[Hilary]

Can multiple myeloma affect the gi system,heart, and kidney?

by Hilary on Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:27 pm

My father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 16 years ago. Since that time it's been smoldering. 3 years ago my mom donated a kidney to my dad. The transplant went well. He has also had 4 heart attacks and a history of intestinal obstructions.

Before the transplant he had a loss of energy. It became difficult to walk 1/2 a block. He could no longer participate in cardiac rehab. He is cold all the time and has insomnia. My dad went from weighing 170 lbs to 136 lbs today. He has terrible GERD, which prevents him from wanting to eat.

My parents have no quality of life. My dad has been in the hospital for a month. Previous to this time, my parents visited the ER several times a month, mainly due to insomnia.

Currently there are 8 Docs attending to his issues at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Tomorrow they plan on the 2nd endoscopy to determine the cause of the pain near his sternum. There was a negative biopsy 10 days ago. After that he had a bleed, resulting in several Transfusions

There has been no diagnosis after a month as an inpatient. He has gone from CICU to transplant ICU to hematology/transplant floor.

My question is... Could the multiple myeloma be the cause for the GI trouble and pain? Is it possible that the heart is working harder and not pumping properly to fight the multiple myeloma?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Hilary

[Dr. Edward Libby]

Re: Can multiple myeloma affect the gi system,heart, and kid

by Dr. Edward Libby on Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:06 pm

Greetings from Seattle Hilary,

Myeloma itself has a predeliction for kidney damage but not so much for GI or cardiac damage. On the other hand a disease closely related to myeloma......amyloidsosis....can damage all of these organ systems. Of course many of the drugs used to treat myeloma can cause or contribute to damage of the gastrointestinal, cardiac and renal systems.

By definition though, smoldering myeloma does not cause damage to any organ system. Therefore if your father has smoldering myeloma his clinical problems are caused by something other than SMM. Amyloidosis can be hard to diagnose and should be considered in someone with what looks like smoldering myeloma but who has kidney failure, neuropathy, GI symptoms and/or heart failure.

Best of luck in all things for you and your father Hilary !