Blood & lymphatic cancer
12 articles shown
When Bone Pain Becomes the Hardest Part of Multiple Myeloma — Why It Happens and How Pain Can Be Managed
A plain-language explanation of why multiple myeloma causes bone pain (osteolytic lesions and pathologic fractures), the warning signs that need urgent care (spinal cord compression, hypercalcemia), and how pain is managed by combining disease treatment, bone-protecting drugs, radiation, and analgesics.
When Blood Cancer Treatment Turns to the 'Miracle Drug' CAR-T — Understanding How the Cells Are Made and Why Close Monitoring Matters
A general-information overview of how CAR-T cell therapy — sometimes called a 'miracle drug' for blood cancer — is manufactured, why cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity call for intensive monitoring, and how to hold both hope and realistic expectations.
Thinking About Donating Stem Cells After Your Own Cancer History — How Peripheral Blood Collection Differs From Marrow Harvest, and Why Some Donors Need a Catheter Below the Collarbone
A plain-language guide for anyone considering hematopoietic stem cell donation: why peripheral blood collection and marrow harvest are two different routes, why some donors need a temporary central venous catheter below the collarbone and what that feels like, which side effects are commonly reported, and how a personal cancer history, age limits, and anemia are handled during eligibility screening.
When you can't eat well and keep feeling dizzy, and going to the hospital alone worries you — understanding the many causes of dizziness and how to travel safely
Why dizziness is common during cancer treatment — dehydration, orthostatic hypotension, anemia, and medications — plus warning signs that need urgent care and how to travel safely to appointments when you have no caregiver.
You've decided to shave before your hair falls out, but the moment feels frightening — scalp scars, head-shape worries, and preparing for shaving and a wig
As hair loss approaches before blood cancer treatment or a stem cell transplant, this article eases the fear of shaving early and covers scalp scars, head-shape worries, safe shaving with clippers, scalp care afterward, and preparing wigs and head coverings.
When Caregiving Suddenly Takes Your Breath Away — Recognizing Panic Symptoms in Family Caregivers
Family caregivers can develop panic attacks — sudden racing heart and shortness of breath — under prolonged strain. This piece explains what they are, how to cope in the moment, and when to seek professional help.
Radiation Before a Transplant: Understanding Total Body Irradiation (TBI) as Conditioning
The radiation given before a stem cell transplant, total body irradiation (TBI), is not a separate treatment but part of 'conditioning' that prepares the body for new cells. Here is why radiation, transplant, and the isolation room form one connected sequence.
My Own Immune Cells Catch the Cancer: CAR-T Therapy Made Simple
CAR-T cell therapy is a "living" immune treatment that takes the patient's own T cells, attaches an artificial receptor that recognizes cancer, and puts them back into the body. In blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, it can show dramatic effects in relapsed or refractory patients, but collecting cells, manufacturing them, and reinfusing them takes several weeks, and because of the possibility of cytokine release syndrome and neurological side effects, inpatient management at a specialized center is needed.
Transfusion During Chemotherapy: When and Why You Receive It, and What to Watch For
During chemotherapy, bone marrow function declines and anemia or low platelets are common, so you receive red blood cell or platelet transfusions based on both your counts and your symptoms. This piece calmly walks through the warning signs of a reaction in the early minutes of a transfusion, what to watch for in the days that follow, and the iron issue that can come with repeated transfusions, all from the patient's point of view.
A Low-Microbial Diet When Immunity Is Down: Choosing Safe Ingredients
During periods of low immunity when neutrophils have dropped, the key is to avoid raw foods and live fermented foods and choose thoroughly cooked food. Pause raw vegetables, fruit eaten with the peel, fresh cheese, and raw kimchi, and build meals around sterilized products and freshly cooked home food. Tend to cooking and storage habits such as separating cutting boards and eating right away, and remember that a low-microbial diet is a temporary measure to get through the short, hard period when counts are low.
GVHD After Transplant: Knowing the Skin, Gut, and Liver Signs in Advance Eases the Panic
This explains, at the patient's eye level, the early skin, gut, and liver symptoms of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that can arise after an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The key is knowing in advance about rash and itching on the hands and feet, diarrhea that will not stop and dehydration, and liver signs that show through like jaundice — and noting body changes around 100 days after transplant to tell the care team quickly.
One Pill a Day, a Lifelong Companion — How to Manage Targeted Therapy for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Targeted therapy (TKI) for chronic myeloid leukemia is a long-term medication, so a steady dosing habit largely decides treatment success. The keys are tying it to a fixed daily routine, following each drug's food and grapefruit precautions, and adjusting with your care team rather than stopping on your own when side effects appear. Regular gene testing tracks the response, and stopping treatment may be carefully considered when the conditions are met.