I, myself, would also like to know the answer to your question. I imagine the symptoms depend on if the patient is recieving any drug therapies, there overall general health, and if they had had any stem cell transplants.
My husband, age 57, died last week in his sleep as we were returning home for Arkansas where he had been recieving treatment. He had been in the cancer hospital or a rehabilitaion hospital since Jan. 4, 2008. While in the hopital he had been treated for RSV, double pneumonia, graph vs host disease, and a few minor infections or complications.
He had two stem cell transplants, the last one in March 2007, and had never had maintenance drugs as he had been bothered with skin rashed and peeling due to the graph versus host disease. A oncologist in MO did not feel he should have maintenance as it would kill him. I now think he was right. When he died, he had been taking Thalidomid for approx. 3-4 weeks, along with prednisone and I believe dexamehasone.