MULTIPLE MYELOMA AND STRATEGIES TO FACE IT

Teoretična izhodišča in namen: Diseminirani plazmocitom je vse pogostejša maligna krvotvorna bolezen, katera se pogosteje pojavlja pri starejših osebah. Klinična slika je raznolika, nanjo pa imajo velik vpliv številni dejavniki. Že sama postavitev diagnoze zahteva od bolnika prilagoditev, ki pa je temelj za nadaljnjo uspešno soočanje z nastalimi spremembami. Kako se bo posameznik prilagodil na postavljeno diagnozo, je v največji meri odvisno od njegovega pogleda na bolezen in mi kot zdravstveni delavci na to nimamo vpliva. Lahko pa bolniku v tem težkem obdobju pomagamo iz ruševin njegovega sesutega sveta postavili nove temelje in mu s tem ponovno pridobiti kontrolo nad njegovim življenjem in situacijo, v kateri se je znašel. Namen raziskave je ugotoviti, kako se bolniki z diagnozo diseminirani plazmocitomom soočajo s samo boleznijo ter kako na bolezen po njihovem mnenju gledajo njihovi svojci/družina. Raziskovalne metode: V raziskavi smo uporabili kvantitativno metodo dela, tj. zbiranje podatkov s pomočjo anketnega vprašalnika. Raziskavo smo izvedli na Oddelku za hematologijo in hematološko onkologijo, ki deluje v okviru Klinike za interno medicino v Univerzitetnem kliničnem centru Maribor. Raziskovalni vzorec je zajemal skupno 11 bolnikov, od tega 6 moških in 5 žensk. Kriteriji, ki smo jih pri tem upoštevali, so bili trije: diagnoza diseminirani plazmocitom, diagnosticiranje le-te v zadnjih desetih letih ter zdravljenje na omenjenem oddelku. Časovni okvir zbiranja podatkov je bil med 25. 7. in 5. 8. 2016. Pridobljene podatke smo dosledno interpretirali, jih ročno obdelali ter grafično prikazali s pomočjo programa Microsoft Excel. Rezultati: Pridobljeni rezultati kažejo, da se bolniki, preden jim diagnosticirajo bolezen diseminirani plazmocitom, spopadajo s številnimi težavami. Ob postavitvi diagnoze se poleg teh težav prav vsi soočajo tudi z najrazličnejšimi čustvenimi motnjami, ki so posledica normalnega odziva na neozdravljivo bolezen. Moški se ob postavitvi diagnoze spopadajo na t. i. flegmatični način s pogostim stilom bojevanja, medtem ko jo ženske dojemajo bolj melanholično, zato je pri njih pogostejši stil izogibanja. Bolniki v raziskavi navajajo dobro družinsko medsebojno povezanost. Po njihovem mnenju jim družina predstavlja vir opore in pomoči. Sklep: Številni bolniki se ob postavitvi diagnoze, kot je rak, soočajo z različnimi čustvenimi odzivi in pri tem uporabljajo raznolike načine stilov spopadanja z boleznijo. Čustvene stiske so v kliničnem okolju nemalokrat podcenjene, saj zdravstveni delavci največkrat obravnavajo bolnike le telesno in hkrati pozabljajo na njihovo stisko, ki jih bolniki ob tem občutijo. Menimo, da bi bilo smiselno v prihodnosti v zdravstveni sistem uvesti presejalne teste, kateri bi omogočili pravočasno prepoznavanje čustvenih stisk.Theoretical starting points and purpose: Multiple myeloma is an increasingly frequent malignant haematopoietic disease that often affects older people. Clinical pictures vary due to a number of factors. The diagnosis itself demands a great deal of adjustment for the patient, which in turn serves as a basis for successfully dealing with the resulting changes in the future. The manner in which an individual adjusts to the diagnosis, mainly depends on their view of the diseasewe, as healthcare professionals, cannot have any influence on that. We can, however, help the patient rebuild the foundations of their ruined world and thus help them regain the control over their life and the situation in which they have found themselves. The purpose of this study was to investigate how patients with diagnosed multiple myeloma deal with this disease and what, in their opinion, their family thinks about their condition. Research methods: The research used the quantitative method of gathering data with the help of a questionnaire. It was carried out at the Department of Haematology and Hematologic Oncology which operates within the Division of Internal Medicine at the University Medical Centre Maribor. The research sample included 11 patients, of which 6 were men and 5 were women. Three criteria have been taken into account: the diagnosis of multiple myeloma itself, the diagnosis had to be made within the last ten years and the patient had to be treated in the aforementioned department. The time frame of the acquired data was set from 25th July to 5th August 2016. The data were consistently interpreted, manually processed and graphically presented using the Microsoft Excel programme. Results: The collected data show that before the patients are diagnosed with multiple myeloma, they deal with numerous issues. Upon receiving the diagnosis, they all face different emotional disorders – among other problems – which is a normal reaction to an incurable disease. After the diagnosis, men usually tackle the disease in a so called phlegmatic way or by trying to fight it, while women address it in a more melancholic way or by usually trying to avoid it. The patients in the research state that they are closely connected to their family members who have accepted their condition and are willing to offer help. Conclusion: In a clinical setting, the emotional distress of the patients is often underestimated. Many times healthcare professionals treat the patient only physically and forget about the distress the person feels. In order to avoid this, it would be reasonable to introduce potential screening programmes that would help promptly identify emotional disorders or distress and avoid the negative effects that occur if the identification is not done in time