complications from multiple myeloma

kimd
kimd Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Multiple Myeloma #1
HI I AM NEW TO THIS SITE. MY DAD WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MM IN FEB. 2003. IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS IT HAS BEEN HELL. HE HAS STAGE 3 AND IT IS VERY AGGRESSIVE ACCORDING TO HIS DR. HE HAS HAD TWO VAD TREATMENTS SO FAR, THE LAST ONE 3/28 FOR FOUR DAYS AND THEN HE NEVER LEFT THE HOSPITAL DUE TO BREATHING DIFFICULTY. HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL AND THEY DID A LUNG TAP TO CHECK THE FLUID THAT WAS BUILT UP AROUND HIS LUNGS. THEY PUT IN TWO CHEST TUBES AND DRAINED BOTH SIDES, HE WAS SUPPOSE TO START BREATHING BETTER, HE DID FOR A BRIEF TIME BUT STILL REQUIRES THE USE OF 4 LITERS OF OXYGEN. HE IS FINALLY HOME AFTER 19 DAYS. HE IS VERY WEAK AND CAN'T GET AROUND WITHOUT HELP AND ONLY GOES A SHORT DISTANCE. THE DOCTOR STARTED HIM ON THALIDOMIDE 200 MG ONCE A DAY. THE PROGNOSIS HE LEFT THE HOSPITAL WITH WAS POOR. HIS ONCOLOGIST ASSURED US THAT THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER AND THAT HE COULD VERY WELL GET BETTER. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THIS AS HE IS HAVING SUCH A DIFFICULT TIME BREATHING AND EVEN A HARDER TIME WHEN HE JUST STANDS UP OR EATS. IS ANYONE EXPERIENCING ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN THEIR BATTLE? I'D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT IT OR EVEN SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. THANKS KIMD

Comments

  • wivarabbit
    wivarabbit Member Posts: 3
    #2
    I"m sorry to hear about your father. My dad was diagnosed a little over a year ago, he was also in stage three. I can't even remember the medications he was on. After his first round of chemotherepy, he was too weak to even reposition himself in bed. At 250 pounds, that was hard. Then he was wheelchair bound for a few months. He got a bone marrow transplant in october and since has been getting stronger. Good luck to you and your father. Yes, eating was hard, the only thing he could stomach was chef borardi spagetti and meatballs, and somedays not even that.
  • DrSteve
    DrSteve Member Posts: 8
    #3
    Hi. I had much the same problems as your father. I lost 40 pounds and 4 inches in height in 2 weeks. The VAD treatments (4) helped get my multiple myeloma under control enough that I could have the cytoxin(Boy, that was fun)and then the really bad stuff(Malphalan) in the hospital before my stem cell transplant and T-cell transplant. These helped for several months, but my MM came back with a vengence and my protein levels shot through the roof. The only alternatives were Velcade or an experimental protocol. I chose the experimental way, and the Revimid was the answer for me. So far, it has reduced my cancer levels tremendously. I still see a full day of patients and exercise and run 3+ miles 3 to 4 times a week. My back just kills me most af the time, but that's how it's going to be for the rest of my life. I just try to learn to live with it. No more pain pills or other meds for the pain. I wish you, your father and your family good luck. DrSteve

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