Living well with myeloma

• We have lots of information and tips to help you live well with blood cancer.
• You can take steps to stay as well as possible while living with myeloma.
• There’s support available for you and your loved ones – including our own Support Service and Online Community Forum.

You may find our information about living well with blood cancer helpful. It includes tips and personal stories from people who share their own experiences of:

• Mind and emotions – taking care of your emotional health and how to get support
• Fatigue – managing this common symptom of myeloma and side effect of treatment
• Keeping active – the benefits of gentle exercise for people with blood cancer
• Eating well – eating healthily and safely, and enjoying what you eat
• Money and work – your rights if you’re of working age and financial support you may be entitled to.

There are some specific things you can do, to help you stay as healthy as possible with myeloma. Here are the main ones.

Contact your hospital team straight away if you notice any changes in your symptoms. They may suggest tests or scans to check on the myeloma.

All myeloma treatments can cause side effects, but there are often things that can help.

Make sure you know what to look out for and what to do if you think you have an infection, even if the symptoms are mild. Infections can become serious quickly, so don’t wait until you feel very unwell.

Ask your hospital team about which vaccinations to have and when. This is very important to help your body fight infections. It may be an idea for anyone you live with to get any recommended vaccines too.

Treatment to help protect your bones is very important when you have myeloma.

Calcium and vitamin D are important for bone health. Your hospital team can let you know what supplements to take and the recommended doses.

It’s common for people with myeloma to have kidney problems, but keeping hydrated can help.

We offer a number of ways to get support if you have myeloma:

• Our free Support Service – Call 0808 2080 888 and speak to one of our Support Service Nurses, or email [email protected]. They can give information, help you find other sources of support, or simply listen to how you are feeling.
• Our Online Community Forum – This is a space to connect and share experiences with other people affected by myeloma.
• Our social channels – Message us on Facebook, Instagram or X.

We’re not just here to support people with myeloma – we’re here for family and friends too.

If someone in your life has myeloma, you may find our information for family and friends helpful. It covers how to support someone with blood cancer, practical tips and coping with your emotions. It also includes real stories from other friends and family members.

This information has been accredited with the PIF TICK, the UK's only quality mark for trusted health information.

Last full review May 2026. Next full review due May 2029. We may make factual updates between reviews.

Thank you to Consultant Haematologist Dr Emma Searle and Myeloma Nurse Practitioner Amie Martin for checking the clinical accuracy of our myeloma information. Thanks also to Cecelia, Craig, Joan, Kaleigh, Kerry, Louise, Mart, Sandra, Scott for supporting this project and sharing their experience of living with myeloma.