Dear -B --
Given that your mom has only recently been diagnosed I would like to give you just a couple of hints regarding what is happening because it was the same for me. I too have compression fractures of my spine and multiple lesions on all of the bones in my body. Its hard NOT to think that you have bone cancer when ALL of your bones are affected! But it doesn't matter what you call it -- the fact is that the bones are affected and that results in pain. So I too am on a very high dose of continuous morphine, but I have reached a point where I am not experiencing continual pain and I am no longer 'high'. Its about adjusting the morphine to the level where it kills the pain and does NOT make you 'high' -- a very fine line. The longer I have been using the morphine - 5 years - the more I have needed as I have become immune to lower doses. I am using Fentenal Patches and have increased them in 25mg stages as the pain increased. Each time I reached a plateau where the pain was no longer extreme and I could participate in my usual activities -- albeit on a modified schedule, until the pain started to increase once again. Then it was time to up the dose. What I'm trying to say is: hang in there with the morphine for your mom will get relief and will not be 'high' -- have the doctor check the dose. Sure, MM doesn't have a 'cure' yet but that doesn't mean that one can not live quite well even with MM -- all you have to do is read the many people who are posting on this board -- they are doing everything they can to manage the MM and continue living and enjoying life. I was told I had 2 years from diagnosis as I was Stage III -- well, here I am 5 years later and have been on Revlimid for 21 months and feeling better than I ever have since diagnosis!! I've had all the treatments possible - with the exception of a stem cell transplant -- and each of them have worked for a while - some longer than others. But each one has given me a bit more time, to the point that I lived to reach treatment with Thalid, Velcade and now Revlimid -- the new novel drugs. And who knows what will be next. I live with the thought that someone is in the process of inventing something and I just have to stay alive long enough to benefit from it! And low and behold, of all the drugs this latest one has been the very best for me -- I know thats not the case for everyone, but for me it works beautifully. This is such an individualistic disease that there can be no universal cure so make sure that your mom is being treated by an oncologist who really knows about MM and all the latest treatments because only someone with this knowledge will give her the best treatment possible!! There is hope with MM -- and there are many people who have lived far beyond the prognosis of their oncologists, so don't get locked into thinking that your mom only has weeks, months, whatever to live. Everyone of us is different and how we approach this is will impact how long we will have, so forget about all the negativity and look to all the positive times you can still have with your mom -- make the most of every minute!! Best wishes to you all, Cath