Soon after retiring from UC San Diego Health, Stephen Hayden, MD, found himself in a place he knew very well — the doctor’s office. This time, however, he was in the patient’s chair.
For more than 30 years, Hayden was an emergency medicine physician at UC San Diego Health and remains professor emeritus at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, teaching the next generation of doctors. He is experienced in addressing a wide range of illnesses and ailments, whether it’s a chronic disease or an emergency case, and is skilled in remaining calm under pressure in order to identify how to help others quickly.
So when a persistent cough remained after a cold, he knew it shouldn’t be cause for serious concern, but he also knew he should meet with his doctor to confirm.
“I originally thought I was experiencing just a residual cough after developing a cold that would eventually go away, but when it continued, I decided to go see my doctor to get checked out,” said Hayden. “I’m so thankful for my primary care doctor who decided to order imaging and tests to identify what was causing the cough to stick around.”
After meeting with his doctor at UC San Diego Health, Hayden underwent chest imaging that showed scarring in his lungs. He then underwent additional testing, including bloodwork, which came back abnormal.
A bone marrow biopsy confirmed a diagnosis Hayden never expected to receive — his unusual, persistent cough was a result of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer of the immune system.
“From there, things started moving really fast,” said Hayden. “Within a matter of weeks, I had met my incredible oncologist, my treatment plan was confirmed, and I was also enrolled in a clinical trial looking at a new therapy for multiple myeloma.”