[MaddzMom]

Diagnosed in August, lost on Halloween

by MaddzMom on Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:09 am

According to her death certificate, my mom was diagnosed in June with advanced multiple myeloma, which was already attacking her one functioning kidney. (We were informed of her diagnosis in August)

She started Velcade treatments and dialysis and we were hopeful she would get strong enough to to home and maybe drive herself to dialysis.

She never left the rehab facility. She almost right away got pneumonia, then a bad UTI causing major delusions and hallucinations. Followed by shingles.

By October 1, the myeloma treatments had been stopped as she was down to 75 lbs (34 kg).
She made the choice to stop dialysis on October 25. Day after her last dialysis, she had what I viewed as a last rough week, although her comfort care nurse was amazing and was always adjusting her pain medication to suit. She was moved to comfort care.

By Halloween, she was having a very rough and visibly agitated morning. They chose to get an IV in, they upped the fentanyl patch to 100, gave her Ativan [lorazepam] and Dilaudid [hydromorphone] in applesauce, which she struggled to swallow, and with that I knew it was close. This was at 11 am. By 1:40 pm she took her last breath. My daughter and I held her hand until her pulse stopped.

I can't even believe this path. What a short rough experience.

My mom was an active 73 year old, who had already beat a craniotomy for large aneurysm, followed by a mild heart attack which ended with 4 stents.

She was a fighter, but knew she was not going to win this one

I am grateful that they were able to clear up the UTI, so we could have some final actual conversations in the end. Our last partial communication was 2 or so days before she passed.

I pray for anyone who is going thru this or has been thru this.

[MaddzMom]

Re: Diagnosed in August, lost on Halloween

by MaddzMom on Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:12 am

Also like to add that she had complained of bone pain for about 9 months prior to finding this out, she was told by her primary doctor that it was arthritis.

This happened so fast, she fought the best fight she could.

I will miss her greatly.

[sandy57]

Re: Diagnosed in August, lost on Halloween

by sandy57 on Thu Dec 04, 2014 6:42 pm

Maddzmom,

I too lost my mom to stage 3 multiple myeloma in August. My mom passed away about 4 months after diagnosis. For over a year mom could not walk and was told she had sciatica and a bulging disk. There were warning signs, though, in her blood work where she showed anemia. But a hospital and many doctors missed this cancer.

From what I have read, multiple myeloma is very hard to diagnose. My mother was in a rehab trying to walk again with a walker, she was rushed to the hospital on several different times for pneumonia. The last time she went to the hospital, besides having pneumonia, her kidneys also failed.

My heart goes out to you because I can relate to everything you wrote. Please hang in there!! I try to not focus on the should of, could of, or would of ... It's really hard to stay focused. Take care.

[civilians50]

Re: Diagnosed in August, lost on Halloween

by civilians50 on Thu Dec 18, 2014 3:52 pm

My husband just died on November 13, 2014. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (stage 3) in July of 2011. He had an autologous stem cell transplant in July of 2012. Somewhere along the line this year, he developed secondary cancer of the lungs, lymph nodes and endocrine system. He was diagnosed around the last week of October 2014 and was gone in less than 3 weeks.

The doctors know that myeloma patients are susceptible to secondary cancers, but I believe most of them do NOT check their patients on a regular schedule for those secondary cancers.

I was lucky that he lasted over 3 years with multiple myeloma. I miss him him every minute of the day.