Multiple myeloma patients may exhibit a variety of symptoms and signs. Any signs and symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, or pain is something that only the person experiencing it can identify and describe. A sign is something that others can recognize and measure, such as a fever, rash, skin infection, or an elevated pulse. Signs and symptoms, when combined, can help describe a medical problem. People with multiple myeloma may not exhibit any of the signs and symptoms listed below. People with myeloma who have no symptoms may have their cancer discovered by a blood or urine test performed for another reason, such as an annual physical exam. A medical condition could also be a source of a sign or a symptom.
Anaemia:
Anaemia is a low level of red blood cells. This occurs when plasma cells from myeloma suppress or crowd out healthy red blood cells.
Fatigue:
Anaemia or other myeloma-related factors, such as abnormal cytokine production typically causes fatigue. It occurs in the majority of myeloma patients.
A common symptom is bone pain. Myeloma cells proliferate in the bone marrow and the cortical bone, causing local bone damage or generalized bone thinning. In other words, osteoporosis. This increases the likelihood of bone breaking. The most common sites of bone pain are the back of the ribs, but any bone can be affected. The movement usually exacerbates the pain at night. When cancer matures and spreads to the spine, the vertebrae, the individual bone that makes up the spine can collapse. This results in a compression fracture. A person with advanced multiple myeloma may lose inches in height due to the compressed vertebrae throughout their illness.
When collapsed vertebrae press against the spinal cord or pinch a nerve coming out of the spine, pain, numbness, and weakness can occur. Too much M protein can cause kidney damage in its early stages. However, it is often asymptomatic and can only blood and urine tests can detect it. Itching, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle cramps, nausea, loss of appetite, sleeping difficulties, urinal changes, anaemia, and swelling of the legs, feet, or ankles are the symptoms of the legs, feet or ankles are a few symptoms of kidney failure.
Hypercalcemia:
Hypercalcemia is a high calcium level in the blood that can develop due to bone breakdown. It has the potential to cause drowsiness, constipation, and kidney damage.
Weight loss, nausea, thirst, muscle weakness, and mental confusion are symptoms of kidney failure, hypercalcemia, or other chemical imbalances in the blood. Fever and infections, particularly of the upper respiratory tract and the lungs, can occur due to myeloma decreased immunity. This makes fighting infection more difficult. Other symptoms of multiple myeloma include blood clots, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bruising, cloudy vision caused by hyper viscosity or thickened blood, and a low number of platelets.
It is essential to consult your medical practitioner and your health care team if you are concerned about any changes you are going through. In addition to the other questions, the health care team may also inquire how long and how frequently you have been experiencing the symptoms. This can help to determine the cause of the problem. In other words, diagnosis.
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that forms in a kind of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Normal plasma cells assist in fighting infections and diseases by making antibodies that recognize and attack the germs. Cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out the healthy or normal blood cells in multiple myeloma. Instead of producing helpful antibodies that help fight against injection, the cancer cells have abnormal proteins that give rise to many complications.
Treatment:
Treatment for multiple myeloma isn’t always necessary right away. If the numerous myeloma is slow-growing and isn’t causing signs and symptoms; your doctor may recommend close monitoring instead of immediate treatment. For people with multiple myeloma who require treatment, several options are available to help control the disease. The treatment for multiple myeloma isn’t always needed straight away. If cancer matures and develops slowly and does not show any signs and concerns, the medical practitioner will suggest regular checkups instead of a sudden treatment decision.
If multiple myeloma is diagnosed, symptom relief is essential for cancer care and treatment. In other words, palliative care or supportive care. It is frequently initiated shortly after the diagnosis and continues throughout the treatment. Also, take up an appointment with your medical practitioner and the health care team to discuss any symptoms, including the new ones or changing symptoms.
