What are the home care measures for multiple myeloma?

  Multiple myeloma is a malignant plasma cell disease. Multiple myeloma is often associated with multiple osteolytic damage, hypercalcemia, anemia, and kidney damage. Because of the suppressed production of normal immunoglobulins, they are prone to various bacterial infections. In general, patients with asymptomatic MM do not require treatment; treatment is started only for symptomatic myeloma. Nursing care is important to the recovery of the disease, and the following is the home care of multiple myeloma.  1, rest: general patients can be properly active, excessive restriction of the body can promote patients secondary infection and osteoporosis, but never strenuous activities, should avoid excessive load, prevent falls, bruises, use lumbar girth, splints depending on the specific situation, but to prevent the resulting poor blood circulation. If the patient is prone to comorbidities due to prolonged illness and reduced immune function, he should rest in bed and reduce activities. When there is bone destruction, absolute bed rest should be taken to prevent pathological fracture.  2.Psychological care: guide the patient to express his worries, give extra care and attention, try to ease the patient’s mental pressure, help the patient to face the reality, get rid of fear and be emotionally stable.  3.Dietary care: give high-calorie, high-protein, vitamin-rich, easy-to-digest diet. Patients with renal insufficiency should be given a low sodium, low protein or wheat starch diet to reduce the burden on the kidneys. If there is hyperuricemia and hypercalcemia, patients should be encouraged to drink more water and keep the daily urine volume above 2000ml to prevent or reduce hypercalcemia and hyperuricemia.  4, oral care: patients with renal impairment, due to excessive accumulation of metabolites, part of the waste into the respiratory discharge and halitosis, affecting the patient’s appetite, should do a good job of oral care, and give 0.05% chlorhexidine solution and 4% sodium bicarbonate solution alternately rinse the mouth to prevent bacterial and fungal infections.  5. To prevent pathological fracture: the patient should be given a hard board bed, avoid using elastic bed. Keep the patient in a comfortable position to avoid injuries, especially injuries from falling out of bed.  6.Anemia care: observe the symptoms of anemia and determine the degree of anemia, and give appropriate care.  7.For elderly bedridden patients with limited limb movement, they should be assisted to turn regularly and gently to avoid fracture. The skin under pressure should be given warm towel massage or physical therapy, and the bed should be kept dry and flat to prevent bedsores.  8.Prevention of infection: respiratory tract infection and pneumonia are common in this disease, followed by urinary tract infection, so the room should be kept clean, temperature and humidity appropriate, avoid cold and prevent cross-infection, assist patients to change position frequently, timely sputum excretion; encourage hydration diuresis.  9. Pain care: As the disease progresses, bone pain symptoms are difficult to relieve, and the degree of bone pain varies, mainly occurring in bones rich in red bone marrow, such as ribs and sternum. The nerve roots may appear neuralgia due to pressure. We should care for the patient and try to relieve the patient’s pain. Especially for pain caused by physical activity, the patient should be closely observed and carefully cared for. Give appropriate amount of sedative and analgesic drugs as prescribed by the doctor, and if necessary, give analgesic drugs such as dulcolax and morphine. Local radiotherapy may also be administered to reduce symptoms. Patients with neuropathic pain can be given the corresponding local closure or physiotherapy.  10, chemotherapy care: during chemotherapy patients should drink more water, daily fluid intake of not less than 3000ml, and alkalinize urine, accurately record the amount of fluid to maintain water-electrolyte balance.