[sandie58Participant]

Thanks for your best wishes Tom. Mum isn't letting the news bother her at present. We'll wait and see what the consultant decides in February.
Have just written my doctors follow up appointment results to Jill above. Not going to let the results bother me until I hear back from the Consultant. I guess if he wants to see me perhaps then I will start to worry.
All the best
Sandie

[sandie58Participant]

Hi Jill
Definitely will ask for sedation. Mum is very 'plump' around her stomach and hip area so I guess they will have the same problem. Mum does have a heart murmer which is stable at present, and also she is on tablets to keep her pulse rate steady as well as tabs for high blood pressure. She sometimes ends up in hopsital when her pulse rate goes bananas, although the last time this happened was when she was on another tablet to improve her irritable bladder, and one of the side effects was the increased pulse rate so she had to come off it. She's also on tabs for cholesterol. We will just have to discuss all this when the time comes for treatment. Meanwhile she is feeling really well, just gets tired but then she does take co-codamol for osteo arthritis and that can make you sleepy as well as being 84 of course.
Can anyone out there tell me how they felt when diagnosed. Any pain or feeling ill? It's hard to take in as she doesn't appear to have any symptoms.
Today I went to the docs for the results of my blood tests. I didn't want to appear neurotic but when I started reading up on Myeloma I had several of the symptoms. Unexplained pain in ribs, pain in spine, top legs etc., along with infections that wouldn't clear up this year. I have just had the results back and everything is ok apart for a slightly grey area with regards to my protein levels. I asked the doc if the report quoted a number but it didn't. She is writing to my mums consultant and showing him the report to get his opinion. I'm not going to get worried (yet), as ' slightly grey' doesn't mean a lot. The results didn't surprise me. For some reason I was half expecting it. I know I have osteo arthritis already (58), and having a hip x-ray today as been getting pain in that area as well. I know people get MGUS and I guess my mum probably had that before she was diagnosed with Myeloma. Keeping my fingers crossed it will be nothing to worry about.
Have a great Christmas too.
Best wishes.
Sandie

[sandie58Participant]

Hi Gill
I will insist that they give my mum sedation. I think she may refuse otherwise. Would I be able to stay with mum when she has it?
It's really strange, when the consultant told us both it definitely was Myeloma now, we were both really calm and just asked questions. I guess it wasn't a shock as it had been coming on over the past couple of years. I think calling it Myeloma doesn't make you think of the dreaded 'C' word. I was distraught when I found out my dad had cancer but he was only 70. I am hoping that with treatment mum will go on for many more years. I guess because mum is handling it so well and she feels and looks well too, it's hard to take in the fact that she has a blood disease. Perhaps that's why we are both just going with the flow at the moment.
Time to stress will be next year if she has to undergo treatment. She already takes a lot of medication for her blood pressure, heart/pulse rate etc., so we will have to chat with the consultant when the time comes to make sure none of the medication clashes.
Meanwhile, we'll have a good Christmas and I hope you are your husband have a great time too.
All the best.
Sandie

[sandie58Participant]

Many thanks. Nothing will happen for 3 months anyway, so we'll face it when the time comes.

Have a lovely Christmas.
Best wishes.
Sandie

[sandie58Participant]

Hi Bridget
I don't think I'll tell mum it will be too painful, although she's not daft and is expecting it. As long as she can be sedated. In fact I will insist that she is, although I guess you're not put right out??
I'm hoping it will be a really special wedding at a lovely venue. Not sure mum will be able to make it up the stairs to the actual ceremony as her knee is still preventing her doing a lot of steps. I'm hoping to go there before the wedding to try and ascertain any problems. Will be lovely for all the family to be there on New Years Eve as I doubt it will ever happen again. I am hoping that we don't get snow around that time as that would be awful.
Still haven't had my results and it's been 3 weeks now. Rang the docs again today and waiting for them to ring me back. When I spoke to them last Thursday they were still waiting for a report to come back. Seems an awfilly long time…
Have a lovely Christmas
Best wishes.
Sandie

[sandie58Participant]

Hi David
Thanks for your best wishes. Mum is 85 soon and we are taking her out for a family meal. Every year that passes is very precious as I lost my dad to cancer at 70 and my sister in her 40's.
We will make sure Christmas is a good one this year and the family wedding on New Years Eve with most of the family will be a one off as we don't all get together as we used to years ago.
Have a lovely Christmas.
Best wishes.
Sandie

[sandie58Participant]

Hi
Thanks so much for the info. I will tell my mum as I'm sure it will make her feel better. Seems strange that at the last appointment the head consultant finally said she now had Myeloma, but would wait for another three months before he decided on treatment. Doesn't bother my mum as at least she can have Christmas and the family wedding to look forward to before treatment. I'm thinking of a short cruise somewhere hot before the end of Feb. as she has always wanted to go on one. Trouble is she still has pain from her knee replacement so not sure she would cope with flight, and sailing from Southampton would be very cold in Feb….
We will ask the consultant about having an anaesthetic but I doubt they will do that at Harlow. Mum was traumatised when they did an endoscopy after her knee replacement as they didn't sedate her and she felt they were very rough. They were checking an ulcer which bled after the knee op. to make sure it wasn't caused by cancer, and then promptly lost the records so we never did find out. She said she would never have another endoscopy!!
Wonderful news about your dad and I hope his protein levels stay that way for a long long time.
I'm sure you will have a lovely Christmas.
Best wishes.
Sandie

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