My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 myltiple myeloma a week ago. how much longer does he have to live?

Question

hes jus developed a blood clot, they dont know where it is yet. hes having a difficult time breathing but they said its not in his lungs. hes in alot of pain. about 4 days ago they said his kidneys were functioning at 50 percent. to day my mom said hes so weak he cant feed himself or lift his arms up. he had blood given. 4 pints. his count was 5.7 and that brought it up to an 8. thankyou

Answer 1

Hi,

First, it's not the end - he is getting help and they can get his HGB up, work on the kidney and thin his blood to take care of the clot.

If he not being seen by a MM specialist, get him to one right away. Most MM specialist do not stage any more - they talk about factors and phases. MM is a very "specialized" cancer with a lot of different issues and the treatment plan will depend on a lot of factors. There has been a LOT of research and new treatments become avaliaqble in the last year - most "regular MD's" have a hard time keeping up on all the information - that is why a specialist in MM is so important.

A couple of key indicators you did not talk about; his "m spike" and what the results of a SPEP (type of blood test) and the BMB showed. Does he have any Lytic Leisons; those can cause real problems if they are in the "wrong place". These are the things that lets the docs know how he is and you he is reacting to treatment.

I asume they started him on something like Thal or Thal/Dex (which studies show is better).

For a lot more information call the IMF (international myeloma foundation) free hotline - they are have many years experiance with MM - they can get you in contact with local people with MM, local MM specialist and send you a lot of inforamtion on the different treatments and on MM itself.

You and your family are not alone, lots of people have MM and live a long time with it.

HOTLINE:

Call our toll free hotline—staffed by NCI-trained specialists—at (800) 452-CURE (800-452-2873) in the US and Canada between 9 am and 4 pm PST; elsewhere call [phone].

http://www.myeloma.org/main.jsp

Good luck,

Jewells
29 months and still here

Answer 2

I thought they only staged Multiple Myeloma to stage 3. So really I don't know what the treatment options are. No one can tell you how long he has to live. The doctors can possiable make a guess but that doesn't mean anything. My grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and given weeks to live. Made it over a year and a half. So only time will answer the question. I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. There are many new clinical trials avaible for Multiple Myeloma that help to reduce fractures. Try and Look into one those to see if this would help him.

You and Your family are in my thoughts. Take care and spend all the time you can with you Dad! Make the most out of everything. :)

Answer 3

SK8RHAWK,
It's possible your father is acutely ill right now and that he may improve. Multiple Myeloma IS extremely painful, but if he gets the right narcotics, that can be controlled.

If you father is younger than 60, he may be a candidate for a bone marrow transplant. This is his best chance. He needs to get his blood counts back, and get his kidneys functioning better. It's a long road, but there is hope for him, especially if he was just diagnosed and has not had treatment.

As for blood clot and difficulty breathing, maybe he has a pulmonary embolis. Again, this can be treated.

He has many problems that are hard to overcome. The average life expectancy of someone with myeloma is 3 years. Just FYI. that is average. could be less, could be more.

Answer 4

It sounds like his body is in crisis mode that is being caused my the Multiple Myeloma. Hopefully, they can get these problems stabilized so that they can start treating his cancer aggressively. He may not be a candidate for a therapeutic plasma pheresis procedure, but I have seen them do this before on Multiple Myeloma patients with some success. Because everyone is different and patients can develop a variety of complications, it is hard to know if your dad has days or decades. There is no way that anyone on the internet would be able to really know that as well. I am sure that the doctors taking care of him know how best to care for him and that he is surrounded by people that will do everything they possibly can to get him better. And because of your question - there are a few of us out here in computer land sending prayers for your dad's health and care as well.
PS - since I am a bloodbanker i do know that it is not uncommon for Multiple Myeloma patients to need transfusions. In laymans terms: The bone marrow is being overrun by the cancer cells and not able to make enough red blood cells.

Answer 5

No one can tell you how long he will have... I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and given 6 months or maybe a year at the very best...that was a little over 2 1/2 years ago..as of right now I continue to do okay...Faith and prayer has got me through it all ...

Answer 6

Hon, no one can tell you that since so many factor play a part. The doctor can give you an educated guess but there won't be an exact answer. Your dad's will to live and how his organs hold out can make a huge difference on the amount of time he has left. Enjoy and make the best of each day.

Answer 7

You need to talk to your mother and your fathers doctor. The doctor will tell you what the prognosis is and if it is terminal. He can tell you with a degree of UNCERTAINTY if he believes your father has less than six months of expected life. In that case he will recommend that the matter be turned over to Hospice. They pay for everything and can be of tremendous help. They also manage the pain very well so he will be more comfortable.
I would spend as much time as possible with him at this time. No one can give you a firm time of impending death. Good luck!

Answer 8

Though the situation appears to be difficult do not loose hope. His survival will depend on lot of factors including his age and health status when he was diagnosed and what therapy he is on.

Some of the new drugs which have been approved can help him survive. If you are a resident of US you can discuss with your Doctor for treatment with Thalidomide ( if he is not already on) This has helped a lot of patients.

Answer 9

Survival of patients with Multiple Myeloma, in whom a cure is not possible, may vary from months to years, depending on the extent of the cancer, overall condition of the patient, as well as his/her response to treatment and the duration of the response. Those treated with bone marrow transplant have a 30% chance of cure.

Answer 10

I have no idea how long he will live, but spend as much time with him as possible. My grandpa just died from cancer saturday, my mom and entire family are just devastated.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer about the end of may, so I guess he lived two months. It definetly wasn't the four months he was told.