Hi Lexi,
My Mum is 83 and was diagnosed in 2007. She did not take the news well either and was quite depressed for a while, particularly as my stepdad had only just passed away. She also finds it hard to understand the disease and gets a bit confused so she needs a lot of help with it all from me. She had no treatment for a while, just monitoring every three months but her paraproteins (which are the indicators of myeloma in the blood) started to rise slightly (started at 17 and rose to 36) so her consultant started her on course of chemotherapy which was tablets – Cyclophosphamide, Dexamethasone and Thalidomide (CDT for short). You Mum's consultant will assess the paraproteins over a period of time to see if they are rising and there seems to be different approaches – some consultants will begin treatment earlier with the aim of tackling things before any symptoms develop. If your Mum needs treatment they will assess what to do on the basis of her general health, this is normally about kidney function, bone damage, anaemia etc. After initial adjustments to the various doses my Mum had a good response to the CTD and was in plateau for about two years which meant the disease was stable. She has recently started a course of Velcade injections as her levels started to creep up again (from 12 to 17) which is inevitable really as there is no cure for myeloma. With elderly people the aim is to keep them as symptom free as possible without giving medication at levels which cause unacceptable side effects. You mention anaemia – my Mum had a small blood transfusion this week for that and she is feeling very much brighter as anaemia can make you feel very low. Iron tablets are not the best option as they cause other tummy troubles. Mum is now also having a bone strengthening infusion (zoledronic acid)once a month which helps to bind calcium to the bones and keep them stronger – this is actually a very useful thing for all elderly women).
So there are lots of things that can help if the disease progresses and they are all available even to older patients provided they are fit enough to cope. In terms of long term outlook I believe it used to be much shorter but all the new treatments make a big difference and certainly my Mum is still reasonably fit and health, mobile and doing very well for her age.
Hope this helps but do ask any questions and I will help if I can! Remember to look after yourself as well as it can be hard for carers too.
Take care,
Jill
Since his sct last August John has got Aredia every month. He has been suffering from rash and itch and a few days after his last Aredia infusion it became very bad. He went to the hospital and they immediately recognized his problems as a reaction towards Aredia.
What alternatives are there to Aredia (pamidronate disodium)?
Could Zometa or Aclasta (zoledronic acid/zoledronate) be used instead?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Norman,
My husband Patrick goes through fazes when he has monthly infusions of Zoledronic Acid (Zometa)mainly when he becomes hypercalcaemic (too much calcium in his blood). I am happy to say he has not suffered any side effects to date.
I believe the side effect Liz is referring to is caused by long term use which may cause a degredation of the bones in the jaw.
Good Luck
Tina
