Coping With Emotional & Sexual Health | Advice for Myeloma Patients and Care Partners
Coping With Emotional & Sexual Health | Advice for Myeloma Patients and Care Partners from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.
Nurse practitioner Daniel Verina discusses the importance of seeking third-party support for managing mental health issues and provides guidance on addressing sexual health concerns during myeloma treatment.
Daniel Verina is a nurse practitioner at the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma at Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center in New York City.
Related Resources:
Empowering Myeloma Patients and Care Partners | Key Advice From a Clinician |
Myeloma Support and Resources | Why It’s Essential to Voice Your Concerns |
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Transcript:
Katherine Banwell:
If a patient or a caregiver is having trouble managing the emotional side of myeloma, whether that be anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, how do you encourage them to cope with those feelings?
Daniel Verina:
I think it’s always good – multiple times I say they always should talk to a third party. So, either reach out to our social worker team who are phenomenal at helping support patients, but even reaching out to psychiatrists or psychologists and getting another perspective. It is good to have a friend. It’s good to have family to discuss and talk to, but sometimes, I think, sometimes having somebody so close may not have the best perspective.
But so, getting a third opinion or a clear lens in discussion to help guide them is a great way to do it. I also advise caregivers because of the burden of the calendars and the different tasks they have to do, I tell – even with my patients, I tell them to journal. Journal their day. Be able to get out there their voice from their mind into a piece of paper to help clear the mind and give clarity to move on for their next steps. It is a challenge.
Katherine Banwell:
And you’re saying that that psychological support for the caregiver is just as important.
Daniel Verina:
Absolutely. It’s the patient who also has cancer so does the caregiver have cancer too. So, you’re treating two people, not just the person who you’re giving the therapy to.
Katherine Banwell:
We were talking about supporting the care partner and the patient in terms of mental and physical well-being. There’s a sexual aspect to that as well, right?
Daniel Verina:
Absolutely. I think sexuality or sexual health is extremely important. I think the fear, what I have seen in my personal experiences, and it depends on each. And each person, part of this chess game, has a different view. So, the patient is sometimes nervous because they don’t want to hurt their caregiver because they’re on chemotherapy. And then, the caregiver might feel that they’re not prepared because they don’t want to cause any injuries because they’re on chemotherapy, right? What are their counts? May I hurt them? Will I give them an infection? Things like those kinds of things.
And sometimes in both directions that the patient may lose the libido, the desire, and it has nothing to do with the caregiver and their attraction, right? It’s a physical change that the therapies that we give may diminish some of this physicality. So, explaining that to the patient and their caregiver, but also giving them that support. Having them be able to talk to a social worker, having them being able to talk to a therapist and say, “This is what I’m experiencing. How do I cope with this?”
