Mm

I have recently been diagnoisised with M protien and I also have anemia, kidney insufficency and bone pain. The MD said he will be scheduling me for a kidney biopsy and a bone marrow biopsy. I am of course scared to death. I am a nurse and had never had too much exposure to myeloma My question is prognoisis and what am I looking at. I have a 90 yr old patient of mine who has had  MM for five years now and is doing realtively ok. I am 45 and wonder will i be doing as well as her in five years or is the prognosis shorter than that for someone younger with the complications I have?

The key things to ask about which have a large impact on MM prognosis are beta 2 microglobulin and the albumin levels.  In addition, ask about your cytogenetic analysis as some abnormalities have a poorer prognosis than others.  Your age should be an advantage especially when it come to SCT.  Hang in there and let us know what you find.

I highly recommend a MM specialist over a gen oncologist.  Find out how many MM patients your oncologist has treated and how long they've lived and are living.  Kidney function can be overcome in many cases and long sustatined remission is very possible.  Your age is a plus.  If you haven't yet, start preparing for battle.  Get in shape.  The chemo used can be tough.  However, being young and in shape will make a world of difference.  Exercise to whatever level you can....it's a must.

forgot to mention, many high risk factors are also beinging overcome by current treatments