[MelissaMc]

Could my mother's kidney damage not be myeloma-related?

by MelissaMc on Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:34 pm

Hi,

This is my first post as I just recently discovered this wonderful site after frantic reading the past few days/nights. I have the following situation which I'm hoping people of knowledge/experience may be able to shed some light on.

Thanks in advance.

My Mum (62) was recently diagnosed with 52% kidney function. At her first visit to the kidney specialist it was recommended that she take a mild, daily antibiotic and was advised to immediately stop taking the calcium supplement that she had been taking for the past 16 years!

She followed his advice and began to feel the best she had in years. So it was a total shock to be told at the 3 month check up (following more blood tests) that she had tested positive for myeloma.

Bone x-rays and a 24-hour urine sample have both been done but we are still awaiting results.

Is it possible she could have MGUS, or be at an early stage of myeloma, and that the kidney problems have been caused by years of taking the calcium supplement (so almost a separate issue), or is it more likely that she has advanced multiple myeloma so bad that her kidneys are on the brink of failure?

I would appreciate anyone’s thoughts or similar experiences.

Thanks again
So anxious!

[Wayne K]

Re: Could my mother's kidney damage not be myeloma-related?

by Wayne K on Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:18 am

I'm sure that more test will answer more of your questions.

You shouldn't take the kidney function at face value however. As we age our kidney function deteriorates and while I can't tell you what's normal for your mom, you should ask the doctor what you should expect as normal.

[MelissaMc]

Re: Could my mother's kidney damage not be myeloma-related?

by MelissaMc on Tue Jun 03, 2014 6:50 pm

Thanks for your reply Wayne K.

My Mum was told her kidney function should be 70-75% for her age so at 52% it's considerably lower.

You're right, the test results will give us the answers we need but in the meantime it's so difficult not to think of all the possible scenarios.

I'm just hoping that her kidney damage isn't the direct result of advanced myeloma or that it will lessen the type or amount of treatment options available to her going forward.

Thanks again and all the best to you.

[Wayne K]

Re: Could my mother's kidney damage not be myeloma-related?

by Wayne K on Wed Jun 04, 2014 9:33 am

When I was diagnosed I had a creatinine of 6.4 and a GFR of 9 and was put on dialysis. Long story short, I took Velcade while on dialysis and the only conflict I was told was in having a SCT. I didn't stay on dialysis and I had a SCT.

I'm now on a Revlimid maintenance, 3 cycle, but I was diagnosed 5 years ago.

While your mom's kidney function might well be a result of the multiple myeloma, it isn't uncommon and you shouldn't worry too much about it at this point in my opinion.

[Dr. Jason Valent]

Re: Could my mother's kidney damage not be myeloma-related?

by Dr. Jason Valent on Wed Jun 04, 2014 1:17 pm

This is a very good and important question.

It is sometimes difficult, particularly in older patients, to know if kidney issues are related to monoclonal proteins / myeloma or not. The other issue that makes this difficult to assess is that people with kidney damage (for any reason) can also have anemia, which is another myeloma criteria.

If her bone imaging does not show bone disease and her calcium has returned to normal off the supplement, then it may not be myeloma as the cause of the kidney damage. Now, there can be other diseases that can be associated with a monoclonal protein and kidney damage (such as amyloidosis or light chain deposition disease) that may not meet the diagnostic criteria for myeloma but need to be treated similarly.

Ultimately, a kidney biopsy is the definitive test if there is doubt about the cause of kidney damage.

[MelissaMc]

Re: Could my mother's kidney damage not be myeloma-related?

by MelissaMc on Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:32 am

Thank you Wayne K and Dr Valent for your replies.

Unfortunately we are still waiting on test results. We live in rural/remote Australia and only have access to visiting specialists once a month. Rather than wait until June 30, my Mum is going to see her GP next Tuesday (since he would have received copies of all the tests) and seek a referral to a specialist in the nearest capital city.

Understandably we are extremely anxious to know the exact diagnosis (if possible) and find out what we need to do next. Fingers crossed it's not as bad or advanced as it first appears.