Desperate For Help

Hello, I am new here - and a little desperate for some help/adivce. My Mom was diagnosed with MM around 3 years ago. She had a transplant 2 years ago and afterwards she was told she was in remission. At the beginning of 2007 she was hospitalized for what we thought was a bad stomach bug. She couldn't hold anything down for days, then it happened again in March then again in June and now it is happening around every 6 weeks. I just got the call that she is again in the hospital tonight with this bad stomach bug. Her doctor said he's tested her for everything and cant find the cause so she is just going to have to live with it. I can't stand that she will have to go through this every 6 weeks. It is unbelievable to me that a doctor would just give up like that. She goes through severe dehydration and nausea, which makes the throwing up worse until the hospital can get her on an IV and it still takes a minimum of a 3 day hospital stay to get her to where she can hold down food. She also has frequent UTI's but we are unsure if they are related to the stomach bug.

Have any of you experienced anything like this and if so, can you tell me what your treatment consisted of. Can anyone recommend a doctor that specializes in multiple myeloma around the Dallas area? Would it be worth a trip to Little Rock to see if the Multiple Myeloma Intstitute can help?

Any information you can share would be so much appreciated.

Hi Shannen ~~  I've had MM for slightly longer than your mom, but in conjunction I have had diverticulitis.  Has your mom been checked for this?  Symptoms are extreme cramping in the lower abdomen, tenderness to touch, vomiting and diah., etc.  The only 'cure' has been high powered antibiotics given until the symptoms settle.  This happened again to me just after Christmas and for 48 hours I just couldn't keep anything down.  Hospital was suggested, but I refused feeling that I would contract something else due to my neutropenia (suseptability to al other germs).  The biggest problem is keeping up the fluids, because if you don't then kidney problems will quickly arise which leads to dialysis and other major problems.  I am now taking large amounts of odourless garlic tablets (12 per day) and this seems to be working and the diverticulitis has subsided. The garlic is said to be natures own antibiotic -- whatever!  It seems to be working for me, and that is what matters!!  You are lucky that you have found this site, for there is a lot of useful information here.  Best wishes, Cath

The suggestion below is a good one about the diverticulitis.  Research the drugs she is taking and see what the side effects are.  If any of them say nausea and vomiting stop them.  You might try cancer treatment centers of america. http://www.cancercenter.com/  they are in your area and you can call them or go to the front of cancer compass log in and talk with someone. You definately need your doctor to check her bone marrow for a re-occurance.  My nausea and vomiting lasted 2.5 years but I was able to control it.  Radiation greatly increased the problem and I only had 10 days.

What did she eat before the onset, she may be really allergic to something.  You need to work on the ph of her body and keep it at 7.4 there are natural remedies to help with that and also natural remedies for the UTI.  Cranacton daily can help with that.  Hope this helps MMS

On 1/15/2008 shannonsd wrote:

Hello, I am new here - and a little desperate for some help/adivce. My Mom was diagnosed with MM around 3 years ago. She had a transplant 2 years ago and afterwards she was told she was in remission. At the beginning of 2007 she was hospitalized for what we thought was a bad stomach bug. She couldn't hold anything down for days, then it happened again in March then again in June and now it is happening around every 6 weeks. I just got the call that she is again in the hospital tonight with this bad stomach bug. Her doctor said he's tested her for everything and cant find the cause so she is just going to have to live with it. I can't stand that she will have to go through this every 6 weeks. It is unbelievable to me that a doctor would just give up like that. She goes through severe dehydration and nausea, which makes the throwing up worse until the hospital can get her on an IV and it still takes a minimum of a 3 day hospital stay to get her to where she can hold down food. She also has frequent UTI's but we are unsure if they are related to the stomach bug.

Have any of you experienced anything like this and if so, can you tell me what your treatment consisted of. Can anyone recommend a doctor that specializes in multiple myeloma around the Dallas area? Would it be worth a trip to Little Rock to see if the Multiple Myeloma Intstitute can help?

Any information you can share would be so much appreciated.

  

On 1/15/2008 shannonsd wrote:

Hello, I am new here - and a little desperate for some help/adivce. My Mom was diagnosed with MM around 3 years ago. She had a transplant 2 years ago and afterwards she was told she was in remission. At the beginning of 2007 she was hospitalized for what we thought was a bad stomach bug. She couldn't hold anything down for days, then it happened again in March then again in June and now it is happening around every 6 weeks. I just got the call that she is again in the hospital tonight with this bad stomach bug. Her doctor said he's tested her for everything and cant find the cause so she is just going to have to live with it. I can't stand that she will have to go through this every 6 weeks. It is unbelievable to me that a doctor would just give up like that. She goes through severe dehydration and nausea, which makes the throwing up worse until the hospital can get her on an IV and it still takes a minimum of a 3 day hospital stay to get her to where she can hold down food. She also has frequent UTI's but we are unsure if they are related to the stomach bug.

Have any of you experienced anything like this and if so, can you tell me what your treatment consisted of. Can anyone recommend a doctor that specializes in multiple myeloma around the Dallas area? Would it be worth a trip to Little Rock to see if the Multiple Myeloma Intstitute can help?

Any information you can share would be so much appreciated.

  

My mother had the same problem, though not as many times.  Is your mother on clinical trial drugs?  That's what they finally decided here.  She also got UTI's I read it's from the disease and the meds. 

We live in Indiana, her Dr. was Dr. Abonour at IU Med Center in Indianapolis, IN.  I highly recommend him.  She very much trusted him with her life.  I know it is a travel for you,  but it may help. 

Hi Shannon,

My mom was seeing  Dr. Simrit Parmar before she moved to California. Dr. Parmar is in the Dept of Hematology Oncology at UTSW/ Dallas VAMC.  I found the following  link to UTSW website. It has more information about her:

http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,,77046,

My mom trusted her very much.

Maria