Confused????

my  dad was diagnosed with MM 2 yrs ago this May, has gone through radiation, thalydamide (sp) and radiation....recently (November) he started having high spiking fevers that would caused him to get delirious, 103-105 range, at the hospital they said it wasn't the MM but can find nothing else---after several days of crying and heated discussions with his insurance and oncologist, we got a second opinion,,,his numbers aren't high they even did a 2nd bone scan and said the MM is in partial remission----one Dr said that 1% of MM patients do get high fevers, the 2nd opinion was helpful and made some recommendations, but then in his error he did not read my dad's entire history and my dad can't have the radiation again, several Dr's are telling us that he is in the final phase of stage 3 but it just doesn't nake sense...his numbers aren't bad, he's in partial remission and he doesn't have any severe bone breakage (like some I have read about)---he is diabetic and is currently getting his 16th unit of blood in 10 weeks but his oncologist keeps saying it's not the MM that there is a secondary problem with his blood----HELLO I want to yell, they can't find anything and she keeps saying "it's not the MM" but when I ask what it is she says "not my specialty"---now they are saying that they want to start Velcade--I have read wonderful things about it, but I am also afraid that the trial or begining stage will be the final straw for his body-----the fever gets so high that he won't eat and then his sugars go out of whack and he's semi-cohesive and the dr's say this is it and we all rush to him and then they get blood in him and some tylenol for the fever and he looks and feels better---I guess I'm just feeling like they are missing something and I not sure if there are others that have similiar symptoms????? advice, experience are welcome thanks for reading 

rnojax 

I've been fighting fevers, infection, and hot flushes since Jan 08.  My doctor assumes each time I get a fever it's the staph infection I picked up during stem cell collection.  However, cultures come back negative.  I've been on Vancomycine for what seems like forever, but the fevers kept coming back.  I had the port removed from my chest about 10 days ago and I haven't spiked a fever since.  I'm on doxycycline as a preventive measure, but that's it.  Though I haven't had a fever lately, I have continued to have night sweats and hot flashes.........if any one has insight in to those two happenings, I'd love to hear it.  Some times they just don't know what's causing the fever.  However, they should be eleminating possibilities.

A good indicator of possible infection or inflamation is his C-Reactive Protien.  Have them print you a graph/chart so you can see if he's trending high from HIS normal range...not THE normal range, but HIS.  Also, an increase in White blood cells could be indicating something.  C-Reactive Protien however can tell a hemo/blood guy alot about what's going on.

I believe your doctors should have done cultures testing for molds, virus, bacteria, everything

This link is pretty interesting http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:Qf6Ggr3o92MJ:www.siteman.wustl.edu/PDQ.aspx%3Fid%3D842%26xml%3DCDR62827.xml+myeloma%2Bhot+flashes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=33&gl=us

I'm with both of you UTboy -- especially with the hot flushes!!  I am seeing this more and more often with people with MM as well as with other cancers.  I never had this problem with menopause, but recently I've been watching Whoppie Goldberg on The View and she has been experiencing hot flushes -- exactly the same as what I've been going through with big dropplets of water falling from my head like rain drops!  Her face becomes very shiny - as does my own - and she can't cool down but must just ride it through until it stops.  Well, I have found the exact same problem.So, I carry a dry washcloth to mop up my head and neck - it doesn't seem to happen to the rest of my body.  I have posted this problem on the net in the past but have never recieved a response that actually works for me, except that the sweats have eased quite a bit now that the weather has become cooler (I live in Australia)!  I'm hoping that the flushes will go away during winter -- and won't come back again next summer!!  If you hear of anything that does work please post it in BIG letters on this site!!  Many thanks, Cath