Hi Ceri
Thank you for posting on the Discussion Forum. I am sorry that you have not had any replies yet. My name is Debbie and I am one of the Myeloma Information Specialists here at Myeloma UK.
The situation you describe with your husband is unusual. When patients present with confusion and hallucinations there can be multiple potential medical explanations for this, but usually after investigation the health care professional team are able to ascertain a cause. You haven’t mentioned who is in charge of your husband’s care at the moment, but whoever that doctor is (palliative care, haematologist or GP?) perhaps you could ask them to review the whole situation with you? I have made a few notes here that I hope will help with having a discussion with the doctor:
• Could this be happening as a result of myeloma disease progression – if your husband has not had any treatment for his myeloma for some years now – is the status of his myeloma being monitored?
• Common causes of confusion that can occur in myeloma patients include hypercalcemia (high calcium levels), infection (urinary tract, chest infection or other infection) and dehydration.
• There may also be other potential causes not necessarily linked to myeloma – for example has your husband’s blood sugar levels been checked recently?
I’m sure all of these potential causes will have been investigated already, however in the absence of an explanation, I think it is reasonable to ask the doctor to review the whole situation with you so that you can be assured all avenues have been explored.
I hope this has been helpful but if you have any questions, or would like to talk things through, please feel free to email us directly to askthenurse@myeloma.org.uk or alternatively you can call the Myeloma Infoline on 0800 980 3332 – Ellen, Jude and I take calls on the Infoline and we will be happy to talk with you.
With best wishes
Debbie
Myeloma Information Specialist
