blood tranfusion

Hello Everyone,

      Just wondering has anyone here received their diagnoses of MM or mgus years after a blood transfusion?  I am asking because in 2001 I had severe intenal bleeding from a unknown source and had to receive 5 units of plasma. They told me there was only one other person that was still standing from that kind of blood loss . And that was alive in the emergency room.  The acquired von willebrand and the mgus was not there then nor was any other bleeding condition.  So, here I am now with the mgus and the severe bleeding condition now.  Sure makes you wonder......which came first! (the chicken or the egg).

                                      Majolica

I had a Triple A back in July 2006. I had to have 13 units of blood. I was diagnosed with MM then in April 2007. I asked my Doctor if I could have gotten the disease from the transfusion and he said no. But like you, I wonder as I really do not think they know all the ways you can get this. 

Really good question Majolica -- with all the information regarding MM being a genetic condition and found on genes and chromosomes.....one has to seriously consider if this is possible.  Research and science is fantastic and getting better everyday -- they are unlocking so much of this information, who knows where it will all end up??  I just know that if I hadn't been able to have the 20+ transfusions that I have had over the past 6 years that I would have been dead long ago.  One has to weigh up the odds and go for what one thinks is best at that time.  Best wishes to you, Cath

From Anna,

Majolica, Rharri & Cath, Dad has nose bleeds before they told him he had MM.  I've posted this before.  He's finally lost so much blood from them that he had to have 2 units of blood.  The nose bleeds had been going on a while.  Just my 2 cents here maybe your bone marrow was already messed up from the cancer and that's what caused you to have to have transfusions.  Maybe I'm totally messing the mark here though. Don't know.  He had lost so much blood he heart was being overworked and they thought he was having a heart attack. 

The other day to after his transfusion it shocked his system so bad to go from very little blood to a lot that it was overworked the Dr. at the walk in clinic thought he was in heart failure.

Your friend,

Anna

I asked the doc the same thing as I had 4 units of blood in 1997 after a surgery gone wrong.  My onc said it is unrelated to the Multiple Myeloma. He said in short that MM is a genetic defect.  The weird thing is the EPA is investigating my home town for a lot of childhood cancers, which of course MM is not.. I can't help to think it is related somehow..Gayle