MM - where to begin?

piac
piac Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Multiple Myeloma #1
My father passed away this January of kidney cancer. My mom was diagnosed with indolent MM in Jan. 2004, which was preceeded by a 17 year history of monoclonal gammopathy, a frequent pre-cursor to myeloma. I am an only child, and was in medical school up until last January when my dad passed away. I was supposed to go back to school this Spring, but my mom's myeloma has progressed. She is in renal failure now, suddenly has lytic bone lesions, unspecified fevers, and high protein counts. I am so tired of being a caregiver and watching my parents suffer. Sometimes I wish it would all be over. There is not a night that I don't go to bed crying, wondering, "why do the same people end up suffering so much, when others don't get a drop of rain on their heads?" My mom's doc wants to skip over the Thal/Dex treatment and head straight to the wonderful world of chemotherapy. Is this right? Any suggestions? PLEASE HELP!!

Comments

  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    Hello,

    You may want to contact the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Information Center. Cancer Information Specialists are available 24 hours a day and can asist you with treatment and diagnosis related questions. They can be reached at 1-800-227-2345 or by clicking on the "Contact ACS" link at the top of the page.

    Take care and be well,

    Dana
    CSN Dana
  • ggold
    ggold Member Posts: 3
    If your mom does not want to go into Chemo, my only suggestion could be, could not an answer to the problem, CAN-X. Aternative medicine that is said to (controversy) give reversing affects of some cancers. Its a long shot, but when your at the end of the trail, an alternative medicine could prevail. Hope, I dont know, but I will begin taking it experemintally (for Meylofibrosis) this coming week for 3-6 months, hopefully the product can stabilize me or reverse some damage done by the cancer, however I dont admit I believe it to be a mirical drug as the advertisers make it out to be, however 100 years of existance of this ingrediants seems hard to believe it would hurt you. Approved by FDA however again long shot for an alternative drug. Sidebar, I was a doubter on saw palmetto prior to having consistant prostate infections, once taken regularly, never got a prostate infection again. Chance? not by a long shot, however Medicinal medicine is always going to be contraversial, but try it it may work. CAN-X.
  • vj50
    vj50 Member Posts: 10
    Another place to get information is the IMF (International Myeloma Foundation) at myeloma.org. The people there are very knowledgable and can give you important information. There is a number on the website you can call if you prefer. Once the disease is better under control, your mother very likely will not need such constant care. Good luck to you both.
  • tisbud4you
    tisbud4you Member Posts: 2
    PubMed article on Cedars-Sinai Medical Center findings - Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi) causes apoptosis in leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma cells. This announcement was just published last week Jan. 16 2006:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16423392&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_docsum

    Hope this relevant article would help. Also do a search on PubMEd http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed on Ganoderma or reishi.

    For more information on other studies and resources go to www.reishiessence.com