My dad was 51 when his multiple myeloma was diagnosed in stage III. He had been very tired for quite some time. (One ignored hallmark of the disease manifested about three years previously. He had always donated blood but was refused at about 48 because his iron was low. No one advised him to immediately check into that. As a young and strong man, his iron should not have been that low ever) However, he was a firefighter getting ready for retirement, so, we all believed he would be much better after a few months in his dream home in Wisconsin. He became more and more exhausted. Finally, when he was sleeping close to round the clock, my aunt forced the issue that he go to the hospital immediately. (She was a nurse.) He was diagnosed within one day as his kidneys were shutting down. He lived beyond any expectation of the medical community (some good years). He worked hard to remodel his dream home, got to meet a few new grandchildren and died at 55. Moral: Low iron counts in an otherwise healthy younger male are never "normal." Extreme exhaustion in anyone is not always a sign of depression or fatigue. Multiple myeloma can strike any age or demographic; Dad didn't fit any of the stereotypes.

I had no new symptoms when I went in for my regular check up with my doctor. She ran a blood test and noticed an increase in my anemia. I had been on the edge, but now I was below the edge. She sent me to a hemotologist. I had no idea that she was checking for everything from anemia to leukemia or multiple myeloma. I was thinking "iron" pills. I had a bone biopsy that day and got the results about three weeks later at my next available appointment. It was a shock, and I was not ready for it. I was told that at this time it is rarely curable but treatable. No time frame of survival was given, and I was not able to ask any other questions as I had never heard of multiple myeloma. After three days of shock, I went on the web and gathered all the info I could and got my grown sons to help me look up more info. My whole family was in shock. I have been undergoing treatment for almost two years now, and I am tired, I have kidney problems, and I have one blood clot so far. So I am doing OK. I do go to a support group in San Diego, and it has been more then helpful.

I was diagnosed in Nov 2010. I had a pain in my right upper arm I thought was a muscle tear since June 2010. It got more and more painful until I could not lift my shoulder. I got an MRI which showed a 3cmx3cm lesion on my glenoid. I was referred a doctor. After blood, urine, bone marrow tests I was diagnosed with MM. The staging is not an exact science. I have some numbers in stage 1, others in stage 2, but a serious lytic lesion in my scapula. We are starting prelim chemo of velcade/dex to be followed by an autologous stem cell transplant/heavy chemo. I also had 10 light radiation treatments to help with the pain. Hope to push this out for years!!

I had multiple infections including CMV. My blood work showed elevated protein and other abnormalities. I was feeling unusually tired. A few months later, I had a severe bout of pneumonia. I was diagnosed while hospitalized. I was told I was stage 2 to 3 and a PET scan revealed involvement in my hips, pelvis and ribs. I have started treatment.

I had chronic back pain and I was unable to walk without pain. My spine fractured in 3 different places, and I also had nausea, fatigue and I was constipated. Those were my symptoms that landed me in the hospital for a month. In December, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I recently had a stem cell transplant. I'm doing okay, but I still feel tired a lot and every once in awhile I get a stabbing pain in my stomach that makes me nauseated. I have had pneumonia twice and came out of it okay.

The few symptoms which I have observed in my father: Pain in spine, weight loss and tiredness. Few words which I would like to share with the patient & his family: Please don't lose your hope to live long. Your hope is our trust. Trust, that this is not end of life. The treatment is expensive but then old people have the right to live. When our parents gave us everything when we were young, we should also give then everything possible when they are old. They are our foundation. Please understand your parents.

In the summer of 2008 I was frequently quite tired and I had a lower back ache. At my annual physical I seemed to be OK. My doctor gave me pills for the backache. That pain is not uncommon when you are 78. Late September/early October I got to be very confused. My wife noted that I could not put a simple battery in a record player. My daughter noticed that I could not write my signature. On my doctor's advice my family checked me into the hospital. There it was obvious to the doctor that: 1) I was very confused, and 2) My blood pressure was over 200. I was immediately admitted. I do not remember anything for the next 5 days as a result of hypercalcemia. By the time I started to come out of this, my family knew that I had Multiple Myeloma. Nobody had ever heard of this. While I was out, the doctor took bone marrow from my hip. Even though this is painful, I have no memory of this. I spent almost a month in the hospital. After that I was first treated with Velcade IV's, twice a week, for about 4 months. Then with Alkeran and Prednisone for about 2 months. Last June 2009 my oncologist told me that the cancer is in remission. I am still being treated with Revlimid for 6 months now and receive an Aredia IV every 6 weeks. I feel reasonably good at present.