Supportive Care
Infections
Anemia
Pain
Thinning Bones
Too Much Calcium in the Blood
Kidney Problems
Amyloidosis
Multiple myeloma and its treatment can lead to other health problems. At any stage of the disease, you can have supportive care.
Supportive care is treatment to prevent or fight
infections, to control pain and other symptoms, to
relieve the side effects of therapy, and to help you cope
with the feelings that a diagnosis of cancer can bring.
You may receive supportive care to prevent or control
these problems and to improve your comfort and
quality of life during treatment.
You can get information about supportive care
on NCI's Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/coping and from NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER or
LiveHelp
(http://www.cancer.gov/help).
Because people with multiple myeloma get
infections very easily, you may receive antibiotics and
other drugs.
Some people receive vaccines against the flu and
pneumonia. You may want to talk with your health care
team about when to get certain vaccines.
The health care team may advise you to stay away
from crowds and from people with colds and other
contagious diseases. If an infection develops, it can be
serious and should be treated promptly. You may need
to stay in the hospital for treatment.
Myeloma and its treatment can lead to anemia,
which may make you feel very tired. Drugs or a blood
transfusion can help with this problem.
Multiple myeloma often causes bone pain. Your
health care provider can suggest ways to relieve or
reduce pain:
- A brace that relieves pain in the neck or back
- Drugs that fight pain anywhere in the body
- Radiation therapy from a large machine aimed at
the bone
- Surgery to fix a compressed (squeezed) spinal cord
Some people get pain relief from massage or
acupuncture when used along with other approaches.
Also, you may learn relaxation techniques such as
listening to slow music or breathing slowly and
comfortably.
You may find it helpful to read the NCI booklet Pain Control.
Myeloma cells keep new bone cells from forming,
and bones become thin wherever there are myeloma
cells. Your doctor may give you drugs to prevent bone
thinning and help reduce the risk of fractures. Physical
activity, such as walking, also helps keep bones strong.
Multiple myeloma may cause calcium to leave the
bones and enter the bloodstream. If you have a very
high level of calcium in your blood, you may lose your
appetite. You also may feel nauseated, restless, or
confused. A high calcium level can also make you very
tired, weak, dehydrated, and thirsty. Drinking a lot of
fluids and taking drugs that lower the calcium in the
blood can be helpful.
Some people with multiple myeloma have kidney
problems. If the problems are severe, a person may
need dialysis. Dialysis removes wastes from the blood.
A person with serious kidney problems may need a
kidney transplant.
Some people with myeloma develop amyloidosis.
This problem is caused by abnormal proteins collecting
in tissues of the body. The buildup of proteins can
cause many problems, some of them severe. For
example, proteins can build up in the heart, causing
chest pain and swollen feet. There are drugs to treat
amyloidosis.
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