Information and support

Information for the public

Your care team should tell you about your condition and any tests or treatments they are offering you. They should also talk to you about any support you need.

They should give you and your family members or carers information and support. You should also be offered psychological assessment and support (to help with anxiety or worries you have about myeloma) promptly if you need it. All this information and support should be available when you need it, and in particular:

when you are diagnosed
at the beginning and end of each treatment
if the disease gets worse
if you need to start end of life care (care for people in the last few months of their lives).

They should also tell you about:

how myeloma is likely to affect you, and how it can go into remission and relapse
what treatments you may be offered, including stem cell transplants if a transplant could help you
the symptoms of myeloma and the side effects of the treatments you may have (such as infections and nerve damage [also called peripheral neuropathy])
lifestyle changes you can make to reduce kidney and bone problems (such as fractures) caused by myeloma
how to tell if you are getting new symptoms
what support is available and how to find it, including how palliative care can help with the symptoms of myeloma.