IWMF Pamphlets Available on Request The following items are available from our office at 3932D Swift Road, Sarasota, FL 34231, Telephone: 941-927-4963; Fax: 941-927-4467; email: info@iwmf.com. We believe they are important enough and provide sufficient up-to-date information that they should be in the hands of every Waldenstrom's patient and caregiver and, probably, their physicians. Needless to say, they are costly to produce and distribute. Your contribution will help the organization continue to produce them.  New Patient Information Package The InfoPak is essential information for new patients. It contains a variety of materials: introduction letter from Judith May, Review of Therapy booklet, Questions & Answers booklet, Treatment Options booklet, Healthy Living booklet, Immunology booklet, Why Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial? by Drs. Gertz, Lacy, and Dispenzieri of the Mayo Clinic, Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (reprinted from the Mayo Clinic website, Living with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia brochure, the IWMF Torch (quarterly newsletter), Glossary of terms associated with WM, List of Services available to members and friends of IWMF (English, Spanish, French), and a contribution form and wallet envelope. Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Questions and Answers The Questions & Answers booklet is written for the lay person and is designed to answer questions about Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia for people with the disease, their families and friends, physicians and others. Treatment Options, A Handbook for Patients In this booklet, prominent physicians describe a number of treatments currently in use. The booklet also contains descriptions of the most commonly used drugs, their functions and side effects, reviews relevant clinical trials, and provides a helpful glossary of important terms. It is a work in progress and will be revised regularly to keep up to date with ongoing research and clinical practice. Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia, A Review of Therapy, by Morie A. Gertz, M.D., Mayo Clinic Dr. Gertz is a much appreciated member of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee, and this pamphlet is written in technical medical terms specifically for oncologists and hematologists who are treating WM patients. Revised in 2004, it covers the most recent research and studies available. Reports from the Second and Third International Workshops on Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia In 2002, scientists from all over the world assembled in Athens, Greece to consider a definition of WM, criteria for treatment, recommendations for treatment, and citeria for responses to treatment.  In 2004, another workshop was held in Paris, France to reconsider and update the original decisions.  Another workshop is scheduled for 2007. Healthy Living This resource guidebook provides a brief review of selected scientific literature in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and management of stress and anxiety for cancer patients.  Lifestyle recommendations are proposed in order to optimize one's health in all stages of treatment for this disease, whether the patient is on "watch and wait," undergoing treatment, or after a prescribed course of treatment.  Medical Tests Including a Glossary of Medical Terms Relating to Tests Designed for the individual who has a general interest in Waldentrom's macroglobulinemia.  This is a simple reference booklet of medical terms and tests, with particular reference to IgM measurement and the Complete Blood Count (CBC) laboratory test as well as a comprehensive glossary of selected terms from the clinical and research world of WM. Basic Immunology in Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia This is a comprehensive review of immunology as it relates to Waldentrom's macroglobulinemia.  An understanding of the immune system is important from the standpoint of this disease. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Presentations by Drs. Treon and Gertz Available on DVD To order, contact the IWMF office at Telephone: 941-927-4963; Fax: 941-927-4467; email: info@iwmf.com.  The cost is $10 each, which includes shipping. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Articles on the Website by and for IWMF Members Blood Tests Explained    DOWNLOAD PDF:   Blood_Tests.pdf Reading your blood tests can be especially confusing and often misleading. We highly recommend that you print out this article and learn to make sense of your blood and laboratory tests. We also recommend that you start plotting your blood values on graph paper, since often what is most important is not the absolute values, but the rate of change, and trend analysis can be best understood by graphical displays. Compiled and edited by Barb Hauser. Immunoglobulin Explanation    http://www.iwmf.com/ImmunExpl.htm The most important factor in WM is the level of a specific protein known as IgM, which is overproduced by malignant B-cells, and goes on to clog circulation systems and bone marrow and limit production of other blood factors. There are other immunoglobulins which are also important. This paper by one of our patient members, also a doctor, Guy Sherwood M.D., will explain the differences and functions of these important components of the immune system. Serum 2 beta Microglobulin Explanation    http://www.iwmf.com/Serumbeta.htm A little understood smaller protein, S2b Microglobulin is especially relevant since it’s one of the best ways to evaluate the extent of the disease and tumor burden. An equally complex differentiation is between light and heavy protein chains, and Dr. Sherwood explains the relevance. Do Waldenstrom’s patients qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits?   http:www.iwmf.com/SSDIBenefits.htm Probably not (since WM is seldom disabling by definition), but if you are truly disabled by your disease and unable to work and support yourself, this article, written by patient-member attorney Howard Prestwich can be shared with your attorney and give you the best chance to be approved for SSDI. Glossary of WM related medical terms This is the same glossary included in the "Treatment Options, A Handbook for Patients" booklet, edited by former IWMF President Ben Rude. For other complementary glossaries, see the next section (D), below. Revised REAL Classifications If you are dealing with your insurance company or HMO and try to get payment authorization for treatment, it will help if you use the new revised REAL classification (Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplasms) as Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma (B-Neoplasms, II.4).