illness

You are more than your diagnosis. Whatever you did before, whoever you were before finding out you have this illness, you are still that person. You may not be able to do the same things you once did, but you are not a different person.

Keep your personality, your zest for life and your curiosity. You will also need your humor. You will have days where all you think about is your illness and ask “why me?” but the fewer of these days you have, the better for your emotional and mental health. It has also been proven that a positive attitude is helpful in prolonging life with a chronic illness.

Helen

Helen Bradley is a health blogger and the founder of her own blog about fitness. She has been blogging for three years now and loves to share what she learns with others. Helen enjoys reading, cooking, and staying active outdoors.