Hi,
My name is Sarah, and my dad is Roger. He has had multiple myeloma for a few years now and has been fighting it really well. He has, though, been getting very confused and trying very hard to cover his tracks.
In March he was admitted to hospital with a infection that they could not treat. He has not come out since. He now has had a stroke and has vascular dementia and is quickly getting more and more confused. Every care home we like refuses him.
Any advice would be great. No one tells us anything. I suppose I would like to know: What is his prognosis? Is this the end?
I don't know what to expect or how to support him.
I love him so much, but he is not like my dad any more. Dementia is a cruel disease.
Thanks,
Sarah
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Re: Multiple myeloma and dementia
Hi Sarah,
I'm very sorry to hear about your father's condition. Dementia is, indeed, a very challenging disease for those who care about the person suffering from the disease.
Do you have access to your father's medical records so that you can track what has been happening with his multiple myeloma? I am not a doctor, but I really think his prognosis depends very much on whether progression of his multiple myeloma is the source of his increasing dementia, or whether it is happening separate from the myeloma.
So, for example, what has been happening to his M-spike (paraprotein level, monoclonal protein level)? What level is it, and has it been increasing lately? Please include units with any numbers you share, since they vary from lab to lab and country to country. For the M-spike, the units are usually either g/dL or g/L.
The dementia symptoms that your father is experiencing also could be tied to mineral levels in his blood. You should check things like his calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium levels to see if any are extremely out of range. (I may have missed a mineral, or included one or two too many; I'm sure you get the idea, though.)
Please let us know what you find out and we will try to help as best we can.
Good luck!
I'm very sorry to hear about your father's condition. Dementia is, indeed, a very challenging disease for those who care about the person suffering from the disease.
Do you have access to your father's medical records so that you can track what has been happening with his multiple myeloma? I am not a doctor, but I really think his prognosis depends very much on whether progression of his multiple myeloma is the source of his increasing dementia, or whether it is happening separate from the myeloma.
So, for example, what has been happening to his M-spike (paraprotein level, monoclonal protein level)? What level is it, and has it been increasing lately? Please include units with any numbers you share, since they vary from lab to lab and country to country. For the M-spike, the units are usually either g/dL or g/L.
The dementia symptoms that your father is experiencing also could be tied to mineral levels in his blood. You should check things like his calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium levels to see if any are extremely out of range. (I may have missed a mineral, or included one or two too many; I'm sure you get the idea, though.)
Please let us know what you find out and we will try to help as best we can.
Good luck!
2 posts
• Page 1 of 1