My mother was diagnosed on July 4, 2008. She had a stem cell transplant in January. Her numbers were good 90 days after. However, It has only been 7 months and her numbers are up. She has lost a lot of weight and really can't eat. She has no appetite. The doctor put her on a pain patch and on a medication that is supposed to help her eat. Has only given her bad side effects. We are feeling scared and helpless. Her doctor seems to give the impression there is not much to be done. She is too weak for another stem cell transplant. Any words of wisdom or help??????
It is difficult to give advice without knowing the whole story and without seeing your mother and carefully reviewing her medical history. However, we'd encourage you to not give up and seek the advice of a doctor who specializes in myeloma and has seen thousands of cases. We have two myeloma specialists who have each treated more than 5,000 multiple myeloma patients over two decades, and we feel this kind of experience is really important.
The key will be seeing if there are treatments out there that your mother can tolerate. She may be too weak for a transplant, but that does not automatically mean there are no other options.
Let us know if we can be of any further help, or if your mother would like to see one of our doctors. I'm so sorry to hear that you and your mother are having such a difficult time, and I really hope that there is something that can be done. I think seeking an opinion from someone else who knows myeloma could really help.
Take care,
Chat Moderator
Myeloma Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute
