Ways to minimize your risk of getting infections
Myeloma and its treatments, such as chemotherapyThe treatment of cancer with drugs that kill all rapidly-dividing cells. Treatment with one or more drugs that kill all rapidly-dividing (cancer) cells. Chemotherapy can reduce the number of myeloma cells in the bone marrow and the M-protein they produce. Chemotherapy cannot “cure” myeloma but it may stop it from progressing or getting worse for a period of time. (which can reduce your white blood cellThe basic unit of any living organism. count), can affect your body’s ability to fight off infections, leaving you more susceptible to them.
There are things you can do to help reduce your chance of getting infections—which is particularly important if you have recently undergone high-dose therapy and stem cell transplantationStem cells are used to rescue to patient' s blood-forming potential following high dose chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment. Transplant is not a treatment, but a method of support to make high dose treatment possible.
• Bone marrow transplantation – This term refers to the process of collecting stem cells from the bone marrow and infusing them into a patient. This term is used less freuently today in myeloma as stem cells are now collected from the peripheral or circulating blood.
• Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation – Doctors remove healthy stem cells from a patient's circulating blood system (not from the bone marrow) and store them before the patient receives high-dose chemotherapy and possibly radiation therapy to destroy the cancer cells. The stem cells are then returned to the patient, where they can produce new blood cells to replace cells destroyed by the treatment.
• Allogeneic – The infusion of bone marrow or stem cells from one individual (donor) to another (recipient). A patient receives bone marrow or stem cells from a compatible, though not genetically identical, donor.
• Autologous – A procedure in which stem cells are removed from a patient's blood and then are given back to the patient following intensive treatment.
• Matched unrelated donor transplants (MUDs) – Refers to stem cell transplantation procedures in which the patient and the stem cells are genetically matched but are not from family members. This procedure is not recommended for myeloma patients because it carries an unacceptably high mortality rate.
• Syngeneic – The infusion of bone marrow or stem cells from one identical twin into another.
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Wear a mask and don’t be shy to ask the same of others.
Try to avoid being in enclosed spaces like buses or trains when they are very busy.
Ask your friends not to visit if they (or anybody in their household) have a cold, the flu, or other infections, such as measles, chickenpox, and shinglesSee "Herpes zoster.".
Make sure the food you eat is as fresh as possible, that fruits and vegetables are carefully washed, and that meat is well cooked, to avoid picking up a “stomach bug.”
Be on the lookout for signs of infection
Let your doctor know if you think you may have an infection, or if you have any of the following:
Cough
Sore throat
Diarrhea
Feeling generally unwell or feverish
Chills/shivers
Temperature above 38ºC
Pain, redness, or swelling around a cut or wound, or around the entry port of your HICKMAN®catheterA tube that is placed in a blood vessel to provide a pathway for drugs or nutrients. A Central Venous Catheter is a special tubing that is surgically inserted into a large vein near the heart and exits from the chest or abdomen. The catheter allows medications, fluids, or blood products to be given and blood samples to be taken. or Port-a-Cath, if you have one
Unexplained rash
A course of antibioticsDrugs used to treat infection. from your family physician may resolve the issue. However, if the infection persists, you may need to go to the hospital to receive antibiotics intravenously.
Protecting your kidneys from infection
There are a number of ways myeloma can affect your kidneys. Kidney problems can be caused by the myeloma itself and/or by the drugs used to treat it.
Drinking at least two litres of water each day is a good way to help protect your kidneys. If you find that difficult to do, try to drink small quantities of water at frequent intervals throughout the day, so it becomes a habit.
You should also avoid taking very large doses of vitamin C (ie, more than 500 mg per day). This adds acidity to your urine and could potentially damage your kidneys.
